My earlier review was just a draft from MANY YEARS ago. I didn't realize that it was being posted now. So much for being older. I've not been to the Hilltop in many years but when I went I had a lot of fun. Yes, I wished the bathrooms we're better then. But I hear there have been lots of updates over the years and that it's a good neighborhood hangout. read more

Have been here a couple of times and it's been good experiences so far. When I first tried coming here it was very empty and slow, but after that the next few times it was busy! This seems like a very popular place with younger (not fresh 21 year olds) but mid 20s and above crowds. There's definitely regulars that come and the bartenders are really cool. They have obviously bar seating, some high top tables, and a few pool tables you can play at. They have a lot of different beers on tap and I like the cider options here. It's a very chill bar, not super "dive-y", very lively and has a great upbeat energy on even week nights. There's a medium sized parking lot in the back and street parking. It's not a go to place for me but I definitely recommend if you don't want to go to a club but want something more fun. read more

Hilltop Tavern Bar - Dive Bars Near Me - Sacramento, California

Love love love! Staff is amazing. Over the years fabulous upgrades that have enhanced this family owned bar. Highly recommend!

If i could give this place a 0 star i would. I had a really uncomfortable experience here and won't be returning. The bouncer was extremely touchy and grabby during entry, to the point where it made me feel genuinely uncomfortable and unsafe. There's a difference between doing your job and crossing personal boundaries, and this definitely crossed the line.On top of that, it took almost an hour to get a single drink after ordering. The bar was disorganized, understaffed, or both either way, the wait was ridiculous. Between the uncomfortable treatment from staff and the insanely slow service, this place completely ruined what should've been a fun night out. I wouldn't recommend it. read more

The place stinks of cigarettes! Everything else is fine, but the damn smokers stink the place up. read more

Best dive bar in East sac. They do food for holidays and every Sunday for free. Probably one of the best places around as it's so much more than a dive bar, it's a place to come together and enjoy the fully open glass windows so it's bright inside. read more

I went to hilltop tavern to play pool and I was pleasantly surprised that not only do they have a good pool table but also a dart board, shuffle board and pingpong table! This bar is so fun and really nicely decorated. I imagine it might get pretty crowded some nights though because it's not super big. I also ordered a margarita and it was one of the best I've had! They made it packed full of lime flavor with a good rim of salt. 5/5 bar! read more

Hilltop Tavern Bar - Inside - Dive Bars Near Me - Sacramento, California

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The bouncer denied my very real, brand new ID. I'm 24 and he claimed my ID was fake. I was out with my younger sister who is 21 and clearly younger than me which is the funniest part. I just got a new ID from the DMV and of course didn't have any problems at the midtown bars that have legit scanners and black lights. But he tells me that he can't accept it and doesn't give a reason why. Disappointing to have to deal with a rude, egotistical bouncer. I had been going to Hilltop for years, so maybe the bouncer needs some better training because that's just embarrassing. Very angry as someone who just wants to be a paying patron. read more

First time at Hiltop Tavern after out at Virgin Sturgeon yesterday. Last stop for a little Sunday funday. My cousin said you had to drink miller high life here. However, I had a blue moon. The vibe was giving we decorate for every holiday, which I can appreciate! Spooky vibes all around. Seems like a huge 49ers bar. Nice that it had pool tables. In a good location in East Sac. read more

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Great time before jumping on the sac brew bike. Mary took great care of our staff and we cant wait to return

Good ol' "dive" in East Sac. As far as dive bars go, this spot is quite clean, spacious, and has a really extensive beer selection. All staff members and patrons I've encountered in the probably 10 times I've gone have always been very friendly and not super rowdy. No food served except for a few little packaged snacks, which mean I'm pretty sure they'll let you carry in your own food. read more

Cool place, chill vibe but a tad on the pricey side (hey, maybe it's me not going to many bars, breweries being my normal choice ) with plenty of TVs for sports, pool and ping-pong table with shuffleboard as an added bonus. It was a nice place to celebrate a friend's retirement-- and I'd come back here without hesitation. Nice people, clean all the way around as well. read more

