Ace of Cups

Three words: Bloody Mary Bar!
I’ve been to AoC a few times since they joined the Columbus scene. First time was for their monthly Heat Wave dance party. The music was 40s and 50s doo-​wap style, which is too slow for my likings, thus I didn’t stay very long.
My second visit to AoC was, however, a complete 180′. A locally run husband-​and-​wife team had been serving up their unique Indian brunch offering via AoC’s kitchen. I luckily got to try their Devine mortals on their last pop-​up before going on hyatus.
A this pop-​up soirée I noticed that ‘Cups has a Bloody Mary Bar. $ 6 gets you a class of red liquid, and u can load up as much toppings as u like! All kinds of fixings for that bloody bath: fresh horseradish, sweet and dill pickles, baby carrots, pickled beets, celery, and yes, I know I forgetting several more. The bartender was so awesome, he only charged me $ 2 for a non-​alcoholic. Happy face!

Amazing service. Im celiac and was mistakenly served a beer instead of a cider. I noticed immediately, went back to the bar. And instead of being combative — as so many places are — I was met with extreme sincerity. The bar tender covered the drinks of my party of four all night. Five stars

Cost $ 5 to get in and there was no band or karaōke so why the cover? There was no chairs or bar stools. Wth. beer was priced to high and the bartender was rude as heck!

I live two hours away and as an Introvert, hate going to clubs. That said, I will be making time to come back again next year for the Privateer Promenade!
Captain Tony really put together a fantastic show with great live performances by the Pirate Band of Pirates, Les Odalisques, the magician, and a great pair of djs!

As a karaōke aficionado from NYC, I was excited to sing karaōke at this cool place but the karaōke MC was only about his local set of friends. We waited for 4 hours to do a song with no luck while his buddies who showed up two hours after us got their pick of songs. Not a big deal for someone who doesn’t karaōke seriously but a mega faux pas and unprofessional move for those that are. On the upside, the drinks are decent.

The spouse and I visited Ace of Cups for a Ramonesathon. Very cool setup, in keeping with previous iterations of this former bank. Decent restrooms, a variety of beers on tap, great acoustics and a hella awesome sound system. Kudos.

I swear I already reviewed this! I remember writing the review. Dang it.
Anyway. A good bar/​music venue. They have Ray Ray’s right outside, and used to have their chicken shack at the back door. We came in for some drinks to go with food, and were impressed by the service and the décor. It’s not huge, but would be great to see a band.

I love Ave of Cups, you never will have a bad time here. The live music selection is all over the place and there is always a show that will surprise you. The beer selection is decent, some good local craft beers and cheap PBR tall boys lol

This is my first time here. No crazy rowdy college students… yea! Campus bars are okay but only if they are clean and not full of young college punks.
They’ve got about 15 beers on tap several are local craft beers. The stage is a nice size for the size of the bar. I just missed the food, apparently they stop serving at 9 pm. Of course it may be because the bands are supposed to start around 9:39 tonight. Or it could be like that every night I don’t know.
I like that the stock room is in the old bank vault. It appears that the old security rooms above are for the bands… Actually it is for the VIP’s.

Ace of Cups is home to my absolute favorite event not only in Columbus, but ANYWHERE. I. Love. HEATWAVE. The first Saturday of every month. Be there or don’t be anywhere ever again because you can’t possibly be doing anything better. Anywhere better. Just go.
Check it:
ANYWAY, Ace of Cups. It still looks like a bank on the outside, complete with a drop-​off slot by the front door and the back outside patio has taken over the drive-​thru.
Compared to most of the, what could be considered claustrophobic, bars I frequent, the huge open space is a welcome change. The ceilings are vaulted with a smaller loft area that has a cash-​only bar on busy nights and a coat check when visitors just can’t part with their coats on the way in.
Drinks are fairly priced but be prepared to get to $ 10 if you don’t have cash. There are always several drink specials made with in-​house exotic infused vodkas, so when in doubt, you can never go wrong with one of those. Last time, I tried the spicy jalapeño vodka — I’ve come so far from my days in El Paso, TX when I couldn’t even handle Taco Bell mild sauce.
This place has a great flow with going between the patio and inside and more often than not there is great live music every night, ranging from small local bands, to up-​and-​coming bands in the making (sometimes a local up-​and-​coming band!) When there isn’t a band, (namely during Heatwave) the stage in the corner is free-​reign and the bravest of the Heatwavers shake and twist and mash-​potata in the colored spotlight.
I’ve never had a bad time here. Dare I say it, this place is an ACE in the hole.

