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    Old Ironsides

    4.0 (190 reviews)
    InexpensiveMusic Venues, Pubs
    Closed 4:00 pm - 2:00 am (Next day)

    Old Ironsides Photos

    Business Info

    OLD IRONSIDES ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Divey
    Moderate noise
    Live music
    Good for dancing

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    Recommended Reviews - Old Ironsides

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    Bar area
    Eric L.

    We recently hit the Old Ironsides for the first time and we had a blast. Parking was incredibly easy, the staff opened right on time, the gentleman taking tickets was friendly and efficient and the bar staff and cocktails were great. And once the first of the two bands started, we were amazed by the quality of sound in such a small venue. It was surely loud as it was a rock show, but in a controlled way and the audio mix was surprisingly clear. We were standing right at the stage and could hear every word. We're going back this week!

    Jennifer C.

    Old Ironsides is a super fun bar to hang out and I love how they host the New-Wave themed dance parties. The vibes are off the hook. I've always been able to get good parking and a place to sit in the bar. I would recommend this place for sure! Friendly staff and overall great dive bar vibe.

    Lead singer @Dark Passenger

    Dark Passenger concert was incredible! Cant wait to see them again. Great crowd and awesome unique lyrics and sound!

    The Moans at Old Ironsides
    Lucas A.

    Who doesn't enjoy a good dive bar with live music? Old Ironsides offers the divey ambiance with tons of live music from a variety of genres, which makes it an excellent spot to spend an evening whether you're looking to have a few drinks, listen to some tunes, or both! I visited for the first time a few weekends ago to see a friend's band play. I was stoked to see old friends, which made the experience immediately better, but the cover wasn't bad and I was happy to know that meant the bands were getting paid. The folks at the door were nice and paying was a breeze. They accepted card for the door cover - maybe a first for me! Definitely a welcome way to accept cover, because who carries cash anymore? Drinks were fairly standard, and what you'd expect for a dive bar. That said, while the bar was crowded and there was only one bartender, service seemed to move pretty quickly throughout the night. As for the live music, the stage area was also crowded, but there really wasn't a bad spot in the house. Space is limited so I'd recommend getting there early! But the bands sounded great! Looks like they have food here during the day, too! I can't comment on that, but if I'm in the neighborhood and they happen to have some music going on during the day, I'll stop by and report back!

    Melanie D.

    Skateboarding and Punk Rock...Doesn't get any better than that! Had an Awesome night. I've been here for a few shows and always have a great night. Keep the old school punk shows coming to Sac Town!

    Mediterranean Lamb Burger
    Aileen M.

    I've been to Old I to see local bands play and have always wanted to try the food. So, today, I finally made my way over to pick up some lunch after seeing a Facebook post about their Mediterranean Lamb Burger. I must say it was delicious: a housemade Greek-seasoned patty with Feta cheese, spinach, tomatoes, and red onions on grilled sourdough plus a side salad. I let Sam, the manager, know how much I enjoyed the lunch and to let his cook know he did a great job. I love that this family-run business has withstood the test of time and am glad to support them during this shelter-in-place time.

    Philly mushroom
    Michelle G.

    Our boss bought us lunch today and wow it was so yummy.....I had the mushroom sandwich with portabella mushroom omg it was so delicious I hear it's under new ownership but let me tell you it isn't skipping a beat..:.. go enjoy

    Old Ironsides Music Night Jams first Thurs. of every month.
    Ida H.

    This is my second visit to Old Ironsides, but I can't seem to remember the first time I came here! Shows how memorable this place was. This historical bar and grill is pretty standard and fits the dive bar criteria. Somewhat dark, somewhat gloomy with no interesting décor to speak of with a few TV's at the bar that features your only entertainment. I read that it was established in the early 1930's. They have a back room area that is used as a night club where live music, dancing and Karaoke happen on certain nights. That's how my boyfriend knew about bringing me here on a Thursday night. His brother-in-law "Jaco Moe" is part of an event called "Music Night". Anyone who loves to play music or just listen and enjoy can participate: http://www.yelp.com/events/sacramento-music-night-jam-old-ironsides When we arrived, multiple band members were playing and singing along to some old classics. People (young and old), slowly trickled in with their instruments from guitars, drums, bass, fiddle, organ, accordion, even a saw! Now that's entertainment! One of the women players brought some extra "easy to use" music makers for the layman to try out! There were shakers, tambourines, cymbals, wooden sticks, and flutes. I used the shakers and after a few drinks, was pretty confident with my musical skills! Ha! Ha! Well, I thought I was! At least no one seemed to give me any disapproving looks! We had 3 1/2 hours of music making fun. The bartenders were up beat and friendly and the drinks made our night even more enjoyable! I found "Music Night" to be an original form of entertainment and a great way for musicians to come by and show off their talents. I don't know when the next get together will be, but I look forward to going to the next one! In the meantime, I'll be practicing at home with my maracas, and maybe even get discovered.......

