We went to watch live music and we had so much fun. Parking is very limited but we got lucky (even for a Sunday night it was pretty busy). The staff was super nice and the drinks were inexpensive and packed a punch. They also had a good amount of beers on tap. Bartender was great as well. There wasn't really any food available at the bar but there was a supermarket on the nearby corner that had some tasty grub (outside food is allowed inside the bar). Great place for live music, a little pool, and good drinks. read more

The Bancroft Bar - the neon lights of the bar - Music Venues Near Me - Spring Valley, California

Amazing local dive bar! They treated us like we were locals even though we're native Floridians! Awesome atmosphere and we felt at home while there. When we get to visit our friends in San Diego again, we will definitely be back! read more

Okay, I admit, this is not my venue. But what can you do when you have no choice as that one live performance of W.o.R. (www.worband.com) that I promised to attend was just there and nowhere else. Again, not the place I would normally go to, but I did enjoy it nonetheless and it was a memorable performance. read more

The Bancroft Bar - a band performing on stage - Music Venues Near Me - Spring Valley, California

$20 entrance fee turned into me paying $20 and getting $5 back because buddy and I weren't here for the band, so kudos to the door man. Other than that, the music was rocksbilly tonight, but cunty bartender. When I say cunty, I mean REAL cunty. Fine, you don't have crown....odd for ANY bar, but then she was snide, asking if I wanted a job. Bitch, ya make drinks. I'll go to the Junction. This place was ruined by a buck toothed and gapped bartender with little options and little cistomer service read more

So far so good. Not because I'm drunk... I think it's pretty cool place I never realized it was so close to home read more

The Bancroft Bar - I wasn't sure what to expect but it's pretty cool here - Music Venues Near Me - Spring Valley, California

Great 80 night ever other Friday ... Friendly staff great drinks not to crowded .. I like lots of room to dance and a clean bathrooms .. read more

This place is an awesome little stop with great service and chill atmosphere most definitely will be back ! read more

The Bancroft Bar - Dope little spot All cool people And staff and it was clean which I highly appreciate - Music Venues Near Me - Spring Valley, California

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I used to frequent this place when it was Fannie's. I've been back twice since it has become The Bancroft. Both times to see a friend's band play. It's a pretty cool little dive bar and works pretty well as a live music venue. It is relatively small, but both times it didn't seem overly crowded. The acoustics are surprisingly good too. There was a $5 cover charge, but that didn't bother me. On Saturday it was pretty busy, but the bartenders did a great job of keeping up with the demand. I didn't catch their names, two lovely young women pouring and mixing. Only four bucks for a domestic pint. It was a good time. Well done Bancroft. read more

The Bancroft Bar - Orphic Eye! - Music Venues Near Me - Spring Valley, California

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We were bummed when bartender at night, on 3/25, Sat night, didnt ignolog us sitting at bar. Wth, the place was dead and I can see why?

Absolutely friendly!! Local, open, nice! Sunday night was quite but welcoming. Enjoyed a refreshment, good company & relaxation! read more

The Bancroft Bar - Cool people - Music Venues Near Me - Spring Valley, California

Dedicated, Unique, punk rocker patrons. Lovely bartenders. Dogs are welcome as long as they don't bark. ,) Unprecedented experience... read more

They have live music. They have a good atmosphere. The one issue I have is parking. If you don't time it rigjt, parking can be a hassle.

This is a fun little dive bar with good drinks, good beer on tap and good atmosphere. This place isn't far from my buddies place so we like going here bc the drinks are reasonably priced and the service is great! read more

The Bancroft Bar - Friday night! Drinks and mlb post season - Music Venues Near Me - Spring Valley, California

Bad attitude and disrespectful employees working the front door. Would not recommend to anyone especially musicians to perform. This place is a joke I love a good dive bar however this establishment is an embarrassment. read more

I came out to the Bancroft and was very happy impressed with the pristine level of service that Andrew provided. Very quick, timely, and pleasant. The tequila selection could have more variety & food should be brought back. read more

