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Categories: Bars, American (New) [Edit]
Neighborhood: Haight-Ashbury
Mon-Sun. 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 a.m.
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Awesome!!!! Loved everything about this place! Duck hearts, scallops, veal, duck confit, potato chips, pork belly and so on! Cocktails, beers, BOURBON (says this Kentucky girl)!!!! I was lucky to be with a group of people who decided to share everything. Hallelujah! Praise 'The Alembic'!!!
P.S. Rachel is great!!! "Best Waitress Ever" title given to her by the table!
One of my Favorite restaurants/bars EVERRRR.
The mixologists are as good as bourbon and branch. Their suggestions are so very welcome! By the end of the night I am calling out "make me another cocktail magician!"
MUST haves:
Bone Marrow, Pisco Sour, Pork Belly, Brioche Brulee
OH BABY! COCKTAIL HEAVEN FOR KEVIN!
The Alembic is my favorite place in San Fran. I know, I'm from Toronto, but I'm allowed to have an opinion!
This place is COOOOL. They specialize in cocktails you couldn't make at home with your almost-finished bottle of Grey Goose and that Creme de Menthe someone left at your Halloween Party in 2007. They will fill your senses with delight with one of ten ultra-premium cocktails.
SIT AT THE BAR. Half the fun is the anticipation you get when you watch the concoctionists concoct their mastery at the bar. Also, the food is SUPERB! I had braised short rib (Yumskees!) and my date had the pan-seared sea scallops.
The service was fun and dedicated and the wine list was decent as well.
Thank you YELP. It was because of you that I found my favorite establishment located in PST Time Zone. Come on Toronto- check out the San Fran Yelp- they know how to do it!
So I read in some travel magazine that Alembic was voted as one of the best bars in SF. I read this article a few years ago. So I decide to go this past weekend...for a date too.
This place has more liquors to choose from then you can humanly imagine possible. They also have a huge list of specialty cocktails with fancy schmancy names. I had the Old Fashioned and the Vieux Carre. The drinks were kind of small but they were tasty. I prefer just a Bulleit bourbon on the rocks as opposed to these specialty drinks.
However, the food was dope. The duckhearts and pineapple were a special surprise. I figured they'd be chewy and tough but they were really good. The pulled pork BBQ sliders of course were good. But the best thing we had was the pork belly. A huge thick piece with a crispy delicious top layer. So yummy!
Liquor selection is out of this world. Specialty drinks were ok. Food was excellent. Service was excellent. However it is kind of $$$ so be ready for that. ($5 for a slider is a bit much, no?)
But all in all the place was good and I'd come back.
Food: Great pulled pork sliders! I always order pulled pork if its on a menu, Alembic's mini version (5 bucks a pop) were succulent, smoky, and very satisfying. The cod fish sandwich was also great!
Beer: I had the Telegraph Golden Wheat Ale- super bubbly and bright. Boyfriend had Pt. Reyes something, which resembled Guinness and could have been a meal in itself.
Service was dicey at best, but I think thats the case anywhere on Haight St. before 2 p.m. Also a little expensive, the sandwiches were tiny, I could have easily eaten 4, granted i was very hungry.
Added bonus: extensive beer and wine list. Probably great if you sit at the bar and plan to drink for a while.
What an amazing bar.
What an amazing selection of bourbons!
What a great selection of scotches!
What an amazing selection of cognac, armagnac and brandy!
The bartenders are friendly and knowledgeable and always ready to suggest something to drink.
They do serve food of which I haven't had the pleasure of tasting but it must be good. I come here for the cocktails and to sample the bourbons.
Note that some things are a bit more pricy than at other places but the selection makes it all worth the extra few bucks.
How come I can never remember leaving this place?
Is there even a need to write a fully detailed review? Isn't everyone with good taste in agreement that The Alembic has a great menu and an even better bar?
Do I really need to tell you that the jerk spiced duck hearts and salty, spicy shishito peppers are so delicious they could be a feast on their own? Or that their bone marrow is done magnificently- not too fatty and paired perfectly with garlic confit and warm crunchy bread slices? Do you really need to read about (and risk salivating over) the tender-on-the-inside/crispy-on-the-outside pork belly? Why would you bother digging deeper into this review to find out that they have an endless selection of aged whiskey that the bartenders and waitress are more than happy to help you discover?
Stop reading, already! You see the 750+ reviews all saying the same thing!!!
