Bob S.
Yelp
tl;dr: sheeeeeeeesh, it's the IKEA of lounges. Looks like luxury, feels like liquidation.
A $20 cocktail at a lounge isn't crazy.
A $20 cocktail in a plastic whiskey 'glass' at a lounge is crazy.
A $20 cocktail plastic coupe is crazy.
A $20 cocktail in a plastic highball 'glass' is crazy.
A $20 cocktail, while sitting on a firm pleather chair, that's lighter than the plastic 'glass' in your hand, feels like getting told 'Yeah, we know you'll only be here once and we don't care'. If this place was not attached to Ace, I can't imagine it would be open very long anywhere else in Sacramento. We tried the One-Eyed Jacks, Pocket Kings, Dead Man's Hand, Gold Rush, and Fall From Grace; they were all okay. The Gold Rush was probably the most balanced and easiest on the palette, the rest were unremarkable but not bad in any way.
When I got to the lounge, my friends were already inside. There was a line of roughly 15 people, and when I got inside, I was a tad shocked to see it mostly empty for how long the short line took. When I was on my way up the stairs, a few people that I saw walk in were already on their way out.
The design of this place is neat, it does look like a higher-end lounge, but as soon as you sit down or touch literally any surface, you immediately know it was put together as cheaply as possible. Both chairs at our booth were wobbly, the seams on the booth were already fraying, the curtain to the booth felt like it was attached with metal shower rings. The vibe was kind of awkward, there was a DJ lost in his own hype in front of a sea of open tables and no one dancing. I see the appeal of coming here pre/post-show but I can't imagine I'd go back here otherwise.
Credit where credit is due, the service was pretty quick once we ordered and the staff were all friendly. Thats it. That's the credit.
Do yourself a favor and skip this place, walk a few doors down to Shady or across the street to Snug, save $5 and get a real cocktail in a real glass.
Good luck, lounge, you'll need it.