Came here basically to get some Ray Ray’s chicken wings and maybe a drink. Just want one drink and don’t have any cash? Too bad. $ 10 minimum for a credit card tab at the bar. The bartender will tell you to go to the ATM outside, which is really lame in my personal opinion. I didn’t take the time to check and see what kind of ATM it was, but I know most ATMs have a $ 20 minimum, and I wasn’t going to spend $ 20, let alone $ 10, so I drank water.
Other than that, I would like to come back to give it another try.

Ace of Cups is bringing great music to Columbus. A friend and I were talking about how he loves Austin more than Columbus because Austin embrasses music and has a hell of a scene. We both agreed that Ace of Cups is helping to bring that type of excitement to our city. Thank you to the folks booking great local, regional and nationally touring acts. Columbus needs this.

I’m old. That is basically what this comes down to. I didn’t want to admit it, but my 30s are here and I only feel like I am still in my 20s when I am not with people who are actually in their 20s– correction: early 20s.
Went to Heat Wave with Sammy T. and another friend. The music was great. The space is awkward, the floor is sticky, and the bathroom borderline scary. The bar is a mess with little rhyme or reason, especially because I can remember a time not so long ago where PBR was drank unironically. There is no crowd etiquette here. People fall into you like bowling pins and look confused when they bump into you. There is no «sorry,» «pardon,» or «excuse me» here.
This place has the potential for greatness, but I think I am going to leave it up to you kids.

I came specifically for the Motown Heat Wave Dance Party. I had heard good things about the party and Unilocal seemed favorable to this establishment. The music was good until it wasn’t and cued my exit. I drank PBR from a tall boy can to fit in. My only complaint is that the patrons were mostly younger than me and I’m only 29. Folks had no party/​concert etiquette which is if you need to get around people say «excuse me «and touch them lightly on the shoulders. Instead it was like playing bumper cars with v neck sweaters and ironic librarian glasses. There was also a variety of not so awesome smells present such as «bonfire» and «too much garlic for dinner». We came at 10 and left by 11:30 at that time there was a line outside wrapped around the building. I’d be back to check it out again with a different band.

