This review is only for the venue. I have never had any food here. If you love a small venue and local LOUD music, then this is the spot for you. Bring earplugs or buy some from the bar for a couple bucks. The sound system is great, the drinks are cheap, and the vibe is just right. I would absolutely go to a show alone here and feel fine and safe about it. And I'll likely have to given my more extreme music tastes. Ha. You can buy tickets online or at the door after getting IDed. I've never paid more than $20 per ticket here. Notable acts I've seen here include HotBods, Kill the Precedent, Tentacult, Impulse Noise, Aruspex, Build Us Airplanes, Swan Ronson, and Lightweight. It gets rowdy and it's fun. I love how all ages come here to listen to talented musicians together. If you're looking for a place to directly support Sacramento's killer music scene, this is a place to do that. Bathroom has plenty of reading material. This review is dedicated to Sacramento Legend Ground Chuck. Rest in peace. read more

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This place is fantastic! Small venue, which is perfect for local bands and visiting bands from other local towns. The bar serves beer, wine and some bar food, which is great! Their prices are really good. Been here a few times to see a friends band from SF and their friends bands to including MDC! The vibe is pretty chill. Security is cool. Bathrooms are typical of a joint like this, but usually clean enough. read more

Ordered these at the counter and the wait time was very lengthy. The chicken tenders and the fries had no seasoning and I do not recommend getting either of them. read more

Cafe Colonial - Chicken tenders and French fries - Cafes Near Me - Sacramento, California

Divey fun and a much needed all ages venue in town. Caters to a mostly punk / metal & rock crowd. The sound is good and the venue is a labor of love. Ive seen so many great shows here. Its a venue worthy of support! read more

Came here for a show tonight, first time at this spot, and will absolutely be back. (Only slightly mad I'm discovering this place so late.) Guy running ID/tickets at the front was amazing and friendly. Sound was really good. I mean REALLY good. Only downsides were how very hot the main room got, and the pricey-for-what-it-was basic whiskey/soda at the bar that was noticeably watered down. A solid 4.5 star experience, knowing what to expect. read more

Great punk rock show. Bar with drinks available but no food served. You can bring in your own food.

definitely the place to go for shows here in sac! i always meet new people and have i had a bad experience except for once or twice? nope never! and that was simply because kids are mean.. but the vibe here is amazing! a small venue but still gets a good pit and they make sure if someone gets hurt in the pit there is ice packs and people there to help^^ ive never had the food personally.. so i cant say anything about that, but most people go here for the shows or to grab a quick drink or snack before going into the theater^^ glad to say i feel safe here and that punk is not dead! also props to the bathroom lol read more

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Awesome place when it is open They need to keep doing what they are doing very great and good food

Cafe Colonial is truly a labor of love and the updated renovations look incredible. We came for a show at Colony but there was a lively open mic happening in the main room at colonial. They have beer, wine, + soju-style cocktails. For only having 4 taps the beers selection didn't feel lacking. Great spot for vegans and vegetarians. The beyond burger was one of the best I've had! And for a big burger with a bunch of shoestring fries the price felt right. The only thing I miss from the menu is the fry bread but I look forward to trying more. read more

Cafe Colonial - Cactus Cooler. - Cafes Near Me - Sacramento, California

"Trivia or Death!" SITREP Thanks to the Good Folks at Cafe Colonial, I got to enjoy an evening of Trash Film Orgy's (TFO) "Trivia or Death!" night! What a HOOT! THE SETUP But first things first: in the front room of Cafe Colonial is an outstanding bar serving up the best, reasonably priced drinks and some great art on exhibit! *DRINKS I got my standard Jack & Coke for $5 and it put the *kick* I needed in mah pants (for viewing the movie next door in the Colonial Theater - "The RE-Animator!" Good times, good times...) http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/cafe-colonial-sacramento?select=u50sXc2eU_kNaLcgiGLq8Q *ART EXHIBITION In the front room is also some great wall space to display art exhibitions. And these pieces were very nice. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/cafe-colonial-sacramento?select=Ftynwtjrb_vJ23i9BaF_zQ "TRIVIA OR DEATH" But In the backroom of Cafe Colonial is where all the crazy action was hap'nin! *The Mad Scientist (actually our very own Yelper Extraordinaire William B.!) was leading a team of TFO nurses in the game's delivery. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/cafe-colonial-sacramento?select=bK0sjBR6OzKS9pjXTp4c7w *The TFO nurses strapped me into their caption and I was shotgunned with some of the most (delightfully) inane questions, which I finally got wrong - and THEN.....I was electrocuted! http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/cafe-colonial-sacramento?select=D5tSjMqW-Nqo8OO_yQUe_w THE LOWDOWN For some goods times and great drinks, come to Cafe Colonial. It may *SHOCK* you how much fun you can have on occasion! read more

