Customer service is an ESSENTIAL part of any club/bar/venue for me and the service here was HORRIBLE! It was impossible to get a fkn drink! I've been to several bars in or around LA that have great bartenders that actually have customer service skills.. well this place is NOT one of them!! On a sidenote: I used to come here back when it was Moose McGillycuddy's and I use to love coming on college nights. Well they remodeled it since then and I really don't think it looks a whole lot better than it did when it was Moose's. read more

Don't be alarmed by the rundown feel to the restaurant, the food is excellent. Best refried beans I've had and the salsa was fantastic. Had soft shell tacos and they were great. read more

ixtapa Cantina - Lounges Near Me - Pasadena, California

Honestly, I think this joint deserves more than 2 stars. I was here to watch the basketball game on a Friday night. Boy oh boy this place is well spaced out, not your typical shoulder to shoulder-no personal space-rub your sweaty arms on my back. Comfy bar stool and nice high ceiling makes watching the game nice. 4.5 stars for the set up I am a refreshing cold beer kinda gal, not fruity, but crisp, and their selections on tap is so limited that the barkeep recommended the blue moon. With all that bar space, they could stock up a few more varieties. 2-stars for choice of poison The food, meh.... no wonder my friend told me it's better to go to King Taco next door for hearty carne. taste bud satisfaction, 2-stars. That comes out an average of a bit better than 3 stars, oh, did I mention that the nearest parking structure charges $10 bucks flat? Most place in old town Pasadena offers a free first 90 minutes parking with validation, and $1.50 for every half an hour thereafter. $10 flat? that's a bit pricey! read more

ixtapa Cantina - Very limited beer selection on tap - Lounges Near Me - Pasadena, California

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If I was able to give a minus star I would definitely do that. One of the worst experiences of my life. A business has never let me get out of my character and cry in public. On a Saturday night I accidently left my phone on top of the counter at the Restaurant. I soon realized I left it and had to wait for them to open the next day to call, and of course when they opened at 11:30am I called from a friends phone, no answer. I drove back down to Ix tapa to retrieve my phone in person. The first waiter said " Oh yes your phone is with the little girl on the screen" I said yes it's an iphone with a blue case and I can give you my password so you know it's mine and to be safe. He walked to the back to talk to someone and then tells me "you need to come back at 5pm when a manager is here to release the phone"Even though it was 12:30 ,I stated you don't understand I drove an hour and 45 minutes to get here, I have no phone, no maps on where to go and my daughter is waiting for me to pick her up. The server said it wasn't his problem and to come back in 5 hours. I said I never heard of somebody keeping my phone even though he confirmed it was mine. I started crying and said i'm lost and I will have to call the police to help me. He said very rude " Call the cops they won't do anything" I began to cry even more and he walked away. I saw another waiter and told him what had just happened and he told me the same thing, come back in 5 hours. I started crying even more because I knew this was not right. Customers that were eating began to look at me worried and the waiter noticed that. I begged like i've never done before to get my phone back to I can get my daughter as I was 2 hours late already to get her. The waiter called his manager and he said the manager stated it's in a locked safe and I need to leave and I can come back at 5pm. I stated I'm confused how it's locked away in a safe when the other waiter just confirmed he just saw my phone. I raised my voice and said " you need to call your manager back as I know it isn't in a safe and you cannot hold my phone from me" at this point customers are definitely paying attention to the conversation. The waiter walked to the back not even in a room but in a little corner and got my phone. They lied to me the whole time and kept my phone from me. I own my own business and I would never do this to a customer. Be aware of this place as they do not care at all about people in general AND CUSTOMERS. I'd be happy to stand outside of this place with a sign stating "DO NOT ENTER" "TERRIBLE SERVICE" "BEWARE OF ALL WORKERS" read more

The food was excellent very good flavor but I just didn't like they didn't bring the TORTILLAS! when my food arrived.. but overall it's was good food read more

ixtapa Cantina - Fagitas - Lounges Near Me - Pasadena, California

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Not sure why this place has two stars. It's not THAT bad. The environment is upbeat and the music is a hit. There is no cover charge on Friday nights. Bouncers are chill.. odd thing I didn't like was the whole "look at the camera" before entering, but didn't want to make a big legal fuss about it. Bar isn't that busy so getting a drink is quick! Bathroom was a mess. No toilet paper nor hand towels to dry up. But other than that, I recommend this place for a first stop or something quick read more

