Natural Wine Bar Near Me: What Fig & Thistle Actually Costs

Most people walk into a natural wine bar expecting linen napkins, reserved tables, and a service charge tacked onto the final bill. Fig & Thistle at 313 Ivy Street operates differently: you order at the bar, carry your own glass to one of the seats in a 475-square-foot room, and pay only for what you drink and eat. The Hayes Valley spot opened at this address in August 2023 after years on Gough Street, keeping the same model—California wines, cheese-and-charcuterie plates, no table service, no hidden fees.

Karpo tracks which California wineries are pouring tonight at Fig & Thistle and shows you the walk from Civic Center BART. The app also flags when the kitchen changes its menu based on what local suppliers deliver that week.

Fig & Thistle charges for wine by the glass or bottle and for food plates. The wine list rotates through California producers, including bottles from Tessier and Inconnu, both female-owned local wineries. The kitchen serves classic cheese-and-charcuterie boards and seasonal dishes that shift depending on what arrives from fishermen and other suppliers. One example from a recent menu: charred peaches with avocado, cucumbers and yogurt. You order everything at the bar counter, and staff hand it to you there.

The bar operates Tuesday through Thursday from 4:30 to 10:00pm, Friday and Saturday from 4:30 to 10:30pm, and Sunday from 4:00 to 9:00pm. It closes on Monday. Pricing falls into the mid-range category, comparable to other Hayes Valley wine bars, but you avoid the automatic gratuity or service percentage that many sit-down spots add to the bill.

The 475-square-foot space offers seating at no charge once you have your order. You pick your own spot, move between seats if one opens up, and stay as long as you like without a time limit or minimum spend per person. No one charges a table fee, no one asks for a deposit, and no one adds a cover during busy hours.

The bar also runs a sister bottle shop called Millay on Market and 14th Street. If you order a bottle to take home through Fig & Thistle, you can pick it up at Millay without paying a separate delivery or handling fee. The connection between the two locations means you can browse the wine list at Ivy Street, decide you want a bottle for later, and collect it a few blocks away.

Counter service keeps costs lower but creates timing gaps when groups order separately. Meals can come out staggered when ordering separately at the bar in groups, which means one person might finish their plate before another receives theirs. If you want everything to arrive together, place a single combined order and split the bill afterward.

The room can be noisy during busy times, and the small footprint means tables sit close together. The bar enforces a strict no-smoking policy—no smoking of any kind in and around the bar or dispensary—so anyone stepping outside to smoke will need to move farther down Ivy Street. The menu changes based on what's available from local fishermen and suppliers, so a dish listed online one week may not appear the next.

Fig & Thistle started in 2013 as a tiny wine bar, later opened a dispensary where the original location stood, then moved to a bigger space next door before landing at 313 Ivy in 2023. The current spot sits at Octavia Street in Hayes Valley, a block from the corner where Ivy meets the busier cross streets. The business registration lists 7682 LLC as the operator, with a start date of May 22, 2012, and the Ivy Street location opening on August 18, 2023.

The value proposition centers on paying only for wine and food, with no markup for ambiance, table assignment, or service choreography. If you want someone to recommend a pairing, describe a vineyard's soil composition, or refill your water glass without asking, you will find that at other bars. Fig & Thistle offers California natural wine, seasonal small plates, and a seat in a 475-square-foot room for the price of the drink and the dish.

Fig & Thistle sits at 313 Ivy Street at Octavia Street in Hayes Valley. The bar opens Tuesday through Thursday from 4:30 to 10:00pm, Friday and Saturday from 4:30 to 10:30pm, and Sunday from 4:00 to 9:00pm; it closes on Monday. Pricing falls into the mid-range category for Hayes Valley wine bars. No reservations—walk in and order at the counter. The room holds 475 square feet of seating, so arriving earlier in the evening increases the chance of finding an open spot. The space can get loud when full, and the menu shifts week to week based on supplier availability. A sister bottle shop, Millay, operates on Market and 14th Street for pickup orders.

• Address: 313 Ivy Street, San Francisco, CA 94102 (at Octavia Street)
• Hours: Tuesday–Thursday 4:30–10:00pm, Friday–Saturday 4:30–10:30pm, Sunday 4:00–9:00pm; closed Monday
• Price: Mid-range ($$); counter service, no added fees
• Booking: Walk-in only, order at the bar
• Getting there: Hayes Valley, walkable from Civic Center BART or multiple Muni bus lines along Market Street

Tags: #NaturalWineBarNearMe #FigAndThistle #HayesValley #SanFranciscoWineBars #CaliforniaWine #CounterServiceBars #IvyStreet #SFNightlife #NaturalWineSF #HayesValleyBars #WineAndCheese #SFWineScene #BarsAndNightsOut #SanFranciscoBars #MillayWineShop

Sources

• figandthistlesf.com
• opengovus.com
• timeout.com
• foodeist.com

Please drink responsibly. Must be of legal drinking age.

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Before heading to Fig & Thistle, ask Karpo whether the bar is open tonight and which California wineries are pouring this week. The app also maps a route through Hayes Valley that includes the Millay bottle shop if you want to pick up a bottle for later. Karpo tracks menu changes and shows you the walk from Civic Center BART or nearby Muni stops so you can time your arrival for an open seat.