Old Ironsides

Really got offended today none of my friends are planning to come to this club anymore

If you are a Sacramentan then there are a few places you MUST have eaten at: Zelda’s Pizza, Jamie’s Café, Cornerstone, and definitely Old Ironsides.
In a 100+ year old historical building, this place does it all. Great breakfasts, lunches, and dinners, really fun shows on the weekend, a nice quiet bar for a beer after work with friends.
Everyone is super friendly here. The menu has fun stuff like lamb burgers and beef stroganoff. The shows are cheap and super high-​energy. Great Sacramento institutuion.

Great prices and good food, nice place for lunch. I’d come back again to show a friend!

On the corner of 10^th and S St. Open for lunch. Great food. Wide variety of food with specials each day. Great service. Wonderful old style bar. Open 1934. The calamari steak on Fridays is a special treat. Get there early.

If you love a good dive bar this is the place for you! Service is good. Great drink prices. Always have an entertaining crowd and karaōke nights are loads of fun. One of my favorite places to go.

Old I. On the corner of 10^th and S.
Street parking and there’s also an Old Ironsides parking strip across the street
Inside there’s two rooms. The bar: Aside from the bar, there’s TVs, a jukebox, a couple high tables and booths. The next room has tables and a stage. beyond this room, you’ll find a doorway to the restrooms.
They have different events, different nights. you’ll want to refer to their calendar if you want to hit open mic or karaōke, etc. They serve food and have daily specials but foodwise, I come for Meatless Mondays– typically the second Monday of every month. Well, every Monday they have guest chefs come in and you can get a plate of food for $ 5 at 6pm until they run out. Now Meatless Monday’s guest chef is the Burly Beverage guy. So not only do you get a meal for $ 5 but he has his own sodas available that you can have solo or have it with liquor. So for me, that’s a win-​win.
There’s a Meatless Monday Facebook page that you can RSVP to and get a heads up on the menu. If you end up just going, paper menus float around for the evening’s offerings. Across the left side of the bar is a window to the kitchen. here at this window is where you’ll pay your $ 5 cash (there’s a tip jar, too) and receive your meal. Hang out and have drinks. It’s a good time.
Another plus is there may be an optional dessert vendor. Sometimes it’s complimentary dessert. it’s always different and it can be vegetarian and/​or vegan. This is cool because you get exposure to these other vendors and talk to the proprietors.
For Meatless Mondays. I’m sure for any of the guest chefs. they may run out of food, they may have excess leftovers. You never know so just go.

On 11÷9÷2015, I decided to come to this vintage gastropub located in the Downtown neighborhood. It’s called, «Old Ironsides.» Since it’s opened and established in 1934, Old Ironsides has it all from music entertainment, finest alcoholic drinks, the monthly «Meatless Monday» special, and many more! As I entered, the atmosphere is very friendly and elegant inside. The concept as I mentioned is very vintage made which it’s likely similar to Dad’s Kitchen filled with classic tap beer names and classic memorable pictures from the same place for many decades.
The employees including bartenders and cookers are doing a good job here for making the customers like me a very hospitality service. No cons at all.
Since I came here for the «Meatless Monday» special, I ordered the Hearty 5 Bean Chili with Cheese Grits. So far, it tasted very good in a spicy way! The ingredients are very flavorful and tasty. The grits on the other hand are kinda so-​so for me as I scooped it at the bottom of my fully cooked chili. Overall, not a bad vegan chili at all! There are many vegan creations for «Meatless Monday» every second Monday of the month, so you can taste many creations that Old Ironsides has. Of course, you need to bring cold, hard cash to redeem it before you come in. Defiantly a great idea to taste vegan food for the first time.
I haven’t got a chance to drink their alcoholic drinks here, so I’ll probably be back for my next visits in the future.
The parking can be difficult to park. You can park it at the nearest surface street available. If not, you can ride a bike, walk, or use public transportation easier without the hassles.
To conclude, Old Ironsides is the finest local pub right in the heart of Downtown Sacramento. Perfect for social conversations and night time pleasures. A well, worthy visit! My rating: 4 solid stars.

I eat at Old Ironsides for lunch during the business week. It has become my «comfort food,» my favorite place to go. It helps that I work a block away too! Basically, great location, great food, FANTASTIC people! The waitstaff and bartender are always friendly and welcoming. They have daily specials that will knock your socks off. I keep going back for more!

