Bread & Butter
A Lowbrow Theme Finds Success
Amidst the Swank of San Francisco 

    IN a world of velvet ropes, sophisticated spirits, cover charges, dress codes and way-too pretentious party-goers, one small San Francisco bar is putting some buttery smooth fun back into the nightlife scene. Located in the city’s swanky South Market district (SoMa), Butter Restaurant & Bar offers the perfect blend of casual coolness, redneck revelry and greasy good times — literally.


"It’s Like Butta”
   This white trash treasure serves up the famed flavor of microwaved and deep-fried food out of its 1950s trailer in the back of the bar. Butter’s operators pair their finger-lickin’ food with savory signature cocktails made from ingredients that bring guests back to the days of their babysitters. Think Tang, strawberry soda, Sunny Delight and Thomas Kemper Root Beer.
   “Butter has a very relaxed atmosphere,” says Owner Oliver Paine. “It’s hard to be uptight when you are serving Tater-Tots with vodka and grape soda (called the After School Special).”
   Building upon their white trash whims, owners Marco Ligman and Paine created an irresistible ambiance for anyone with a sense of humor and a soft spot for late-night grub and stout spirits. Serving up affordable drinks such as the Prom Night Punch, the Bitchin’ Camaro and the Shotgun Wedding (a shot of Jack Daniel’s and a Budweiser “Tall Boy”), the bar’s vibe undeniably smooth.
   The staff serves most of its domestic beer in 16-ounce cans and offers old school gelatin shots just for fun. But, for the most parched patrons, a 32-ounce Miller High Life served in a paper bag, 7-Eleven style, just might do the trick.
   The most expensive drink is the $8 R.V., and “this ain’t no Winnebago,” Paine says. It’s a heavy-handed pour of vodka and a filler of Red Bull energy drink to top it off.  


Butter ‘Em Up
   After customers’ taste buds are buttered up by deep-fried Twinkies and Tangtinis –– which consist of a Tang-rimmed Martini glass filled with Absolut Mandrin, triple sec and orange juice –– their eyes and ears are treated to a feast of body-moving music and nostalgic movie clips.
   Butter “projects scenes from guilty pleasure movies,” Paine says, such as “Sixteen Candles,” “Airplane,” “Battlestar Galactica” and early “Wrestlemania” on the walls while local DJs blare everything from House to Rock ‘n’ Roll music on two turntables that are built into the bar top.


Regular Returns
   Like its slogan says, Butter appears to be just “two turntables and a microwave,” but don’t be fooled. To add to the slick style of this establishment, the owners added a state-of-the-art recording studio above the bar and started the record label, Butter Records. “This mashed-up style (of music and fun) has proven to be a particularly good fit for Butter,” Paine says.
   As if the tasty treats and intoxicating drinks weren’t enough, the welcoming staff certainly keeps customers coming back for more. The bartenders treat customers like regulars after a visit or two by remembering their favorites.
   Butter’s staff, food, drinks and ambiance are so fun-loving and delicious that they have managed not only to succeed but to thrive in the ultra-trendy and competitive world of nightclubs and bars. “This relaxed atmosphere and commitment to not taking things too seriously,” Paine says, “has kept people coming back throughout the years.”             NCB