they have middleton! the bartender that i had that evening was kick ass and she didnt take shit from the party bus crowd !! read more

The bartenders are pushy and rude. Opps I'm sorry. They have a decent selection of beers and cocktails too but they aren't very nice sorry Ed. I won't be back read more

They have trivia night and let some as wipe on the mic call people homophobic slander remarks! Could not believe that ownership would allow this to go on being in San Francisco. Also having brand-new bartenders make drinks that they have no idea how to make is not a good idea to get repeat business. An old-fashioned should be one of the easiest drinks to make and they made it terrible! Won't be giving them any business anytime soon!! read more

Myself and my two compadres were on the hunt for a few frosty warlocks after witnessing a horrible incident. A few yuppies who were supporters of the infamous Giants baseball team had ran an elderly gentleman over and in our horror proceeded to give out to this old gentle soul. We continued to hop on the 14 bus and were en route to elixer. The reviews on yelp beforehand indicated that this would be a happy place full of frolics , women and no Giants fans. Upon arrival we saw the Elixer sign with the word Saloon written underneath. We all thought to ourselves "Saloon vibes for all". However after entering the actual establishment we were shocked to see a pitful crowd with demeanours that screamed minus buzz. The only cowboy in this Saloon was the bartender slinging overexpensive half pints of Leffe. My first compadre said to me. "What could make this experience any worse?" Upon finishing this sentence a despicable voice echoed in the back of the Saloon. It was Bingo time. What followed was the shitiest game of bingo potentially every played in a Saloon. The over enthusiastic man on the mic pushed these cheap tacky and nearly childish bingo cards into our hands. As I slowly slid the red windows over the bingo slots I imagined my own eyes sliding shut and forever forgetting the disgraceful , buzzless , narrow bar that is Elixir. Buyer Beware. read more

i've been afraid to go into this place since halloween, when they had a guy dressed as a chicken outside of it dancing. i know those chickens. they might give you a bad coupon. and there were feathers in the street for weeks. but i did manage to swing by for last night's yelp charity event, and i had a pretty good time. its really hard to charaterize the place based on that one night, especially when it was completely taken over by yelpers. and i guess that is the problem with this place. its really small, so it gets crowded quickly, and can very easily be taken over by a group of people. which is great if youa re part of that group, but if not... read more

Great little dive bar. Good shots. Relatively clean and not super loud.

three words. rye old fashioned. yeah, so that's pretty much all you need to know. i'm typically a rye manhattan girl, but when i heard they were famous for their old-fashioned i was in. i mean, you gotta try the signature drink, right? i'm so glad i did. i've been looking for another rye cocktail to make me all warm and fuzzy inside and tho i have new orleans in my blood, the sazerac doesn't always cut it for me. sometimes the absinthe gets in the way, you know what i mean? so anyway, get the rye old-fashioned. a very nice man will make it for you and check in to make sure you like it which is always a plus. the bar itself has that victorian feel with a dirty edge. not dirty as in dirty, more like dirty-girl dirty. if you know what i mean. if not then never mind. just order that cocktail, and drink it like a good girl or boy. read more

First - I love Elixir as a bar - which is why I hired their team to come offsite and hold a cocktail making class for 35 of me and my friends at, what is now, my favorite birthday party ever. As we were making the arrangements, we worked through different packages that could work within my budgets. The day of the event, they were super professional, showed up on time, were quick to set up. The walk through of the drink composition, and hosting of the cocktail competition was a blast! Their team was friendly, knowledgeable, and approachable. Clean up was easy. My friends had an awesome time. I'm only left wondering how I one up myself next year :) Well done guys! read more

Hole-in-the-wall type bar with Spaten flowing like water. Really loud most of the time, but they have a great pub quiz on Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. Worth the visit... read more

GREAT atmosphere. I'd been wanting to try their bacon bloody mary for a while and stumbled in here during a 9ers game with free bbq, a make-you-own bloody mary bar and t-shirt giveaways from some beer companies. Everyone who worked here was so nice and down to earth and I learned that it's really hard to get a bloody mary to not taste like barf. read more

Yelp Drink Week SF Stop 2 out of 3 So to get a little bit of history in our lives, we stopped at Elixir for a drink. Pat and I each ordered a Honey Kumquat Caipirnha and then the bartender told us that they honey was being prepared, we'd have to wait 10 minutes for him to make our drink. Well, the Winter Sour didn't seem appealing to me and I had no idea what the third drink special was, so I decided to wait for it. A guy seated next to me at the bar wearing a fedora agreed, that was the best choice drink. I found out later he lived 500 ft. away and he was advertising that to everyone near him... It was pretty packed for a Friday night, atmosphere was very loud and busy, I would not want to hang out there long unless I was with a huge group of people. We finally get our drinks and then I realized, I never tried a kumquat before. They look like little grape tomatoes, only a vibrant yellow bell pepper shade instead. Well they are muddled at the bottom of this drink, it took me by surprise. It reminded me of Orbit Room in a way how they make these fresh drinks with the bartenders risking carpal tunnel syndrome to get the fruit to the right consistency. It was very sweet and delicious, plenty of kumquats at the bottom that I couldn't eat them all when I finished my drink. But it wasn't strong/potent at all, definitely a drink strictly for flavor. I look up at one point and see a skull up in the rafters, that brought a huge smile on my face. It was really cute seeing older gentlemen there sharing a conversation together. Elixir has very fresh drinks indeed, ones that win over even the pickiest of drinkers. read more

