So one of the things I always loved about Norwalk is their nightlife. You aren't going to get the abundance of party option as you would in places like say Nashville, but Norwalk's nightlife has a charm to it that makes it perfect for those who live in the 203. Because of this however, bars come and go a LOT here, so if you're looking for a bar to call your own, be prepared for ownership changes!
This leads me to this place. I have been to this bar under a few names. We've had Johnny Utah's, Killer B, Cantiki, and now Alex's Lounge (apparently 3 I guess). The food has changed as ownership changed hands here, and so has the decor. This place was at its best when Johnny Utah's had it because they had a mechanical bull there that was a lot of fun! You can still the framework in Alex's Lounge that shows signs an attraction used to be there on the lower level. Their food was the best when we had Killer B on the upper tier, though I did appreciate when Alex's Lounge used to have ribs on the menu when they opened a few years back. God I miss those days!
Last night was my first return here after almost three years when I had those ribs because I wanted to celebrate having my driver's license come in the mail (yes, I'm in my 30's and only now can I drive), so I was looking forward to having ribs from them again only to find they were no longer on the menu. Well bummer! But maybe I could give something else a chance instead, so their empanadas it was. For the verdict, they weren't bad. Actually, for someone who isn't really into Latin food, this was actually good. I do however prefer the food I had from their predecessors a tad more.
Now onto the service. I will say if I had gone just from my initial impressions on this night alone, I would have been inclined to agree with the negative reviews left on this Yelp page. We had three bartenders on that upper tier where I ate, two of which had served me. The first one who served me kind just closed my tab the moment I had ordered. I mean, I dropped the ball a little by not having a tab open right away, but that particular bartender still should have kept my tab open because I had time to kill and actually wanted to have a few drinks here. I reflected this on my tip, only giving 15% as opposed to the 20% I usually give.
But enter the second bartender who served me. This one had I think long, brown hair and wore a nice-looking watch on her wrist. She was the one who finally asked if I had wanted to open a tab, to which I said yes and mentioned I should have done this at the start. This made a LOT of difference because I would have just left had she not and city-hopped back to finish my drinking home. It also helped that she was very understanding and friendly. I think this is Paola if I'm not mistaken? Whatever her name is, I was far more pleased with her service. She got a bigger tip, getting a cash tip of $10 after $35 worth of drinks under her service.
In the span of something over two hours, I drank 6 Angry Orchards. Now, that's enough to get me drunk, but I did have one night that beat that with 6 Ketel one club sodas, so I knew it was something I could deal with given I was taking the train home. I watched some of the pool games and grooved to music in my seat, so it is definitely a place to have fun. It is however much better if you bring friends along so that you aren't having to keep close to all your stuff. You could also play darts here too if you wanted, but the pool tables got used far more often during my visit.
So all in all, it's still a decent place. Just make when you come to make clear to open a tab, and also if you don't have a taste for Latin cuisine, maybe just stick with the drinks. But if you do like Latin food, go for some food as well! read more
