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What's not to love about this place. Great music on the weekends and tall and healthy spirits from the bar.
If you have never been here, you may have to ask for directions on how to find the front door.
Enjoy....
This is a good place to go with friends because:
the atmosphere encourages conversation and/or hijinks
the bartenders are very friendly
patrons are easy-going
there is lounge singer on Saturday nights
the decor is velvety walls, red lighting and the place has two stories~
This is definitely an Old Sacramento style bar - low pretention, low priced drinks, and a friendly atmosphere.
This bar is off the hook crazy. Let me walk you through it:
1. Piano bar with no actual piano-playing. The singer brings a boombox and sings the oldies to tapes on the boombox. It's random and hilarious.
2. They have Jameson.
3. Ladies, you will likely get hit on by someone over 70.
4. Ladies, you may get hit on by a guy whose wife is somewhere else at the bar. This actually happened to me. Ballsy! And hilarious! At least leave the wife at home, come on! Weak game....
5. The older crowd likes to get up and dance a little later in the evening. The youngsters eventually get up and join them after they are appropriately inebriated.
6. Bizarre crowd, bizarre music, bizarre ambience. I like it bizarre.
7. Bartenders know how to pour a drink. Jameson and ginger = mostly Jameson with "splash" of ginger ale.
8. Lots of times groups will have their high school reunions etc. here. This is a wonderful opportunity to eff with people (tell them you were in their class, etc. This is also a wonderful way to get a free drink). I think I told the class of Loma Linda I was a professional tennis player. They were really impressed.
9. Parking situation is "weird," so beat it before everyone else does. Otherwise, you may have to face these freaks in the parking lot.
10. Bartenders = fast and furious. When I tip big, I expect to be given a small priority in terms of how fast I receive my libation (as a former bartender, that's how I worked). They seem to get that here. Cater to the generous!
Overall, a fantastic, unique, experience, especially for Sacramento. Go on now.
This place is absolutely charming. The atmosphere is warm and inviting and the food is great also. When you go in there, tell the bartender Luke that Mark from Stockton said hi. Luke is the most charming thing about this place. She was born to be a bartender. A nice lady with a great personality. The owner Gail is great also.
Another good bar. Walking down the ally into the bar is something I enjoy. The red lighting gives a calming feeling. Friday nights seem to be packed but not so much on weekdays and Saturday. Wish they had more draft selection and pitchers. Only Sierra Nevada on draft at $4 a pint. The decor is welcoming but not as much as the red lighting. It just seems like the type of bar where you can shoot a film scene.
Tacky in all the right ways. Beware- strong drinks.
I love this place. Cool location (alley), cheap drinks, interesting characters hang out there and the lounge singer is a little weird at first, but it wouldn't be the same without him.
The Back Door Lounge is a classic. You take a short walk in an alley before entering the establishment, and once you're in, you see an awning hanging. The first time I came here, I was like huh?! This place probably had the red velvet wallpaper before any other wanna-be old school saloon popped up in town. The Back Door Lounge is a very chill place to go to hang out with friends and drink.
This place has velvet wallpaper, do I really need to say anything else.
If you like big screen televisions, fancy decor, and the latest hippest thing- please do not come here.
If you like good people, good drinks, and a relaxed fun atmosphere- you may come- but don't tell anyone or you will ruin it.
This place loses one star because I never seem to remember the end of the evening...and I'm sure it was worth remembering if I was here. This seems to be the go to bar for a great time. The lounge singer is just cheesy enough without being lame, and the drink.....phew...STIFF!
Note: when gleefully walking out the front door of the Back Door...remember...the alley way is slick. If you don't remember this you could fall directly on your arse TWICE when going outside.
Wow, this is a tolerant bar if there ever was one.
I was in a psychotic-drunk state when I showed up Friday night, and I didn't even get kicked out, much less cut off.
I remember singing some Frank with my old girl Liz, talking some serious shit to some old man and some jocks talking on their cell phone, talking on my own cell phone after talking a rash of shit to others because of their phones, calling someone the c-word in the bathroom (OMG,) falling down a couple times. Then it gets foggy.
Liz paid for like 2 rounds. We had something like 6 rounds due to the friendly patrons in our midst. After Liz helped me out by propping me up against the wall, I did a lot better. No one could hear me talking shit either, thank god.
The bartender Andrea was very wonderful and let me answer the bar phone. I found that highly entertaining. The drinks here are like 6$, so you could potentially go broke. But if you show up wasted, you'll be fine.
