Flint has a lot of bars- and this is one of them…read more
For certain, it was a heck of a lot better back in the day when it was the Backroom. I went here all of the time as a college student when it was known as the Backroom and later I dropped in once in awhile when it was called Kelly's, until it was sold and became the Loft.
Yep, it's a dive bar, always has been and always will be, but the really good old days of the dive bar experience here are sadly gone. As dive bars go, I've seen better and I've seen worse. In fact, if look up the phrase "dive bar," you will probably come across a picture of the Loft. You can't order food here, the "dance floor" is tiny, the music is sometimes good, sometimes not. Don't let me get started on the parking situation- it's terrible and you might as well make a mad dash to wherever you managed to park your car when you leave! It's actually laughable.
Some of the cocktails are a bit overpriced for what you are getting (sometimes weak or improperly made), but service largely depends on if you are regular or friend of a friend. Random strangers probably tend to get the short end of the stick. I admit, I've gotten free drinks here before, but that's because the staff knows me. Rodney, the owner, is a great guy, but sometimes the bar runs out of essentials, like premium spirits and mixers. I wish the bar staff would just get it together and make certain that the bar is properly stocked to avoid having to order something alternative because they're out of the appropriate ingredients. Beer selection is just average, but they do carry Stella Artois, one of my favorites, so the Loft has that going for itself.
While I don't particularly care for most of their cocktails (either too sweet or extremely tart- so much for a happy medium), the bartenders do make a good mojito and a decent old fashioned, though. My preferred cocktail is a whisky sour, which is pretty easy to make and the last few I ordered kinda sucked. They just didn't taste right, too tart.
More often than not, I haven't cared for the vibe, the atmosphere, etc. There are just way too many barfly types hanging around drinking draft beer all night. Plus, I often run into an ex or two here and that's just bad mojo all around...
