Came in as our 2nd stop of night just to get a drink or two and then go to the next place. I had low (ha) expectations, I didn't know what to expect and just hoped it would be a chill spot. Well I was pleasantly surprised as it was a pretty cool, divey spot. There is a large bar and many pool tables, a sign posted saying it was the only pool hall in Chico. I didn't check out the tables but almost all of them were taken by various groups. The clientele was extremely varied between regulars and people stopping in for one drink like us. There were older, retired aged persons to the college co-ed. The drink was good, the bartenders were nice, and there was a bouncer checking IDs at the bar. I enjoyed it and will be back. read more

The food is really good, better than dive bar quality. Hottest bartenders in town, especially half shaved head with a bun

Do not go here unless you'd like to be mocked and belittled by the male manager. A situation with one of their customers and a guy in my group had escalated, so we ended up walking out. When we walked out, the manager who was off the clock, was flipping off my girl friend and calling her an "f-ing b-ch" from the bottom of the stairs. She didn't have anything to do with the situation, and had no interactions with this man or any other staff until this point. He decided to pick the smallest female of our group to pick on for no reason. He continued to mimic her as she was explaining the situation to the female manager, who was nice. Unless you're a woman who enjoys being mocked and belittled by drunk managers, don't come here. So embarrassing for him and the rest of the staff at Downlo read more

Avoid the bartender with a ponytail and shaved sides of their hear. I just wanted to play air hockey with my buddy and they acted like I was making their life miserable. This person is so insufferable I cannot imagine how they made it past an interview. read more

Food is always good and Friday night open mic is very entertaining! Thank you! The BIG B.

Service is awful. The bartenders will ignore you and act like you don't exist. It would be such a good spot if the service was better. Hopefully they get better bartenders. read more

I literally love the vibe of the bar but god forbid you want to order a drink. I have never had a positive experience with the bartenders here. Which screams poor management/ownership. I hope they either start treating their existing employees better or have better discernment in their hiring practices. read more

Can you please turn the adult setting back on your megatouch bar top game? I came here just to play that game and it was turned to the child mode and I was very sad since this is a 21 and over establishment. It was my birthday wish read more

If I could find the words for the pain I felt at the DownLo, I would have more than a witty yelp review. I would have a eulogy for the American Dream. This bar is where dreams go to die. Every day I wake up and ruminate on what could have been achieved with the time I lost waiting for the attention of the bar staff. Hours lost, like tears in rain. Sometimes I stop and check in with my surroundings just to make sure that yes, I am no longer waiting for the attention of the bar staff. Yes, no longer waiting. I have left. I am free. read more

Staff was super responsive like they actually cared about the customers and the business. 5-Stars. read more

Down LO - Signage - New American Near Me - Chico, California

Sorry but tables' don't even have any felt, I love playing on a good felt, for a few dollars to get reclothed (350$per) the place would rock, exspecially at the current rates. read more

Bartenders act like they are not bartenders and get extremely angry when you ask them for something. My husband and I kissed once and the security guard came over to tell us there was no PDA allowed. ??? I will say the Midori sour is pretty good here but the beer was warm and very forgettable. NOT a good environment read more

Fast service and a great place to play pool or darts. You pay by the hour for pool, but darts is free! Their birria tacos and curly fries are really good and I enjoy the Thursday Jazz Nights. It's a more chill place to go so a good place to start or end the night to wind down. Definitely kind of local, older guy vibe but with the right company you can have a good time. read more

If you like pool, it's one of the only options. Unfortunately the bartenders act like you kicked their cat if you ask them for a drink and take 30 minutes to give it you. I understand if its busy or I'm drunk that a bartender would be annoyed with me, but I came in for my first beer, and there was about 4 other people in the whole bar. I stood politely for 15 minutes while she talked to her friends then another 15 after I ordered while she talked to her friends. She acted legitimately inconvenienced that I happened to want to order something at a bar. This is my experience every time I have been in this bar for the last 5 years. read more

