A new neighborhood hang comes to San Francisco: The Halfway Club
From wood-paneling and a spiffed-up 1970s vibe, to casual fare with grown-up edges, Halfway epitomizes inviting comfort.
Many a happy night was spent at Broken Record over a decade ago with my friends and family, playing pool, sipping a dram from their affordable whiskey list, and filling up on excellent bar food. After closing in September 2022, I couldn’t have predicted that friends Ethan Terry and Greg Quinn would end up taking over the space and opening The Halfway Club, their dream long in the making.
Opening January 10th in the chill Crocker-Amazon neighborhood just south of Excelsior, The Halfway Club is both a restaurant and bar inspired by “70s dad’s basement bars” via the Midwest. From wood-paneling and a spiffed-up 1970s vibe, to casual fare with grown-up edges, Halfway epitomizes inviting comfort.
Yes, these are industry vets I go way back with, having met them over their many roles at notable San Francisco bars and restaurants over 15 years, from more upscale AQ, Foreign Cinema and Octavia, to bar greats 15 Romolo and The Alembic in its original owner days.
Besides managing some of SF’s best bars, Terry has spent years as a spirits brand ambassador most recently as the West Coast Chartreuse brand manager, as well as for the Bon Vivants and Avion Tequila. Quinn has been general manager and worked at greats like Absinthe Group’s Boxing Room, Trou Normand, and was a founding partner at Free Flow Wines. Many years back, they met working at Annabelle’s Bar & Bistro. For years, they’ve been searching for the right space to open their first spot. I visited just over a week in to check it out.
Knowing Quinn and Terry’s eclectic design sense, vintage lamps, beer signs and accents will continue to grow as they fill out the space. There’s a mural-lined back patio, dining and movie room, cozy front bar, orange banquettes against dark green and brick walls and a gorgeous 1972 Wurlitzer 3600 Super Star jukebox. But what makes Halfway even more special — especially for us film buffs — is its movie ties.
Ever since director Steven Soderbergh began importing Singani 63 Bolivian brandy, he’s had close ties to the spirits world. From his brand’s donation to Halfway, we see support of these bar owners who deeply value film. Bay Area Singani brand ambassador Eric Quilty donated a projector and large screen, enabling Halfway to host movie nights and a few major games. Terry’s film studies certainly influence this welcome movie emphasis, while opening night’s showing of Hitchcock’s “Vertigo” kicked it off San Francisco-style. There’s also a TV over the bar, but as their website states, when it’s on, they’ll only show “local sporting events, major playoff games and Indiana University basketball. (Go Hoosiers!),” honoring Quinn’s Indiana roots.
Halfway Club is a nod to the Half Way to Hell Club, a society of 19 construction workers who fell from the Golden Gate Bridge as it was being built 1936–37, saved by safety nets below. Such quirky, local lore informs the space, as do dive bars the guys grew up with in the Midwest, but with a few sleek touches and inviting casualness. This directly translates to the food menu. Their opening consulting chef Larry Piaskowy understands the bar food tie-in: he was also bar manager at formerly Michelin-starred Rich Table — my Distiller Magazine interview with the Chicago native here.
But chef Jason Murphy is actually helming the kitchen day-to-day. He comes from one of the nations’ greatest bars-with-food, True Laurel, and is imparting subtly elevated touches to sheer comfort food. Think chips and sour cream-chive dip with ultra-crisp house fried potato chips and optional add-on of trout roe.
Hard to resist toasted cheese raviolis dipped in savory-sweet tomato sauce. Ditto an ancho pimento cheese and griddled onion burger. Or the HWC Glizzy hot dog on a potato bun, killing it with horseradish remoulade, pickles, mustard, and — wait for it — crushed Old Bay chips.
There’s a light side, too, with charred broccolini and standout salads, like of-the-season Dungeness crab, shaved fennel and apple slivers over little gems lettuces with blessedly restrained dollops of Green Goddess dressing. A juicy buttermilk brined and roasted half chicken in smoked bacon Madeira jus is cooked to perfection, but its accompanying blistered brussels sprouts almost steal the show.
My favorite dish is unexpectedly chicken liver mousse on Rize Up Bakery’s ever superb sourdough, toasted in buttery glory. Laced with Fuji apple butter and spiced pecans so good I’d buy bags of them, even a welcome half order of toast is generous. Actually, portions are generous in general here. This savory, silky, sweet toast is so good I could eat it for dessert.
Of course, Terry and Quinn deeply know cocktails, so they’re well-crafted but straightforward and unfussy. Midwest spirit shows up in 70s glassware and drinks like a twist on a Brandy Old Fashioned, aka Wisconsin Old Fashioned. A perfectly-balanced Prairie Paloma offers a choice of tequila or mezcal — or both — with a nice hit from Scrappy’s Firewater Bitters, lime and grapefruit soda. Also straightforward but bracingly good: Ol’ Sconnie features Argonaut California Brandy with cherry-orange cordial and bitters.
My top cocktail from the tight menu is Ellie’s Shaggy Dog Shandy. First, it’s because it’s named after Terry’s precious dog, Ellie, who was in Ethan’s life from babyhood to old age. But this tribute to this recently-passed sweetheart is also delicious. Featuring Highland Park 12 year Scotch whisky, a subtle peachy touch of pêche de vigne is balanced with honey syrup, lemon and dry cider, like a more complex highball with orchard whispers.
They’re building out spirits offerings and installing an eight-tap system that will feature draft beers, cocktails and wine. There are Boilermakers (beer and a shot), local beers like Faction Brewing’s fruity, subtly bitter Penske File pale ale, alongside a few thoughtful wine pours, like Tessier’s unique chilled riesling and red blend or Chateau Cambon’s beautifully balanced white Beaujolais Chardonnay.The Halfway Club is open every night except Mondays, starting at 4pm and to 1am on Fridays and Saturdays. I look forward to checking out movie nights here. Halfway is chill, welcoming, where I’ve already cozied up in a corner banquette with loved ones and made new friends sitting solo at the bar. It’s that idyllic neighborhood watering hole and everyday kind of restaurant, meeting needs for communal gathering space and delicious nourishment, centered by Terry and Quinn’s embracing hospitality.
// 1166 Geneva Avenue, www.halfwayclub.com
Virginia Miller is a San Francisco-based food & drink writer.
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