I said I’d eventually come back and do an update on Ace of Cups, and here I am. Well over a year has gone by, and some things have changed, but you’ll notice I’m only adding one star. AoC is still a bit of a shit show. Here are some new complaints:
1. The bartenders will charge you different prices for the same drink. Some of them charge what a drink should cost, some of them charge more than what something is worth. I hope if the management bother to read my review, they don’t fix this problem in favor of the overchargers.
2. Speaking of those bartenders, some of them are serious assholes, while others are very nice and considerate. Some of them have a minimum charge they enforce, while others do not. I go here often enough, because they book decent shows, to know which bartenders will run my tab at 6 bucks and which won’t.
3. The hours suck. Rock’n’roll is an all night thang. Why on earth do you close at 1am? Even on show nights???
After a show one night this past summer, I think it was the Nobunny show, I was chatting up a lady friend of mine at the bar. The barback/​door/​security guy comes up and tells me I have to finish my drink «now.»
I said, «what? It’s nowhere near closing time.»
He replied, «We close at 1am.»
I asked «even on show nights?»
He said, «yeah, even on show nights.»
So I pulled out my phone, looked at the time, and said, «okay then, looks like I have four more minutes to finish my beer» and took another drink.
Mind you, this is a microbrew they were plenty happy to charge me $ 6 for just ten or so minutes prior. If you’re going to sell me the beer, give me a chance to finish the damn thing. But no. The door guy says «gimme the beer NOW.»
I look at him, anger mounting, drop the beer on the ground, and off I go.
Before you go assuming anything, this was maybe my third drink of the night. I was not drunk. Just angry at receiving shitty service and having my wallet taken advantage of. In fact, if I were reviewing AoC based on this experience alone, they’d actually be losing a star instead of gaining one.
BUT, they have improved on a few things:
1. They built a stage. Unfortunately, it’s in the exact same place the bands set up when there was no stage, and the best view is still right beside the entrance, where you will either be cold, or moving every minute as someone comes in. The stage is too short. This is a huge room, you’re going to pack a lot of people in, you need a bigger stage. It’s not even a third the height of the stage at Little Brothers, an incredibly smaller venue in its time.
2. They did make the patio brighter. Didn’t really have a choice there if they wanted to stay in business. Giant ashtray buckets still there, cement steps still there, but now that you can actually see, these things are less of a hazard.
3. Got more beer. They are up to somewhere close to a dozen beers on tap now.
Other things to note:
1. In my original review, I said maybe they wouldn’t cater to the same crowd as Ravari. WRONG. Ravari is basically just a place you go for karaōke or Clampdown now. This is actually as much a result of the promoters bringing their shows here as anything, but still… let’s not open a competing shop across the street from one venue and a block away from another and still pretend we’re all pro-​local and pro-​Columbus. You’re pro-​profit, whatever the cost to the scene.
2. The name is actually from a tarot card, which is every bit as lame as the stuff I said about the name the first time around.
3. Oh, they also managed to all but kill another bar in the local scene — Café Bourbon Street. Formerly home to a plethora of the shows that are now booked at AoC, I’m surprised it can keep its doors open. Basically any show that isn’t metal at ace would have been at Bourbon St prior to Ace opening. Obviously, that’s a huge generalization, but the point remains.
4. Speaking of Bourbon Street, they now have Sunday karaōke with Excesss Karaōke. This used to be at Bourbon Street! It’s still fun because It’s Karaōke Dave, but its actually worse than Bourbon Street because THIS IS A MIDSIZE VENUE. So it is impossible for it to not look completely empty on karaōke night. There will never be 400 people here for karaōke. And of the 10 – 30 who are here, half of them are out on the patio, so even on a good night, you’re performing in front of 15 people, of whom only the two friends you brought with you are watching.
As I write this review, I can’t help but think «fuck it, the two decent bartenders and occasional good show are not worth the extra star.» I’m dropping this back down to two.

Okay, I came here after a night of drinking in Springfield to meet up with a few people who were interested in catching some of the punk acts going on.
Phrases tossed around: «This reminds me of Bernie’s…without that persistent smell of ass»
«If Bernie’s is the ass of punk rock, this is the arm pit»
Several others, but we were drinking and I digress.
I liked it. Despite sticking out like a sore fucking thumb — my glasses rims aren’t thick, actually, I don’t even wear glasses — my clothes were more «contemporary» and not the mix of 1980’s references, punk rock bands, or «saved this from the thrift store» and I seem to be missing out on a «black flag tattoo comeback.»
That set the stage of the people watching going on? A mix of girls wearing there «I’m totally punk rock at night» outfits like my ex-​wife used to try to do, mixed with the «…she looks like she’s looking for Sid Vicious» to the wide array of hipsters and punk rockers.
My kind of fucking crowd, even if I got judgmental glares for not being as «cool» as the rest.
I stuck with drinking Guinness, but after seeing Luke’s review — I’m going to start going for the mixed drinks. My friends were drinking an array of beverages as well.
It doesn’t seem to be dimly lit anymore — but the band placement is weird, and I recall in the days of its life of Miani’s Chode Bar, they had an upstairs, which now is all blocked off. Whatever.
All in all — I liked it. I’ll be back, wearing my up-​tight «you obviously live in the suburbs» outfits, kicking back drinking in the patio (which Luke is right, that step? Seems dangerous. Actually, the whole patio process seems dangerous — steps down, low exit, another step — but what a huge patio!)