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I stepped inside of the Colonial and caught myself staring on several Listening to the soundtrack of All That Jazz ...instantly makes this my kind of place. The Colonial is a cozy spot ...perfect for an eclectic late night rendezvous in search of a good plate of thinly sliced onion rings and a cold porter. Their walls are adorned with mixed media art created by local artists. I love art so it was very fun for me to come to the colonial Café. read more

This is a good place to grab a bite to eat or something to drink before heading to the Colonial Theater, which is exactly what we did. The place is decked out in punk stickers, and has punk music playing. The place is small, yet there was still plenty of room to sit. We were both hungry, but not starving, so we shared an order of their Pizza Fries. All it really consisted of was marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese, that was then smothered on top of a plate of fries. Overall, it was the epitome of 'nothing special'. It resembled something that I would make when I was twenty years old, on a tight budget, and had no standards when it came to food, in both aesthetics and taste. However, the plate of food is definitely worth the four dollars and something cents price. They also offer a variety of drinks for very cheap prices. However, the best part about this place is ability to play on multiple vintage gaming systems. I saw a Nintendo 64 at a table, and they have a plethora of games to choose from, behind the bar. This place would not be my first choice in dining in the area, but the convenience of the theater being steps away make this place somewhat worth it. read more

Cafe Colonial - Pizza fries - Cafes Near Me - Sacramento, California

With parking, great sound and an intimate performance venue, over by 11pm, great time!

So apparently one of the bartenders doesn't give her real name out cuz she she knows she gets bad reviews or something. Unfortunate to see. Never been to a place and got two completely different names from a bartender within an hour.I still had a great time without liquor, it's a good spot. Th e manager is dope, I greatly appreciate them, but getting hounded by a bartender who drops multiple different names in a night is very perplexing to say the least. read more

Came here for the Trap Kitchen event. Pretty cool spot. We enjoyed the chill atmosphere of the bar before and during the event. The owner/bartenders (?) are really cool and attentive. They only have beer and wine license but they make the mix drinks out of wine and pretty damn close to the taste of vodka as they told me. Pretty strong wine and it tastes good. Parking is pretty good too. Overall, great experience. We will be back on a reg bar night to check it out. read more

Cafe Colonial - Cafes Near Me - Sacramento, California

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Last weekend I'm sure was crazy for these guys. I was at a rave next door, I followed a crap ton of people from the rave to stop by for a few drinks, out of nowhere it seemed like a madhouse. But Mariah and Chris handled it like MF CHAMPS! Wanted to give those two big props and a thank you for being calm, yet efficient and quick while dealing with a bunch of drunk idiots. Ya'll are fantastic at your jobs read more

Cafe Colonial has really hit it's stride. I frequent events here regularly, and while it has always been a great venue to see live music, they struggled in the restaurant area for awhile. They now have a beer and wine license, and the selection is decent and well priced. The food has gotten substantially better. This is not classy, "farm-to-fork" food. This is good, old fashioned diner food. Hot, well made, tasty and cheap. Could I eat here every day? No. Do I make sure to save up some calories for their chili-cheese fries if I'm going to see a concert, ohhhh yes. I believe they are open dinner hours, and also now for brunch on Saturdays. read more

Such a cool spot! The bartender Chris made the best michelada & the food was delicious! will be back :-)

I don't come to Sacramento much, but this place is awesome and has great food, wonderful staff and a cool music venue spot. I had a great time playing here and eating and drinking. read more

Cafe Colonial - Vegan pizza garlic fries - Cafes Near Me - Sacramento, California

This place is cool. I like the new paint. I wish there were still video games though and the comfy chair area.

Fun spot to see live music. Delicious Taco Tuesday and friendly people, great service.

