The Alembic — Restaurant in San Francisco

Disclosure: I'm a cocktail lover, and a HUGE fan of The Alembic.

A San Francisco legend, Alembic is one of the most well-known & beautiful bars in San Francisco. Designed by Nothing Something, who also designed Magnolia Smokestack in Dogpatch (if you haven't seen THAT joint, stop where you are), the space is loaded with detail and has an early 20th century vibe, an early-American elegance that's well-suited to what they serve.

If you search "best cocktail san francisco", The Alembic is the first to come up, and for good reason. Not only was it the first to usher in the cocktail renaissance, almost 10 years ago, It's been host to some of the very best bartenders in San Francisco, and they sometimes trade talent with New York greats like Death & Co.

The food is bonkers good, sometimes delicate, sometimes rich and not what you'd expect necessarily. In this case that's a good thing. It's a great menu for sharing and perfect for a date or friends you're comfortable sharing with and talking loudly over your dishes with (it's loudish as it gets later in the eve).

It's in Upper Haight of all places, which I think really works for it and gives it that magical “hidden-gem” thing. That's the business, I love that stuff but that's just me.

Seriously one of the very best...

We live in the Inner Richmond, and were excited to hear about the Alembic being just a short walk away over on Haight.

Immediately as we stepped in off Haight we were surprised. Despite the fairly nondescript exterior, the inside was very classy with a beautiful wooden bar and black tin ceiling.

The drinks were excellent! I started with the Night Market while my partner started with the Golden Child. The Night Market was super effervescent, and provided a nice punch with the cucumber, chili, and lemongrass coming together to linger on the palette nicely after each sip. The Golden Child was very interesting also, with a softer and subtler flavor profile.

For the second round, I got the Playground Love while my partner got the Blue Velvet. The Blue Velvet had a nice rounded blueberry taste, but the Playground Love was my favorite of the night. I was pleasantly surprised at how forward the milk tea flavor came through, and the pistachio and rhubarb provided a nice rounded flavor as well.

With how good the cocktails were, we are now really interested in checking out one of their mixology classes. We'll be back to get the summer cocktails again before...

The Alembic was unlike any bar I've ever been to. I should have known, given who I was joining, that this wasn't going to be a dive, but I still never expected to be writing a raving food review about the place. "Bar snacks"? Um, the menu included bone marrow, cauliflower mousse, bacon dashi, caper gremolata, garlic confit, and horseradish soubise. A plethora of spices, like honey-cumin, sumac, zaatar, and house-smoked salts. The eggs were cooked souz vide. Seafood cooked "a la plancha". This was no ordinary bar food.

The cocktail menu was equally intriguing. Amazing sounding drinks, massive list of liquors available, knowledgeable bartenders.

We were able to walk right in and get seated at a table. The atmosphere was incredibly relaxing and casual. Service was friendly and more attentive than many restaurants.

The Alembic is a fantastic place. Casual, friendly vibe, great food at totally reasonable prices, and fantastic cocktails, all in one? It is easy to see why my friends used to be regulars here. I wish it were in my neighborhood! And did I mention, one of the top desserts I've had all year? ...