New Wine Bar Concept Set To Replace Inner Fog

A brand new wine bar will be coming to the Inner Sunset.

It’s called The Redtail and it promises to be “a new experience in wine, beer, and food” according to its website. Named after San Francisco’s iconic king of the sky, The Redtail is owned by Conner Frederick, Joel Armijo, Ben Sapone and Wesley Wakeford, and will be opening its first location at 545 Irving Street.

The building was previously home to Inner Fog, a popular wine bar that was once dubbed one of San Francisco’s best wine bars but was forced to close in 2019 due to “the climate of San Francisco”. Inner Fog was a community staple for 10 years and local Oenophiles were sad to see it go.

Sadly, the story of Inner Fog’s closure is all too common in this city. Inner Fog owner John Nettesheim cited sharp increases in wages and healthcare as well as “egregious city permitting regulations” as significant factors in the decision to close. Inner Fog was briefly replaced by Crush Wine Bar, which was scheduled to open in March of 2020, but the outbreak of a global pandemic quickly laid those plans to rest.

Thankfully for Inner Sunset wine lovers, The Redtail appears to be the light at the end of the tunnel. Co-owner Ben Sapone has been successfully operating The Flying Pig Bistro for over a decade and will be carrying his expertise with him into this new venture. The Red Tail will feature a beer selection with 10 rotating taps, serving mostly local offerings but not exclusively.

Alongside their beer selection, they will also offer a carefully curated selection of local, European, and natural wines – intending to provide patrons with “approachable juice that also tells a great story and opens the customer up to something new but at the same time familiar.”

Co-owner Conner Frederick, who trained as a cheesemonger for over three years, will be guiding The Red Tail’s food selection. Expect light, flavorful snacks that will pair perfectly with their wine selection such as olives, sardine tins, and of course a robust offering of meat & cheese boards.

Located at the busy intersection of 9th Street and Irving, the new bar should attract substantial foot traffic from the nearby UCSF Parnassus. According to Conner, The Red Tail is tentatively planned to open in mid-September, with a grand opening slated for early October. For those of you who can’t wait, be sure to sign up on their website for more information as they move forward.

Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly listed Patrick Totah as the owner. The Red Tail is owned by Conner Frederick, Joel Armijo, Ben Sapone and Wesley Wakeford.