I fear what one would have to do to get cut off here. I left this place absolutely hammered with two full drinks in front of me. Thank you to whoever bought those. There were [at least] 3 people that didn't like me at all by the end of the night. Sorry to those people. If it's any consolation to them, the night ended very poorly on my bathroom floor .
I think I'll give these folks a few months to forget me before going back here. I think some man named Donald (?) was really nice. Good times.
The drinks are reasonably priced, the pours are generous and the bar tenders make great conversation. What more could you want in a bar!
The Back Door Lounge is seemingly one of the few holdovers from that not too distant time when Sacramento was a one horse town and the residents didn't give a shit about it. It's very location, tucked away in an alley in Old Sac, hearkens back to the days of a prohibition era speakeasy and some of it's regulars are old enough to have knocked back a few at such a place. And though the regulars lean heavily towards the 50+ crowd it isn't uncommon for some younger folks,myself included, to frequent this place.
The interior doesn't look like it's been changed since the doors opened and the jukebox features a heavy dose of crooners and standards. On weekends there is usually a middle aged gentleman who sings, again mostly standards. While taken by on their own each of these descriptions seems to scream out that this is the last place anyone would ever want to go for a drink but combined they all add to the charm, personality and appeal of the Back Door Lounge.
Though her name escapes me, the female bar tender explained The Back Door Lounge the best. "We're a neighborhood bar without any neighbors."
We found this place on Yelp and it was cool.
Literally, there were people from every damn background. No two groups were the same and that is totally awesome.
I didn't really think the drinks were more of a good deal than anywhere else. They were standard prices and actually, the cocktails were very weak. We had a group of like 6 people and everyone agreed that the cocktails should've been stronger.
Other than that,
It was an awesome location with a very mixed crowed and they had a piano man singing live Karaoke!
I plan to make it one of my regular visits. So glad I was able to come.
In need of a nightcap and something unique to Sacramento? Siddle in. Young & old alike enjoy the red-light glow of this old NOLA-style speakeasy.
Weeknights are my favorite. Watch out for the MBA students after class on Wed/Thur nights... or the karaoke regulars on Wed; the list fills up fast. BTW Nick is the best bartender in Sacramento.
On weekends, drop in as Lee Diamond sings 'classic' Neil Diamond ballads or Ol' Blue Eye tunes. Connie will fix you up with a potent potable your parents were probably drinking.
Tips: They supposedly serve breakfast, but we've only had the mini-bag of chips... The bathrooms require you to use the buddy system: if one of you doesn't come out in x minutes, the other one better save you!
Did I die and end up in a jive 70s movie? It seems hip till you realize it's just...really...old.
Being there reminded me of a place Jackie Brown might hang out: dimly lit, high back faux leather booths, and a jukebox full of goofy music you always see in Time Life series CD sets. At least it's a nice escape on a 100 degree Old Town afternoon.
The bartender and waitress were friendly- so friendly in fact the waitress was happy to take our pictures. Nice lady. But I could've lived the rest of my life without hearing her karaoke version of Rapper's Delight. More Bud Light please!
Plus someone should do something about that unfortunate name...
In this economy it is just not right to charge a cover charge in order to take my money .Went to old sac last night , Evangelin's was the destination , and heard about this place from a local at the Bonn lair. I'm up to try ANY bar that has an ally access!!! its right behind the fireside restaurant off the main drag. found a full bar and they are serving food , well hell lets try their dinner and the special was lasagna for about 8 bucks , it was outstanding !
Heard talk about their breakfast so i believe i will be looking into this on sat.
I have read a few reviews on this place , and all are correct , this would be one hella place to do a bender.nothing like getting toasted and taking ONE step outside the door and finding yourself in a dimly lite ally!! sounds like night time this place would be raging from all the talk of Sinatra and the piano guy.
Take note : this is no tourist bar although they are welcome I'm sure , i found everyone here to be local sac town people.
Now this is a really cool thing for old sac since there is not much for us locals to do down there anyway ,if i would have only found this place BEFORE i ever went into OMALLYS it would have saved me a lot of grief !
Park in the lot next door or under the freeway get your validation at Evangelin's.
The only draft here is that sierra Nevada stuff.
So it looks like here the Sapphire martines will be flowing......
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
The best and classiest bar in Sacramento. Calling it a dive is so phenomenally off-base I don't know what to say.
They've got cocktail table seating, well-made martinis, chandeliers, red velvet, and the best lounge singer in town. It's a lovely place.