    *CRAP*  These two.  There will be trouble for sure tonight.  [And I may lose my shirt...]
    Michelangelo S.

    Less Draw Since They Pulled The Plug On Fascination SITREP I'll be short & to the point: since Old Ironsides has terminated the successful Retro-80s New Wave DJ-Dance Event "FASCINATION", there will be far less incentive for me to stay in Sacramento on a Saturday night, and I'll be heading to the Bay Area for my New Wave fix instead. THE SET-UP Old Ironsides is still pretty good at what it IS, if you like dive bars with stiff drinks and some of the nicest bartenders in Sacramento - my hats off to them in particular. However with the monthly dance-event "Fascination" being terminated (typically had a history of being on 2nd Saturdays, and then Old I moved it to 3rd Saturdays), I doubt I will be coming here with any frequency. At least it was once a month, and some Monday-night chef challenge nights thrown in as well. But at this point, we'll see.. HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF It's always a pity when a venue kills a "Golden Goose", thinking they are going to find something better & more lucrative. That happened to The Library when it ended it's run of Flashback 80s - and now The Library is no more. The same with the Townhouse, which went bellyup and is under new owners now as Starlite. So many similar stories around town.... THE LOWDOWN I wish Old I the very best, but I won't be going through it's doors as much any more....

    Meatless Monday 9.14.15
    Jenny P.

    Old Ironsides is swiftly becoming a favorite hang out spot, mostly I must confess, because of Meatless Mondays every month. You really can't beat local folks preparing vegan friendly deliciousness that has included lasagna, seasonal squash bisque, and tasty salads. Additionally, this last time they were doling out fresh baked bread from a local bakery that included a gluten free option. On top of all this, there are also fun botanical cocktails called "shrubs" that are available. So far I've enjoyed the rhubarb and the watermelon, virgin or with a favorite spirit mixed in. Did I mention the drinks are $5 and the dinner plate is also $5? This is not where the fun ends, though, far from it. There are so many great things about this place and where it's situated on the grid. This is a quiet, unassuming spot in a nicer neighborhood with all the parking you could ask for. Street parking and a lot across the street. I like the décor and dim lighting, which both create a very laid back European effect. I like the large wrap around bar space, the tables, the cute little half moon booths, and the ample seating/dining area in the back room. The juke box is a nice touch. Great venue, great people, laidback friendly vibe about the patrons and the staff, awesome community involvement and yummy cheap drinks. C'mon down!

    Paul C.

    If you are a Sacramentan then there are a few places you MUST have eaten at: Zelda's Pizza, Jamie's Cafe, Cornerstone, and definitely Old Ironsides. In a 100+ year old historical building, this place does it all. Great breakfasts, lunches, and dinners, really fun shows on the weekend, a nice quiet bar for a beer after work with friends. Everyone is super friendly here. The menu has fun stuff like lamb burgers and beef stroganoff. The shows are cheap and super high-energy. Great Sacramento institutuion.

    Gordon F.

    The vegan bulgogi eggrolls were off the hook . I also loved the bacon cream cheese eggrolls. The sweet chili sauce was amazing. That they came with. Not sure if it was their regular menu but they need more of that stuff serving there. This place is right by my house. Now a new spot for quick bite with a beer after work. Great work. I found out that this menu was for an event of a local chef. His event was called Sacramento's EatsBeats.

    Old I Cheese Steak
    Steph G.