GO EAT, DRINK, and DRINK, and DRINK, and BE MERRY.
Dear Waitress Jennifer,
I want to let you know your service last night was impeccable! As amazing of a bar Alembic is, with its tasty cocktails and surprisingly delicious food, its your hospitality that stands out the most.
To start out, your recommendation of the Crispy Pork Belly and Press Duck Confit were spot on. Thank you for explaining what "confit" was! Mmm.. "slowly oven cooked, where the fat melts off the duck" instantly sold me on that dish. From now on, I'm associating "confit" with mouth-watering goodness.
Secondly, I really appreciate you constantly refilling our waters, our glasses were never empty the entire night. You must have came to our table 5-6x with that pitcher of aqua.
Then lastly.. BIG props! For taking the initiative and offering to re-heat the Crispy Pork Belly dish for us. My friend and I were deeply engrossed in a converstation, so the entree was sitting on our table untouched for 5 minutes. You must have noticed that and that's why you offered to re-heat the dish, telling us the food tastes way better hot. I swear, I felt like I was dining at a 3-star Michelin restaurant cause of your impeccable service.
After writing this, I realized a 20% gratuity isn't nearly enough. I'm going to call Alembic and speak with the manager, to let him/her know just how awesome you are!
Surpassed my expectations. Loved it. I didn't expect anything more than their famous cocktail/drink menu but wow - it has a diverse, unique, delicious menu. And quite affordable! Went early for dinner (5pm) on a weekday, got a table right away.
Thanks for the recommendations. I'd definitely recommend what I tried:
- duck heart w/ pineapple
- bone marrow (beware... I felt like I had just eaten my last month's worth of gym visits. Though, it was a wonderful experience eating this)
- veal special - my favorite dish of the night
- pork belly (tastes quite like Chinese roasted pork except more deluctable sp? as in, more fatty, but that much richer; also the skin was crisp to a perfection I've never tasted before)
I'm coming back and would be a regular if I lived closer.
Many props to Rachel, our waitress, for making the dining experience impeccable.
Came here for some drinks and snacks.
Low light, dark wood, young professionals crowd....very hip, very haight. Love the popcorn they season w/togarashi, mirin, and i think some sugar too. I'll have to try this at home.
We ordered some drinks(him-scotch, me-red wine), 4 artisan cheeses, hiramasa sashimi, and one pork slider (for him). The servers there were all very polite and attentive...yay. The cheeses all came out w/different pairings of jam, marmalade, tapenade, and almonds. Yum...but then again, I hardly ever dislike cheese. hehe. The sashimi also had togarashi seasoning, and it was super fatty and delish.
Wouldn't come here for a dinner, but a casual date--yes. :)
Why has it taken me so long to review this place? I used to live right behind here and would dine here very frequently.
I had my order down and luckily my favorites never left their ever changing menu.
Here is what a great night at Alembic looks like:
Pisco Sour x 5
Pickled quail eggs
Shishito peppers
Bone Marrow
and whatever is the special for the night.
AMAZING food and drinks!! Check this place out if you are in the upper haight.
The first time I went here, about a year ago, was because the brewers from dogfishhead were visiting and they are my husband's favorite brewery. We walked in, the bar was relatively quiet, and looked for a spot at the bar. A small blonde waitress approached us and announced, "We don't pack 'em in here. It's not our style. Leave and we can call you if we have room for you later."
It was pouring sheets of rain outside, and we'd walked from Magnolia solely to get kicked out by a cranky bar girl. Our group left and swore off ever returning.
A year passed, and last weekend, we decided to try Alembic again to see if the drinks were any good. Call it curiosity. We walk over from Magnolia. We walk inside, walk up to the bar. A small blonde waitress appears. A different one from last time, marginally less frosty. "Are you eating or here for a drink?" she enquries. "Here for a drink," I reply. "Ok, we don't have room for you right now. Wait outside and maybe I'll come get you in 20 minutes."
I don't know if you've been to Haight Ashbury, but Alembic is not on a street that's in any sense pleasant to hang out on for any period of time. We turned around and left.
I hate the Alembic.
So far, the only place I can find in SF that can make a decent Jack Rose. Granted, the Alembic's version (on their specialty cocktail list) included pomegranate juice, but I went for it, and I loved it. The pomegranate added some refreshing tartness to what is usually a relatively sweet drink. I'm sure, had I asked, they'd have made me a classic version, but I liked this one enough to order a second.
