Leo’s Oyster Bar, San Francisco
Giant gold art-deco doors greet you at the entrance to Leo’s Oyster Bar, located in the financial district of San Francisco, hinting at the glamorous oasis that lies within. Restaurateurs Anna Weinberg and James Nicholas of Big Night Restaurant Group have worked in collaboration with designer and master of interior magic Ken Fulk to create a bar and seafood restaurant reminiscent of the Golden Era. The Oyster Bar is a spectacle of colour, pattern and texture, brought to life through the playful, decorative materials. The bar is divided into three sections; the front foyer, the dining room and champagne bar. The diversity of each room creates different environments, which allows diners to choose their setting, depending on their mood.
The front foyer features beautiful botanical wallpaper and a high ceiling with skylights, allowing light to pour through and sparkle against the gold gilded mirrors and vintage vases. Pot plants are suspended from the ceiling and the combination of greenery and bespoke wallpaper enhances the feeling of a tropical sanctuary. The warmly lit bar in the dining room exhibits an extensive library of alcohol and the checked black and white tiles and timber wall panels invite and entice you in to try Leo’s signature cocktails.
Tucked away at the back of the restaurant is the champagne bar, where one would expect to see Greta Garbo or Humphrey Bogart sipping a dry martini. The lounge is dimly lit and the leather booths and dark ornate metal pressed ceiling to create an intimate ambience. Fulk describes the lounge as a “quintessentially masculine space that introduces tension with feminine qualities.” The botanical wallpaper carries through from the front foyer and contrasts with the dark banquette and the bold hexagonal floor tiles. The restaurant and bar is a perfect venue for an intimate evening that will prompt tipsy reflections and half forgotten memories.
Leo’s Oyster Bar is a glamourous tropical paradise where Beverly HIlls meets Manhattan and a rather perfect space to while away the evening in golden era style.
Credits: Ken Fulk Architectural Digest
