Colorful Cocktail Bar 'Anina' Opens Friday In Hayes Valley

Colorful Cocktail Bar 'Anina' Opens Friday In Hayes ValleyPhotos: Teresa Hammerl/Hoodline
Teresa Hammerl
Published on March 09, 2017

In December of 2015, we reported that the owners of Hayes Valley bar Brass Tacks had assumed ownership of Flipper's Gourmet Hamburgersthe 18-year-old hamburger joint next-door.

On Friday afternoon, the space will debut in its new incarnation as cocktail bar Anina, a bright new space with a lush, floral-forward aesthetic, thanks in part to Buenos Aires-based artist Lucila Dominguez's botanical-themed murals.

Anina's walls in progress. | Photo: Anina/Facebook

The new look is a departure from Brass Tacks' ambiance, as owners Anthony Healy-London, Josh McAdam and Matt Conway wanted to create something more colorful and open. "It's more whimsical," McAdam noted, with Conway calling the murals "a focal point."

Responsible for the bar design is Sayre Ziskin, who already designed Brass Tacks' layout.

"We removed the kitchen—the layout has pretty much transformed," Healy-London said. The updates include two new ADA-compliant bathrooms.

The Flipper's side patio has been retained, but food won't be a focus this time around, though some bar snacks will be on offer. The patio does, however, offer an opportunity for future food pop-ups in the outdoor space, where patrons can lounge around picnic tables. 

"Given that we have an outdoor space, we are also offering low-alcohol cocktails," Healy-London said. The bar will offer punch bowls and a vermouth and sherry list, as well as wines by the glass and more draught beer offerings than Brass Tacks—with pitchers available for large groups or long afternoons on the patio. 

Bar owners (from left) Josh McAdam, Anthony Healy-London, and Matt Conway.

"We were so happy with Brass Tacks in this neighborhood for the last four years, that we feel like we have an idea what works here, but also we want to do something different," Healy-London said.

"We want to be a neighborhood bar with great customer service that's open for everyone," he continued.

Outside the new bar on Hayes.

All three partners also enjoy the sense of community in Hayes Valley. "There are a lot of new residents here, but there are also a lot of people who have lived here a long time through a lot of changes," Conway said.

Added Healy-London: "Hayes Valley is a pretty unique neighborhood."

Anina will open its doors at 482 Hayes St. (at Octavia) at 2pm on Friday, March 10th, and will remain open every day until 2am.