Extremely French wine bar coming to S.F.’s most Italian neighborhood

A wine bar with a Parisian bent, clear views of Alcatraz Island and a steady stream of cable cars passing by is coming soon to the dormant corner of Filbert and Mason in San Francisco’s North Beach.

Owner Brando Jessie, a former tennis instructor, hopes that his eponymous wine bar, Chez Brando, will import some serious Parisian vibes into the city once known as “Paris of the West.” A screen inside will play French films, the soundtrack will include standards from French musicians such as Claude Francois and Juliette Greco, and outside, his plans for an outdoor parklet include a structure with replicas of the Eiffel Tower. “San Francisco is one of Paris’ many sister cities and I think it’s the city most appreciated in France,” he said.

Chez Brando’s arrival will mark a contrast in the historically Italian neighborhood. It’s just down the street from the reborn Fior D’Italia, which claims to be the oldest Italian restaurant in the U.S., and a stone’s throw from espresso specialists Graffeo Coffee.

The wine selection will draw on France, Napa Valley and other growing regions, and will include bottles from his personal cellar – some as old as 40 years. Those bottles will be available to patrons who sign up on a blackboard to split the bottle on a given night. “When you experience an old bottle, it takes you to that time,” Brando said. “They are very different from younger wines.”

Jessie has owned the building at 775 Filbert St. since 2001. When tenant Green Taste Vegan Goods closed in late 2021, leaving behind a three-compartment sink and a food prep area, Jessie decided to open a Parisian-style wine bar he had been thinking about for years. The following year he incorporated the business, began making the modifications to turn the retail space into a wine bar and had his beer and wine license approved by the Board of Supervisors.

Chez Brando, a new French-influenced wine bar, is preparing to open in San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood. (Lea Suzuki/S.F. Chronicle)

The project stalled until earlier this year – Jessie chalked the delay up to a family situation abroad. Now that work has wrapped up, its interior can accommodate around 15 seated customers inside a warmly lit space with dark walls and burgundy accents. There is currently no set opening date.

Chez Brando is part of the latest wave of French restaurants and bars arriving in the Bay Area (though the menu here will be limited to charcuterie boards and slices of Spanish jamon Iberico). Occitanian restaurant La Cigale opened in Glen Park recently, while buzzy bistro Cache made its debut this spring. Meanwhile, Lazy Bear chef David Barzelay’s anticipated project, JouJou, is still in the works.

In recent weeks, Jessie has invited neighbors in to draw on the blackboard walls, leaving behind distinct manuscript messages in several languages. “It’s very encouraging when people look and tap on the windows,” he said. “I couldn’t not let them in and write on my walls.”

This article originally published at Extremely French wine bar coming to S.F.’s most Italian neighborhood.