A brand new chic and elegant restaurant has opened up in South San Francisco for people to grab some food, enjoy a cup of coffee and engage in recreational activities with their friends throughout the week.

Foundry & Lux, a restaurant, bar and café, opened up six months ago in a complex called “The Cove at Oyster Point” at 151 Oyster Point. The entertainment hub features a bowling alley, basketball, bocce ball and volleyball courts, ping-pong and pool tables and a fire pit for outdoor dining.

The restaurant certainly meets the recent demand for fresh and ethical cuisine. It offers seasonal produce from its on-site edible garden, whole animal cooking, dishes driven by sustainable, locally-sourced ingredients with humanely-raised meat and seafood that meets the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program guidelines.

Foundry & Lux’s indoor aesthetic is an interesting combo of cozy and sophisticated at the same time. It’s like someone plunked a restaurant into the middle of a common room and then added a bunch of very fancy décor.

Their food is definitely different than anything else you might find in South San Francisco. The restaurant has offerings of American food mixed with some Asian influences. However, the menus are different depending on what time of the day it is. The main bar menu consists of your typical bar fare: different varieties of wings, garlic fries, burgers, wood-fired pizzas and salads.
Now what sets them apart from other eateries are the small, authentic touches. They make interesting kinds of pizza that I haven’t seen on a menu before. For example, they have a smoky salami pizza made with heirloom tomato sauce, scamorza (an Italian cheese similar to Mozzarella) and red shaved onions which was savory with just the right balance of flavor.

Their kalbi fries, consisting of cheese curds, pickled vegetables, gochujang aioli and Korean short ribs over fries were tasty. It was like an upgraded version of chili cheese fries.

Last but not least, I tried the Korean style wings and didn’t know what to expect. They ended up being fried and dipped in a slightly sweet, spicy sauce topped with pickled veggies and served with bleu cheese on the side. The wings were crunchy and messy but overall delicious and I’d order them again.

Their drinks pack a punch as well. Their bar offers a myriad of cocktails as well as IPA’s, stouts and a variety of wine selections on tap. I had a signature cocktail, the Jack Rose, consisting of apple jack, grenadine and lime which was sweet but strong.
Foundry & Lux is a good place to hang out, unwind and watch the game with your friends or co-workers after a long, hard day. Prices are decent for the quality of food and portion size. If you factor in the fact that all the entertainment features are free, you might not turn your nose up at the thought of a $12 cocktail.

Come for the food, stay for the atmosphere.

Happy hour: $2 off all beer & wine from 3-6 p.m.
Address: The Cove at 151 Oyster Point Blvd., South San Francisco
Hours: Monday through Friday from 7 a.m.to 9 p.m. and closed on weekends.