Bar Underdog

Palo Alto, CA

Despite being founded by two industry heavyweights—Master Sommelier Dennis Kelly (one of only 279 in the world) and chef Anthony Secviar, who met at The French Laundry and later asked us to design the Michelin-starred Protégé across the street—their brief to us was intentionally modest: Create a welcoming neighborhood bar for actual locals.

The design leans into a playful and tactile design language. The result is a bar that is equal parts crafted and irreverent, with a material palette that fuses Japanese influence with Bay Area warmth. This includes a shou sugi ban burned-cedar bar die wall, a hand-stained Japanese-cedar back bar, rich mahogany wall paneling, cozy navy vegan-leather booths, and metallic gold wallpaper lining the bar ceiling for a celebratory shimmer.

Both owners hail from the Midwest and connect with the underdog spirit, particularly embodied by the Underdog cartoon featured here. With a surprising lack of approachable bar spaces in the neighborhood, they even added a “moonlight menu,” a late-night offering designed specifically for hospitality workers.A custom two part pass window allows the chef to see into the dining room while limiting views into the kitchen.