Paul W.
Yelp
Wow, how far this place has fallen since its former lives as "Magnum Lounge" - a piano bar/restaurant with great food and live singers leading crowds as they belted out well-known songs and show tunes, then later The Anderson - a hipster haven with old tube-style TVs, 1980s boomboxes and craft cocktails in partnership with the amazing Broken Shaker, to now, when it's evidently become a somewhat run-down looking place which, according to the menus we were given, identifies itself as "El Toro Taco Bar".
We used to stop by here occasionally when it was The Anderson. We liked the craft cocktails, the vibe and decor, and the colorful little tiki bar outside where we could go with our dog. The last time we visited several months ago, we were told they had to close down the tiki bar due to permit violations, but they had another outdoor structure just off the parking lot behind the place that they'd converted into a bar, along with with some lighting, outdoor tables and seating. It was decent, but several times that night, small groups of patrons would get up from their stools and walk around the wall that formed the backside of the outdoor bar along with a guy who seemed (or acted) like the owner or manager, at times the bartender would go around and meet them there, then they'd all return and sit again a few minutes later. It all felt odd, as if there was possibly something shady going on.
We returned here again a few weeks ago. The tiki bar is still shut down. The outside bar was now dark with no bartender, equipment or drink service there, but a small group of somewhat dubious looking characters were seated together in the corner at bar stools. A grand piano, which I guess was once used inside back when this place was Magnum Lounge, was in pieces and sitting against the building outside the rear entrance. Inside it was mostly empty, save a few people who were seated at the bar. We were given menus that said "El Toro Taco Bar" and when I asked if this was the new name of the place, the bartender said she didn't know, that she'd just started working there a few days prior. I went to use the restroom and the toilet was broken - half the water tank was missing (see photo), and yet patrons were still permitted to use it. When looking around the bar and former dining/dance floor area, the place was an odd and run-down mix of all the previous iterations - the ruby red glitter ceiling from when this building once housed Magnum Lounge, some old boomboxes and radios mounted in various spots from its heyday as The Anderson years back, and old tube TVs, seemingly no longer working, now looking more like discarded junk just sitting in a corner.
We had 1 drink and left, truly sad to see what this place has become.