A San Francisco local, Nicolas Torres has been bartending in San Francisco for over 15 years. With extensive experience bridging neighborhood bars and dive bars to craft cocktail venues and fine dining establishments. Nicolas created the cocktail program at Lazy Bear in 2014 gaining two Michelin stars within the first 2 eligible years. He then moved on to open True Laurel where his current program highlights both wild and farmed local produce alongside rare, unique, and small-batch spirits and wines. In addition Torres has opened a natural wine bar named Buddy with some of his favorite industry friends, and he is currently working on opening an art gallery, House of Seiko. Torres’ close collaboration with the kitchen has led him to develop a hyper seasonal bar program, as well as championing preservation and sustainable techniques.
Time Out Best New Cocktail Bar 2018
Esquires Top American Bars 2018
2018 Bar Director of the Year SF Magazine
2019 Star Chefs Rising Star 2019 SF Chronicle Bar Star
50 Best Bars Discovery 2021
Top500 Bars
2021 Best Bar Team Honoree, Tales of the Cocktail