Kelsey B.
Yelp
i truly hate giving out negative reviews, & rarely do, but i've had a few experiences here. the first 2 visits were fine, but the third one really got me and I felt the need to write something.
-the first time we popped in for drinks, it wasn't busy (I believe it was a weekday). the drinks took a super long time, it was very dark inside, and the smell of incense was almost headache-inducing. the prices were pretty astronomical (& i'm saying this after spending 8+ years paying for drinks in los angeles) for the size. but again, it was fine. nothing to write home about, but nothing terrible.
-the second time, at least we knew what we'd be paying for. we went to see a friend's band play. the drinks again felt overpriced for the size & quality. $15 for a tiny canned wine seemed a little extreme (especially when you can get the same kind at elroy's for $10). again, not a great experience, but not worth a negative review. at least we went into it knowing what to expect.
-the third time is what really got me. we were there for a friend's birthday & all went in, sat outside on the patio, ordered drinks, etc. then 30 minutes later (still no drinks) someone comes in & tells us there's a $10 cover to be there because of the music (which was inside, not on the patio where we were seated). there was no one at the door, and they came over to us after ordering drinks, having been on the patio for at least 30 minutes. we asked why we weren't informed of this when we came in, & the server could not have been snarkier / more rude. despite his attitude, this is just a bad / shady business practice. my boyfriend and i weren't drinking that month and ordered 2 mocktails (which was basically an inch of liquid and one giant ice cube) at $11 each. so our 2 no alcoholic beverages went from $22 to $44 + tip. this just left such a bad taste in my mouth. we paid for our "drinks", said our goodbyes, & left without even going inside to listen o the music. if there's a cover, tell people ahead of time. not when they're already trapped, having ordered a drink. this really rubbed me the wrong way / we all felt pretty taken advantage of.
i'm honestly pretty shocked this place is so popular. maybe the options (especially for craft cocktails) available in monterey are just lesser? (which makes sense compared to the variety in the oc, la, & santa barbara, etc.) again, i truly hate to leave a review that's less than positive, but felt this experience merited if it can help others not get swindled out of money for no reason. it really did feel like a shake down. for these prices i'd recommend spending money on cocktails at stokes adobe, cella, or alejandro's instead.
EDIT: Hi Katie! In response to your reply, I do acknowledge and appreciate the thought that goes into picking and creating your products. I recognize that everyone has different taste / experiences- for me, it was really the handling / not disclosing of the cover charge that prompted me to write anything. we didn't even know there was a band playing and expressed that we weren't interested in staying for the show, but were told that we had to pay regardless). again, i appreciate the acknowledgement and insight!