Old Ironsides is swiftly becoming a favorite hang out spot, mostly I must confess, because of Meatless Mondays every month. You really can’t beat local folks preparing vegan friendly deliciousness that has included lasagna, seasonal squash bisque, and tasty salads. Additionally, this last time they were doling out fresh baked bread from a local bakery that included a gluten free option. On top of all this, there are also fun botanical cocktails called «shrubs» that are available. So far I’ve enjoyed the rhubarb and the watermelon, virgin or with a favorite spirit mixed in. Did I mention the drinks are $ 5 and the dinner plate is also $ 5?
This is not where the fun ends, though, far from it. There are so many great things about this place and where it’s situated on the grid. This is a quiet, unassuming spot in a nicer neighborhood with all the parking you could ask for. Street parking and a lot across the street. I like the décor and dim lighting, which both create a very laid back European effect. I like the large wrap around bar space, the tables, the cute little half moon booths, and the ample seating/​dining area in the back room. The juke box is a nice touch.
Great venue, great people, laidback friendly vibe about the patrons and the staff, awesome community involvement and yummy cheap drinks. C’mon down!

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This is definitely a great place to get drinks. I love that this place has been in business for many many decades. I stopped by to grab some lunch which they serve from 11:30am to 2:30 pm and a beer. The gentleman bartender was super friendly and took my order right away. It didn’t take long for my order with garlic fries of course to arrive. Everything was super yummy and the fries were very crispy and garlicky but alas to my dismay I left feeling queasy after finding an unpleasant surprise in my fries. I nearly finished my food when pulling my fork to my face I saw a hair 2″ long ash brown complete with the white follicle piece attached. One of the servers noticed my expression and asked what was wrong. I pointed out the hair and the nice bartender apologized and said «Oh that hasn’t happened in a long time. Are you finished?“I definitely was. I was wondering what his idea of a long time. Neither seemed surprised about it. So next time I do come I am staying away from the food and sticking with drinks.

Great Dive Bar. Be read to adjust your eyes when you walk in, when they say dive bar they mean dive bar! Don’t be intimidated, super fun and kind staff.
$ 4.50 drafts or less and complimentary goldfish!
Check it out!

CASH ONLY! ($ 8 cover) Nice place to come if you enjoy LIVE bands! They host something called «Lipstick» where they play popular Indie/​Rock jams and people congregate to the dance floor to show off their latest moves! Old Ironsides caters to an older crowd, for the most part, as most people appear to be in their late 20’s to early 30’s. The crowd is quite diverse, which I enjoyed, and people were pretty friendly! I felt as if the bartenders ignored us a bit as we had to wait a while to order our drinks but, other than that, the bouncers and door staff were very laid back.
It does, however, get extremely crowded inside so be sure to wear a short sleeve top! Seating is limited as they have a few booths and high-​top tables available across from the bar. Since it does get packed people WILL BUMP INTO YOU left and right so don’t wear anything too fancy as you’ll probably leave with alcohol or soda stains on your clothes. Drinks were on the cheaper side and they even allow in-​and-​out privileges as long as you have a wristband indicating you paid their initial cover fee.
There is an abundance of FREE street parking available which is nice and there’s hardly any traffic as this is more towards the outskirts of downtown. There is a bar across the street called Elixir and I’ve heard they too serve cheap, strong drinks.
Overall, I probably won’t be coming back anytime soon for «Lipstick» nights but maybe to try out their brunch (served from 11AM-​2PM). Service wasn’t all that great and I prefer less crowded bars where I won’t go home with alcohol stained clothes.

Food is pretty darn good! Not your typical greasy bar food. Old-​time charm. Friendly atmosphere and staff. Only problem is I can’t have a beer when I come in for lunch during the workweek;) great place to see bands in a small venue. Seating area is where the bands play by day. This place is a Sacramento landmark gem of a place. Pretty sure the kitchen is closed for dinner.

This place is a lot of fun! Diverse but welcoming crowd. Good vibe and friendly efficient staff. I look forward to my next visit.

Came here for a quick drink before a Rivercats game — it was probably around 4PM — on a Saturday and the place was empty — but that was okay with us. The bartender was great and attentive and chatted with our group the whole time. I was super thrilled that they had a cider on tap — i think one of the two rivers — and everything was reasonably priced — around $ 5 a pint. We would definitnely be back for a quick drink but I do think at night — Fridays/​Saturdays it can get very packed and it’s not a very large bar.

