Alchemist Bar & Lounge

Multiple drinks that fancy the whiskey drinker. They are made with lots of care and so take a few minutes.
Love the interior and the shadow puppet shows. There is no words to them so it brings me back to the old school booths at fairs I have seen abroad like in Istanbul.
It does get loud and crowded, but it is a great stop off before dinner.

Amazing cocktails! Great atmosphere! You basically have two entrances, with different rooms. Worth trying if you enjoy good cocktails!

Ok overall. Music was ok, not very upbeat. No beer on the tap!
Took forever for someone to come and clean our table. We went down to woodbury’s and enjoyed it more

After a rough experience outside Pier 70, was looking for something good on Unilocal,this place definitely improved my night. It has a good lounge crowd was mostly locals, the vibe and music (mostly older tasteful hip/​hop) was cool. The food downstairs stars at the connected bar was pretty tasty bar fare. Staff and security was friendly and approachable, definitely worth a visit!

A co-​worker of mine decided to go to this lounge so we followed him. It was kind of difficult finding this place at first because it was dark and just guessed the entrance. We were met with a friendly bouncer and allowed us to go in. You have to go upstairs to go into this bar.
As soon as we entered the bar, the vibe was definitely not for me. It was boring, in my opinion. Although, I did appreciate the aesthetics of the bar and velvet-​coated walls.

Cool trendy new spot. Used to work next door to this space and had no idea it was even there before they opened the bar. Dimly lit, NYC loft style feel with exposed brick, Motown songs playing in the background. Had the cocktail, ‘somethin with vodhak’ and it’s one of the best drinks I’ve had in a long time!

Quaint, cute, & cozy. Was looking for a place for a place to take a few friends out for a drink & this place was perfect. Reasonably price & chill. Only downfall is you have to go to the bar and get drinks bc there’s no waitress. Went on a Thursday & bar wasn’t too busy so it was fine.

A nice cozy place on the second floor.
cocktail is good
The only issue is the music is too loud, almost impossible to talk.

Stopped by for some drinks before heading to the almighty restaurant Saison (just around the corner). While this place screams trendy with every hipster gimmick there (projected black/​white artsy films on bare walls, craft drinks, dim light, inviting furniture to accommodate groups, stairway entrance, etc.), it is pretty fun for what it is and the exact thing that would keep me coming back. It’s like there’s a trendy formula nowadays for these types of establishments and although society makes fun of it, it’s a cool environment to be in. I liked their drink list, the drinks themselves, and I like how they had this platform you can chill on and just people watch. This would be a nice place to either take a date, meet with a big group of friends, or just grab a drink and people watch.

Tis’ the season.
For uggs, scarves and everything pumpkin spice.
Call me basic, but these are «basic» essentials to not only weather this season but to experience it fully.
But get this: I don’t own uggs (aka UGHS), I don’t wear scarves and until this past weekend I have never had a pumpkin spice latte.
Oh but when I did, my world was flipped upside down immediately. Granted, we had a gift card which helped me justify this impulsive splurge but still, fantastic. I get it white girls, I can’t even either.
That night, we hit the town ready to cause mischief with some Oakland friends. We found the Alchemist via Unilocal and were initially intrigued because of the video games and seemingly chill atmosphere; We didn’t wanna wade through union square tourists nor give off dirty glares to the mission folk, so the lesser of evils sat in SOMA.
The Alchemist is a beautiful space. Large, home-​y and festive enough (note: maybe they have the x-​mas lights up all year?). we found a seat at the bar and were happy to find an abundance of great beers and crafty cocktails. I started with the Steelhead DBL IPA which was hoppy and full of flavor… Definitely helped kick the night off in the right direction. After some talk and banter about my pumpkin spice experience, the night took a turn for the best.
I found the BasicBitch cocktail.
Imagine this: pumpkin spice latte in cocktail form. From what I recall, it was made with whiskey and pumpkin spice liquor with some bitters. I lost my phone the night before (like a basic bitch should) so I was unable to capture the picture… Or the menu to take note of its ingredients… But dear god, this hit the spot. It was warm, it was full of flavor and by the third one I found myself nuzzled up in a corner wearing yoga pants and uggs.
After reading reviews and looking at photos, I’ve come to conclude that this art of a cocktail is seasonal (obvi) so get it while you can.
Basic bitches, UNITE!

I love this place. It’s such a hip place to be on Thursday thru Sunday evening. I especially like it on Thursday night. My last visit was just before Halloween and it was packed with people wearing their most ridiculous Halloween costumes.
But not only is it a place for the hip, I usually choose this place for my first dates… yes, perfect for taking that new someone. The staff is easygoing (not in your face all the time), the atmosphere is mellow so you can sit on one of their couches and have a good conversation. The bartender is great with his liquor and whenever I’m confused on what to choose he always surprises me with something new.
This place is my all-​time go to place when I just wanna take a date or just friends for an evening of drinks and good time.