If this isn't enough for your fancy-schmancy tastes, I suppose you could go to Lounge on 20, I hear they offer free kicks in the nuts with purchase of a $9 Heineken.
We used to come here when we got off work at the Delta King (which was always late)
Its great because there it plenty of space up top for big groups
I'm no longer at the Delta King so ....
Now I come here randomly in the day (for a Bloody Mary) or randomly at night (for a Bloody Mary)
The staff is totally efficient (same staff for the past million years)
Drinks are cheap and the music is entertaining (one time after work the Cherry Poppin Daddy's stopped in and played)
The crowd is the only decent crowd in Old Sac and this place is one of the only reasons I would venture in to Old Sac
The Backdoor Lounge is one of my favorite places to go get a drink or two or three.
It has this great air about it. As soon as you step in it feels as though you've entered another era. The red velvet walls, candle lighting, old photographs and jazz inspired art just give off a vibe of swank. The bartenders all know what they are doing and are really on top of getting you your drinks quickly. I was in there last weekend during Jazz Jubilee and it was packed. I didn't expect to get my drink too fast because of the amount of folks at the bar. It took about 5 minutes to get my drink, not bad, but the bartender told me my drink was on the house because it took so long to get. Ummm, awesome! I always leave a nice size tip to the bartenders here because they are always so good to me.
Aside from serving drinks there is entertainment at least three nights a week there. Every Friday and Saturday evening there is a lounge singer performing. I don't recall his name but he's pretty entertaining. On Wednesday nights you can go to the karaoke party. I'm a sucker for karaoke but at some places folks just take themselves too seriously. Not at the Backdoor though, most everyone performing just has fun singing into the mic and the folks in the crowd are really supportive. Its not a terribly clicky bar either, if your a newcomer someone will start talking to ya (and not just in that let me chat you up kind of way). And if you don't feel like talking to folks thats fine too, sometimes I'll just go sit up in the balcony area and people watch.
Did I mention they have a grill? I have yet to try their lunch/dinner menu but I went there for breakfast last weekend and found it was pretty tasty. They serve your typical country breakfast: eggs, pancakes, bacon, sausage... I had the half order biscuits and gravy with potatoes, which was huge by the way. I couldn't finish the meal, I'm glad I didn't get a full order. One thing that was kinda odd about my meal was that although it came with biscuits it also came with toast. As my partner in crime stated "You're over starching em!" I guess no mater what you order for breakfast you get toast. The waitress was very attentive, if half my cup of coffee was half gone she was already filling it up for me.
I sure am glad I work just across the street from the Backdoor Lounge because it means I can go there as often as I please. In fact I'll probably be there today once I clock out.
I practically lived here when I lived in Sacramento and worked in Old Town. This place definitely has the whole "Cheers" vibe going on. Some evenings are more lively than others, but you're always sure to find the same characters night after night.
Years ago when I first started going there the "crowd" hadn't discovered it yet, it was all old regulars and industry people, those were the days. It's still a great place, although the rowdy O'Mally's and Fanny Anne's crowd tend to spill over into it more frequently and sometimes "harsh the mellow".
If you're lucky you'll stop in while Nick is tending bar. Nick is a legend in the Sacramento bar scene and maybe one of the best bartenders in Northern California. Nick doesn't flip bottles and invent drinks with fancy names and fancy ingredients with his nose in the air while pretending he's the greatest thing in the world, no, Nick is an old time traditional bartender who will make you a good stiff cocktail and make you feel at home.
The BDL has been around forever and if there is any good in the universe it will always be there.
Would be a great name for a gay bar.
This place is SO cool. It's everything I love in a bar.
It hasn't been redecorated since the 70's, it's dark, the bar area is swarming with barflys, the jukebox selections rock and the bartenders are memorable. Plus the drinks are reasonably priced and fairly strong.
It's hard to have a conversation when Rudy Valentino's doing his thing, but he's great.
I heart this place!!
I've been meaning to write this for ages, but reading these reviews finally nailed it.
The Back Door is not a dive bar. In fact, nothing in Midtown outside the Monte Carlo or perhaps the Flame is really a dive bar.
Suburbanites, read closely--just because it's not like the Chili's in Roseville or some ninja turtles sushi joint where the drinks look like they come from some kid's chemistry set, it's not a dive.
Dive bars open at 6 am, have male to female rations of like 3,000:1, and produce a stabbing at least once every six months.