Cafe Colonial is the grungy, edgy, funky, neighborhood bar of my dreams. They posses everything I require of a favored hole-in-the-wall (save for their weird hours...) They serve PBR on draft, the bartenders are super friendly, and they now make their own onion rings (my favorite...score!) All of which is essentially everything you need. The decor vibes with the restaurant in its own funky way and I have never been disappointed in terms of service or quality. This spot was formerly occupied by a sadly ignored cafe and before that a Mexican restaurant, I am pleased that this spot has grown into itself the way it has. A choice bit about this spot is that it wholeheartedly supports the local music scene and just for that deserves two thumbs up! While I had seen it's doors finally open and passed by it daily, I never came here until a friend told me he was to perform here. Despite my doubts (how can they play in such a tiny spot?!) I was pleasantly surprised to see there was indeed a tiny stage with enough room to fit a little over a dozen people (perhaps two dozen if they were squished in) and that the restaurant/bar is in separate room from the actual show/stage area. Keep in mind though, despite the service area being in a separate room from the stage, this does not diminish the sound of the performance at all and is still quite loud in the restaurant area. Don't come looking for a quiet dinner if a show is playing (and I wouldn't suggest just coming here for dinner anyway without seeing the show, support local music!) It's usually about $5 cover to get in to the show room. Every time I have been here, one or two ladies are working the bar. The are both very sweet and I am impressed how fast they can turn out a beer when there is a mini rush of people clamoring for their PBR ($3) or Crispin ($4) between sets. Great job ladies! You make it a fun environment to be in when I just want to get out of the house and get a beer by myself. They have large menu of hamburgers, sandwiches, and hot dogs, plus a few side items and salads. I seen someone get this fluffy fry bread taco ($4) and I knew I had to try it! It was pretty good too; fried dough with beef, beans, lettuce, tomato, and cheese, definitely bar food and I will definitely get it again. I would love to come here during one of their movie nights (Weds or Thurs, I believe) or old school game nights (Tuesdays). I wish their hours were more consistent (They just recently started to stay open till ten but sometimes they are open later? I am not sure) but I know its hard with a limited staff. I also hope that there business continues to grow and they stay this awesome spot that I can walk to, people watch, and chat up the cool bartenders. read more

Cafe Colonial - Bartenders are dancing haha. Good timess - Cafes Near Me - Sacramento, California

This is one of those places where you leave in disbelief, wanting to say: "are you kidding me?" We entered the restaurant with much higher hopes. I was excited about playing some pool, but there is no more pool table available. Ah well. Inside the restaurant is cool; San Francisco cool. It has character, and the lady who served us was friendly enough. We ordered the breakfast burrito and the French toast, coffee and a beermosa, which was beer and orange juice. The beermosa wasn't bad. The coffee tasted like a coffee smelling cup of hot water. There isn't any refills either. Then we waited for forty minutes for our food. When the food arrived, the cheese inside the burrito wasn't melted, and the French toast was like cold bread pudding, along with burnt breakfast links. Are you kidding me? There were only two other tables other than us, if we weren't getting hot food, what was all the wait for? We sent the burrito back to be reheated, and at that point, since we knew the good want going to be good, the wait was that much harder. I downed my French toast cold, and didn't send it back. I honestly don't know how anyone could think that this was the best breakfast burrito, or that the French toast was even remotely close to what French toast should be. The location is still cool though. Someone please purchase this restaurant and turn it around! read more

Cafe Colonial - Beermosa: beer and orange juice... not bad! - Cafes Near Me - Sacramento, California

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Very nice and vintage feel, located next to the historic Colonial Theater. Food was good, I had the fry bread (NDN) tacos and seasoned fried with cheese. Really big portions and food size! A bit hard to find, but worth the look. They apparently also have live shows. read more

We came to check this place out because of the rave reviews here, but were mostly disappointed. The place itself is cool as it is located in the same building as the Colonial Theater, and has the same look and feel. It was freezing cold inside when we went in, but we wore jackets and just left them on. There was a pool table which was a fun way to pass the time while waiting. The women's room was filthy, smelly, and even had cobwebs. The waiter was friendly and had a sense of humor and took our drink order right away. There are not a lot of drink choices and the place is waiting for a liquor license. Soda was served in cans with a cup of ice on the side. Most of us just had water, which was never refilled. We ordered the mozzarella sticks (the word mozzarella is misspelled on the menu) and jalapeno poppers to start. The waiter came back a few minutes later to say they only had enough mozzarella sticks for a half order. We added onion rings to fill out the order. All appetizers were similar to what one would get at Costco, but were cooked well. I ordered the jalapeno burger with ranch fries: The burger was dry, veggies were fresh, jalapenos were the sliced kind that come in a jar. The only condiment was ketchup. The ranch fries were cooked well, but the "ranch" was just the powder one uses to make ranch dressing. This was sprinkled on the fries and was a bit overpowering. My boyfriend ordered the Big Kahuna. He said, "I was not impressed; I could not really taste the Teriyaki or the pineapple. He had regular fries. They were cooked well, but otherwise flavorless - not even salted. Three in our party ordered the Triple F (aka The Ken Fury). This is a bacon cheeseburger with grilled onions on a bun made of 2 grilled cheese sandwiches! Some of the comments were: "It was OK"/ "I wouldn't order it again"/ "There could have been more cheese on the grilled cheese"/"The exterior of the grilled cheese was undercooked"/"The burger was smaller than the sandwich." My brother had the cheese and bacon fries. They were cooked well, but he thought they had too much cheese. The cheese used is like the nacho cheese sauce you can buy in a can or jar. My son had the chili cheese fries. Again, canned cheese and canned chili as well. My nephew had the BBQ Chicken sandwich. He liked it a lot. It was a plus to him that it had bacon. My daughter ordered the BLT. She liked it, but wished that the bread was toasted. While we made the outing fun, we will not be returning. read more

