Cool crowd, nice joint albeit a bit cramped at happy hour. Knowledgeable barkeeps kept the drinks flowing and showed a great characteristic rare in barmen these days. The glass waggle and head nod = "hey dude, another beer here please" read more

Brought some guys from work here. I'd been raving about the handmade drinks...very dissapointed to say my blueberry lemondrop was sans real blueberries. The guy used flavored vodka. :/ read more

Recently went here for an after work drink with a gal pal and I loved the scene of it all. Really big after work crowd and a huge booze collection (which I loved). We were able to nab a seat at the bar, the bartenders were busy but took our order immediately. I love how its almost a hidden bar theres no sign outside you just know its there because of the smoking business attired people out front. I will definitely be back. read more

Apparently everyone else loves this place too, and they should. Wonderful establishment with bartenders that give a damn about good drinks. Also, a nice mixture of your typical stereotypes, meaning- it's kind of hard to make a generalization about the feel and the clientele. It's just a cool bar and you can ask for whatever you want and the drinks are incredible and reasonably priced. This is me and my wife's favorite place right now. read more

Awesome liquor selection, very friendly knowledgeable bar tenders. Unpretentious and elegant at once. Avoid Friday happy hours, it's a MAD HOUSE AHHH!!!! b.t.w. Mike rules read more

Very cool spot, gets crackin after 5pm almost every day. The bartenders are all pretty cool and the prices are somewhat reasonable- they do not serve food here! read more

The bartender was a master of his craft. Helpful and very friendly, offering good suggestions to help you figure out what you're after.

Skilled, knowledgeable and friendly staff not afraid to mix something based on a vague description. A great place to go to if you never know what to order at bars. read more

It's a bit tricky to find, but I think you'll be pleased once you find it. Outside you won't see much more than a simple "83" posted above the door, but inside there's nice lighting, solid drinks, a clean bathroom and a piano player that plays Arcade Fire, Duran Duran and Oasis. The live piano was definitely my favorite; I love playing "name that tune." Tables are small so I wouldn't recommend it for a large group and they don't serve food, so I wouldn't recommend it if you're hungry. It is however, conveniently located across the street from a Jack in a Box, if that's what you're in to. read more

Veryyyyyy cool bar. I don't remember much about it other than 4 shots of patron were 40$... definitely on the pricy side but hey, it was NYE and everyone was really friendly... (From what I can remember!) I loved the way this bar looked though it had a pretty cool feel to it. read more

This little place serves a refreshing blueberry gimlet. The youngish crowd of bankers and engineers in their 30s makes seating limited. Didn't make it up to the loft because it was full enough to discourage casual navigation. Friendly sort of place, talked to some strangers, caught part of the game, not bad. read more

This place was surprisingly fun and cool despite its SOMA location. Definitely not your typical bar in that area. Cool atmosphere and great drink prices (during happy hour at least). Like many others, I recommend the basil gimlet! read more

Being in extraordinary close proximity to work, 83 Proof gets to be a regular haunt on the HH circuit. It's got friendly barternders, a nice atmosphere, and has decent drink prices. On busier nights, this place gets packed and due to the layout of the interior, the decibels reverberate and it gets tough to have conversations . . . the only detriment which prevents 83 Proof from getting 5 stars. read more

After searching for a place for drinks after a Monday-night dinner at Barbacco, we found 83 Proof on Yelp. We were surprised how clean it is here, and immediately noticed how friendly the bartenders are. Also surprised that there were so many people here on a Monday night. Great place to just hang out and enjoy the company you're with. Ordered a Basil Gimlet because I saw so many people mention it in their reviews (not knowing what a gimlet was). Slightly embarrassed to receive my drink in a dainty glass, but felt better after tasting how delicious it was and drinking it all up in just a few sips. Anyhow, they have a good whiskey selection and some good beers on tap. Would definitely come again if in the area. read more

the dude and i were trying to kill time before meeting up with friends for dinner and stumbled upon this place for a quick drink. they had a wide array of beers on tap, but i had to settle with my go to blue moon that was a mere 4 bucks! the bartender was knowledgeable enough to offer the orange slices without me having to ask! i'll definitely have to come back dring happy hour :) read more

Drinks were good and stiff. Crowd is a good mix but it was pretty packed right after work on Friday and hard to hear people (I don't like when I have to yell in a bar to be heard). If I had been there when it wasn't like being a sardine I may have given it another star. read more

Yeah, I like it there, it is small though, second time we were there with several people, we could barely stand, so we went upstairs, standing. A large group left, so it was perfect to be able to sit. Nice happy hour drinks. read more

Yayyyy for great mojitos and wonderful service!