The Back Door is a classy establishment and the men follow the golden rule that a man's drink should never contain more than two ingredients, (don't worry brah, Jager Bombs are still choice!).
Highlights include Lee Diamond, (who can sing the Italian parts to Dean Martin songs) and that one time I sold dances with my date for shots of whiskey and some Taft oil tycoon ended up buying me like 10.
I love this place. I come here and it is like a big warm hug and a good strong tasty drink that goes down easy that warms your tummy. The bartender was a riot...cracking jokes, and telling us stories of her kids and her life...like we were ...family or something. What kind of hospitality is that? Fantastic. She even proceeded to take pictures of us and insist to put them up on the wall. Ha. Its fantastic to have a place that is consistently welcoming, the people jovial, the crowd diverse, unpretentious, and always welcome to all people.
The Back Door Lounge kicks ass. It's welcoming, dark and cozy. The bartenders are friendly and make good stiff drinks. The jukebox has a decent selection and their food (breakfast and lunch) rocks. Best gravy in town, hands down. There's also Lee Diamond who performs a lounge show on Friday and Saturday nights. You gotta love a guy that can go from 'I Lost My Heart in San Francisco' right into 'Freebird'....
The last time I was here I had an in-depth conversation with the bartender about where I might be able to acquire a rack of antlers for my wall. Really I was trying to butter him up in hopes that he might offer to sell me some of his (hunting came up earlier), but according to old man bartender, a real hunter never parts with their antlers.
Despite leaving without my antlers, I've yet to leave sober or without a good chat with the bartender. And that's really the point of a bar like this.
Sheer old school greatness. Walk in and you will be transported to a simpler time, where cocktail hour was mandatory and no one had heard of AA. Shadow boxes filled with dried flowers complete the dark, romantic kitschy mood. Drinks are stiff and a warm hearth-like feel abounds. The ongoing underground popularity of this place proves that 50's and 60's lounginess never went out of style.
I get happy musing on the Back Door. I hear a swinging beat in he back of my mind and lyrics like these:
Fly me to the moon
And let me play among the stars
Let me see what spring is like
On Jupiter and Mars
In other words hold my hand
In other words darling kiss me
Fill my life with song
And let me sing forevermore
You are all I hope for
All I worship and adore
In other words please be true
In other words I love you
Picture a lounge crossed with a brothel crossed with a fancy victorian living room and with an entrance that is literally in an alley in the middle of old sac. At least its title definitely makes sense because you enter this lounge/bar/restaurant from literally the back door. There is no cover here and the drinks are made really strong and the bar tenders are very nice and willing to make any drink you can come up with.
Grab a seat in one of the booths with your cocktail and it will take you back in time to the victorian era instantly. You will either feel like a woman hired to entertain a man for the night because of the ambiance or a woman attempting to be wooed by a man from high up in society behind closed doors. Either way at least it is a unique feeling that you can't always experience elsewhere. And it is never very crowded later into the night so intimacy is a definite possibility here even if the crowd at times can be a little older. So let the Back Door Lounge be your time machine for a night and enjoy the ride!!
Best bar in Old Sacramento for a Sierra Nevada on your lunch break/between crappy jobs. Man, that was a rough summer. Nice, down-to-earth folks who won't bat an eyelash at you and your liquid lunch. Bonus points for the boudoir red-velvet wallpaper and mirrored ceiling above the bar. Not my favorite bar in Old Sac, but not the worst, by far.
Head down on the weekend to catch Lee Diamond. Class act, that guy.
Bonus bonus points for having a euphemistic name, and for not being a gay bar with an overly euphemistic name (I'm looking at you, Head Hunters.)
It can get crowded, but that's a rare occurence.
Was in Sacto for a wedding that ended early. Luckily, Yelp came to our rescue. From the spaghetti western inspired decor that was almost completely obscured by Halloween decorations, to the one man lounge act, to the incredibly friendly bartender who poured stiff drinks, to the guy who was dancing with his "service" dog (with encouragement from his wife)... the back door lounge had oodles of character. And I love character! friendly, laid back crowd. Many thanks to those who recommended this place.
I don't know that I would call this a dive bar. If anything, I would call it a swanky bar.
First of all, there is red velvet on the walls. Red velvet!!! How can you beat that? Old photos framed in "gold" hang on the walls and candles flicker away in red holder at each table.