Went on a Wednesday. Read most of the comments and agreed. Bouncers in the front really checked and double checked my ID and looked me up and down to ensure proper attire. Next guard patted me down. Two stars mainly because with all the extra security, they did nothing about the drunks that were stumbling all over the place since they seem to kick out people for appearing drunk in all the other reviews. Also, the drinks.....sooooo tiny...tiny super tiny plastic cups. read more

Came here last night with some girlfriends. Disappointed in there beer selection, they were out of 5/10 on tap and it was only about 10:30 PM at that point. Other than that the music was good but changed to quickly. read more

First things first! This is a Restaurant from 11am until 10pm and then turns into a lounge. As for the RESTAURANT the food I have tried so far is great. Great quality and a taste that triggers the memories of an amazing home cooked meal. It's not crazy packed during the day which is perfect to have some privacy while you indulge with the people you love. I'm really excited to try the nightlife. I will definitely write a review in detail. Ixtapa restaurant has definitely received my 5 stars. By the way, the Ixtapa colada is amazing, it is a must try! The best thing about this place is the staff. Very truly welcoming, not in a hypocritical way. Makes you feel like they are your friends attentive to make you have a good time. I'm excited to be back for the nightlife :) read more

ixtapa Cantina - Delicious all around :) - Lounges Near Me - Pasadena, California

This place confiscated my hydroflask water bottle and then threw it away. The service also sucks and the security guard hit on several of my friends while I was there. read more

20% TIP AUTOMATICALLY ADDED TO BILLS. I came here with a group of friends and the waitress was a rude and seemed like we were bothering her. Found it odd since all we where ordering was drinks. We asked for Patron and the shots were harsh and not smooth like it usually is so it was obvious we weren't given Patron. She kept trying to push a $250 bottle on us and we declined so she probably switched out the tequila. When I got the bill, her attitude made sense. A 20% tip is added to the bill so there is no need for them to go above and beyond to earn it. Im not going to sit there and argue that in front of people, just not going to go back again. I do believe in tipping and am a good tipper, but it should never be added. read more

This place is homophobic. I came here with friends for a birthday get together and they refused to let me in because I was a gay Male in small shorts. They let all my female friends in with the same length but refused me because I was a Male. Once my friend finally was able to convince them to let me in I was harrassed by the staff and got called homophobic slurs while in the club I felt extremely uncomfortable and unsafe. This is unacceptable and myself and friends will never be here again. I wish I can give NO stars. read more

After spending $60 on a few tacos & cocktails I go to the bar after the salsa lesson & ask the bartender for water & he wants to charge me $5 , i then ask for water on the gun (tap water) and he still wants to charge me , I let him know that just dined with them & his response is "that was a long time ago boss" & laughs, only an hour had passed since I I participated in the salsa lesson Absolutely horrible thing for a bartender to say It's tap water for crying out loud I wonder how they handle people that are intoxicated who need water or designated drivers read more

So I rarely write a review but I had to for this! It's safe to say that the salsa snobs have arrived in Pasadena. More specifically to Xitapa. It's sad to see my local salsa spot be turned into a cliquey, dance only with people you know kinda place. I hope the promoter takes note of this and talks to his people about being kind to ALL dancers. What a shame to lose such a convenient and fun place to dance. Definitely won't be going back any time soon. read more

My review is based on food/drinks. The drinks are weak. I had the pina colada drink and a White Russian. Pina Colada I would skip. I could taste no trace of alcohol. My boyfriend got a Cadillac Margarita. He skipped it after the first one and went straight to liquor on the rocks and then beer. We ordered some appetizers and soup. The albonigas were good. I thought it was a little salty. The fish tacos were small and had hardly any fish meat. The presentation was a little odd as well. We also ordered the Flautas. The meat was good but was a little over greasy (the tortillas were a little soggy by the time we got them). The place was nice inside and great to watch a game. It turned into a night club later in the evening. We saw a sea of people coming in nicely dressed so we figured it was our time to leave. read more

So I went to this place and it was dog water they did my meal completely wrong!No they got it right but it tasted HORRIBLE!:(