My preferred watering hole of all the ones within walking distance from my parents' East Sac house (and we tried them ALL, given the MM&O during a recent visit). Prices were good. Clientele were a mix of middle aged regulars and college kids that showed up in big groups. TVs and pool tables for entertainment. Never got too loud. Don't like that they keep the lights on so bright; I like my dives dark and moody. read more

These idiots denied my real id off some bs. Im 26 btw. I told the bartender they can scan it or just look at my face right next to it and he refused and immediately said he couldn't serve me. Demanded that he say another id with my name on it. When I said I don't need to and it's perfectly normal not to have it, the other regulars tried to enforce on me. Demanded that they see another card with my name on it. That's not what they asked the first time, and I had that so I showed him and all the little pricks went silent. Total prick bartender. I was about to pop off in there cus they have some regular patrons that were also trippin. The pool regulars are complete pricks as well. If you want to go to a bar full of pricks, come here. Otherwise, if they're gonna trip on you, might as well trip back. I had my boys with me too. I've had many terrible experiences here. read more

The bouncer pushed me when he had no right. My boyfriend and I were outside to get some air when we tried to enter again the bouncer put hands on me and pushed me outside and demanded my ID. Our IDs were already checked because we had been there for a while.But that is no reason to put hands on me. And he was convinced I had a fake ID even though I'm well over 21. It was the bouncer on 6/13 about 9pm. read more

recently visited Hilltop, a neighborhood dive bar in East Sacramento, and it was quite the experience. I went on a weekend, and the place was absolutely jam-packed, which contributed to an energetic and lively vibe that made for a great night out. The crowd was friendly, and it felt like a true local hangout spot.The drink prices were decent, which is always a plus, especially in a dive bar setting. The bartenders were quick and efficient, keeping the drinks flowing despite the busy crowd.The only downside was the cramped bathroom. With the bar being so full, it became a bit of a hassle to navigate. However, if you're looking for a fun and affordable spot with a great atmosphere, this East Sacramento dive bar is definitely worth checking out--just be prepared for tight quarters! read more

The security guard tonight was extremely rude, first time here and I came because of a good recommendation but after what I experienced tonight, never again. The security guard with a black hoodie was extremely disrespectful and rude for no reason. read more

Hilltop Tavern Bar - Dive Bars Near Me - Sacramento, California

Love this place!! Was introduced by a childhood friend back in 2015 and returned many a time while living in Sac from 2020-2022. Highlights for me are Great beer selection, friendly and unpretentious service, and a fun dive-y atmosphere. Swing by on a Sunday afternoon to play pool, get a Bloody Maria followed by one of their many beers on tap, and you'll be a happy camper. Bonus points for the well-designed apparel!! read more

Service tonight is shitty, I do highly recommend this bar during the daytime hours. I come here every single day. I probably spend $150 a week at this bar average over the course of the year. Tonight at 9:39 PM Monday night the 12th there is a bartender working who is a complete asshole, I commute on a scooter, I parked the scooter inside the bar with me every single day, the daytime bartenders are great, even the Saturday night bartender the other night let me in with my scooter. There is plenty of space tonight, the bar is not at all packed, and they can definitely use the business. But this guy decided to be a complete jerk, and have zero understanding. read more

The Hilltop is best experienced when buzzed. I don't know how else to put it. If you stumble in here asking where Gregory at they'll pretend they don't know what you're talking about because nobody still watches that, Susan. More to the point, the clown decorations are unnecessary. I've had some brief good times here, mostly because nobody I'm chilling with ever wants to stay that long before moving on to the next stop. Drinks are so-so as far as cost and quality goes, the tap list has improved significantly in recent years, and pretzels are usually always on hand. Bless them for that. The best (and worst) thing about Hilltop is the entertainment. I don't just mean the shuffleboard and the darts, though both have made for good memories over the years. Yes, I also mean the crowd. Jeez. I don't know what it is about this place. Most of the time it is amusing as all hell what people get up to in here, but other times it's just made us/me want to leave. It kind of reminds me of Pistol Pete's in my hometown, only not as charming. This is a nice neighborhood and I know a lot of people that live here, but as far as the atmosphere on any given night goes, So Cal's and Chargin's are better choices in the area. Creepy Nuisance Double Threat Factor is high here. I wouldn't come here to have a drink by myself once the sun has set. I'll vouch for the bartenders, as I've never had an issue with waiting too long for a drink. They seem like good folks, too. There are both pluses and minuses about Hilltop, and I'll be down for a visit if friends want to stop in. It's not my first choice or even my tenth if I'm choosing where to go in East Sacramento. Props to the marijuana themed art in the bathroom. Parking isn't metered, and on side streets mostly. Lyfts have a place to pull up but you'll have to fend off the zombies who can't figure out which ride is theirs. Outside is always full of debauchery and idiocy after 9 pm. I would walk a block away, in any direction, before ordering...just a tip. read more