We started our evening with hors d'oeuvers of sautéed brussel sprouts with pork belly over a bed of arugala. We washed this down with a dry Californian pinot noir. Our soup was an eggplant puree with shallots and ginger. The main course was a stuffed goose with fois gras and steamed vegetables. Simply delightful. Ok. This place doesn't have any of that. And if that's what you're looking for then you're in the wrong place. This is as divey as a dive bar gets. They've tried cleaning it up since it was Fannies. Now they have a credit card machine and a really good jute box that plays a huge selection. Great place for a shot and a beer. read more

The Bancroft Bar - Schlitz and a shot. Can't go wrong. - Music Venues Near Me - Spring Valley, California

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This place used to be Fannie's Cocktails, and just recently changed ownership. I came to see a friends band last weekend and was pretty impressed with how much the new owner has improved the stage and sound system. I played some shows here a few years ago when it was Fannies and the space was always a good size but the sound system sucked and the bar didn't seem to care too much about the shows. Now all of this has changed for sure, and I can see The Bancroft becoming one of the better bars for live music in East County. Also, the place is not only better for shows, but also its looks like it got cleaned up a bit, there are more beers on tap, and some decent drink specials. A lot of times I get bummed when bars that I go to change hands and everything changes, but this place needed it. Good job. read more

The Bancroft Bar - Music Venues Near Me - Spring Valley, California

Nice venue here, I have no complaints. It's small, but great for intimate shows and up-and-coming bands. I saw AndEver, Seven Spires and After-Time here. The cover was cheap - at least for the bands I saw. I felt emboldened to spring for a CD and a drink at the bar. I like to support young people who haven't given up on their dreams like I have. And whoever picked up the phone was very helpful in giving me band start time information. That really is helpful, especially on a Sunday night. It's not really an option to hang around for hours on end. Brownie points for the cool Iron Maiden pinball machine they have here. read more

Favorite place of all time! Great music/venue Awesome staff, comfortable atmosphere. read more

Came to this place at first thinking it was pretty cool bartender was nice. I had one drink and a shot and the bar tender cut me. WTF? I was singing along with the people doing karaoke and dancing and they said that's why I got cut. Bro are you serious? I went to shooters, they said I was completely fine. I even sang karaoke there too. Was a better night. Go there not this jucky shit show. read more

It just is. Hit it expecting nothing... Because that's what it is. Nothing yet everything in one. Fuck it, I'm drunk. All is good right now, frankly. Arrive drunk, or get there eventually. You'll understand. read more

Best kept secret in all of East and Central San Diego. The Burlesque show on the last Sunday of each month is unique and a crowd pleaser. If you come, be open minded and keep the good energy that's unique and true to the place. read more

This place was cool, but my band played a show here and the light red head bartender with red lipstick was a TOTAL bitch and almost ruined our night. She was SO rude to one of my band mates for being 3 weeks shy of 21 and kept bitching about us playing when everyone, even the security was totally cool with us and explained the process and we were respectful when she continued to be a bitch. Her attitude was enough for us to not wanna come back. FIRE HER. Terrible bar tender. read more

I like coming here for a couple of drinks. The staff are pretty nice and the bar is a true hole in the wall gem which I love. Decent drink selection. The only downfall, parking sucks. Other than that, it's a cool bar. read more

Wow what a change! This place used to be a dump! Great beers. Good prices, and amazing bands/events. It's a little slice of north park in east county. Good times are to be had here! read more

Great live music venue in East County! When you roll into the parking lot (which is not a big lot), you probably will second guess on coming into this place. Once you walk in, you might even third guess it. Just stay a while. Have a few drinks and watch some live bands. The sound system is pretty descent ( I would know since my band has also played here). The crowd is your normal E. County crowd, but they are good folk. They have a few craft beers in a bottle and some of your normal stuff on tap. There's plenty of areas to smoke outside and they also have a hot dog set up on some nights. If you're in the area and looking for some good music and good fun, you'll be surprised that this place might have what you want. read more

Love this place! Free pool and overall a great place to meet up with friends and have a great time.