Great intimate room for punk rock shows. Separate bar so they can do all ages shows. And if you need to have a conversation you can go in to the bar area away from the music. read more

Loud music, cheap beer on tap and in bottles? Yes please. If this is your scene, then you'll have a great time. It's definitely not for everyone. Heads up, they sell ear plugs. I mean....yea. read more

Impressive beer selection, yummy appetizers (NOT for those on a diet!), friendly staff! Crowd is hip, lively, and totally without pretentions! Different nights, such as board games, trivia and my personal favorite - "Classic Gaming" make this place a must for nerds, geeks, and gamers ranging from nostalgic to hardcore!! read more

Came here for an brunch event special. This place is a total dive. You practically stick to the ground when you try to walk around. The tables were filthy. The back room where the food was served was freezing cold. read more

I've only been to Cafe Colonial during shows so I can't review it as a restaurant. As a bar and a musical venue, C.C. is perfectly servicable. The cover is never very much (it's been $5 every time I've gone so far), the drinks are cheap and the bartenders are friendly and funny. There's usually cool local art hanging on the walls of the bar. The back room where they have the shows is kinda small which limits the size of the events, you could probably fit the band and 20-ish people comfortably. But hey, sometimes that's all the space you need for a dive bar punk show! Keep the music blasting and the PBR flowing, Cafe Colonial, I'll be back! read more

I just came here to see my friend perform which was great I think. It is kind cool how there is a bar and a theater room all in one. Little nook hole in the wall kinda place which is pretty cool I think. Arcade games, N64 is a nice little touch. The only downside is that the people there are pierced and tatooed up the ying yang. But, if your into that more power to ya. read more

For years I passed this place thinking it was yet another empty building collecting dust, but its actually a small cafe that just has really weird hours. The only time I've ever seen them open is when there are events going on at the Colonial Theater next door. That's actually really convenient because there aren't many other food options nearby if you're attending a film festival. The service is a little bit slow, but very friendly. Prices are cheap and the food is tasty, just like I'd want from any hole in the wall cafe. I've heard they have breakfast sometimes, so it might be fun to return for that. read more

Been coming to this place for years and its only gotten better and better over time, an amazing intimiate venue for local and touring bands to play, an eclectic and affordable menu! (Vegan friendly!) Not a spot for white table cloth restaurantours, but a sanctuary for young punks who love some good dive food and live music! Staff has always been so family-oriented and the place has an overwhelming feel of community, and everyone is welcome. If you're 21+ this place has a great list of beers, wines and ciders as well! read more

Fun place to catch a metal or punk show while getting a coffee, burger or beer. They also have free video games and a friendly staff.

3 stars for atmosphere 2 stars for the food...there were whole garlic cloves in my garlic fries and they were way too green and spicy. The chicken bbq flatbread was ok but the food was cold, and took about 25 minutes just for those 2 items, $14 later. They have game stations on the tables and a cool hole in the wall bar atmosphere, just wouldn't come here for the food... read more

I was there on a Tuesday for Retro Gaming Night. Great hamburgers and fries that tastes better than In-N-Out, in my opinion. Go in for a brew or two and sober up over a couple hours of gaming. Couldn't ask for a more perfect combination. The game room set up is spacious and there are plenty spots and controllers available. The ?owner/manger? dude is very helpful and the services at the bar were good. As a bonus there is some great artwork on the walls. Surrealist and grunge art fans should check it out. I wouldn't mind displaying some of my own work there! Parking shouldn't be a problem since there is a nice sized parking lot right by the theater. Minus one star because there aren't enough female patrons around for retro gaming night =P but seriously, minus one star for the parking lot which seems dark and sketchy, they are unable to keep a tab open (licensing?), and odd hours (I have to drive all the way back from home rather than stop by from work due to them not being open till 6PM). read more

The atmosphere is super warm and very friendly! When I went they were playing Louis Armstrong (via Pandora) which just fit so perfectly! The food was so good! I had garlic fries on this awesome plate of golden garlic goodness! Seriously, go eat there! Make the time, talk to the owners, you are going to love it! read more

Great Staff and a BITCHIN venue for touring and local musicians! Places like "Cafe Colonial" make Sacramento a bad ass city! The food was damn good too! read more

Cafe Colonial - Cafes Near Me - Sacramento, California

Amazing food and service. I got the breakfast burger and it was AMAZING! Great place for brunch.

Laid back punk ambience, good pub food, decent selection of brews though nothing exotic. Everyone working seemed super friendly and attentive, too. I was there for NorCal NoiseFest 2017 on a Saturday, stayed about four hours. I'd definitely go back for another event, or if I'm in the neighborhood. read more