Can we take a moment to reflect on the fried peppers? Wow. Crispy little bites of heaven, with a teeny bit of spice to wake up your tongue. I've never even thought about frying a pepper. Now I'm not so sure I can ever eat an un-fried pepper again.
One of my friends took a suuuuuuper long time deciding on his drink, which would have annoyed me if I were our waitress. But, the server was patient - opting to leave us alone for a few minutes so that we could make a decision without her breathing down our neck - and I was impressed by that, given how packed the bar was.
All in all, I like you, Alembic. I like you very much.
My proimity to this bar could be getting kind of dangerous. Every drink I've had her I loved. Ask for the Mint Julep (not on the menu), its amazing. I also recomend the vasco de gama.
I also recommend going here if your a whiskey, bourbon, scotch conniseur. They have pretty much anything you could be looking for.
So pull up a stool, open the steel menu, point your finger at any liquor and be prepared to be blown away.
Also don't plan on leaving here sober, you will fail miserably
Heard they have excellent drinks, so came with that and some dessert in mind. Roundup:
- Pisco sour: Very light and refreshing as described. Pisco reminds me of a milder tequila. Came in a chunky goblet with some egg white foam on top, could've been a bit more generous with the amount.
- Dogfish Palo beer: Bf got this, quite a rich and dark porter-like beer. Had a bitter finish, beer not too much my thing anyway.
- Carmelized brioche: Mmmm, very nice dessert. Piece of brioche that is milky and creamy like tres leches, but served warm and the top layer brulee'd. Came with a creamy sauce and diced apples with caramel sauce. Very tasty all together with the soft and creamy yet hard brulee crust and apples with sauces.
- Serena cheese: Little block of spanish cheese served with a few pieces of toasted bread and fried almonds. Nice semi-soft cheese with a slightly nutty aftertaste.
Lowdown: Didn't have dinner, but the dessert and drinks we got were fantastic. This place is pretty small and has a very intimate romantic vibe. Kinda dark and dimly lit, very hipster and screams "I'm cool". I'm down with that, plus our food and drinks delivered. Solid 3.75!
Very cool bar with dim lighting and a lively atmosphere. Unlike many other bars, it never got too terribly noisy and it was relatively easy to carry on conversation. The signature cocktail menu (hell, the entire drink menu) is excellent and I was very impressed with the Bee's Knees (can't remember the ingredients, sadly) and I'd venture to say that if one of the selections looks good to you, it probably really really is.
Really, depends how much extra money you have in your wallet. Everything is overpriced.
I was here for the pear bites which I have to say, were really good but overall something I could have made at home. The price was more than anything I've paid for dessert at the St. Francis. It was, in exact terms, pear slices with pan dulce crumbs and raspberry juice.
To be part of Magnolia, I don't even see the relation between the two places.
The first time I attempted to go to Alembic was on a blustery Saturday evening about a year ago. Now I know that Saturday night is amateur hour, with both the best and the worst of establishments filled to the brim with eager weekend warriors; but we had out-of-town friends and I went along with the group. Of course, when we arrived we saw with much dismay (but no surprise!) that Alembic was full to the brim- nary a single free bar stool in sight, and half-dozen names on the waitlist for a table. We shrugged off the idea of waiting and headed elsewhere, but the sights inside had definitely piqued my interest- a young, attractive bohemian SF crowd, serious looking bartenders, huge chalkboards listing delicious-sounding snacks and unheard of beers and liquors. I vowed to return.
A friend and I found ourselves craving cocktails and some tasty grub a couple weeks ago, and so we headed on over to The Alembic, around 5:30 on some dismal middle-of-the-week day. Wow had the ambiance changed! The cute jacketed and scarved crowd chatting in the candlelight had been replaced with a bar full of grizzled looking men, with the rest of the interior empty. Alembic now had a much more rugged, and dare I say desolate look? Anyways, customers started trickling in shortly after we sat, the candles were lit, and the dim clamor of chatter filled the high-ceilinged space. Now we were talking.
My first minor gripe was the happy hour. We had heard they had one, but be warned it's really nothing to write home about- a discount on the bar snacks section of the menu, and nothing else- no drink specials, and the majority of the food offerings are not in that discounted section anyways.
