ORINDA, CALIFORNIA – Imagine this cinematic scene: You’re sitting in a moody bar, with Picasso-inspired original art on the wall, a trendy soundtrack, and the energy of a murmuring crowd.
A waiter comes to your table and places down a transparent glass box filled with smoke.
You open a tiny door on the box, and as a puff of smoke wafts out, you find that it has been concealing an Old Fashioned-style cocktail made with Japanese whisky.
Now, the camera pans out, and you discover that you’re in… Orinda???
That may seem like quite the plot twist. But it’s exactly the intended experience at Bar Sorso, an extremely trendy new bar and restaurant directly across from the Art Deco gem that is the Orinda Theatre in downtown Theatre Square.
No reason to leave Orinda
Bar Sorso is the brainchild of restaurateur Daniele Carsano. Carsano has run restaurants successfully throughout the Bay Area. But living in Orinda, he wanted to open something closer to home.
He could easily have opened another brewpub or a sandwich place. But Carsano had different ambitions.
He wanted to create something that would give people seeking a trendy bar experience the ability to find that right in Orinda, without having to drive through the tunnel, venture to downtown Walnut Creek, or go into the city.
To that end, Carsano teamed up with Lucas Tischler, who is running the cocktail and bar program at Bar Sorso.
The result is a lively and very trendy spot in the former Starbucks location on a prominent corner in Orinda.
My wife and I stopped by on a Friday night shortly after Bar Sorso opened to check it out. (For the record, Bay Area Telegraph was the first publication to report that Bar Sorso would be coming!)
Cinematic cocktails
My first impression of Bar Sorso was that it feels unlike much else in Orinda.
I love the Fourth Bore, which is next door, and other Orinda staples like Kibi’s Café.
But those places have a more casual, family-friendly vibe. Sorso feels more like a place you’d go for a date, take a group of colleagues, or celebrate an occasion with friends.
The restaurant has a small outdoor patio area right on the square, which was filled with people when we visited.
Step inside, and you’ll find a moody, darkly lit environment with a prominent bar.
A piece of original artwork that feels very Picasso-esque anchors the space and helps set the mood. People here seemed to have dressed for the occasion and were out intending to have a good time.
Sorso has “bar” in its name for a reason. The creative drinks are the highlight here.
I ordered a Kuro Kage, a whiskey cocktail made with Japanese whisky and presented with cherry-wood smoke.
It arrived inside a glass box filled with woodsmoke. A little bit of smoke wafted around the sides, and opening the door on the box released a big puff of smoke from which the cocktail slowly materialized.
The woodsmoke scents the air around your table and also adds a subtle level of smokiness to the drink itself. It’s a fun and performative way to receive a drink, and the drink itself was delicious.
My wife ordered another of Sorso’s creative cocktails. This one included a sliver of real lemongrass attached alongside the straw, providing a kick of lemongrass flavor with each sip of the drink. Again, it’s a creative way to present a cocktail.
The rest of Sorso’s cocktail menu is equally creative, and they also have a selection of more classic cocktails if you’re not in the mood for something that wafts smoke as you drink it!
The food
While at Sorso, we also sampled multiple items from the menu. (Sorso hosted us for a visit so we could review and photograph the restaurant—thanks!)
We started with the citrus-marinated seafood crudo, featuring thin slices of raw fish in a bright, citrusy preparation. There are several raw items featured on Sorso’s menu.
We then moved on to the lamb chop Milanese, a breaded and fried lamb chop.
We accompanied this with cauliflower, which arrived covered in cheese in a hot skillet.
We had a Little Gem salad alongside these heavier items.
Sorso also includes a pizza menu, if you’re feeling like more casual food options. Its specialty is pizza al padellino, a pan-baked pizza from Torino.
We finished the meal with zabaglione and homemade cookies, a traditional Italian dessert.
The verdict
Bar Sorso has absolutely succeeded in creating the kind of lively, trendy bar environment that Carsano envisioned.
It’s nice to see Theatre Square exploding with energy, with people spilling out onto the patio as they sip their cocktails and chat. A new improv theater directly across from Sorso, combined with the classic live music at the Fourth Bore, makes this feel like a place that’s coming back to life.
Easy parking in the Theatre Square lot, it must be said, helps!
The small size of Bar Sorso, the creative interior and art, and an energetic soundtrack in the background create the feel of a trendy, happening spot. It’s quite different from the family-oriented vibes you’ll find in many other places in Orinda.
Again, the drinks are really the standout here. It’s hard to find drinks at this level of creativity in the East Bay, much less in the often sleepy community of Orinda. In the 925, we often do casual, breweries, and even classic dive bars really well. Something at this level of mixology feels more like it was pulled out of San Francisco or the other side of the tunnel.
Sorso feels like a perfect place to grab a cinematic drink either before or after a movie at the Orinda Theatre. Pair some cocktails with a film, an improv class or even just a stroll around Theatre Square, and you’ve got a nice evening out on the town without having to drive for more than a few minutes.
Orinda’s nightlife scene seems to be heating up. Bar Sorso may be a driving force behind that developing change.