Well this place is right around the corner from my work and I go there often to hang out with friends and coworkers. The place is small but gets pack fast around 5ish, so go early if you want a table...the bartenders are very nice and friendly. I'm not sure if there is a happy hr menu...lots of Financial District peeps though...:) but good hang out hole in the wall place...:) read more

Another one of the "hand made" cocktail bars that's opened in the past five years. It's a small place and always seem crowded every time I go by, but I finally got in here on a cold Wednesday night around 8:00 pm. The upstairs was open so it was easy to grab a seat and enjoy my shot/beer. Great selection of liquors, beers etc... you know the drill. The place is small and always packed, but if you're in the FiDi and want a good drink then this could be your place. read more

Super lively, loud and full. BUT, we had a really good experience getting drinks. I was being indecisive and the bartender made me something called a Bleeding Heart? Or Black Heart? Poisoned Heart? Or some kind of heart? It was dark, had stout and a few other delicious things in it and I'm pretty sure there was some strawberry involved. Whatever it was, it was delicious. Especially if you can snag a seat (I'll fight you for it), this is a great after-work spot. read more

Awesome find, cant believe we did not try this place out earlier since we live a block away. This place is awesome, subtle, unpretentious and great bartenders. I cant really say much more about this place besides it has a great vibe and is a neighborhood gem for drinks both on busy and off nights. read more

It was good. I have not worked downtown for many years, but this was a nice change from the places of yesteryear. The bartenders were very knowledgeable and cool but not too cool. Scored a chair at the bar, apparently on a Thursday this is difficult. Crowd was the usual mix of over-eager-eater-achievers and hipsters. Met a cool travel agent and saw people smiling. read more

Stopped by here after work since it is so close to my office. The happy hour specials are $3-4 draft beers and $4 cocktails (gin/tonic, cranberry/vodka). A pretty cool spot since there are no signs (literally just "83" on the door) read more

Could sitting staring adoringly at all the liquor in their bar. Great bartenders! Amazing drinks! Delicious bourbon concoctions! My dream!

This is a great, under-stated place. The bartenders, especially Meghan, are laid-back and creative. I admit it benefits from being less than a block from where I work, but I'd make a real trip to get here anyway. read more

This place is great. Try basil gimlet and you won't be disappointed. Manhattan is good too. The place is crazy busy in the evening on weekdays, but weekends are fine. The bartenders here are really friendly and suggest some awesome drinks! read more

There is an extensive selection of alcohol here and the bartenders are unbelievably knowledgeable and personable. The happy hour prices are great and the bartenders can make pretty much anything you can think of. read more

Came here with a group after dinner. Quiet atmosphere and friendly bartenders. That were excited to make us cocktails. That was fun. Reasonably priced and a good time. read more

ok, I have to admit the Happy Hour is cheap for beer and regular drinks. However, it gets too crowded and very hard to move around in there. I am 6'2" and can barely get to the bar to order. Here's where the issue is, have you heard of the term Sausage Factory? well go there and you will know what I am talking about. if you are a guy and like girl scenery, good luck - the ratio is 25:2. Also, around 8:30 or 9pm at most, the palce is a ghost town. I would recommend this place just as a starting point, if you can reach the bar and order :-)... BTW, the bar tenders are neutral, like no personality read more

I was "cheating" on my detox and wanted a nice clean drink, you know just a vodka soda, splash of lime. So I asked the bartender for a vodka recommendation and had a nice chat. I landed on our local Hanger One, and it was a nice treat. It's nice to have a bartenders with not just knowledge but opinions. Sometimes it does get annoying packed here, but when it doesn't it's just a nice after work bar. And I heard on Tuesdays they have a piano player, nice. Will have to check it out. read more

Like this place a lot. Bartenders are super respectful, both to their customers and to the cocktails they serve.

A friend reserved the entire bar to celebrate a birthday party. It was nice to have the place all to ourselves. They had a dj that played hip-hop music all night. The bartenders were nice and made some great cocktails. If you do not know what kind of drink you want to order, they can make suggestions and create a cocktail on the spot depending on your likes. I tried a Poke in the Hive which has egg whites and honey. It was surprisingly good. This was a nice and classy venue tucked away in the financial district. read more

It's been a pretty good start to 2011 since everywhere I've gone so far has been pretty good. 83 Proof's happy hour last night was crowded, yet we were able to get a seat at the bar. Good beer selection, but I was definitely expecting a cocktail menu given the type of place it was. Unique to Proof 83 was the pianist that played during happy hour, he had a good mix of music, including Lady Gaga. The piano version of Poker Face was definitely interesting. read more

They don't have a cocktail menu-- which I thought was weird until the amazing bartender said it was all in his head. He customized a drink based on our favorite alcohol & flavors! I ended up with a basil gimlet and a gin mule....AWESOME experience. Can't wait to go back and switch things up! read more

The service and the cocktails seem to share a common formula: two parts lackadaisical filler, one part obnoxious surprise, minimal stirring, and a dash of the sweet stuff at the end to kinda-sorta-not-quite make you feel like we're all enjoying this. read more

83 poured me some solid classic cocktails for a great after-work meetup and enjoyed meeting some of the friendly energetic crowd. However, I couldn't even hear the name of the cute girl I met. Minus star for your part in this by creating a far too loud atmosphere. The jet way at Chicago O'Hare has less decibels. Save the db drag race for Hot Import Nights. read more

I wouldn't have expected a bar to be located where this one is. I drove past the location so many times without ever noticing it. That said, the drinks are well made at a reasonable price. Also, it wasn't overly crowded on the Friday night that my friends I went, so it was easy to grab a table or a place at the bar. read more

Really cool little bar. San Francisco is pretty expensive but not this place. Cocktails are very tasty and not expensive at all. Bartenders are very friendly and nice too. I also loved the fact that the music wasn't blasting and i could have a normal conversation with friends without yelling at each other. read more

Cool place. The upstairs area looks nice from afar, but I have yet to venture up there. It would be a nice place for a private gathering. The bartenders are nice and drinks taste like they should. I came on a night that was slow, so I could not get a real vibe of what sort of crowds come here. However, overall, it seems like a no fuss, low key spot for drinks. read more