I've stopped into Ixtapa many times over the years whether for the salsa night or a Friday or Saturday night and it has always been a great time. The bartenders are awesome, the music is eclectic and even the food is great if I make it for dinner beforehand. I've seen some other reviews but I have never had any of those issues come up when I've been there. Definitely one of my favorite places to go when I'm in Pasadena. read more

One word, GHETTO! I've always wanted to have a night out in Pasadena. I was pretty excited to come out this way after our dinner at Perch LA and Standard LA. We didn't want our night to end as we were celebrating a birthday. My girlfriend gogo's at this place and I've always wanted to check it out. I immediately text her to see if she was gogoing, but she wasn't. The moment I walked in, I noticed the area was small but that's okay. It was a Thursday night and the DJ was terrible. The music changed every minute, couldn't get a moment to enjoy the song. The crowd was way less classy than I thought Pasadena to be. All I saw was overly drunk people, spilling their drinks as they walk. Oh, don't you dare run into anyone and apologize, they'll still stare you down like you killed someone in their family... talk about GHETTO. My ace accidently bumped into a girl and she just kept staring us down when I apologized.. I had to say "Girl, I said I was sorry, DANG!" I mean, is this place suppose to be 21 and over? If it's 18 and over... I went to the wrong place! Not to mention, we all got into a fight. We have a group of 7 people, all dressed classy. Our women covered up in appropriate dresses and men in suites and button downs all dress shoes (we just came from dinner). So you mean to tell me, you'd kick us out for some cholo with his face all tatted up clearly looking for trouble over us? .... Can I just repeat my favorite word for this review? .. GHETTO. Our friend went back to get his jacket with his girlfriend and security tackles him on the ground and violates the crap out of him. SERIOUSLY? FOR A JACKET?! I mean, what are you guys getting paid? $10/hr? $200/night? It isn't even that serious. We asked to talk to a supervisor or someone in charge of the night and couldn't even get anyone who is competent enough to talk to us. No, we don't want to talk to some mall cop looking security about our issue who can barely make out a sentence when he speaks. Nonetheless, if you enjoy a GHETTO crowd and crappy DJ, feel free to come and get violated for the night, security will try to jump you too so be sure to have a lawyer on call. I'll never come here again, I don't even think I'll ever come to Pasadena again. A couple FREE bottles of DOM PERIGNON couldn't even get me to come back. Oh, oh... oohhh... serving drinks in cheap plastic cups?! GHETTTOOOO!!!!! read more

Hello to all!!! I'm all about a good time and a good deal!!! However, this advertisement is false!!! Expect to pay full price for everything unless you get a 6oz. of beer or imported drink for 5$.... I genuinely dont mind spending the money for a good time but there is nothing more irritating than false advertisement !!!! Even the 5 dlls shots were 7 -_- like bro just respect the advertisement !!! Spoke up the manager personally and he said pricing was up to the bartenders!!... like I'm sorry but is the bartenders running the business or you as the manager?!! I'm just saying! read more

I get it you opened a new account hopping it would get better reviews . 2 for 1 drinks is okay but they are the worse barely any alcohol the music got a lot better and the service is a little better then before will come again to Dr if it gets better maybe there bottle service will be on point read more

I came on a Friday night for the mariachi with a group of friends. The food was so good. We order tortilla and albodigas soups, shrimp cocktail. Guac and chips and of course some drinks (paloma? And el tropical). We really enjoyed everything. Our server was really nice and the mariachi played beautiful. read more

The place is ok , the food is not really authentic Mexican food its kind of blend and not really tasty, I was a part of a birthday party so our check was ridiculously high since they charged me 18% tip read more

Ughhh...where to start with this place. The best way I can describe it is as the type of place where dudes who never left town after high school go to feel cool. Service is terrible (security being the worst), its over priced, and the vibe is just lame. I have no idea how this place has stayed open as long as it has. There are plenty of other bars and restaurants in Old Town, go to one of them. read more

Would not recommend. Came her for Cinco de Mayo. They had $5 margaritas...that tasted like water. Not sure there was any flavoring OR alcohol in there. Ordered the papas tacos and was very disappointed. The food is extremely bland. The service is very slow, had to remind our waiter to bring us chips and come back to take our order after a substantial amount of time. The club is fun but stay away from the restaurant. read more

ixtapa Cantina - Papas tacos - Lounges Near Me - Pasadena, California

It was my first time coming to this place and I went with my coworker for my birthday and I had a great time. The service was great, the staff was very friendly and they played really good music so we stayed instead of leaving to another place. Not to mention the vibe was great there was no hate or fighting so everyone was in a good mood and just wanted to have a great time. I will most definitely be going back! read more