Drinks- well crafted and smooth. My first drink was surprisingly small, albeit delicious. Called the Promissory Note, it combined reposado tequila, Canton ginger liquor, and a touch a absinthe. Now of course I realize that being 100% alcohol, this drink was of course not going to be one of the huge, sugary, monster-sized specialty drinks that some places offer, but I still thought it to be a touch scant. My second drink was their much-reveled pisco sour, and it was outstanding. Strong but not harsh, it was flavorful and smooth.
Food- From what we tried, the food here is well executed and delicious. We tried the pork belly sliders, which are well-priced at $5 a pop, and also the sunchoke soup, which was silky and warm, although the price seemed a bit steep considering the portion size. We viewed some other dishes en route to the table next to us (a salad, the scallops) and they also seemed smallish.
I would definitely pay another visit here, but I would keep in mind that wallet-wise, I wouldn't come here super starving or looking to get seriously intoxicated unless I had some spare cash- maybe hit up a cheaper place first, and then come here to really enjoy a snack and a well-crafted drink.
Fantasticness::
Virgin Southern Exposure
Endive & Pear Salad
Pork Belly Sliders
Scallops with Cauliflower and Fancy Mushrooms (this may not be the actual name of the dish, but it's close)
and
My fave thing of the evening:
Warm Choc Chip Cookies with Vanilla Salt, with glass of toasted rice spiced milk.
YES! Nice staff too!
I am a lucky girl that lives 3 secs away from this swanky joint.
From their cauliflower/sea urchin soup to their seasoned popcorn Alembic never fails to surprise and delight. Especially because their menu changes almost every week. They have a fabulous selection of cocktails, scotch and whiskey. My latest fav is the Sazerac.
The crowd that gathers here is very diverse but everyone leaves with warmth in z belly and smile on the face.
You should definitely make reservations if you are coming on a thurs-sun eve, otherwise theres usually a free seat or two.
Alembic does lunch now?! Not only am I big fan of The Alembic in general, I was really blown away by their new lunch menu.
They still have all the same favorites from the regular snack list (pickled quail eggs, honey-cumin glazed nuts, the insanely good jerk-spiced duck hearts, the shishito peppers, etc.) and cheeses, but now they have the following and yes, my friend and I shared and we ate the whole gosh darn darn thing:
Pulled Pork Sliders - I don't eat the swine, but they were gone before I could even read that they had celery root apple slaw on them. Apparently they didn't suck.
Beer Battered Rockfish Sandwich (malt vinegar remoulade, savoy cabbage, old bay potato chips) - can't go wrong with fish'n'crisps, plus some whisky or a beer. They *might* have those for you at this bar.
Mushroom "Meatball" Banh Mi (with yam chips) -- first of all, BIG banh mi, a delicious vietnamese sandwich, with a generous portion of the mushroom meatballs. My friend thought for sure it was pork because of the color and the rich flavor but nope, safe for the vegetarians... something Alembic ain't really known for. So dig in, veggies! It was gone before I had the chance to photograph it. My fault -- was more hungry than photo snappy.
Cauliflower Bisque (smoked potatoes, sea urchin, tarragon) - I had to photograph that one, although I missed out on the shot of the uni and tiny cubes of potatoes before she poured the bisque over it...
Organic Lettuces (with naked goat cheese, better than other only semi-nude cheeses, plus a dressing made with Averna!)
Slow Poached Egg (I did get a photo of this before it was devoured by my pal... I simply didn't have any because of the bacon marmalade. Yes, you read that correctly)
LONG story short, go into Alembic and have some lunch. I'm still full a day later.
Went in there last night after dinner, so didn't eat anything. It was WARM in there, tropical… Read more »
Oh, Alembic. I wanted so much to like you. I wanted so much to have just one drink....
Alas, the girl at the door said you were full and we could not come in for a drink. So my friend said to her "F-you, we're never coming back again." And we left. I apologize for my friend, but seriously, what bar turns a thirsty person away?
Thoroughly modern with an old school twist. I like to hit up the Red Vic theatre occasionally and afterwards I always head over here to talk with Brandon, my favorite bartender, and get some very classy grub.
Despite the proximity to the likes of Cha Cha Cha, the food here is quite innovative and complex. Also, their cocktail list isn't so shabby either!
Pickled Quail Eggs: A nice taste experience for me, totally lifting my bias against pickled eggs. Tasting of beet juice and vinegar, these eggs have some personality. The large salt flakes on top help enhance while the diminutive size of the egg ensures you don't go into egg overload.