The oldest bar in San Francisco? Probably. The best bar in San Francisco? That's up to you. I like it. Good bartenders and great atmosphere. read more

This bar was in my regular rotation when I lived in SF. Great beer selection (like any decent bar in the Bay Area), and great crowd. This place is tiny and it can get really busy, so time your arrival accordingly. read more

A comfortable yet unspectacular room belies both one of San Francisco's finest beverage programs and a local crowd that's right out of central casting. The Mission's venerated parade of hipsters, malcontents, startup wunderkind, slackers and cocktail aficionados all come together in this centrally located venue on 16th Street and Guerrero, one of the oldest continually operating saloons in The City by The Bay. Proprietor H. Joseph Ehrmann has created a culture of cocktail and liquor knowledge behind the bar at Elixir that is neither as precious nor as inaccessible as the bar's name might suggest. At its heart, Elixir is a neighborhood bar that caters to the crowd from The Mission, while still welcoming bands of weary travelers with open arms. Beyond that, Ehrmann is renowned as one of the city's -- and the nation's -- foremost authorities on the history and culture of taverns and their libations. The cocktail menu at Elixir reflects both his enthusiasm for the industry and his sophistication with regard to the hospitality of cocktails. Of all the places in San Francisco that come and go from "must-see" lists related to food and drink, Elixir is a steady hand on the throttle of good times. read more

First bar I officially got drunk at in the city. It was on a sunny Sat that also happened to be St Pattys day. Started off with a couple bloody marys from the 'bloody mary bar'; they were perfect because I made them myself! Continued with Honey Kumquat Caipirinha, Eldersours, and probably shots. Great memories, great cocktails and a giant hang over (that was worth it). read more

Elixir's my new hotness. I have never had a bad time hanging out at this bar. Good mix of people, friendly bartenders, great drinks, reasonable prices. I'm dying to try the Tuesday night Trivia quiz, and they host Guest bartending nights every Wednesday. They also have a very detailed specialty drinks menu where the drinks usually involve muddling something and always have more ingredients than Cheez Whiz. Guest bartenders love that. I learned that it's the second longest operating bar in the city, and since watching Deadwood, it gives the slight bordello-type vibe and dim-lighting a whole new perspective. It just has an old-bar vibe, and feels like it's seen a lot of history. I'm happy to become part of the history. read more

Drink was fabulous, but many of the ingredients for the seasonal cocktails were out of stock - annoying. Bartender was a mockery of customer service. Took 30 min to get four drinks. It wasn't that crowded and she showed no sense of urgency to say "hello," take our order or make our drinks. Perhaps a temperamental artist. It's worth another try b/c the drinks are great, but if I walk in and see that same bartender, odds are I'll turn around and leave. read more

Good vibes here and friendly bartenders. Definitely a good place to catch up with friends or watch the Warriors play.

an under-recognized, solid, enjoyable bar. it isn't a dive but isn't a scene and has always had a comfortable welcoming atmosphere. it's basically in my neighborhood, so i should be frequenting elixir a lot more often. i thought to take some friends there last night because i remembered that elixir has an interesting beer selection. i didn't know that they actually have an incredibly extensive mixed drink menu as well. page after page of tasty-sounding concoctions waiting for my next visit to be sampled. they also seem to have a number of events and activities like trivia night and a tasting night to try out various beverages. i haven't been to any of them, but i like the fact that the bar organizes them. a point for effort! i also loved the detailed history of the location provided in the menu. the owner obviously loves what he is doing and has spent some time researching the past incarnations of his place. nice job! read more

Nice simple bar, with 80s and 90s music playing and a good drink list. I had some great drinks ("el' frenchie" was delicious) and I like that the bartender taste-tested one before giving it to me. Though someone got a salty long island (tasted like the ocean), ewww. It was a little small for a yelp HH but at least very cozy! read more

Very small bar but they let me guest-bartend there so it gets my 5 stars. I was pretty drunk after the plethora of shots we kept making for ourselves and the real bartenders kept making for us...but I kept saying to myself, "it's for the children" so it seemed to justify my actions at the time. Good selection of beers on tap and drinks are poured strong...two things that make a good bar great. read more

Wait, really good Irish Coffees and free burgers/hot dogs during football on Sundays? I'm down.