After one visit I'm going with the I'm a fan of this joint. I came to Ixtapa on a weekday night to see a friends band play. I walked in and the place was dead. The host at the front asked if I was hear to see the band and when I said yes he asked if I wanted a table or told me to feel free to take a seat anywhere. I saw a row of raised booths near the stage area so I took up shop there. The server working the section stopped by and asked if I wanted to order anything. When I said no she didn't bother me for another order one minute after that but she did stop by to see how I was doing. The sound quality was pretty rockin I must say. The manager stopped by our tables and told our group thank you for coming. I was quite impressed so I may just stop by a little earlier the next time they play here to grab some dinner. read more

This place had a pretty cool scene, came here cause my friend likes to salsa dance, and invited us to come with her. So got here at 10 on a Tuesday, and there was no charge to get in or line, which is always nice. My friends wanted to get a drink, on Tuesdays they had $2.75 16oz Pabst or Tecate beers. If you want to get on the dance floor, you have to pay $5, I was hit up for it because I was too close to the dance floor. I decided to just sit at the bar section. When I had to go pee, I had to get clearance to go to the bathroom and swear to not get on the dance floor. So I decided I wanted a water and a coke, the coke was $2.50. I asked for a glass of water, and of course they couldn't give me a glass of water they had to sell me a small Voss bottle of water for $4.00. The trick to getting a free glass of water is asking for a cup of ice. I felt that this place was really just trying to squeeze money out of you, with out giving you the value. read more

Beware!!!!! I have been to this place plenty of times, the last 3 times I went there were horrible. Most importantingly, my card was charged more then I signed for. I ALWAYS write the amount I sign for including my tip on my copy of the receipt. Drunk or not. When I look at my online account or statement, the tip was doubled\tripled. The mgr at one point insisted I put that amount but never want to produce a copy of the receipt except once and it was a duplicate copy, not the original. My bank or credit card company always covered it but it says a lot about the business. Shady servers and shadier mgrs. The staff is rude. I got bottle service here and they threw a friend out because she tripped on a cord that was in the middle of the floor and not properly secured. They insisted she was drunk, we had just arrived 25 minutes prior. The mgr threatened to throw me out just for requesting to speak to him. Their bouncers are assholes and the food is horrible. I doubt I will be back here anytime soon. read more

Drink enough for liquid courage; stop before it becomes douche fuel. Straight people watching at my friend's bachelorette, it seemed obvious to me that guys would have been more successful if they drank less. This place was packed and the dance floor was crowded after 11pm. Service was slow but it's honestly understandable with the amount of people this place takes in. I easily found street parking within 2-3 blocks of the place where I usually always park when I go to Pasadena to eat--in the direction of the park on either Arroyo Parkway or Raymond Avenue. Come before 10pm and there's no cover or long lines. The people that come here aren't bad but the vibe isn't as great as other places I've been to and the floors get sticky as the night progress. I haven't been to other clubs in Pasadena to compare but it's not really comparable to some of the more central LA ones. read more

"When all else fails.. there's always alcohol to help you forget where you are!" -drunk friend The quote totally applies to the night I came here for a friend's birthday. The only thing I liked about this place was the music. Sure, it was danceable and a bunch of us were groovin' for a good while. But the thing I did not like was the service. It was very poor and took forever! I understand that it gets busy but when you're waiting more than 30 minutes for one drink then it's not cool. Also, have you heard of the saying.. "a smile goes a long way?" Well, if there's one thing I learned about customer service, it's to smile. You are working with hundreds of people a day so do your best to be approachable. I still had fun because it was a birthday celebration, but I probably will not go back unless I pre-party first! Haha read more

Went there tonight with some friends, spent $50+ in drinks, asked for a water and they said that would be $5 dollars. I said, a glass of tap is fine and they said they don't serve it only the $5 bottle water! WTF!! It's terrible service, and most importantly ILLEGAL, not to mention massive amounts of liability on their part to not serve customers water who are trying to sober up! Incredible how greed can make people/places so short sited!!! DON'T GO HERE! read more