Couldn't get a beer to save our lives and the whole place smells like a dirty old gas station bathroom. Finally walked away from the bar and decided to go elsewhere. They weren't busy, just ignored us. The musician sounded good, so the second star is for him. read more

I wish I could give them 1 star. They willingly have LET underage patrons in. I have seen underage kids in this bar and when I told them they had underage patrons they told me "she is 21 in a month, she's basically 21". Saying anything won't get you anywhere. 0/10 read more

Really really truly enjoy their DownLo salad as well as burger and mushrooms! Food always has flavor flav!! Unsure if I'm allowed to post pics?!?! Very welcoming place to just enjoy a drink and a phenomenal salad or burger! A must if you have yet to try them! You have no idea on what you're missing.. highly recommend read more

Let me be brutally honest here for a second. I could go on and on about the number of reasons why this place should be avoided (and I probably will, I've got nothing better to do at the moment, and with Unlimited Broadband, it doesn't cost me much), but if you are looking for a one liner to answer, 'should I go?' then let me save you some time. Don't. Apparently there is some sort of Secret card or Handshake that one needs to know to be even somewhat welcome here. Unfortunately, I was in possession of neither. But the thing that really takes this down to bottom of the barrel, and the thing that makes this problem unsolvable, is the fact that it isn't just the staff that projects this image...it is also the patrons. Now if this was a pattern in Chico, I could deal with that. Pensacola Florida has that vibe at every place I stopped. You aren't from here, we don't like you so don't talk to us...and don't expect anything from us. However, I wandered into this miserable piece of flotsam on Main directly after the Joy that is Duffy's about 200 feet away. So no, it isn't Chico, it is you. This place seems to want to try to be Chico College Student Pretentious, but a quick look around the place shows that the patrons that are even close to that demographic are strictly D list hipster wannabes. My suggestion would be to stay home and steal Dad's PBR from the refrigerator in the basement and save yourself some embarrassment. I ordered food (Red Giant sandwich) and it was good. However, the server pretty much tossed it in front of me, never asked how I enjoyed it, never asked if I needed anything else. Wait, it was a Saturday night...maybe it was busy. Nope, 3 servers at the bar, 18 people sitting at the bar, and an advertised capacity of 210. So overrun with patrons..not so much. Conversation with the locals? Spare yourselves. It seems that this brand of Chico College students believe that when they finally finish amassing their 6 figure student loan debt, the person on the other side of the interview table will be one of their own PBR swilling bearded wonders that is going to hire them because of their extended abilities in false pretension. Hate to break the news to you, kids, but I'm the guy on the other side of the table, and I can spot phony a mile away. Maybe the people shooting pool in the back were a different breed, I didn't really take the time to find out though. In fact, I didn't even take the time to finish the IPA I had purchased. And for me to leave three quarters of a glass of IPA on the table, well, that alone could be the one line of this review that speaks the loudest. Don't bother with here, go down the street a few more steps into the Other World that is Duffy's Tavern. (Note to Yelp Programmers. We have found the reason that we need to have the ability for a zero star review). read more

Down LO - The crowd on a beautiful Saturday night - New American Near Me - Chico, California

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We were in town for the "Choose Chico" weekend and stopped in for a quick drink and to get out of the rain before exploring the town. Let me start by saying I LOVE dive bars. There are some truly great ones in San Jose. But this place is lacking something. Downlo is more of a pool hall than a true dive bar. Lots of pool tables, dart boards, a few really old TV's and a short food menu which we didn't sample but looked like it had all the staples. First and formost a great dive bar needs to have great bartenders. Ours was nice but really slow. Our daughter just turned 21 so she's not quite into the hard stuff and asked for a drink menu. Instead of a menu the bartender gave her a list of alcohol that they carry and said she could make anything that had these in them. Like I said she's only 21 and really doesn't know what's in what just yet. The bartender could have asked her what kind of flavors she liked and created something for her. It's not like the place was busy or anything so she could have been creative. We finished our drinks and left. If you like to play pool this is a great place for you and it looks like they have music in the evenings which could be fun but if you just want to sit at the bar and have a drink ... I'd pass. read more

Nice place to get a beer and shoot pool. The staff is nice and there is open Mike night on Friday.

