Back Door Lounge

This is one of many places to drink in ye olde town district. It’s got kinda a speakeasy vibe with it’s back alley entrance and late hours. It’s not really possible to tell anything about the joint until you get the thick heavy doors open and enter.
I popped by on a weeknight lured in by the well lit sign outside. So cheerful. So alluring. So false.
Can’t speak for weekends, but for a happy hour weeknight the place was empty. Three customers and the bartender.
The décor would totally be approved of by hugh hefner or elvis as it’s pretty much all red velvet all over. Lights are low and as near as I can tell the 1970’s never ended inside this place. Perfect for vampires.
The bartender was proficient but ancient and carried on a shouted conversation with what i assume is a regular at the end of the bar. Not shouted because the music is so loud, but because… yeah I’ve no idea why.
In spite of only having three customers the drink service was not as quick as we’d have hoped or desired.
This is your grandfdather’s bar, but not in a hip retro way.

Visited here with my wife last night. I had always been curious to try this bar out during my time working in old Sacramento but never got around to it. So here we came in for my wife’s birthday. I had a couple beers, Stella and Corona though never at the same time ;) While my wife enjoyed her own chardonnay though it had a stronger taste then she usually gets. The bar was busy but expected on a Saturday night. Prices for drinks were reasonable and the jukebox had plenty to offer from newer artist to even old Sinatra tunes. Again a decent bar ans good ambience that my wife and I thoroughly enjoyed. 4 stars for Back Door.

This is the classic dive bar at its best! Staff is great. Drink prices are good! And the atmosphere is the best.

I jumped at the invite to go to this place because the word lounge wasn’t name. The bartender was an older gentleman who definitely knew how to make a good drink. It’s small and intimate and moderately priced. I definitely think it’s for an older or more mature crowd but that’s what I like about it, it seemed very true to the décor which included a picture of the owners placed proudly at the bar. It’s in an alley which made me think it would be creepy but I was happy with the atmosphere, quick service, and that I could play whatever I wanted on the Juke Box. I’ll be back

This place has a cool vibe. The décor has a 20’s look to it. It can be a little tricky to find but once you do find it you found a great little bar. The drinks are stiff and the bartenders are amazing! The only thing this place is missing is a lounge singer ! But overall, a great bar with a cool kinda speakeasy vibe too it.

According to the middle-​aged male bartender lesbians are fake men.
Sounds like I’m taking the piss right?
Dig it, it’s a friend’s birthday. A mixed group of us, 5 women and our awesome guy friend. 3 women are very feminine dressed and yes, they’re straight. Me and my partner are wearing jeans and a t-​shirt. No big deal.
The bartender is making small talk with our male friend, us girls are making small talk, we’re chillin… seems like the place might be OK. The birthday girl is a regular and knows the bartender and asks him to loosen up. He claims his boss is watching.
Here’s where this guy goes wrong:
One of the girls doesn’t like her drink, she’s not trippin, she orders another drink. The bartender asks about her other drink, she says she didn’t care for it and just wanted to order another one (she didn’t ask for a refund). He then decides to go on this long-​winded condescending story about his 9 sisters who are so womanly, and unable to think that he has to be psychic. (Bro, save that shit for the locker room or when there are no women in the bar).
Drink gets made.
He looks at me and my partner then our male companion and says, «you’re a real man, not a fake — I don’t know how you do it. Takes big balls». I thought he was taking the piss — then he repeats it and looks our way again.
Never again.

This is a cute bar to go to. I like the décor and the staff was nice. I didn’t try a mixed drink here but will next time I come. I just wish they had a better beer selection.

Back back back it up… Bar + Alley=creepy and amazing all at the same time.
Ever see «The Wedding Singer?» This is that kinda bar.
Low lightening, they have a live DJ on the weekends and it’s a lets dance and get wasted type of bar and no one judges.
It’s one of the few bars in old sac and a good bar at that. It’s always a good time at the back door lounge. Bartenders are nice and chatty. Full bar and pretty good drinks. I’ll take a JameO Ginger please :)

This place use to be great for karaōke on Thursdays. Was disappointed to grab cab over there and find 2 people sitting at the bar. with no music. Could’ve been a fluke night but was a little bummed.