Hilltop Tavern Bar - Pretzel bowl free for all - Dive Bars Near Me - Sacramento, California

Hi I think I made a friend tonight. . .god bless ya, Sean the Bartender... As a respectable, well-mannered 29-year-old adult, who has hardly ever even been yelled at by a customer when working in customer service - let alone a bartender, seeing as I typically only ever ask for water when in bars with my friends, as I am known not to drink. I can safely say, *Sean the bartender was The rudest, most disrespectful & power-stroking individual I've ever Met :| First of all, I've been to Hilltop at least 3-4 other times in the last two years, and I've. never had an issue. Tonight, I went out with my friend to celebrate their "send off" from our restaurant. After already entering Hilltop and using the restroom, (as No one was there in the first place to ID me?) I left the restroom. I went up to the bar next to my friends to join them and I asked the bartender (Sean) for some water. He asked me for an ID, and I responded out of genuine shock, "for just some water?" and he replied with some attitude, "just to be in the bar, buddy..." Without anymore discussion, I searched for my wallet realizing I actually didn't bring it, and that I didn't know where it was. From this point I tried to contact/reach my girlfriend (who was in the bathroom as well in that moment) on my phone, and Sean then informed me that I would have to wait outside. To which (as someone who's worked in a bars and food service for years) I understood without further question, and walked out while calling my GF. She and I discussed the situation otp for a minute and I asked her to try and get me some water, and when she tried to give it to me, the bouncer (where the hell was that guy earlier, btw?‍) I'll admit this may not have been my brightest moment, I tried to meet in the middle and simply take a few sips of the water at the door and walkout - without hesitation, Sean the bartender calls me "a Prick" immediately comes up (probably hyped up on some coke and liquor, and starts picking a fight, takes a picture of me and says, "Never come back to this bar again, asshole!" (Um, Avec pleasure, mon amis?) To which others start getting involved saying, "dude, chill, it's just some Water??" *Sean replies, "Don't make me come over there", hops the bar, and starts shoving me and punching me in the chest, telling me to "get the Fuck outta here, get the fuck outta my bar!" My friend next to me and I are trying to explain, "woah, dude this is a Huge misunderstanding, no need to attack him" - Sean then replied, "you can leave too" and then tells my girlfriend, "You're all banned from my bar!" And proceeded to shove me to which I then asked for his name. *I think I made a new-friend that night* Some other regular came up to me and our dear new friend Sean to try and disengage us from going any further and just kept repeating To ME, "it's not that important man, it's not that important" (AS IF I WAS THE ONE WHO WAS CLEARLY ON ONE...) **My advice to Hilltop would be to cut him off & cut him out before he actually does beat the-snot-out of some other nasty individual asking for water...** I can safely say I have never been more disrespected and poorly treated in my 29 years... I can respect someone following the rules, but there is a far more respectful and non-threatening way of handling that situation; & I'm sure if HillTop respects their patrons and their residents - which I'm fully sure that they do - they will get rid of such an ill-mannered individual from serving other people - I wouldn't trust our Dear friend, Sean the bartender alone with anyone, let alone young women, with a temper like that? *This bar has just lost 4 potential loyal patrons. . . OVER SOME WATER. . . . .and because I literally did not know where my wallet was in that moment (as if that was wasn't panic inducing enough)... My only advice to you don't expect any royal treatment from our friend Sean the bartender, that is some "grade A" level service. *I solute to you Sean, for your strict attention to detail & due diligence. May the fiery Bug-up-your-ass propel you to some anger management because football clearly didn't cut it for ya in High School...and maybe even some AA meetings in your future, my friend Cheers!* read more

