Viridian is an Asian-American cocktail bar that serves great food

Not that it mattered much: we seemed to be the only customers in the entire busy, crowded bar who had ordered anything at all. No one else had bought a single bowl of potato pancakes. Meanwhile, as usual, we had filled every available inch of our counter with plates and bowls piled high with braised meats and pickled vegetables.

Anyway, I get it. The vibe at Viridian is great and the cocktails are spectacular—and I say that as someone who would never call myself a cocktail person. The signature Tomato Beef, a magically crystal-clear tequila drink that tastes like the purest essence of a ripe summer tomato, may be my favorite cocktail in the Bay Area. For a change, this time I tried the Cafe Sữa Đáddy, a jet-black iced coffee mix topped with a thick, fluffy cloud of egg foam. It was dangerously sweet and smooth.

What we’re here to tell you, however, is that you shouldn’t skip the food – in fact, Viridian is worth a visit for dinner or an after-dinner snack, even if you don’t drink at all.

This is at least the third or fourth change Viridian’s distinctly Asian American dining program has undergone. When the bar opened in early 2020, just a month before the pandemic began, it served almost exclusively desserts — elegant pandan custard cakes and Thai tea tiramisu. There was a phase when the kitchen served mostly offbeat reinterpretations of dim sum, and then several phases when any elaborately plated dish would have been at home in any three-star palace of fine dining.

The current menu, launched just a few weeks ago, is probably the simplest, most bar-snack-tasting edition yet, leaning into homey, diasporic Asian flavors in a way we found particularly enjoyable. There was piping hot “Mala Spice Chicken Tempura,” which turned out to be essentially spicy chicken nuggets served with a sweet chili dipping sauce with speckles of carrot—but such a tasty interpretation that McDonald’s really should have consulted them before it launched its own lukewarm version. It featured tater tots served with sour cream, chili crisp and chive dip. It wasn’t anything fancy, but a must-try for anyone who likes to nibble on hot, crispy carbs while they drink.