Sweet Potato Chips w/ Sumac Yogurt : Sweet potato chips have been done many times over, but these shined because of the dip. The yogurt base was firm and creamy with a taste of garlic. The sumac sprinkles on top were a great treat since you usually only get that spice at Middle Eastern restaurants.
Pork Belly Sliders: I know my way around sliders, but these are by far the best I've had. The pork was well braised until it was soft and firm throughout various sections and had good bacony crisp on the outer edges. The kimchi on top and the pickled radishes on the side helped cut the fattiness to yield a perfect balance.
Spare Ribs: Chicharrones on top of ribs is a brilliant idea! It adds a dry crunch to a rather soft and saucy dish. The ribs themselves are ok, but the marinade could use more personality. The slaw was some of the best I've had.... but then again it was mainly celery root and horseradish so maybe the lack of raw cabbage sold me.
Pressed Duck Confit: Wasn't sure what "pressed" meant, but understood as soon as we received what looked like two duck brownies. The crispy skin layer above the soft meat layer was cool, but I felt the square wasn't as juicy and fresh tasting as a traditional confit.
Caramelized Brioche: This was worth the wait! Caramelized on top like a crème brûlée and oozing with milky goodness. The walnuts and apples (or pears?) on the side were a little too firm for my tastes, but I quickly forgot about them as I got to know the brioche better.
Not only are the cocktails perfectly executed and hand crafted with balance and love, there are pages to choose from (and all a little too easy on the way down). The 'Southern Exposure' lives up to its reputation, although I highly suggest the Gilded Lily - if only to brag later that you drank gold. The combination of gin and flower water is smooth and not overly sweet. They also have Hudson bourbon which is hard to come by on a bar menu.
I don't even know where to begin with the food. I wanted it all and the assortment of bites and sharable plates will throw your cholesterol into the next neighborhood. Picked Quail Eggs, Shishito Peppers, pork belly sliders, and If you're not afraid... the bone marrow is a must, probably the most decadent tasting morsel of my lifetime.
All told, I don't think the cocktails or food are too expensive. You're paying for quality after all, and that's all you can get here.
Nicely played Alembic, nicely played.
Visited here on only their second day of serving lunch due to a promo on their pulled-pork sliders (great promo item which is regularly $5 for two, but the bill said $10?). Well, the lunch menu is small (http://static.px.yelp....) and (http://static.px.yelp....) but it is not simple beer foods...or even bar foods. There are some food and flavor pairings that probably required some serious thought put into it. Pluses for that.
- Were treated to the excellent pulled-pork sliders (http://static.px.yelp....), which came with garnishes of "chicharrones"=deep fried pork skins (thanks to LuisC for that tip) and bed of "celery root-apple slaw" (http://static.px.yelp....). The sliders were good as sliders go, and the "smoked Coke" BBQ sauce was not overwhelming in sweetness or richness - nor was it too smoky.
- Wanted to try the $2 pickled quail eggs (http://static.px.yelp....) and it was an interesting mix of vinegar and light saltiness. Liked. There were three eggs to a plate (http://static.px.yelp....).
- Followed that with $5 skewered spiced duck hearts (http://static.px.yelp....), which were really good by themselves. Flecks of thyme salt was interesting. The pickled pineapple slices that came with the dish was an odd contrast and it's a hit or miss to a palate.
- Washed all that down with a $6 pint of toasted amber ale (the ale fit well with the duck hearts IMO).
Our server was Brette and she was great. Very helpful with suggestions and attentive to our and other patrons' needs. There are also large hanging chalk boards with the signature items and specials. While the location is in the sometimes difficult to find parking Haight St area, it is easy to find. Will return, yes, since it's right next to the Red Vic Movie House (http://static.px.yelp....). It is not really a dinner destination, since it is still basically a bar (http://static.px.yelp....), but if one is going to eat at a bar, this is a good choice.
Milestone: the 600th "Funny" vote's review, lol...
"Um, yes, I'll have a Monkey Gland with a side of sweet potato chips."
You can actually order this at Alembic. We happened to stop in on the one night a month when their "cocktail menu" consists of the entire Savoy Cocktail Book and they let you have at it. Very cool!
My friends and I are convinced that the gin, bitters, absinthe, and egg white lobbyists are at the heart of this new "old fashioned" cocktail resurgence, but that's fine by me. Bottoms up!
