San Francisco Blog

Janine Kahn

The tables in the front windows are a nice place to watch the passing parade known as the Haight.

Martin Macks, the Irish bar and restaurant shuttered since a fire in September, recently reopened, freshened up with light hardwood floors and five bigscreen TVs. It's good to see a state-side pub reopening, when they're closing in record numbers in Merrie Old England, with estimates running as high as six a day closing forever. A brand-new wood-burning pizza oven is a nice addition to the renovated kitchen. While waiting for our pizza, we indulged in big glasses o' crisp hard apple cider and chilly Stella Artois. We also tried the soup of the day, a nice creamy puree of broccoli ($3.50). It would have been a perfect starter before some of Martin Macks' Anglo-Irish specialties, like fish and chips ($11.95), Shepherd's pie ($13.95), and chicken curry ($11.95).

Janine Kahn

Bar at the front.

But as we said, we were there for the pizza. The one we sampled -- topped with pesto, cheese, and new red potatoes ($17/large) -- was good. Maybe not ready to take on challenges from the fancy artisanal pizzas around town, but certainly better-than-decent bar food. It had a bready crust from dough made in house, which picked up a touch of smoky char. You can design your own pie ($15 medium, $17 large) with your choice of pesto or tomato sauce, adding ingredients such as pepperoni or mushrooms for $1.50 each. On a chilly day in late spring, it hit the proverbial spot. We would have lingered over an Irish single malt if we didn't have to get back to work. Food pics after the jump.

Martin Macks Restaurant and Bar 1568 Haight (at Clayton), 861-2236.