Less Draw Since They Pulled The Plug On Fascination
SITREP
I’ll be short & to the point: since Old Ironsides has terminated the successful Retro-​80s New Wave DJ-​Dance Event «FASCINATION», there will be far less incentive for me to stay in Sacramento on a Saturday night, and I’ll be heading to the Bay Area for my New Wave fix instead.
THE SET-​UP
Old Ironsides is still pretty good at what it IS, if you like dive bars with stiff drinks and some of the nicest bartenders in Sacramento — my hats off to them in particular.
However with the monthly dance-​event «Fascination» being terminated (typically had a history of being on 2^nd Saturdays, and then Old I moved it to 3^rd Saturdays), I doubt I will be coming here with any frequency. At least it was once a month, and some Monday-​night chef challenge nights thrown in as well.
But at this point, we’ll see.
HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF
It’s always a pity when a venue kills a «Golden Goose», thinking they are going to find something better & more lucrative. That happened to The Library when it ended it’s run of Flashback 80s — and now The Library is no more. The same with the Townhouse, which went bellyup and is under new owners now as Starlite. So many similar stories around town…
THE LOWDOWN
I wish Old I the very best, but I won’t be going through it’s doors as much any more…

I’ve been coming to Old Ironsides since I was old enough to get in. I love that it’s casual and divey, without being sticky-​seat-​divey. There’s always an assortment of great live shows, and I love attending the dancy Lipstick night, the new wave Fascination night, or the random goth club night that blows through. The crowd is usually pretty good, I don’t remember any run-​ins with d-​bags or bar skanks. On the nights when there is a cover charge, it’s never very much.
I’ve always had good experiences with their bartenders. They’re friendly and pour a good, stiff, cheap drink. The last time I was there I ordered a few mixed drinks then after I was fully drunk-​flushed– WHOA, they pour a long island iced tea with a vengence!- and decided to slow down with some sodas, the bartender gave me 2 or 3 Cokes for free. Aw, what a mensch! (*Might* have been the obnoxious level of cleavage I was showing that night, but I won’t complain with free drinks!)
Love you, Old I!

Last night was my first night at Old Ironsides and I wasn’t super impressed with the venue. I was meeting up with a friend who I had not seen in years, so in general, it was not going to take much for this bar/​venue to please me since I was mainly focused on seeing her.
First of all, I found it easy to park my car near the venue on a Saturday night at 10 p.m. on the street (for free). So that was nice.
It ended up being $ 7 dollars to get in to see some local bands, which was not a problem, but still wish it was $ 5 or less. Hope that money mainly went to the bands themselves!
The service at the bar was horrendous though! It took seriously forever to get my glass of beer and the bartenders would just straight up ignore you. I almost walked away from the bar without even ordering.
Definitely would not go out of my way to go back, but it was fine for a one time experience.

This is my second visit to Old Ironsides, but I can’t seem to remember the first time I came here! Shows how memorable this place was. This historical bar and grill is pretty standard and fits the dive bar criteria. Somewhat dark, somewhat gloomy with no interesting décor to speak of with a few TV’s at the bar that features your only entertainment. I read that it was established in the early 1930’s. They have a back room area that is used as a night club where live music, dancing and Karaōke happen on certain nights.
That’s how my boyfriend knew about bringing me here on a Thursday night. His brother-​in-​law «Jaco Moe» is part of an event called «Music Night». Anyone who loves to play music or just listen and enjoy can participate:
When we arrived, multiple band members were playing and singing along to some old classics. People (young and old), slowly trickled in with their instruments from guitars, drums, bass, fiddle, organ, accordion, even a saw! Now that’s entertainment! One of the women players brought some extra «easy to use» music makers for the layman to try out! There were shakers, tambourines, cymbals, wooden sticks, and flutes. I used the shakers and after a few drinks, was pretty confident with my musical skills! Ha! Ha! Well, I thought I was! At least no one seemed to give me any disapproving looks!
We had 3 ½ hours of music making fun. The bartenders were up beat and friendly and the drinks made our night even more enjoyable! I found «Music Night» to be an original form of entertainment and a great way for musicians to come by and show off their talents. I don’t know when the next get together will be, but I look forward to going to the next one! In the meantime, I’ll be practicing at home with my maracas, and maybe even get discovered…