Something unique! Small place with some very unique menu offerings along with exceptional libations. The mixologists are creative and have pleasantly surprised us.
They have a very good beer list though they were out of my first three selections which was annoying. If you want to put together a cool beer list you have to actually HAVE the beer on hand...
Classiest joint I've been to...well...ever. Met bartender Janiece and paid witness to pure alcoholic alchemy. Whiskey Sour with egg whites? Yes ma'am! True I may have been out of my element but the warm, personable, and totally unpretentious vibe of the place really hit the spot. Couldnt stop staring at pseudo-steampunk-blackboard-menu-pulley-contraptio n it was so legit. Def be here again whenever I'm in the Bay.
let's be clear, folks. i want to do very dirty things to this restaurant. very. dirty. things.
it oozes sex. perfect lighting. scrumptious materials. i want to be locked in a skeezy hotel room for days on end with the individual who designed and laid out their menus and website.
after we were seated, our cute server plunked down a copy of the savoy cocktail book - all 500-something pages of it.
"just tell us the name and the page number, we'll make it for you." i begin to salivate.
we indulged in the special punch ($5, when it's gone, its gone), presented in delicate crystal punch cups, and then moved on to manhattans, which were expertly prepared and went down easy.
and then - i see it. marrow. they have bone marrow on the menu. it's all over now. i've gone off the deep end. might as well carry me out on a stretcher.
it's cooked to perfection and presented smartly - cut in half; all the more easy to get the goods out.
i need a cigarette.
Mmm.... marrow. Mmm... peppers.
Hanger steak and Cali Pinot. The perfect evening? Imo, yes.
The brioche dessert was impeccable; so many layers of deliciousness... caramel and apples as an accompaniment.
The service was, as always, impeccable. I will be back again... and again... and again.
Bone Marrow.
Pickled Quail eggs.
Shishito peppers.
Zattar chips.
Olives & Almonds.
Magnoila IPA.
EPIC…
Read more »
Hands down the best bar in the city. The cocktails are incredible, the spirit, beer and wine selection spot on, the atmosphere mellow and sophisticated.
Also, the best pisco sour this side of Lima!
I love the vibe at the Alembic, it is very cozy, relaxed and sophisticated but not pretentious. So… Read more »
Fantastic place to stop to after a long and successful day of shopping on Haight-Ashbury street. They have the best mint julep here, among other cocktails my friends ordered. There appetizers were hard to pick, but we wanted to pick something out of the ordinary. So we ordered bacon cracker jacks, weird as it sounds, but bacon makes everything better. This combination was surprisingly good and at the bottom of the bowl, you'll find a little piggy...seemed so wrong, but oh so cute.
The overall decor of the place was rather cute, homey, and contemporary. The customer service was great, the bartender helped each of us pick a drink and every single one was delish.
Whiskey + Absinthe = Crazy Delicious but mostly just Crazy.
Um. . .. you know how it always seems like a good idea to have some whiskey after drinking a couple… Read more »
Hell Yes. I came here with my sister, a native, and WOW. First of all, I love that they use offal. The undesirable bits are some of the best tasting.
We got fried peppers, pulled pork sliders, rockfish sandwich, duck heart, pickled quail eggs (which I am obsessed with now and must learn how to make), cauliflower soup with sea urchin, and poached egg on brioche with brussels sprouts and bacon. What made it all so impressive was that it was executed perfectly. There was not a hint of grease on the fried fish sandwich, the sliders simply melted in your mouth, and the poached egg was absolutely perfect. Perfect. Best egg I think I've had.
And then the cocktails. I normally just stick to beer and wine as far as booze goes as I don't like most liquors. The only exception is gin, which is not a widely mixed drink these days. I saw The Gilded Lily on the menu which is a made of Plymouth Gin, yellow Chartreuse, demi-sec, and orange blossom water. Best cocktail I have EVER had. Period. I'm getting married next fall and I'm pretty sure I'm going to skip champagne and drink this all night.
Very chill bar with a welcoming staff. An interesting list of drinks to chose from. My friends and I needed some help from the waitress and her suggestions were right on!
We got popcorn (with seaweed mixed in?) to munch on while we waited--I like this better than your usually nuts. I got the Southern Exposure, which was delicious and exactly what I was looking for. My friend got the Jack Rose, which we both thought was a bit strong--she had to add ice. We ordered the olives, tongue sliders, sunchoke and almond soup and bone marrow. I thought the food was unique and delicious, especially the soup! My second drink, the Promissory Note, was not the best. I'm not a fan of ginger. My friend's Gilded Lily was yummy and had flakes of gold!! We finished off the night with their cookies.