Not a dive bar but not super classy either, it has an old school local bar feel. The locals are friendly and make you feel welcome if you sit at the bar. There are some private tables upstairs for more intimate conversation. They have live music some nights and juke box that’s full of oldies but goodies!

I used to love this place. I’ve been here quite a few times.
Recently, however; I was celebrating my 29^th birthday with a group of about 35+ people. I was ranting and raving about the cool, mellow, moody atmosphere of this bar so we went to check it out. Once we got there a bartender named Gail told us she wouldn’t take our debit or credit cards because it would take her too long to swipe them. I told her we were in no rush and to take her time, she still refused. Told us we each needed to pay $ 3 to get money from their ATM and use cash if we wanted drinks.
I was incredibly disappointed in this and felt like it was rude and pretty much just asking us to leave.
We all left and went to «The Other Office», we had a blast and spent the rest of the day there. I recommend that bar instead. What a terrible employee.

The Back Door Lounge is an interesting dive bar hidden in Old Sacramento. Part of the fun is telling your friends you finally got in the Back Door! This is an old school bar from a different era with low ceilings, dark lighting, and a cocktail-​centric menu. Seating is surprisingly abundant especially on the upper level.
Their bar only has one beer on tap — Sierra Nevada — but there are several bottles in the fridge. They can mix up any cocktail you can imagine, even ones that do not include the ingredients in the name! It is nice to get a reasonably priced drink in a cool location, although they do have a credit card minimum and the air conditioning was a little weak on my last visit.
This is an especially nice place to grab drinks before a River Cats game as they are very close to Raley Field. I met several fans relaxing here before walking across the river for the game. I have been here many times at many levels of intoxication and usually enjoy the Back Door each time.

Found this place when I hear B.B. King music coming from down an alley in Old Sac. The place is a divey 60’s throwback… sort of funky. Good for a stiff cocktail, but if you are a beer lover go somewhere else. ONE BEER ON TAP! Anyway, doing my best aging hipster impersonation I ordered an Old Fashioned. The bartender seemed surprised, but then proceeded to muddle me up a pretty good stiff drink. I did not ask for any specific bourbon… she used Makers Mark… NICE! Best part $ 7. If you were in a similar tourist area in my city San Diego the drink would have cost $ 12+. Decent place to hang out with friends and chill.

Erin is the best. Just give him the liberty to make whatever cocktail he feels like making and he won’t disappoint. He’s only there every saturday though. He made a drink and named it GAYLE (after me)…
It’s a kahlua based drink. Super good. The best cocktail ive ever had.

I came in with high hopes, but left extremely disappointed. My order of an old fashion whiskey with Jack Daniel’s was simple and the older lady bartender assured me she could make it. Okay, done.
But as I watched her pour one ingredient after the next, I noticed she used a cheap whiskey instead of the Jack Daniel’s. I pointed it out and she huffed a quick apology, but clearly not a sincere one. For the rest of the night, despite my attempts at forgiving her poor unethical behavior, she refused sure contact, slammed my money on the bar and basically disrespected me.
I don’t know if anyone else had this same experience, but I do hope she doesn’t do it to anyone else.
Watch your bartenders folks!

