15 Romolo

A North Beach hideaway for Spanish-inspired drinking

Romolo Place, a tiny alley in North Beach, used to be home to Basque Hotel, famous for its family-style Spanish meals. When bartenders Greg Lindgren and Jon Gasparini took over the place more than 20 years ago, they wanted to honor that legacy — and they made 15 Romolo into one of the best places in the Bay Area to drink Sherry, the Spanish fortified wine. The dark, moody bar offers several Sherrys by the glass, plus a smart selection of Iberian wines, from crisp Verdejo to bold Tempranillo. Sherry makes appearances in the cocktails, such as in the Velvet Jukebox, which mixes manzanilla with jammy sloe gin and Tequila, but other drinks aren’t particularly Spanish-inflected. Try a Pimm’s Cup, exploding with fresh flavors of ginger, cucumber and mint, or a bracingly cold frozen daiquiri.