Hilltop Tavern Bar - Dive Bars Near Me - Sacramento, California

The location is alright. It's in East Sac and is near many small shops. There is no light rail service close enough to use and the bus stop is quite a walk away. Luckily, there is street parking available. There are some scooters and bikes available to rent. It's near a shopping center that has a Trader Joe's. The prices are great! I'd say the pour is pretty heavy and the prices are less than you'd expect. My go to here is always the cider here because it has a decent percentage. You can most likely walk out of here under $15 with a nice buzz or more. The service is good. The bartenders seem to always have their hands full yet are still able to assist you. They are friendly and fast. The side room has billiards, darts, and a ping pong table. There are a couple of other games there too. They have one of those modern touch screen jukeboxes to select music. The people that come here are super chill and you can make a new friend here easily. Bottom Line/TLDR: a fun and affordable bar read more

You know what hill top is like? It's like that corner bar that invites you in, gives you a plate for the food your brought in from origami or one speed, pours you an ice cold beer. Darts, pool and shuffle board never turn testy bc everyone is having a great time. read more

My favorite neighborhood pocket bar. Always a great time w my friend group playing shuffle board. Awesome bar and cheap drinks!

My fiancé and I met up with two friends at Hilltop Tavern on a Saturday afternoon to have a few drinks and play some darts. Located in East Sac across the street from OneSpeed, Hilltop Tavern is your local typical dive bar. I was surprised by how many different beers and ciders they had on draft. They also offered a variety of canned and bottled beer, as well as hard seltzer. They have two newly renovated dartboards as well as two pool tables which can convert into ping-pong tables, and one long shuffleboard. There aren't a ton of TVs in the bar itself but I get the impression this is more of a hang out spot then a sports bar. The prices were reasonable for the drinks and we had a great time hanging out with our friends and playing darts. read more

I really cannot say enough good things about this place and it's bartenders. I go there very routinely and shoot pool along with some drinks and good conversation. On the weekends it does get a little bit too busy for me but that's just because I'm older. The bartenders Mary and Maria are very attentive and friendly and I just love them. The crowds get a little bit young at times but that's expected, the place is always clean, and I always walk out of there with a smile on my face. read more

Hilltop Tavern Bar - Dive Bars Near Me - Sacramento, California

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Your bouncer is an idiot and he denied my actual ID. Teach him the difference between the new "California Real IDs" and regular IDs.

Service was fast and both bartenders were polite. Good music and cool pool/pong tables.

Came here to meet some friends on a Friday night and had a really good time. Bartenders were both attentive and friendly. They managed a packed bar with just the two of them and never made me or my friends feel ignored. There's shuffle board, darts, pool and ping pong available to play. Drink prices are very reasonable. Atmosphere was definitely up my alley as a 30 year old who doesn't like it too loud or rowdy. It's located only a few minutes from my house so easy to Uber there and back. I'm sure I'll make another trip in here. read more

LOVE all the games this bar has to offer! The only reason why I wouldn't give them 5 stars is due to the lack of music. Patrons have to download an app and pay for music or else it is silent. It definitely takes away from the ambiance. read more

It's time for a reassessment. Hilltop Tavern is a bar that was never in my top two or three in terms of dive choices, but that changed when my buddy and I recently bellied up for beers and the ballgame on a Saturday afternoon. I now think of Hilltop as a great daytime drinking establishment, with the stress on daytime. I've been through here many, many, times. Most of those times were at peak weekend drinking hours when the drinks are flowing, the bartenders are overrun with orders, the jukebox is commandeered by a group of drunk women (as was the case on one of my previous not-so-great visits) and there isn't room to sit anywhere. But visit them during daylight hours, when there are fewer folks at the bar and a good game on TV, and you'll have a different experience. I loved chatting it up with the bartenders, who were all friendly and attentive and experts in the art of making stiff cocktails. The patrons were friendly, we could actually hear what we requested on the box and the game tables were open in case we wanted to play shuffleboard. Everyone around us represented a great cross section of the neighborhood, which is exactly what you'd hope for in a bar. I'll be back now many times over and I'll be doing so for this same experience. The Giants may have lost that day, but Hilltop won my loyalty as a dive worth repeat visits! read more

