I went on a Friday night , was supposed to meet a friend there but got stood up. Life happens…read more I still had a good time, i had à tequila drink at the bar & Watched the boyz/gurlz tear it up on the dance floor. The space was spacious, crowd was varied & mostly black which I enjoyed. Music was pretty good for NC , overall a good time. I may or may not have gone home with someone .

I patronized this bar regularly for quite some time, tipped well, treated the staff respectfully,…read moreand even developed a rapport with the staff. Eventually, however, I realized that this is the kind of establishment where apparently discussing patrons behind their backs is part of the atmosphere. That realization was particularly amusing considering some of the operational practices I observed. Let's start with privacy. Patrons are required to scan their driver's licenses upon entry. I became extremely uncomfortable after observing that the device containing that information being accessed in the presence of other patrons and used to look people up. A driver's license contains personally identifying information. Customers should be able to provide identification without random folks viewing PII. Then there is the practice of physically holding customers' credit cards behind the bar. Between collecting an ID containing personal information and retaining a physical payment card containing additional identifying and financial information, I would strongly encourage ownership to examine its privacy and information-handling practices. At minimum, customers deserve to know exactly who can access their information, why, and how it is protected. The sanitation practices I personally observed were jaw dropping also. I watched bartenders go outside to smoke, do a10 second hand wash and then return to handling drinks, garnishes, straws with no covering, and bar equipment. OOF! If you're going to operate a beverage establishment with pickled sausages, eggs and Oof! Basic hand hygiene shouldn't be an aspirational standard. And then there is the husky bartender who gossips and likes to fight. Is the owner not concerned about liability?! Smh... A dive bar can be inexpensive, unpretentious, rough around the edges, and still be professionally operated. "Dive bar" does not have to mean questionable privacy practices, questionable hygiene, interpersonal drama, and employees gossiping about the people paying their bills. Before scrutinizing the clientele, perhaps scrutinize the operation. I won't be returning. There are too many establishments where I can buy a drink without wondering whether my personal information or my personal life is also being passed around the bar. Lowbrow isn't an aesthetic here. It's the operating model

I only speak for myself and not others. It was my first time and perhaps the last time to visit…read morethis place. My friends and I were looking for some salsa dancing place, it was our first time. We had a paper wristband from the early restaurant that we could re-enter. When we entered this El Cen night club, I was told to remove that wristband because it didn't belong to them. I said that's my property. The security woman was rude, sticking her hand into searching my shoe bag. (She was very unprofessional) She stared at me with wide eyes and fierce looking. As I respected my friends who didn't want to argue with them, I said ÖK, I could remove that. She asked me to give her. That irritated me. These type of security staff had abused their power to infringe my personal rights. I said that was my property and she had no right to take it. I kept it with me. After we paid $10 each to gain entry, a lady came to me and asked if there was a problem. I had no problem but they might have a problem. I told her I was there to enjoy my time. I didn't need that attitude to destroy my good time. (Today, they had female security officer to search female customers, male to male customers now. I believed it started a few years ago at the other nightclub with latin music in Charlotte, a male security guard search me into my coat and I strongly complaint about that was totally inappropriate.) It was FIFA game time Argentine v Switzerland. I did enjoy football game but our purpose was to latin music for salsa dancing. There were two ballroom dancing floors, one big and one small. A few bars for drinks. Full of security staff. I felt I had entered a place with mafia. Nevermind, I knew how to handle problems if there was. After a little while, the DJ in the small ballroom played some bachata music that we dance bachata, then there were more merengue, after midnight, there were mostly music for reggaeton. There was not even one music for salsa. If you are looking for salsa dancing music, this is not the place. If you just want to look for real professional salsa/bachata/tango/chachacha social, this is not the place. Go to those social party organised by salsa latin dancing studio such as Rumbao Latin Dance, RW or Afincao for their monthly social. If you are just looking for a super loud noise to numb your nerves and get drinks, sure it is right for you. You can't even talk with each other. The music stopped at 2 am. Everyone would leave. One last thing, that $10 cover charge is for standing only, if you want a seat, there were tables $70 & $90 each. There are a few food trunks outside at the parking lot.

Shujah is the best Man it was fun and I'm Jamaican I'm…read moretotally going back there every Saturday night that I'm here

I have been a regular here for the majority of the time I lived in Charlotte. You should ask why…read morewould someone consistently show up to a venue unless it's among the best. (Hookahs are easily in the top three of in the city) Combining atmosphere, patrons and quality ... Taboo Lounge gets top marks. Don't let the negative reviews fool you as they all refer to a "cover." As a regular attendee, I want to speak on this: It's not a "cover" it's a membership fee enforced by the state. Also, no matter what you call it, it is a ONE TIME payment that will allow you access for a whole year. (If you are out of town the fee is actually half off) Being a member not only gives you access to what I consider the best spot in town but it also affords you a discount to the attached smoke shop. This shop compliments the lounge and honestly, if you purchase anything of note twice in a year the membership pays for itself. Drink pricing, compared to other spots in the city is $$ tier. This isn't your undergrad level lounge and that's a positive if you are older, however, it's worth mentioning that there are weekday specials to soften the blow. All in all if you want great value and ambiance, give this place a shot.

