In the Mission, a Spanish Taberna Built Around Vermouth and Sherry Is Drawing the Crowds

On the corner of Bryant and 21st streets in San Francisco's Mission District, a two-year-old Spanish taberna called El Chato has built a reputation for lively, easygoing energy. The mood spills onto the sidewalk, at least until the bar closes at 10 p.m., an hour that would seem early in Spain.

Visitors walk in under a large mural of a dark-haired woman. She is not a Western pop icon like Amy Winehouse or Elvira, but Alaska, the 61-year-old Mexican-born singer. Few Americans know her, though for many Spanish speakers she holds a place comparable to Madonna's. "Spaniards recognize her," said co-owner Erin Rickenbaker. Co-owner Rafa Saenz said he did not want the room to resemble a standard tapas bar, preferring inspiration over "the typical bullfighters."

The drinks list includes a broad selection of wine, but the house specialty is sherry (jerez) and vermouth (vermut), served in 3-ounce pours. The vermouth comes over ice with a skewered olive and a slice of orange, intended to evoke the Mediterranean.

The kitchen sends out salty dishes to match. Among them are boquerones en vinagre, vinegar-cured anchovies coated in garlic and olive oil and served with skewered olives and potato chips for $18, and a Spanish tortilla for $9. That dish is a slice of onion-and-potato frittata topped with mayonnaise and set on a piquillo pepper and grilled bread. Tinned fish is also a focus, with roughly eight options available at any time, ranging from sardines to baby scallops to razor clams from Galicia.

Still, the draw is the atmosphere. Stylish Europeans share the room with neighborhood food enthusiasts, and an occasional DJ plays indie sleaze while a friendly Newfoundland dog sleeps under the decks. Patrons drink from porrones, the traditional Spanish wine vessels. Whether a given night is a birthday party or an ordinary weeknight can be hard to tell.

Saenz, who is from Madrid, met Rickenbaker, who grew up in the East Bay, while both worked at Bellota, the upscale Spanish restaurant at the base of Airbnb's headquarters. They shared a goal of creating a relaxed place where people could try new wines from any region.

The name carries several meanings. The most literal translation of "el chato" is "short," but the phrase also means "buddy" and refers to a short glass used for wine in Spain, which the bar uses itself. The openness extends to the bottles. "We're very open people. We have wines from Croatia," Saenz said, noting that Spanish bars rarely stock Croatian or even Portuguese wine. "You ask for vinho verde, and they go 'Blech.'"

Overhead, the room is lit by ceiling lamps shaped like jamón ibérico, the cured legs of acorn-fed pigs that are sliced thinly. Saenz had hoped to get realistic-looking versions to light the bar, but the producer in Spain shipped white ones instead. "They actually look beautiful," he said, so he decided to hang them.