I had the best time a couple weeks ago at this bar unexpectedly! I don't usually venture out and not to this bar however they had awesome jazz music playing. I really enjoyed the live music, tots with killer beer cheese and the gentleman bartender was super pleasant. The prices were extremely fair! I watched my friends enjoy the pool tables & darts which was fun too. Don't judge this place on its appearance! read more

The perfect bar to go to for a chill night out. Great food, great drinks 10/10 recommend!

Very cool vibe location. Natalie cannot accept a questions if you sit at the bar. Otherwise fantastic place.

Yikes, this bar has the most lazy, inexperienced bartenders I've ever seen. Pretty dirty too. Don't recommend

The Down Lo has quite an employee turnover, which contributes to an inconsistency in service. The food is passable and prices are fair. But I go there for the pool tables. The best in Butte County. Most players are serious and the drunks stay out of the way. Just watch out for the pool hustlers; you'll recognize them quickly. read more

This place kinda sucks.. Stopped here after doing the local bar hop.. Wife and I went in to get some beers, maybe a bite.. Well, I guess we didnt look like the typical PBR, Olympia drinkers cause it took maybe close to 7 minutes to get acknowledged. The bartender was obviously too engrossed in a conversation with people who seemed to be friends. I was ready to go, but there was an open mic, so we decided to check out the talent.. there are still maybe 6 people at the bar, and weve finished our beers.. "Another beer? Menus?" Usually should be the next question.. nothing.. so needless to say we went back to duffys and spent our money there.. Note to staff: This is the kind of Reputation you dont want to get, and kind of makes ownership Rethink Management.. read more

Was not happy with sevice at all..brought 15 peaple for my Birthday. Thought we would have a great time it was way to hot and the Bartender was not nice at all.. Most of my friends never been there.so sorry they did not like it..they are not coming again.. :( :( read more

This is the spot if your looking to play a competitive game of pool and have a few drinks. It is a bit grimey but it adds character to the dungeon pool hall theme. Not sure if that the look but I like it. Great prices as well. read more

I had a DL burger tonight (vegan style!) off the updated menu. They're house made!! I was expecting a store bought substitute, but got this awesome black bean/corn/garlicy hand formed fresh ass patty! One of the best burgers I've ever had. Love having vegan options that are actual meals with thought and effort, not just a plain ass side salad or fries! Kudos! read more

It's a dive but I like those. Pool, darts, and dice if you want to play. Drinks are cheap and there is usually live music, not usually that good but something to listen to. Bartenders are always friendly and helpful. You don't get service as it is underground but I always have a good time. read more

My boyfriend and I stumbled across this place the first time I came to visit him in Chico and we went back every time after. Plenty of pool tables, rarely a wait for darts, reasonable prices for pitchers, live music sometimes, great appetizer-y food (don't think we ever had any main dishes there, for no particular reason!). All in all, a great hangout spot right in the middle of downtown. read more

Accidentally found this place while looking around for another bar. What a pleasant surprise this one was, especially since it was open during Memorial Day when the entire downtown area is a ghost town. The bartender didn't seem too happy but working on a holiday I can forgive that. Otherwise $4 for a Guinness is reasonable. Lots of extra soft seats, I always try to avoid the bar stools as it's not intimate. I'm coming back for sure, great first date spot. read more

A hidden gem in Chico, this underground bar is a great place to meet up with friends and avoid the crowds. They have billiards and darts, and a decent food selection. Drinks are reasonably priced and they have live music a few nights a week. read more

