Jasper’s Corner Tap & Kitchen, SF

More often than not, hotel restaurants have to offer something special to win guests’ attention and seldom are they popular with locals. Finding a casual in-house eatery with well-prepared dishes and a happening scene is rare. Jasper’s Corner Tap & Kitchen in San Francisco’s Serrano Hotel, located two blocks west of Union Square in the Theater District, fits the bill. A New American restaurant, Jasper’s uses locally sourced ingredients, including 100% BSE-free Angus beef and seafood adhering to strict standards set by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch. There are vegetarian and gluten free options and the wine list, with vintages from around the world, offers organic and biodynamic choices. So, what’s not to love?

The reason people flock to Jasper’s is because the food tastes good. Dishes are innovative without being fussy and portions are generous. Clearly, the chef knows diners come here to eat well and heartily—not to “ooh” and “aah” over each dish as if it was a piece of performance art.

Along with the usual classics, the breakfast and brunch menu has intriguing choices like Posh Benedict with smoked salmon, and Citrus French toast with outsized Texas toast and fizzy citrus cream. There’s also a Kale Ceasar Salad with Tuscan kale, a poached egg and shaved Parmesan. And The Full English—two eggs, two strips of bacon, black pudding and a banger, plus beans, mushrooms, grilled tomatoes and toast—will keep you stoked for any adventure outing, whether it’s a crosstown trek to Fisherman’s Wharf or a hike up nearby Mt. Tamalpais.

The All Day Menu brings healthy choices like Wheatberry Salad with arugula, dried cranberries and herbed chèvre. Seafood aficionados can order Cajun Fish & Chips with beer battered rock cod, or Old Bay-seasoned fries and house made tartar sauce. For sandwich lovers, there’s The Burger, a 1/3-pound grass-fed organic beef patty, with cheddar, smoked pork belly and pickled jalapeño peppers, or a New Orleans style beer-batter fried shrimp Po’ Boy.

You’ll also find dishes like Jasper’s Fried Chicken – 3 pieces of buttermilk fried chicken with coleslaw and mashed potatoes. Devout carnivores can chow down on an 8-ounce New York strip steak, while vegetarians enjoy Cauliflower “Steak” with chimichurri sauce.

In what was once a teetotalling temperance hotel, Jasper’s claims to have the “Best Beer Selection on Tap near Union Square.” With 18 continually changing draft beers, choices might range from the well-known Anchor Steam Ale, created at San Francisco’s historic brewery, to more exotic brews like Saint Archer White from San Diego. Other possible choices: LUX Helles Lager from Ninkasi Brewing in Eugene, Oregon; Hazelnut Porter from Heretic Brewing in Fairfield, California, and Barrel Bourbon Stout from California’s Anderson Valley Brewing. Wines hail from California, Oregon and Washington State as well as Argentina, France, Italy and Spain.

Jasper’s boast of having the city’s “best signature cocktails” smacks a bit of hyperbole. After all, so many San Francisco restaurants serve excellent drinks nowadays. But Jasper’s really does do a great job with its ever-changing cocktails, which might include drinks like Parson Writer (with vodka, cranberry, lemon, chamomile syrup, blackberry, basil and sweet vermouth), The Courtesan (with tequila, lime, firewater bitters, agave, raspberry, and cherry and bitter almond-infused Maurin Quina liqueur), Newton’s Revenge (with bourbon, apple juice, sweet vermouth and Ancho Reyes chile liqueur) and Smokey Serrano (with mescal, lime, sugar and flambéed Serrano peppers).

Enjoy your meal in a comfy banquette in a quiet corner. Or hunker down at the long wooden bar or at a low table. TV monitors near the bar come in handy on game days in the San Francisco area, home to legendary sports teams, from the Giants, 49ers and Golden State Warriors to the Oakland As and Raiders. At Happy Hour, Monday to Friday, 4-7 p.m., a glass of beer or wine is just $4—half the usual cost.

For night owls, Jasper’s serves up Late Night Bites. Snack on jalapeño poppers (with cream cheese and buttermilk dressing), Duck Fat Fried Tater Tots (with parmesan, curry ketchup and house dip) or a Koolickle (a dill pickle in tropical punch Kool-Aid). Or enjoy more substantial dishes like the ’Merica Cheeseburger (with cheddar on a brioche bun) or Chili Cheese Fries (with vegetarian black-bean chili and aged cheddar).

There’s even a dessert menu, crafted to tempt the after theater crowd and late night diners. Sample the Manchester Tart (vanilla custard cake with strawberry preserves and shaved coconut) or Sexi Lexi (a fried banana, with chocolate and peach ice creams, and strawberry sauce). Or try Chocolate Bourbon Crack Tart (with chess-pie filling, chocolate, bourbon and whipped cream). For a lighter sweet, choose Liquid Nitrogen Caramel Corn or Earl Grey tea-infused Crème Brûlée.

Given all the possibilities, lingering at Jasper’s sounds like an awfully good idea. Book one of the hotel’s cozy guest rooms and you and your companion can wine and dine well into the wee hours, then wake up to a sumptuous breakfast.