I've been here multiple times and it's usually a good time but I went in at 11pm and I didn't see a security guard and I walked in, and out of no where some black men with a black hoodie comes up to me and starts yelling on why I would walk past him. I guess he was the security guard but somehow just didn't notice when I first walked in. I told him I didn't know their was a security guard and tried to explain myself, but then he just told me I couldn't come in. Extremely bad experience, weird security guard for blaming me for his bad quality of work. read more

If Yelp! isn't for helping folks find a place like the Hillty, then I don't know what it is for. Cheap Sculpin and Green Flash. If you have to ask then, well that's okay 'cause they serve PBR too. Full bar. Loud. Super laid back and friendly atmosphere. Everyone hangs out here, from CSUS newbs to a few crusty old locals. Pool, ping pong, shuffle board, & juke boxes. Five or six TV sets playing sports. Come here to chill with friends. Don't bring your mom. The food situation is you order from One Speed across the street. Sometimes they'll have events with food in the bar - but peanuts and chips are the only food for sale. read more

SEAN IS TERRIBLE! He was cool when we first came in, i ordered two drinks, my bf got a shot and a drink that i ended up drinking. We sat at the bar. I could tell the bar tender Sean was drinking but didn't think much of it(should have) because we went out to smoke and he kicked my bf out for no apparent reason besides he had went out to smoke. We came back sat done for a minute the Sean was trying to kick us out (at first i thought he was joking because i genuinely didn't understand what he would be kicking my bf out for).I honestly believe he was joking until my bf said "no why?"(bumped off coke ,teststerone and insecurity if I had to guess because there really was NO reason).He didn't give an answer beside he was smoking he then proceeded to get aggressive raising his voice,as my bf is walking out he decides I should leave as well and yells "take your little gf with you" he was completely rude and ill mannered.We leave but then his friend who mind you was just out smoking with us tells us "I don't know what you did to upset him but just leave" he has definite anger issues and needs to be checked (my bf 1000% would have but he decided to show me WHAT A GENTLEMEN IS) or fired because he has a serious drinking problem and seeing as often as he goes to the back to do who knows what because he definitely acted more than just drunk and his eyes were showing it. He didn't seem to have a problem with me which made it even more uncomfortable because I drank more than my bf! I really do hope hill top fixes this problem before they go out of business because I will not be returning! read more

This place is a total joke. Can't wait for them to go out of business. The employees are barely knowing enough to make any cocktail.

Thought it was an okay place to grab a drink and watch a ball game until an old timer at the end of the bar asked me if I had coke for sale. Then there was the Hell's Angel that pulled up on a motorcycle and things seem to get tense. The drinks were kinda pricey and the female bartender was not nice at all. Never going back. read more

Parking is horrendous and the customers are a tad older than I expected. I showed up in the late afternoon and it was packed, but I suppose it should be at 4:00 on a Friday. The people are friendly. I'd say the average age range is 40-50. The food and beer are average for a bar. Tip: Nothing stood out read more

Hilltop Tavern Bar - Pool, shuffleboard & Sports - Dive Bars Near Me - Sacramento, California

You should really consider moving the ping pong table outside or our of the way. Most of us want just to chill at these amazing bar but want to be able to relax and chill without ping pong balls bouncing everywhere', maybe have competons on days that people don't go (Tuesdays or Wednesdays)? read more

I've been coming here ever since I moved to the area in '08. I love this place. It's a dive bar, but a great dive bar. With ping pong, pool, darts, and shuffle board there are games for everyone. Lots of TVs for sports events, and the place gets packed Thursday-Saturday. If you haven't been here you're missing out. read more

New Spot Hilltop Tavern 2 Pool tables every single one of there bartender are extremely nice and FAST I've never waiting long to be served. Wooohoooo read more