Been there a couple of times over the last year. Last time was on a Saturday night around 9:00 . There were only five customers in the place. The staff was very friendly and attentive. I ordered a draft beer. It had a rusty taste, like the equipment hadn't been cleaned in a while. I then ordered a Vodka/Tonic in a tall glass. They served it in a plastic pint glass. The food wasn't very good. Overly salty and greasy. I haven't been back since. read more

While the atmosphere at the downlo is cool if you're into pool, the bartenders are what nakes a place and the one I encountered was horrible. Ishe completely hustled my group and thought nothing of it t wa my 21st birthday and, as a pool lover, wanted to start here so everyone could gather and play etc. 8 of us come in together and go to get a shot as its my bday. We all get a birthday cake shot at the urging of the bartender only to discober they were 5 bucks a pop. No biggie, we should have asked, but we pay the 40 bucks and all get our real drinks. My friend then asks for 3 vodka lemonades. The bartenders says they don't have lemonade but she can make somethin up. Drinks come, she says that's 8.50 each. Oh, they have doubles of absolute in them, guess I should hav told you. Yeah, you should have. So we pay for that and get two pool tables. She says "I just need 2 ids" we give em, go pLay for about 45 mins, then go to eturn the balls. "Thatll be 16 dollars for the tables." Ummmm.....what?! We just dropped an excess of 50 dollars and proceeded to spend less than an hour on two tables on my birthday, on a TUESDAY night.....I don't think so. Don't you think you could have mentioned that when we gave you the IDs? Clearly this girl has gotten good at her hustle but I for one did not appreciate her ruining a whole establishment for me my first night inside. She was rude, and thoughtless. read more

Come here to play pool pretty often with friends. Beer is decently priced and a large number of the tables were just redone. I don't like big crowds or rowdy bars. This is a great place to come grab a pitcher with some friends and shoot some pool. People in here generally keep to themselves as most are just trying to unwind and relax. Jazz night is my favorite night. read more

This would be a good place for Russell, Bertrum OR Brand. I even think I saw Mark Twain in there but one of the local students said that it was actually Ambrose Bierce. We had seen a blip in CN&R about open mic and thought we'd check out and or recite some poetry. The place is so damn loud I couldn't tell what the noise was. DownLo has a sort of Cavern (Liverpool) feeling to it. If you happen to be an up and coming performer/entertainer, this place could be your Hamburg (speaking of the Beatles). It only gets 3 stars because of the lack of hygiene...I mean, grunge is one thing but clean the bathrooms once and a while. All the same, I'm going back. I recommend checking it out...at least once. read more

Comfortable, spacious, plenty of games (pinball, darts, arcade, pool and some unorganized messy boardgames). Great tator tots n bar food. Excellent prices. read more

Fun pool hall with live music. A sort of "divey" vibe. Tried the Mac and cheese, and it was super tasty! Drinks are reasonably priced. There is a little arcade with a pacman table game, pinball machine, and a claw machine game (which I, of course, wasted a couple bucks on trying to get an illusive stuffed pony). Downside, was it was REALLY hot inside. It made it hard to enjoy the divey goodness, while I was sweating my eyeliner off! read more

Overall Downlo leaves a lot to be desired. It's really too bad because there is a lot of potential to have a really cool pool hall here. First of all, the pool tables need new felt. These are really nice tables, but obviously they don't care to keep them in good condition. Secondly, the bathroom (at least the men's) was gross. When I was there,it was actually so disgusting that you as well have crawled down into a portapotty. I had to literally immediately turn around as I opened the door and leave. In all fairness, there were clearly some extraordinary issues going on that day which I wouldn't expect to find typically, but even if they cleaned the bathroom up thoroughly, it would still be gross. I opted not even to try the food . I figured everything else would probably be a reflection of what I would expect there. The place overall just exhibits no pride of ownership, which I simply don't understand. If you're going to open a business, wouldn't you want to make it nice so people will want to go there? read more