Small bar, but they make a delicious and strong Sailor Jerry's and coke,

Best manhattan I've ever had and one of the 5 best drinks total. Good enough for 5 stars from me.

Good bar, good happy hour, lots of history...yada yada yada. Overall, a good place. Is it my favorite? no. Would I go back? Sure! Wish it had some sort of snacks other than pretzels, but no real complaints. read more

I love this place. It is very laid back. The bartenders are really chill and take pride in their work. Plus they pour stiff drinks. When I make it out to the Mission area, I come here because it has a great vibe. read more

So we decided to take our friend who recently got broken up with on the obligatory, forget him he's a jerk pub crawl. Except when we hit the first bar, this place it was worth staying the night. Ben the bartender, who looks like Aaron Eckhart minus the "butt chin" as he described it was incredibly nice to us. He even made the famous bloody mary, which was btw hands down the best bloody mary I've ever had. He said someone wrote a bad review about him on here so I thought i'd even the playing field. my friend erin and I think ben's the best! and this is definitely a good place to hit. read more

A cozy little bar for drinks with a friend or a little snuggle with a better friend. Do have to say that once I had to leave because it smelled like bathroom, but lets be honest - it't the Mish, yuck smells sometimes happen. read more

I didn't like this place. It was way too loud. They are blasting reproduced music there even though it should be a bar. The beer is really overpriced even by SF standards (10 bucks a pint!). Also for some reason the Pislner they have tastes sour - probably they haven't cleaned the pipes for a while. :-( read more

This could be my favorite bar in the Mission, especially on a Sunday afternoon when the make your own bloody mary's are in effect. They've got plenty of alcohol besides the bloody's if they aren't your thing. The multiple flat screens also allow for comfortable sports watching but the volume isn't up so you can listen to the jukebox at your leisure. This place just has a clean vibe to it, which is a nice change from many of the other spots in the Mission... read more

This is my favorite dive bar in the area. And God knows we've got a lot of dive bars in the Mission. I'm not sure what it is that sets this bar apart... maybe it's Trivia Night or the Make Your Own Bloody Mary bar but, I always feel comfortable there and have myself a good time. read more

Visited on a quiet sunday night, and the bar tender didnt seem interested in serving us. When he did come over, he was very rude about checking IDs, and explicitly told us we weren't going to get good service. Why ? Because I raised an eye brow when asked for an ID. That's a bit too touchy for someone who has to work with people all day. I expected much better. read more

Extremely rude bartenders. My friend and I came in on a Sunday afternoon and the bartender refused to serve use and asked of we had "been drinking all day" which was uncalled for. Especially since neither one of us had, had a drink since brunch about four hours before. The bar was pretty empty and perhaps the bartender just didn't feel like serving anyone. I don't know the reason for his refusal to serve us since we were clearly not intoxicated and I didn't press the issue since I don't enjoy confrontations with little men on power trips. I recommend giving your business to one of the many other bars in the area. read more

Nice low key bar. Excellent specialty cocktails - Their sazerac is uber-delicious. I love a bar with good specialty cocktails. Their list isn't as extensive as Bourbon and Branch's...but whose is, really? I give it a solid 4 stars. read more

I hate this bar. It has all of the elements of a great neighborhood bar but the bartender I had sucked. She ignored us forever and then finally made our drinks. When I asked for another round, she looked at the ground and then mumbled that she was on break. I've never heard of a bar that didn't have a backup bartender for when the other bartender took a break. Of course she was behind the bar making drinks for quite awhile after she mumbled about her break. When she went to go powder her nose, we left and went to a bar with a real bartender. The owners should really get it together. Hire some people who are more interested in making tips than doing lines. read more

Ive been a few times and each time has been okay, not great, not awful, but okay. If you're looking for a good trivia night, look no further! read more

This is not a Mission bar, it's a way station for Marina dwellers who are passing through or decide to slum it in the gritty hood on a Friday night. It's got bad music and worse people there most of the time. It's only saving grace is that they make a good Bloody Mary here,and it's not the worst place to go for a mid-week drink if you want a decent cocktail. read more

Walked in after a nice chill night at the park to get a cocktail. Nice and friendly doorman, asked for menus though and waited 10 minutes because the first person wouldn't give us one then waited another 15 to try to order then finally walked out. The doorman apologized stating shift change. A 25 minute shift change? read more

I always have a good time at Elixir. Yelp labels it as a dive bar, but it really isn't. Elixir kind of reminds me of the bar from Cheers. A lot of wood, and a classic feel. It is woody, but no Woody. Lol. read more

4/5 good service came in and my phone died. walked up, asked if they could charge it, and they plugged it in no problem. just thought that was worth noting. decent drinks, fun spot blah blah. but that was the feather in the cap. read more