My kind of bar! Karaoke, multiple pool tables and great happy hour specials. The bartender was cute and not full of herself/distant like I have seen at a lot of bars in SD. The video game machine and pin ball was a nice touch. I will definitely be back looking to add that fifth star. And in response to the people complaining about new ownership/management... Maybe if you ditched your feeling of entitlement you might enjoy this place. New management is a good thing. They purge the clientele that is bad for business. That may mean kicking out creepy regulars and customers who feel they deserve a discount because of how long they have been coming around. No one wants to hear your sob story, go be creepy and bothersome somewhere else read more

This is a nice little bar that it seems mostly locals go to. My band played here and it was raining so it was pretty empty, but it's a nice, clean version of s dive bar. The bathrooms were clean and the place has a nice old time esthetic without actually being old time. They have some arcade games and 2 pool tables. They also have darts and a free broken foosball table. That may sound like a complaint but it makes foosball way more fun. They have a raised stage and large sound system which is nice. However if you're on stage, you can't hear a thing. I'm not sure the monitors were working and my amp was ignored and my guitar taken DI so I didn't even have my amp for reference. You can see why the Beatles quit when you can't hear yourself. read more

The music! Yes it's a dive bar! Drove down from Los Angeles, California! Gas stations, and food nearby! Not enough parking, and La Mesa is a little tricky, but found parking! All the locals hang out there! I had a great time! Locals and staff really nice people! Management worked with the band. Load in and out for bands is great! Looking forward to hanging out there again. Bar was big enough to handle our band members and fans that drove down to have fun! I just think 5 bands on one night is one band too many. But that's just me. read more

It's like a slice of North Park all nestled away in a part of town I wouldn't be caught dead in otherwise. Monday night trivia with Shantih is amazing too! Go Shantih! read more

I just came here for the first tine since it's renovation. There was a live band who was great! A little dance floor, some tables, and a bar, what else do you need? The staff were all nice and friendly too! Update: I've attended this bar a few times now and I'd like to add a bit to my original review. I pretty much love this place. I'm a big fan of live music, there's always something great coming from the stage. My original review had 4 stars, until a wise man asked my "Why not 5?" When I had no real good answer, I realized it's totally worth 5 stars :) If you live in the area, I suggest you go check it out! Why drive out of the area when you've got an amazing place right in your own backyard? See you soon! read more

Fun bar, good beer/drink selection, great live music. I've seen punk and heavy metal there, 2 of my favs! Really cool owner. Nice bartender's. Pool tables, video games dart boards. Good scene for east county. Good ambiance. Very open set up, you can get away from the music if you think its to loud. Rarely ever a cover there. Cheap drinks. I've spent a little cash there before and saw 3 bands and shot pool......No complaints here....... read more

The Bancroft bar is a load of fun! They have crazy cheap drink specials, a fun staff, and there is always something fun going on such as karaoke on Tuesday and Wednesday! This is definitely a great time and I would recommend it to everyone. Rob did such a great job remodeling. If you have not been to The Bancroft since the remodel, it is definitely worth checking out. read more

One of my favorite places to go. 2 free pool tables live music karaoke and trivia and cheap drinks. Plus the owner is super friendly and even gave me a free shirt. What a guy read more

Went for Disney karaoke night and it a very fun experience. Bar staff are very polite to their customers.

Great Dive bar with friendly staff and patrons alike! The vibe is mellow and unpretentious and welcoming. Great place to see bands or just shoot some pool while enjoying some adult beverages. read more

This place is such a hidden gem! Unexpectedly amazing Bloody Mary's and beer list for such a great casual dive bar. They have live local music at night, and a bunch of games, including pool and arcade games. Good jukebox. The staff is friendly and makes you feel welcome and at home. Cleanest bathrooms I've ever seen! Also, had one of the best meals I've ever had from their BBQ vendor Smoke n Aces. Unreal chicken and mushroom risotto. I think they are there every Sunday. Definitely worth the trip to Spring Valley! read more

The Bancroft Bar - Thorn St tap takeover! - Music Venues Near Me - Spring Valley, California

Great spot! Good Specials. Cool owner Rob. Live Bands Thu-Sun. Pool tables. Nice (lookin) Ladies! Best Bar in Spring Valley. Don't miss it! read more

I love this place. It's local and laid back! All the bartenders and always so friendly.