Very strange place. They will change a membership fee. $10 in state $20 out of state…read more It's a one time charge but very strange They didn't have many flavors It was very hot also like the AC was not working. Music was nice and everyone was polite but I watched a lot of people leave turned off on the idea of that membership fee. At the end I had 2 beers a hookah and membership fee plus a $5 tip that's a $80 experience which was not worth it in my eyes. I was not impressed

Visited for the first time last Thursday, Smooth Grown…read moreFolks, Everyone mingling on the same page , Grooving as Great people should, a must come back to Spot

I just visited this club first time with a friend who asked company for the New Year Eve Countdown…read more He said there would be a buffet dinner and free champagne at mid night. That sounds great. I looked for a change this year as I was at Sheraton Hotel by the airport last year for the same purpose. Unfortunately, their TV broke and they did not fix it in time. Together with other guests at the bar, we did our manual countdown by watching at our cellphone. (Not much fun) Therefore, this year, I was looking forward something I coud really enjoy. We arrived Excelsior Club before 8:00pm to avoid long queue like some dancing places we went before. We were almost the first few guests got in. $30.- per person with no discount. (even I saw posters everywhere said member $20.-, guest $30.-) The place was already decorated. We ordered a drink from the cash bar and got a table. DJ was almost on time which was great. A long table at the entrance with some disposable set up (folks and knife, bowls) for buffet. Food was not served til almost 9:30 pm with only a tray of collard green and black eye beans and corn bread. Some guests could not wait any longer and started to get the food. A little while later, we saw a tray of fish crush (guests called salmon crush), a liver cake and sauage (all deep fried) ended up with a tray of scramble egg and grits, toasts and margarine and jam. I asked my African American friend if that was what a buffet in such style. He responded that was not classy at all. I ended up eating only my favorite collard green, black eye bean, two pieces of fish crush, scramble egg and grits. Obviously this was from outside catering (perhaps working as a side job to make some extra $$$) Not appealing at all. One point was even when we left at around 12:30am there were still food left, eggs and grits and toasts. I just imagined I was having fried chicken, meat balls, roast beef or ribs as their tradition. (Forgive me for expecting too much from $30.-) or perhaps they expect guests would have their dinners before they came. There was just DJs with no live band. A small glass of Champagne was come with the price just before midnight. Guests were enjoying the dance and the manual countdown with no big screen TV. The place was established in 1944. I believe there are dancers in other occassions. Perhaps a pot luck works better next time.

Sammy has become my new go to spot, good vibes, good music, an all around good time. Mama K and her…read morefood be on point, I came back looking for her because the food definitely fills you up and its enough for the next day.

"Regulars Only" Ambience is minimal. Just a space in a strip mall that is desperate to be a bar…read more This bar caters to a certain group of people -- regulars. Not very welcoming. Save yourself the trip.

Tommy's Pub is a total hidden gem located in a shopping center along Eastway Drive! They are an…read moreIrish Pub and can pour a great Guinness to back it up. While I'm told they do have traditional Irish bands come in, they host a wide variety of events and musical acts from Punk Rock Night, to EDM DJs, to bingo nights, they welcome all sorts and find a wide variety of ways to have a good time! I came in on a weekend day after running some errands in the area and looking for a nice cool place to relax and have a beer. There was a good crowd of locals who all seemed to know one another as well as the bartender, but despite not being a regular I felt right at home. Both the bartenders and the patrons were very friendly and the atmosphere was enjoyable. I wish I lived closer because I could easily see myself becoming a regular. If you're looking for an unpretentious place to sit and enjoy some adult beverages then look no further.

Unpretentious little bar that is very welcoming and lots of interesting people…read more Love it!

This place was almost at the corner of two roads and sign was not clear. Why? I didn't know. As…read moreGPS guided me to the corner of the roads that I stopped to see if I found that right place, someone approached me with unfriendly behavior that had already scared me. First impression was difficult to find parking. Any space in front of this restaurant considered as valet. That implies customers are not welcomed. My friend finally showed me to park away from the restaurant and walked back. It reminded me of my police career back in the old days. I followed my friend to walk inside to see a place with a bar and all standings. It was WorldCup football night. Therefore all TV screens were games. That's fine. We got a drink for hours and we decided to find somewhere to go dancing salsa/bachata. Not my favorite place to spend a night to dance.

La música estaba durísima, tenía dos ambientes, uno de reggaeton y otro de clásicos. Pero la fila…read morese pone larguísima algunos días y siempre está lleno. Sin embargo, el día que fui con mis panas, la pasé muy bien.

Very fun place you will wait for a long time to sing because everybody that's there Wants To sing,…read morebut it's fun

Very fun karaoke bar! Came here for the first time with some friends on Friday around 9pm. I love…read morekaraoke and was very excited to get out with a bunch of people to kick off the new year. It's 21+ but that's about how old everyone looked, ha! They give you a wristband before entering, when we arrived there was no cover. Not sure about later in the evening. You go down a long narrow hallway and then turn left at the second door. It's a pretty small area (think there may be a separate section without music, not sure) with a few bar seats and a couple tables on the floor. I got a bud zero because I'm doing dry but they have your standard selection of beer and liquor / mixers. The songs in the queue were pretty fun and upbeat, a lot of modern pop with some 2000s throwbacks interspersed. Karaoke is free but you can tip to skip the line! We stayed until midnight, at which point a couple drinks had been spilled and the floor was starting to get sticky. But all in all, it was a great time and I would definitely come back! (Parked in the lot right next door without issue. My friends ubered. ) @azfitfoodfun