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Top 5 Must-Have Margaritas In The Bay Area

Margaritas (credit: Thinkstock)

Margaritas are always in style, and celebrations like Cinco de Mayo only add to the drink's lively survival. Perfection is bliss, for sure, and, fortunately, the Bay Area offers tons of pretty good-to-fantastic margaritas at a range of prices and venues for sampling. Check out these five suggestions for tasty margaritas around the Bay Area.

Tommy's Mexican Restaurant
5929 Geary Blvd.
San Francisco, CA 94121
(415) 387-4747
www.tommysmexican.com

Everyone loves the margaritas at Tommy's, a long time San Francisco place serving Mexican and Yucatecan cuisine that knows how to make folks happy. Tommy's is known worldwide – "except Antarctica," Tommy's says. Located in the friendly outer Richmond district, Tommy's has earned a reputation "for housing The Premiere Tequila Bar on Earth." Tommy's Tequila philosophy is about selection, the place wants to represent as much of the tequila industry as possible and carries the best selection on earth. Just have a glance at Tommy's amazing tequila menu here. Try a pitcher of margaritas at Tommy's, where all pitchers contain 8 ounces of 100% Agave Tequila and only freshly squeezed lime. How good are Tommy's margaritas? Tommy's says, "Compare us to anyone, anywhere!"

Tropisueno
75 Yerba Buena Lane
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 243-0299
www.tropisueno.com

Tropisueno is a fast-spot taqueria and a relaxing Mexican restaurant all in one. The lunchtime taqueria morphs into a full service restaurant at night. Traditional Mexican food simply prepared is the key ingredient here. Tropisueno's online order and mobile app options are perfect for its financial district location. Tropisueno is also about margaritas, with a full bar that includes more than 80 selections of 100% Blue Agave Tequila. Bartender Manuel whips up some pretty stimulating specialty margaritas, from margarita de la casa, cherished for its simplicity of Agave nectar, fresh lime and Tequila, to duende, a Margarita on Absinthe, served with herb salt, and several tasty alternatives in between. Check out all the specialty margaritas here.

WXYZ Bar
Aloft Hotel, SFO
401 E. Millbrae Ave.
Millbrae, CA 94030
(866) 716-8143
www.aloftsanfranciscoairport.com

Looking for a cool spot to relax at San Francisco Airport? The spot you're looking for is the WXYZ Bar in the Aloft Hotel at San Francisco Airport. Whether a hotel guest or simply wandering in for someplace new, WXYZ Bar is a fun, sleek place to mingle with friends over cocktails and bar bites, or head to the Re:mix lounge to shoot a game of pool, grab a bite, or roam around the Internet with the bar's free in-touch Wi-Fi terminal. The entire place is pretty spiffy, modern and comfortable to hang out in, with full bar and good snacks. WXYZ Bar highlights specialty drinks and martinis, and makes some awesome margaritas as well. What makes a margarita special here are the bar's strict rules for making it: hand-squeezed lime juice, Cointreau (no generic triple sec), a full 2 ounces of tequila per drink, and shake well before pouring.  Well margaritas are made with Jose Cuero Silver Tequila or Sauza Golden Eagle ($10, $8 at happy hour); premium margaritas are made with Clase Azul Tequila ($25).

Copita Margarita (credit: Copita Tequilera Y Comida)

Copita Tequilera Y Comida
739 Bridgeway
Sausalito, CA 94939
(415) 331-7400
www.copitarestaurant.com

Celebrity chef Joanne Weir is the "maestra de cocina" at Copita Tequilera Y Comida in lovely Sausalito, just over the Golden Gate Bridge. Chef Weir's cooking series, "Joanne Weir Gets Fresh," is in its 10th season on PBS. Copita's menu changes regularly with its use of fresh ingredients from the restaurant's local garden, plus the lunch and dinner menus are 100% gluten-free.

Along with the Cocina team, including executive chef Gonzalo Rivera, Cocina serves marvelous locally-inspired Mexican fare. As its name implies, Copita highlights tequila and features an extensive tequila selection that includes an invitation to create your own margarita with your favorite tequila chosen from Copita's massive list of 100% Blue Agave Tequilas. House cocktails include the Copita Margarita made with Herradura Blanco, fresh lime juice, and agave nectar, and a Spicy Pomegrante Margarita with house made spicy tequila, La Pinta Pomegrante tequila, and lime.

 
View Copita's 100% Blue Agave Tequila list here.

Milagros
1099 Middlefield Road
Redwood City, CA 94063
(650) 369-4730
www.milagrosrc.com

Milagros Restaurant serves a blend of Latin American flavors that come together for a dining experience of eclectic tastes. The restaurant features organic produce and hormone, cage and antibiotic free poultry, and beef from some of the nations top ranchers, so you know Milagros pays attention to your food from the start. The cocktail menu here is "based on flavor profiles," and gives a handy way to select cocktails that satisfy the tastes you crave. Milagros serves regular margaritas and frozen margaritas among its range of specialty, tropical, tart, and spicy cocktails. They also serve beer – including Latin, draught and craft, wine, and non-alcoholic beverages.

Melanie Graysmith is a writer, artist and educator based in San Francisco. She writes on adult education, art, culture and lifestyle topics, and enjoys writing short stories and poetry. Her work can be found at Examiner.com.


 

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