My friends and I have been drinking and HUGO didn't want to serve us water... what kind of bartender would even... this is lame and the music and DJ SUCK. 0/10 would recommend. read more

I give this place just one star . Worst customer service ever!!!! I decided to celebrate my bday here on 8/27/16, I dont like going to Hollywood too much craziness . Oldtown Pasadena is a much older crowd and therefore a bit more chill. I had also been to Ixtapa more then a few times and I really liked it . So I thought getting bottle service was a good idea sense I had asked for the weekend off and one of my cousins had came out from Sacramento . I wanted everyone of my guests to be comfortable and sit if they were tired of dancing (you know us girls with heels need a break).I didn't want to do anything too big so i thought 300 for bottle service wasnt bad . Mind you ... this is a restaurant that turns into a lounge at night so for the price it makes sense. Bottle service was ok except there was water on the floor because of the ice that had melted and they didn't bother to clean up. They kept bringing us ice and juice whenever we were low so that was good. Restrooms suck , you have to wait like 15 - 20 mins to get in . And smell like urine. Having bottle service I think you should be able to get in and out . I wanted to enjoy bottle service . So back to me just giving one star. One of my old time friend's and her husband had arrived a bit later than I had. So I let her know not to make line to go around and let the bouncers know they were guests to my bottle service. 5 minutes in my friend text me saying how they did not let them in , they claimed her husband was wearing baggy jeans. She let me know he wasn't and how they called in advanced to ask about dress code, he was wearing his tight jeans . At this point I'm just thinking WTF are you kidding me! Another thing to think about is ,they pat down the guys, so I'm thinking who the hell cares . I had atleast seen five guys with baggy jeans so It just didnt make sense to me. So I took it upon myself to go find out why. I asked a bouncer very nicely "sir one of my guest just tried to get in and they did not let him in?" and he says right away (not letting me finish what I was telling him) "oh yes he was out of dress code! " and starts to walk away while im still talking to him RUDE JUST NASTY AND RUDE . I tell him how my guests are coming from afar if he can just make an exception for tonight? How they had called in advance to ask about dress code and they were in dress code ,what's the point of having bottle service and paying $300 and you cant accommodate all my guests. Very rudely again he starts walking a away laughing and says " oh .. I'm sorry there's nothing we can do about it ! ". I believe when my friend when she says her husband wasnt wearing baggy jeans, these bouncers were just being douchbags . Never again will I get bottle service here . I rather pay $300 more elsewhere for way better customer service because you won't get that here. read more

This location has got to have some sort of mini curse on it. In the 7 years I've lived here, I think it's been about 3 (maybe 4) different establishments. I hadn't been here due to the low reviews but our friends got us a Goldstar to the Saturday night Corazon de Mariachi show. There weren't a ton of details on either the website or Goldstar as to when to show. It says 8pm on their site, so off we went around 8pm to get our table. The show itself didn't really start until maybe 8:30 or so..enough time to get yourself situated. Pros: If you get the tix on Goldstar, you get up close and personal seating right in front of the band. [I had a bad headache earlier in the day so I requested to sit slightly further back - otherwise, we would have had the table front and center!] They definitely don't treat you like you bought cheapy seats like I've experienced at some places when they offer Groupons/Living Social/Goldstar deals. The server we had was super attentive and super sweet. The food was way better than I had expected and the portion sizes were HUGE (entrees). Cons: You sit RIGHT up front. I know, I know. I listed this as a pro. And for some of you, it totally might be. But for someone like me who doesn't want music blaring in their ears nor the attention of the singer (he was very interactive and serenading many of the tables), it's not the place to be. I was super happy they allowed us to move our table slightly further back. The food was not amazing. I know.. I just put the food was way better than expected in the pros. And it really was. It just wasn't amazing. The food is exactly where I put it...at 3 stars. It's not bad.. it's not where you go when you're craving good Mexican food. But it really wasn't bad. It was good. It was ..as 3 stars puts it.. A-OK. For $26 on Goldstar, you can't really go wrong with this show. The band was super great, the food was perfectly decent, and the service was good. Go if you love you some mariachi! Tip: Right after the hour long-ish show, they clear off your table and it becomes da club. read more