    It lives up to its lure... Everyone knows about Old I. We just do. It's a Sacramento historical landmark for food and booze. I swear I've been there before, but I honestly cannot recall when this could have occurred. I was 'pity invited' by the Parentals and Krystle R. to join them for lunch. I'll take any invite, pity or not. Since I had a meeting and would be showing up late, I was asked to look online and let them know what I wanted to order. After a quick glance at the menu, I decided to go with the Old I Cheese Steak. It was an amazing decision! The bleu cheese sauce and the brioche bun were what made the sandwich AMAZING! The thinly sliced tri-tip was really good too, cooked well, but lacked in quantity. Next time I'm there I'll order double the meat order, if allowed. Seriously, this sandwich was a game changer for me, I'll be back to order this. I devoured this sandwich faster than anyone ate their meal at lunch. The flavors of this sando are so good! Oh, their fries are good too. And they know how to execute extra crispy or well done fries. A side of ranch was exactly in order! I snagged a bite of my Mom's Meatloaf Sando, which was also very flavorful. It wasn't your traditional meatloaf flavor, it seemed to have tons of different (than normal) seasonings. I really enjoyed the flavor and the pesto mayo was a good choice by the kitchen. Even though the flavor was not what I was expecting, it was really good. I didn't know you could order a half sando, which is what Poppa Bear did. I didn't snag a bite of his lunch or Krystle R.'s, but everyone enjoyed their lunch and company. There are no frills about this place. Its kinda dank and dusty, but in a cool way. Not gross or smelly, just old school in nature. The seating is plenty, especially for the large lunch crowd that shows up. You are served beverages in those old school, large red Coke Cola cups. The server was sweet and always checked in on us during our meal. You can't beat the good 'ol foodie landmarks in your City!

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    Do Not Arrive if expecting happy hour or lunch. Closed except for events not updated online

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    Page 1 of 5

    Ask the Community - Old Ironsides

    Is it closed right now? Is there a reopening date?

    Yes, we are temporarily closed and do not have a reopening date as yet.

    Does this place have a room to have a bday karaoke party?

    Yes, we do. Call (916) 442-3504 and ask for Kim for details. Thanks!

    View All 5 Questions

    Review Highlights - Old Ironsides

    Ive only come for the open mic nights so im not sure about their other nights like lipstick or anything...

    Mentioned in 14 reviews

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    Bonn Lair

    Bonn Lair

    4.0
    (350 reviews)
    2.2 mi
    $$

    I've seen Bonn Lair on Yelp and been wanting to try this place for awhile and decided to drop in on…read morea Sunday afternoon. There was only a couple of people here and the environment seemed to be very laid back. I was surprised to see all the seating this place have. It's very unique the set up. I ordered a Pilsner and half an order of Fish N Chips with a special request of the chips being well done. I was surprised how good the chips was. Perfectly season with a nice crunch, and the fish was good as well. The beer on the other hand didn't taste good. I probably just got a beer I'm not interested in. I typically like pilsners and was surprised how light this beer tasted. Overall service was good and food. I would recommend coming here if you want an authentic English experience.

    Bonn Lair feels like the real thing to me, and that's pretty cool. Atmosphere is an A+; you may…read moreforget you're in Sacramento, or even in The Colonies. I can rely on Guinness on tap, or a nice selection of other European beers on tap if I'm not fancying a Guinness. The last time I was in was on St. Patrick's this week, and their food offerings were three meat eater choices. I had my heart set on one of the vegetarian pasties they used to have, but I knew it was a holiday so what was available was going to not be the regular thing. I don't come often enough to even know what's regular anymore. I don't eat meat, but I did have my Guinness so no harm done. I really like the choices of seating, between tables and chairs, the bar, booths, stools, benches, and outdoors. It can get pretty busy, but never so much that I've ever felt boxed in. There's a bit of a bottleneck to get a drink as the path to get past the bar is narrow, but staff are really great at working through those requests quickly. So, basically this is my go to if someone suggests a pub atmosphere. Every day. Ok not every day, but I had to throw that in ;-) They don't have a full bar, only wine and beer. Parking is typical East Sac, street parking, no meters. Bathrooms have character.

    Photos
    Bonn Lair
    Flaky moist cod fish with only enough batter to do the job.
    Flaky moist cod fish with only enough batter to do the job.
    HP steak sauce

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    HP steak sauce
    Pangaea Bier Cafe

    Pangaea Bier Cafe

    4.3
    (1.1k reviews)
    1.6 mi
    $$

    BEST PRETZELS IVE EVER HAD! And with the beer cheese?? Umm yes please! Crispy fries? Sign me up!…read moreJuicy burger? I'm there! The staff are great! I'm so sad it's closing because I only just discovered this place a month ago! Definitely stop by before it's gone!

    Directly across the street from Gunther's ice cream sits this non-descript watering hole. There…read morewere patrons inside and out as well as many standing around the bar. I was able to get to the front of the line and order their burger that I was told was one of the best. I grabbed a beer as well because it was one of those days ya know! I took my number sign and found some space next to a couple playing card games on a bench inside. They had a self serve icewater area that I was able to fill up my water bottle. I was also able to grab some ketchup to enjoy those fries. My burger and fries was delivered and there were more fries than expected. I focused on those first because who like cold fries, right??? The fries were actually pretty good, an above average standard French fry with salt. The burger however was phenomenal. There was an amazing crust on the outside reminiscent of a backyard bbq. There was ample bacon, lettuce, cheese and sauce to make it a balanced bite. The bun was high end brioche style, they really went all out on quality of ingredients. A standard burger build but done perfectly! Beer was cold, food was great and the ambiance is a perfect local bar. Great spot to go if you don't mind hunting for a parking space.