I find it whimsical and clever how Back Door Lounge literally has a back door as the main entrance. You have to be on the lookout for «the» back door, because it is an inconspicuous entrance in the middle of a backstreet in a cobblestone path of Old Sacramento. Besides the fact that the bumpy road hurts your feet if you are wearing thin flats, the hidden location creates a memorable ambiance during the process of finding the bar, before you even step in.
I couldn’t get used to the layout. Part of it may be due to unsuccessful efforts to make the entrance feel like a back door, or perhaps it may just be bad architecture. It’s separated into three areas:
1. The «entrance» is a large open space with a piano to the side (not positive that it’s a piano, but it’s cool to sit on for a group picture). Unless you come with a big group of people, it’s a bit awkward because it’s such an empty space with no tables.
2. The bar area to the side impressively spans a wall, but it is divided by a short wall from the entrance area, making one side uncomfortably crammed. It doesn’t take a wizard to predict that there would be a lot of people getting dranks at the bar, and not a lot of people hanging out by the entrance.
3. There’s a short staircase leading to a backroom with tables (err, frontroom, since it’s opposite of the back door which is a front door? I is confused: X asdfjk;) We didn’t really explore this area because the tables were taken by a group celebrating a wedding or something.
I like the overall décor though, which has a solid Old Sac feeling with the interior looking like an exterior – aged brick walls and outdoor wall lamps. It looks like a badass wild west setting in pictures, and the lighting is such that if you use flash you can see everyone and also get a nice shot of the background.
Drinks are unremarkable. I hate to give 2 stars when there is nothing in particular to annoy me out of my mind, but I can’t find anything great about Back Door besides the swanky, speakeasy-​sounding name and the cool-​looking backdrop for photos.

Stop by here every time we visit Old Sacramento. The staff is very prompt to greet and make drinks. The vibe is laid back– great for chatting with friends. I love the old saloon look! We will certainly be back again!

I like it here. They don’t have much in the way of beer, but if you just want a simple cocktail, they can do that and it won’t cost a whole lot. Its not party people in the place to be, but thats OK. Its a good place to have a drink and enjoy the company you are with.
The place it self is pretty spacious for what it is. Its also dark inside and really red, whatever that means. They have a decent jukebox too.
Its cash only here and you can buy a bag of chips at the bar if you’re hungry.
Bottom line: Its not a bad place to duck into if you are passing through Old Sac if you want a cheap, enjoyable drink in a dark cozy bar.

Now here is a dive bar that makes a concerted effort to show some class! It preserves an old fashion 1900’s look to keep up appearances with being in the Old Sacramento district with its strange, yet interesting mixture of décor, such as red velvet wall paper, brick walls, ornate gold framed oval mirrors, outdoor fake gas lights, chandeliers, Tiffany lamps, ornate black rod iron, white pillars, and a red canvas awning over the stairway that leads to the upper level of additional seating???
My boyfriend and I decided to stop here for a drink before going to the Firehouse Restaurant for dinner, which is directly across the ally. Since it was about 4:30 pm on a Monday, the bar was easily accessible — unlike other reviewers who mentioned that they are often quite busy. We asked our bartender Dee if there was a Happy Hour going on, but they don’t offer them. She did explain that instead, they give you generous pours with the alcohol. We had a simple well drink of rum and pineapple juice, which hit the spot pretty quickly.
A piano is located at one side of the lounge in which we were informed a popular singer — Lee Diamond is featured, who croons on Friday & Saturday nights. There is a jukebox, (but no TV). They also have Karaōke on certain nights, and even room for dancing. My first impression of this business was that only us old folks would most likely patronize such a place, but there were actually customers of all age ranges talking, relaxing and enjoying their drinks. It was an interesting «stop off» place to converse with fellow drinkers, and Dee’s friendly face made this evening worth writing about. I wouldn’t mind coming back here again to people watch and check out the other forms of entertainment…

Swanky Speakeasy — Better «Back In The Day», But Still A Good Time
SITREP
I remember the days 15 – 20 years ago when my friend Bobby Burns would pull out his trumpet here and there’s be a jam going on that would rival any night at the Casino Royale. There would be quite the crowd of fun peeps enjoying an eclectic night of music and mixing.
SETUP
Alas, Bobby has passed onto the next realm of existence, and the crowd that once attracted me here does not come here like they used to:
* Swing Dancers
* Rockabillies
* The Dapper & Their Dames
Nowadays, it tends to be more tourist and less «Old School.»
GREAT DRINKS
However, even if some of the original character of this establishment is missing these days, it is STILL a dam good place to get drink, meet up for a stop with some friends while moving through Old Sacramento, and enjoy the ambiance of a still beautiful bar establishment.
Bottomline: if I want to get a drink in Old Sacramento, this is STILL the place I want to hit.
THE LOWDOWN
Back Door still has my vote for a wonderful bar in the heart in Old Sacramento.