We enter JarrBar first on a late summer evening. Light floods into through the shopfront window, which is about the width of one long table, and well, the entire bar. High ceilings and a collection of mirrors deceive your eye though, and the place feels welcoming, close quarters aside. The bar’s nine seats are coveted spots, but we are lucky to grab one of two small tables between the door and the bar without waiting. Just blocks from the waterfront and the bustle of the market, it almost feels European–being able to stroll right into this hidden alley alcove that feels so fresh and beautiful, and sit right down. The room feels like a secret. No place else in town accomplishes this Mediterranean feeling while remaining so hidden away.
The Spanish-influenced menu is thoughtfully simple. Food offerings include a selection of Spanish cured meats, tinned fish, cheeses, olives, and other small bites. There’s a great selection of wines and Spanish beers and ciders, as well as a brief but balanced cocktail menu. The Spanish Gin Fizz is a personal favorite. While you shouldn’t come here looking for a traditional dinner, it’s the perfect place for a date or casual after-work get together. Sip some cocktails, graze on snacks, and listen to whatever great record they’ve got spinning. The staff is friendly and welcoming as well, which never hurts.
"The room feels like a secret."
"There's a sort of blurry warmth that comes over you when stepping into a place small enough it could be your living room."
It was autumn by the time we visited Foreign National for happy hour on a Friday. It doesn’t matter what time of day you arrive, though, it always feels like 9 p.m. in the bar’s windowless space. There’s a sort of blurry warmth that comes over you when stepping into a place small enough it could be your living room. Flickering disco lights and retro pink wallpaper add a cinematic air to the intimate experience. Like next-door parent restaurant Stateside, the bar offers craveable Vietnamese-influenced snacks and cocktails that land nicely on a spectrum somewhere between tiki and top of the shelf. Thanks to its hideaway setting, Foreign National establishes, above all, a concentrated mood, and it’s one that we were happy to settle into.
In contrast to JarrBar’s graceful grazing platters, Foreign National offers heavier bar food that you’ll certainly be ready to dig into after a stiff cocktail or two. Popular offerings include a cheeseburger bao (imagine a fluffy bun stuffed with Asian-seasoned meats, cheese, and special sauce) chicken curry puffs, and banana splits. Even the cocktails can veer into savory territory. The Silk Road, which is served to you in a delighful buddha mug, blends rum, coconut milk, and curry. The Spring Gibson involves gin, shiitake mushroom vermouth, fermented soy garlic, and soy brine. Of course, there are plenty of pared down options to cleanse the palette, as well.