I enjoyed my experience here, although the drinks and food were a bit pricey...Everything was $10. The staff was friendly and helpful. Ambiance was nice. This would be a great place for a date or just for drinks after work.
Great vibe, more my kind of place than most of the Haight Street joints.
It can get pretty crowded sometimes and the service wasn't great. Their famed mint julep was good but it was so strong that I couldn't even drink it until the ice diluted it a little bit!
It's cramped, it's dark, it's in the Upper Haight, but that's pretty much where the negative aspects of The Alembic's bohemian charm end.
After you brave the wilds of hippie/junkie/rabid dog owners in the dusk of Haight (an area we all hate... ahem.), you can sip one of the 10 standard cocktails on Alembic's menu, or request something even more obscure and one of the bartenders will unleash an encyclopedic knowledge of booze for your pleasure.
My companion and I shared the "Blood and Sand", "Jack Rose", "Southern Exposure" and a sort of spin-the-wheel of destiny option where you let the bartender pick a drink out of his bag of tricks and surprise you. My favorite was "Blood and Sand" which was bitter like ginger and whiskey mixed together. The "Jack Rose", which was pink, was ordered by my companion, so you can guess that she is a female. And, the "Southern Exposure" had celery juice in it, which prompted questions like "where does one get celery juice?" and "are you sure that's celery and not wheatgrass?" Evidently it was real celery juice, and they get it from the supermarket.
Get this: each drink was $5. No, really. $5 for each of these amazing drinks. Nice.
I have never eaten at The Alembic, though I'm told their food is quite good. So the question remains, do you go to Haight Street for a spot of food while it's slightly light and risk the homeless people at that time? Or do you wait until after dark with the chances that you'll emerge totally drunk and happy, only to have your wallet stolen and you've forgotten where you parked? For now, I say the latter.
Tip: Follow Alembic on twitter to receive notification on when they have their monthly Savoy cocktail night. I went to the most recent one yesterday (11/22/09).
With that said, I'm still a fan of the bourbon old fashion and, now, the blood and sand. Come here during off hours or on Monday evenings to avoid the crowds.
Nice change of pace from the other restaurants and bars on Haight St. I love the House Old Fashioned… Read more »
should be a 3.5. why can't we give half stars yet?
7x7 - mint julep at The Alembic. wow. what a frigging kick in the pants. i tasted bourbon and that was pretty much it. no mint flavor. lots of ice b/c it was extremely intense. so much ice that it frosted the outside of the metallic cup it came it, which i thought was a cute touch.
one friend ordered the jack rose, another the blue steel, and yet another the promissory note. all very very strong. i can see why they're drinks are 10 apiece. x.x
came here for dinner. do NOT come here for dinner. they have little plates, not dinner sized plates.
got a pork belly slider and the pressed duck confit. both were very very good. the pork belly was cooked to tender perfection and the kimchee was a great touch, and i'm not even a fan of kimchee. the pressed duck confit was also very good, albeit small. the squares of duck confit had a layer of crispiness on the outside that was perfect. it was my first time having brussel sprouts. they were good! what are all you american kids complaining about? the fingerlings were also crisp.
tried a shisito pepper off of someone else's plate and that was actually pretty good as well.
the brioche dessert was superb! i split it with my friend. when spooning a piece of the brioche, you have to break into the crispy caramelized crust, and then it oozes dulce de leche out of the pores of the bread. makes your mouth water, doesn't it? the apple and walnut compote was also a great pairing to go with the brioche. mmmmmm.
this place was really really expensive. i paid 40 bucks for one drink, a slider, the confit, and half a dessert. i wouldn't mind if i was full afterwards, but i wasn't. -.- so i walked the half block over to escape from new york pizza and had a slice. (see my review on their page.)
if i had more money, i would come here, but i don't, so i won't. so now i have 18/100 items on the 7x7 list. slowly, but surely, i will finish. :D
Neighborhood: Haight-Ashbury
Category: Bars
Neighborhood: Haight-Ashbury
Category: Nightlife
Neighborhood: Haight-Ashbury
Category: Pubs
Neighborhood: Haight-Ashbury
Category: Dive Bars
Neighborhood: Haight-Ashbury
Category: Dive Bars
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