I was able to venture to Ace of Cups for a Rockabilly gig a couple months back, and was glad to finally check this place out.
I never ventured into the establishment when it was Sloopy’s (lol… nobody else did either… they just got their cars towed) So I was amazed by the mass amounts of space.
I like what they’re doing here, but I’m just not thoroughly impressed. I feel like Ace of Cups is still in the process of «finding itself» and perhaps even the group they want to cater too, but it simply was not my «cup of tea (or booze).»
Speaking of booze, they have a full bar for all your thirsty needs, and PBR for the hipsters. All of it average priced for the area.
I wasn’t impressed by the sound at this location, but that could have just been an inadequately run sound board.
Another thing was that I literally watched three drunks wander in off the street and walk right past the frail EMO joke of a bouncer at the front door without paying the cover, because the bouncer was dealing with someone else. It was amusing to say the least after seeing some of the massive and gruff bouncers and front door people at Shrunken Head and Ravari Room.
So if the music groups I like start playing here, then I will be there, but not entirely, because I want to be.
Maybe it will grow on me with time.

Let’s see…
Beer? Check
Liquor? Check
Patio? Check
Awesome bartenders? Check
If it ain’t Baroque, don’t fix it! Get it? No? You will once you go inside… although it’s probably more Gothic than it is baroque… I digress. It’s nice and dark the way a bar should be. It’s in my ‘hood, and it’s not full of students or creepy old dudes. My heart will always belong to O’Reilly’s, but when a change of scenery is needed without leaving Clintonville, this place will be on the list!
Edit: I guess I should clarify and say that this technically isn’t Clintonville. By my standards, it is close enough. I apologize if this is offensive to anyone.

Ace of Cups will probably never be «my» bar – not only because I don’t live in the neighborhood, but because I just didn’t get down with the vibe. I didn’t have any major-​major issues, but I did have a few issues:
1) the flow of the bar kind of weirds me out. I feel like the actual bar is in the wrong place and it feels awkward to me. I can’t imagine going to see a show here. It felt. unfinished. Perhaps it was unfinished.
2) The bartender was nice enough but spent a lot of time talking, occasionally disappearing, and wasn’t extremely attentive when I was empty (and I was sitting at the bar trying to get her attention, trying to make eye contact, empty glass pushed to the edge of the bar to signal that it’s time for another round). It wasn’t extremely busy – certainly not packed – so I wasn’t sure why it was so hard to get her attention. When I asked about wine, I got wine out of a box that she ordered but didn’t know anything about – it was okay, I guess. I probably shouldn’t have ordered it since she didn’t really know anything about it, but I’m brave when I’ve had a couple of cocktails.
3) Um. The chip situation kind of grossed me out. I appreciate free bar snacks as much as the next person, but I watched the bartender (and the other people wandering behind the bar – employees? friends of employees/​owners?) combine bowls of chips that many people had their hands all over and put it back on the bar. Even if I weren’t ServSafe certified, I think that would still wig me out.
Still, I can think of far worse places to spend money. The bar definitely has potential to be a chill rock-​and-​roll bar; I would be more than willing to deal with the awkwardly-​angled bar if the service was a little more prompt and the food situation weren’t quite so … casual. My drinks were pretty good (save the mystery wine), the service was friendly, and my bar tab was completely reasonable. Overall, I approve.

LOL Some of us don’t have TVs and had to look up your «Ace of Cakes» reference, Luke. Some of us are rockers and think immediately of «Ace of Spaces» by Motorhead, instead of some silly show about cake decorating. And lastly, I’m pretty sure the bar’s name references the tarot card… ace of cups. Just to set the record straight. \m/​
Anyway, Luke T., I love you so dearly but I’ve got to disagree with most of your main points. Ace of Cups is a rock bar, and doesn’t necessarily cater to the draught beer crowd yet. You know it’s owned by Marcy Mays of Scrawl, yeah? *swoon* I loved it when I was there, because it is a low key, dark, shadowy, sultry place in which to consume cheap beer and whiskey shots while listening to amazing DJ sets (such as the dark 80s night on Sundays) and live music (like the Ex-​Whites and Scrawl).
Anyway, Ace of Cups recently opened and I know they’re working on the patio and building the stage. It can only get better from here. Also, the location might help my old neighborhood (South Clintonville/​North Campus) become more dynamic in the ways that Campus/​Short North used to be back in the day. Think, Staches or Little Brothers of yore, and then remember how that’s sooo missing from the Cbus music scene — and so very missed. Ace of Cups works to fill that void.
I’m all for Ace of Cups and wish I was still in the ‘bus to enjoy the amazing rock club that has been summoned forth by one of Columbus’s most beloved lady rockers — and the plethora of other folks who have made this happen. *jealous*