    Photos
    Pangaea Bier Cafe
    OLD OLD MENU: Vegetable Rice & half a Turkey & Swiss Panini
    OLD OLD MENU: Vegetable Rice & half a Turkey & Swiss Panini
    OLD OLD MENU: Spicy "Beef" Empanada/ Vegan

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    OLD OLD MENU: Spicy "Beef" Empanada/ Vegan
    Midtown BierGarten

    Midtown BierGarten

    4.3
    (553 reviews)
    1.2 mi
    $$

    With their second location/expansion venue opening at the Old Sacramento waterfront very soon, they…read moredidn't run any Pride Month deals this year at the Midtown Biergarten. However, through their Facebook page you can sign up for "VIP Loyalty" and get a couple of cool offers. The ones I could claim were a FREE Pretzel or a FREE One Sausage Platter. Older offers included FREE Custom Dog or FREE French Fries. These are available Sunday through Friday only, one offer per visit, not valid with any other offers, dine-in only. Show in person to staff and get a special code to redeem. I love their giant pretzels and sausage platters, and the fruity Starburst grapefruit radler beer with pom cider is such a summer vibe. Most recent visit was also able to catch the Argentina World Cup game on the projector. For my FREE offer I went with the one sausage platter (picked bratwurst and potato salad), then also got a 500mL Starburst and a pretzel with added bier cheese. Judi got the Berliner dog (curry and fries) and a cucumber salad, and we shared an order of the S'mores Belgie dessert! I will be back soon for my FREE pretzel, and I must remember to try the Starburst as a slushie/frozen!

    5 stars for the staff. 5 stars for the beer…read more 2 stars for the food and prices. The sausage wasn't grilled properly, and the curry sauce seemed to be just ketchup with turmeric sprinkled on the fries. The portion was small. Overall, the food was disappointing.

    Photos
    Taps Available (8/1)
    Taps Available (8/1)
    Sausage Platter
    Sausage Platter
    Midtown BierGarten

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    The Fat Rabbit Public House

    The Fat Rabbit Public House

    4.0
    (498 reviews)
    18.7 mi
    $$

    Went back for another lunch and it didn't disappoint. Yes, this place can be confusing because…read morethere are no servers and you have to order at the bar. I've watched many people seat themselves at tables and leave 10 minutes later because no one asked them what they wanted. Yes, the decor is stuck in the 90's, but I actually like it. The double smash burger I had was excellent. The bun they use is awesome and they charred the patty perfectly. It tasted way better than Fleming's Prime Steakhouse burger I had last week, that's for sure. The thick steak-cut fries are awesome, too. Over salted but nothing a cold beer can't cut through. Highly recommend their smash burger.

    I dropped by with a specific mission - to check out the Smashburger (as part of a burger…read morecompetition I'm participating in). If it wasn't for this "mission," there's a good chance I wouldn't have wandered in. I LOVE Sutter Street, but honestly I don't live nearby and don't have many reasons to come here. That said, I'm thankful for the mission and glad I dropped by. It's a super cute place and the bartender had a nice relaxed chill vibe to her. This is where I'd normally drop her name and give her kudos - but I didn't get her name. I thought her name would be on the receipt, but it wasn't! I assume her name isn't "Shift Night N" anyway, which would be weird - but that's what is listed for "server". Anyway... the burger... I liked it. I liked it a lot. I was not asked how I wanted it cooked (not expected or demanded by me) - but an observation that I toss in for comparison purposes. It was cooked to a solid medium, which is fine with me. Caramelized onions were standard - nice - but the tomato and lettuce were listed as 'optional' - and the bartender (Shift Night N) asked me if I wanted them. I opted in. The bun was above average - definitely a notch above the typical mass-produced buns often used elsewhere. I opted for sweet potato fries. They had good flavor. Personal preference-wise... I would have liked them to be cooked a smidge more. If/when I come back, I'll probably ask them to be crispy-er. Overall, thumbs up! I wouldn't hesitate to come back and try other things on the menu. #burgers

    Photos
    Cute place! Bartender is there, just being shy.
    Cute place! Bartender is there, just being shy.
    Fish n chips
    Fish n chips
    White teas! (Not green teas since they're made with vodka).

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    White teas! (Not green teas since they're made with vodka).

    Old Ironsides - musicvenues - Updated July 2026

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