My husband I were visiting from San Diego and he decided to have some beer at this place it looked pretty nice .. until I went into the ladies bathroom..OMG it was filthy I have never seen a bathroom in a restaurant this nasty it looked as if someone had thrown up in every stall on the walls and the door the toilets had black rings as if they have never been cleaned.. I can only imagine what the kitchen looks read more

This place is hard to avoid for me, my friends enjoy coming here for fun & cheap drinks. However, I don't enjoy this place so much so here goes: The bar- It is a big enough bar with enough bartenders to take your orders from both sides of the bar. They have typical mexican beers, margaritas, and shot specials. Bar tenders have never dissapointed me. The dancefloor- It is a small and tight space. There you will find all the hoochies and creepers. The crowd is messy and wild, alllll the time. Except, on weeknights, you will find it isn't as crowded. The DJ is as usual, playing top 40 and hip hop. It's fun, after a few of those shot specials. The restrooms- (I can speak for ladies only) only two stalls,they don't remain clean for long. The line is out the door. read more

I came on a Friday night at 10 pm to grab drinks and to mingle with friends. There was no line and no cover charge for the ladies, but it costed $5 for the guys. The crowd was definitely a little sketchy as I was going to castrate the next guy who tried to grab my arm. The DJ played the most random stuff like top 20's, Latin, Avicii, etc. The bar was accessible and the dance floor was packed. The line for the ladies room was literally 15 people deep. It was dirty and some of the doors didn't shut. The place was not really my scene but as they say, "It's not about where you are but who you're with," and so we still had a good time. read more

This is a review for the so-called "Manager" of the restaurant/bar only not the club. I came here last Sunday with a group of 49er fans trying to get volume on the crucial week 17 49er game. There were a lot of Packer fans in town because of the Rose Bowl and Wisconsin playing so the bar was packed. The "Manager", is a tubby/chubby Latino guy with a beard whose name starts with a R. He walks around with a frown on his face, and acts like he runs things.All he runs is a below average bar restaurant, just look at the stars. He ended up shouting at someone in our party about why he couldn't put the volume on. Yes shouting. The guy he was shouting at was an elderly latino man with a masters in business from Standford. Could you believe that this tubby disrespectful "Manager" was yelling and talking down to him. Then when he came by to close out their pub menu he was extremely rude and disrespectful. On the other hand he was kissing the buts of those out of town Wisconsin fans. This is incredibly stupid. If you are reading "Manager", those GB fans will likely never come to your bar again, regardless. On the other hand everyone in our party could have come to your bar on a weekly basis but have now decided to boycott it all together. There are plenty of other bars to go to. Even if you don't care, that's lost profit for your employer's business as a result of your foolish actions. Plus we will spread the word, just like I am doing now. This also equals lost profit. As far as your disrespect towards me, you don't know who I am. Why would you have that attitude towards someone you know nothing about? Believe me when I say, I have NO RESPECT for you and I know enough about you. Now you have something to really frown about. read more

came by to check out their salsa/bachata night... it's hard to believe this spot used to be Moose McGillycuddy's (yeeeeears ago haha). they did a very decent job with the renovation. two dance floors and a lounge area. Sergio & Salud (latindancepro.com) gave the bachata lesson, and they were great as always. in addition, a simultaneous salsa class was being given upstairs. the crowd wasn't so roarin so there was ample dance space. lots of non-salseros on the lookout, hanging out for happy hour and dinner, so it's great that there are options here. tons of tv screens tuned to sports too. after several dances i was hungry. it was taco tuesday so i had a couple to try. their CARNE ASADA TACO was flavorful, tangy and tender. the AL PASTOR was also delicious. the tortillas were soft and thick. YUMMM!! (better tacos than their neighbors a few doors down. shhh!!) would i return? YES. the dance floor is smooth and the music is good. PLUS, they have LADIES NIGHT on WEDNESDAYS - specials on cosmos and other drinks... and get this - while they play SATC episodes!! read more

Definitley a homogenous crowd of people, but I guess I should have known by the name of this place. If you think "cantina" means kitchen you know you don't belong here... Guilty of thinking of this & indicative of me not belonging here haha Besides that...the drinks are weak, the music is straight from my middle school dance (which could be a blast from the past or plain annoying), and the management made me get up and took my chair when I was sitting at the bar. Overall, there are much better bars in Old Town. read more