The bar was great and very spacious but what blew me over was the cute wall animations. It was unique and so cute. Completely upped the ambience and gave it an edge over so many other bars Iv been too.
Yummy cocktails, great vibe and overall a great place to hang out for a chilled out evening. They have yummy snacks too. Love the tater tots here.
Definitely coming back.

Full disclosure I’m new to the city and this was my first night out. Alchemist was the second bar of the evening but my favorite. The décor and architecture of the building is really nice. The website said steampunk which can get overly theme but it was very urban industrial with just a touch of whimsy to keep it well out of Disney territory; exposed brick, wood beams, comfy leather couches arranged in different seating areas. For the lounge feel of the atmosphere I was surprised the music was so loud, dance club loud (10 to midnight), it seemed out of place since most people were talking and had to shout over it.
The drinks were amazing. I had the «and something with vodka» nice clean drink, a little herbaceous with thyme, and a subtle sweet finish. I would defiantly have it again. My friend had the «bitter forest», I don’t usually drink gin, but this was also really good. Most importantly the staff was friendly, it was easy to get to the bar for a drink, the bartender acknowledged us right away, took our orders and was nice enough to pour us waters with our drinks.

This place has a great atmosphere. It was surprisingly easy to get a table even on a weekend. It’s dark, and the drinks are ready fast.
The drinks aren’t that strong, but they taste delicious. The staff is also friendly and we never had to wait for more than 5 min to get a drink. I will definitely drop by if I’m back in the area. It is nicely located near where I stayed last time.

Disclaimer: review is only for upstairs.
The first thing that comes to mind is that it’s SO HOT UPSTAIRS. With crowds of people and alcohol flowing, that doesn’t help :(They have nice music and a cool shuffleboard up there, but I start sweating immediately. Also, they were out of Jameson when I ordered a Jameson and Ginger… whaaat? It was only 11.
I’ve heard downstairs is cooler with a lot of games, but there’s almost never anybody there. The party is definitely upstairs. Overall, it’s not a bad place to have some fun and drinks.

Cute lil speak easy spot. Film projected on the brick wall. Hamd crafted drinks. Open space. Vintage furniture and good upbeat music. Great bar to come hang out with friends. Enjoy!

If you’re a fan of Local Edition and Rickhouse cocktails but hate the crazy crowds, then you’ll like sipping your cocktails here in peace during happy hour.
My personal favorite is the Beez Nuts — gin, chamomile, lemon, and honey. Let’s just call it the nectar of god! AMAZING! I’m usually not a fan of gin, but there’s not a trace of that icky juniper aftertaste with this drink.
Bonus: There is a free shuffleboard table here!

I really appreciate the owner taking the time to reach out and feel like he is trying to make changes. The server who initially helped me had been very on top of it all. It was just the bartender in the middle with serious attitude and was incredibly rude to customers. I would consider coming back

This review is for the Metrowize event where they offered $ 3 drinks. There were two private parties and the Metrowize going on. The service is usually horrific here because of their «artisanal» cocktails, which take a while to make. The bartenders on a normal night are stuffy a’holes to begin with too. But when you have a packed place, you guys need to hustle and get rid of your shit face.
We ordered 12 drink (same) specials at once because we have 12 people in our party, plus we stood there for 20 minutes before he would even acknowledge you. The bartender was throwing major attitude and said that we couldn’t do that and completely ignored us. What??? We just continued to stand there and he finally mixed the drinks after standing there for another 15 minutes. We watched him slowly move about the bar and had ZERO sense of urgency. He could care less…
I’ve encountered this bartender before and he is wound up tight. He’s tall and has got longer brown curly hair with a beard. He throws stuff and stomps around like he hates his job. He went to the bathroom and on his way there he cranked up the music. He’s a total weirdo.
Hey owners… here’s a suggestion… get rid of him… he’s bad for business. He’s got a bad vibe about him. Good drinks but he is SO unpleasant that if I see him there, I won’t get drinks. I’m not paying the premium for these drinks to be treated like shit. Sorry, not sorry.

Lovely, somewhat gothish décor, and two stories high.
That’s the end of this place’s charm.
Is it just me, or do the bartenders come across as incredibly bored and act like customers are just a nuisance? Drinks don’t stand out either.
Bored to death here. Not sure if I care to return, unless if someone invites me to.

If you want a laid back yet intimate lounge with ample space and ridiculously good drinks, you’ll really enjoy yourself here. The innovative cocktail menu enables you to be adventurous and try drinks you normally wouldn’t order. I’m not a a big bourbon fan but the Papaya Inn (I may have butchered the name) which was their cocktail of the week was absolutely delicious.
Try to arrive before 8pm for HH if you want to save a few dollars on drinks (cocktails are $ 8 vs. $ 12) and grab a seat on one of the comfy couches.