To round out the swanky feel of the place, every Friday and Saturday night they have someone singing songs from Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra and others. A few years ago, when Rudy sang here, this was ALL he would sing and it was glorious. Now you may have to hear some KC and the Sunshine Band later into the night...but it is still worth the cab ride to Old Sac.
There is usually a great crowd here, ranging from young to old. My favorite thing to do (other than shots) is to watch the older couples dance; graceful and romantic it gives me the warm fuzzies (but then again, that might just be the shots).
I give this place four stars because I miss Rudy, other than that it is great!
What ! Sacramento has a semi kind of piano bar, and I've been over the legal drinking age for 3 years and didn't know about this place. Well its about time someone let me in on this little gem in Old Sacramento. Just when I thought Old Sacramento had nothing to offer me...ha silly me.
We are on our way to Back Door and my friend is saying you feel like you are in a Frank Sanatra movie...I was thinking ok, I guess I like the sound of that. I walk in everything is enveloped in red velvet, older furniture, people are dancing, wood bar and then...wait, What, YES! I see the piano.
Only to my disappointment the man singing there that night was only singing, no piano playing tonight...boo. Its ok he had a really good voice and did sorta remind me of Frank Santara I can see where that connection was made. He let us make a few requests except he didn't know Piano Man, huh, you are the Piano Man , how do you not know it? Anyways, we all took a few spins around the dance floor had a few drinks, got a few stares from all the old people there. Overall good time. The bartender even told my friend and I "You take care of me, I'll take care of you", ok I like the sound of that. My kind of place.
Drinks are more expensive than dive bars like the Flame, but you gotta pay for atmosphere like that. The place won't be the same without Rudy Valentino, but I still love the come-as-you-are-meets-cheesy-swankiness that gives this place life.Plus, they allowed a dog in from the rain one night. You've gotta respect that. Good place to go.
What everybody else said. It's Fucking Awesome!
-Update July '07-
Yep, still Fucking Awesome. Whatta jewel.
boobies
Went here for hangover breakfast the other day and I gotta say I'm a fan. The selection in the jukebox was right on, I had some deep soulful moments over my bloody mary. The food was good, plentiful and cheap. I'm not going to say its the best food I've ever tasted, but good portions, greasy enough to soak up the booze, and the bloody mary there rocked! I would definitely be willing to go back if some friends suggested it, but I don't see myself as craving it.
Great vodka martinis, lots of olives and anything by Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, or Patsy Cline. Every time I go here, alone or with friends, I end up enjoying myself and feeling better about life. It could be the martinis, or I've just been fortunate, but I think there is just a good vibe here.
Step inside, soak it in for a bit, order a martini, walk over to the jukebox, play some Frank or Dean or Tony, sit down and get right.
One of the best bars in town.
Highlights: Kick-ass bartender, juke box, red velvet wallpaper, it's in Old Sac
Lowlights: It's in Old Sac, the slight fear that Jimmy Legs is going to bust in and shoot the place up.
Cool old bar lounge with friendly bartenders.
Great place in Old Sac to meet up with friends. I want to come back here during one of their Friday or Saturday nightshows with Lee Diamond, the guy who sings old Frank Sinatra, Bobby Darin, and Nat King Cole songs.
They are totally cool about being mobbed by 40 Santas coming in for an afternoon drink.
Last night was the Dive Bar YELP party and the bartender was giving out free drinks allll night long! We'll definitely be going back.
I'm only kidding about the drinks, trying to make the no-shows feel guilty.
The atmosphere is awesome. The decor is super schmaltzy with patterned wallpaper and lots of red [was it the floors or the walls?] which has all probably been there since the beginning of time, or at least as long as the geriatric bartender. His drinks were strong and tasty and he was chatty with those seated at the bar. One old dude at the bar was telling the bartender that he'd just come from another bar and he said, "they treat me like gold there, no, wait, they treat me like expensive gold". Ha ha ha ha!
A rum and coke was 4$ and a real Black Russian [not those cheap pre-mixed ones] was 6$.
If you're new to the area or get lost easily make sure you get directions on how to get to the Back Door Lounge. It's tucked away in a back alley behind the Firehouse restaurant.
The place won't be the same without Rudy Valentino, but I still love the come-as-you-are-meets-cheesy-swankiness that gives this place life.
Plus, they allowed a dog in from the rain one night. You've gotta respect that.
Sacramento, CA
Category: Lounges
Sacramento, CA
Category: Bars
Sacramento, CA
Category: Bars
Sacramento, CA
Category: Dive Bars
Sacramento, CA
Category: Gay Bars
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