This may be one of my favorite bars in the SF! The drinks just have so much character.
I got the I’m Not Daisy, but it was a bit too sweet for me. My friends got the Camp Fire Fix (?) and Smoking with the Devil, and it tastes exactly as it sounds! I’d recommend this place if you want drinks that taste different. At least give it a try eh?

Was next door and decided we needed a change of scenery. Alchemist, here we come! Ended up finding a table by the shuffleboard and grabbed a couple of cocktails.
Cocktails ($ 11 each):
*BA baracus: scotch, lemon, ginger & habanero syrup, cider
*Along came sherry: bourbon, fino & px sherry, maple, coffee, bitters
*Smoking with the devil: mezcal, ruby port, agave, egg, lime, hellfire tincture
*Total eclipse: cynar, coffee liqueur, simple syrup, lemon juice, hum liqueur
I was super tired, so I started with the Total eclipse. Not sure why I thought it would have coffee in it. I guess I was too tired to really read the description. My second cocktail was Smoking with the devil. I wanted something light and refreshing. This did the trick as it reminded me of a pisco sour. The other two drinks were Peter L’s.
We also got a Strawberry gimlet, which was nice and light. My gf and I had seen the strawberry basil gimlet pic which looked so pretty and delish. They just made us the strawberry version though.
I played shuffleboard which was super fun. Make sure to sweep all the sand off the board before you start. I think the sand affects the way the piece moves. Also be careful of the wall art next to the game. I ended up scratching and bruising my shoulder when I bumped into it. Ouch!
The turnoff of this place was it smelled when we walked in. Like someone had a little too much to drink and couldn’t hold it in. Kinda grossed me out when we came in. Glad we were able to find that table on the other side of the bar.
Fun, but a little divey.

REVIEW #299. Which can count as #300 depending on your significant figures.
Does chemistry occur chez the Alchemist? I don’t know, because all good chemistry pickup lines argon.
I’ve wanted to come here for awhile because I’ve heard it is comparable to Local Edition, though the primary reason is my affinity for all things science-​related – theLab, DNA Lounge, and now the Alchemist.
I half-​expected a chemistry lab theme, which would be quite swanky with dranks prepared with pipets, mixed in flasks, and served in beakers. (This was actually one of my musings for what I would do for a living had I not gotten accepted into pharmacy school). I was therefore ecstatic to be greeted by flasks, microscopes, and other paraphernalia that blur the lines of witchcraft and alchemy.
[THE AMBIENT CONDITIONS]
If you want to take a picture of the fascinating labware setup in order to look cool on social media (yes I confess being guilty to this practice), there might not be time becuase the bouncer is very efficient and the line moves surprisingly quickly. He paused on me for awhile though; I guess pharmacy school hasn’t made me age too much… yet.
Up the obligatory staircase for the imitation speakeasy experience, the main room wasn’t exactly the nerdy chemistry bar of my dreams, but the unique ambiance was primarily warehouse, blended with electric and intellectual elements. One might describe it as entropy: disorder in perfect natural order. The overlooking second level is obliquely designed like a haphazard makeshift platform, and the vintage edison bulbs, brick walls, and projections of black-​and-​white videos only add to the charm.
[THE WAVELENGTHS]
The music selection is solid: all the songs on the radio that I don’t skip over. It’s a mix of popular/​EDM minus annoying girly songs. Overall the noise is at a good level, loud enough to feel alive but not so loud that you have to scream to hear yourself think.
[THE EtOH]
I half suspect the bartenders to be fans of My Chemical Romance, which would explain the name Alchemist as well the fact that all the cocktail names are so morbid. Death in a Rose Garden and Smoking with the Devil sound like something straight out of the Black Parade.
I got the B.A. Baracus (scotch, lemon, ginger & habanero syrup, hard cider), and it was crafty enough to be worth the $ 11. I especially liked the spicy kick, which went well with the scotch. It was just the right level of spiciness to give it character without being flamboyantly firey and barely tolerable like the Local Edition Bloody Mary. Because we were trying to identify what we ordered, I tried a sip of some other cocktails, and all were wonderfully complex.
I also appreciated how artsy the cocktails looked, with the thin layer of foam up to the rim, simple elegant garnishes, and a large ice cube curiously floating pointy side up (reminiscent of the half-​sunk marshmallow in the $ 7 mocha named Titanic at Hollow).
[THE KINETICS]
Oh snaps the shuffleboard. It’s quite entertaining over dranks, with all the spontaneity. Unlike the cumbersomely strategic game of pool involving vectors, transfer of momentum, etc. etc, the nature of the game is such that there isn’t much you can control given the variability from the sand and the sloped surface. It’s something of a crap shoot, essentially an adult version of beer pong.