The Asti is a dive, no doubts about it. There isn't much going on, just a few tables, a few seats at the bar, and a pool table around the corner, which was busy the entire time I was there.
This is one of the few bars in Santa Cruz that allows smoking inside, so it's definitely not my top choice. Still, the drinks are strong and fairly priced, so it's not all bad.
With the demise of the Ave bar the Asti is the last true blue dive on lower Pacific.I thought that when the Avenue closed all the the trouble makers would simply go next door not the case at all.Although Asti has a fair number of their own it's really not a bad bar most the time.A fair amount of the drug dealers and low lives have now migrated to lower Seabright area and set up shop.
Review Source:I came to this bar when it was my Little's 21st Birthday Bar Crawl and this was the last stop. We started at the Red Room and worked our way to the other side of downtown. The bartender was very nice and lite the bar on fire for her birthday. It was really cool and he knew what was up and explained everything to the drunk people. It's a cool little place to hang out.
Review Source:I've never been here except for the two bar crawls that I've been on for my two friends who recently turned 21. The guy bartender was super friendly and excited for their birthdays. He even gave all of us free flaming dr peppers for the first one's birthday. Loved it!
It's a really small place though. I would say it's good for an older crowd (people out of college). Not exactly the place I would choose to go to. It has the nickname "nasty Asti" afterall...
The Nasti is basically a crappier version of its neighbor, the Avenue.
They're both dive bars, hot-boxed with cigarette smoke. They both have reasonably priced drinks and sketchy patrons. The difference is that the Nasti is way smaller and the bartenders aren't friendly.
So my tip? Go next door!
The nasty asti is always a place, I end up at. No matter what, it's always Paloma's and cigarette's, at the asti at 1:00am. (Ask ryan to make the Paloma, it's amazing).
Getting waters here is always hard, it's like I'm in Coyote Ugly and I'm gonna get sprayed with a hose. It's always a strange crowd, I've meet too many crazy people here, but that's Santa Cruz for you. If you want some authentic SC heritage, check out the nasty asti. You can always wonder over to Saturn Cafe for a late night veggie snack after.
One of my favorite bars in SC. The bartenders are nice, the drinks are cheap, they have 3 pool tables, and great booths! It's definitely not for everyone though. As long as a place as cheap drinks I'm pretty much there.
Something everyone should be aware of is if you come here you will leave smelling like cigarettes for the rest of the night, maybe even days after you leave.
You get A LOT of bang for your buck here...drinks average around $4 and only contain a splash of soda. Perfect. You're always guaranteed an interesting night at the Asti.
A bartender who looked shockingly similar to Terminator 2 era Linda Hamilton crossed with Skeletor refused to serve me here because the only form of ID I had was a passport. Places that serve alcohol have recently been instructed not to accept passports as a valid ID, but that is one of those stupid rules that are meant to be ignored by rational people such as don't jump on grandpa's stomach after he's had colon surgery. So what I took away from this exchange was that ID verification at the Asti is stricter and adheres to a more rigorous standard than that of the Homeland Security Department, the Transportation Security Administration and EVERY FOREIGN GOVERNMENT IN THE WORLD... all of which recognize a United States passport as a valid form of identification.
Also, the bar is a shit hole and full of ugly jerks. My brother loves it here! Not a bad place to go if you want to black out GG Allin style and wake up in the morning with a dermal anchor.
I have a deal with my girlfriend. I'll go out drinking with her at ANY bar downtown except the Asti, so, we usually wind up at the Asti. It's the only place where a meth head went around the bar collecting money to pay me to fight him. He got a little over 40 bucks then showed me his scars where he had been stabbed. When I informed him that I wasn't about to fight anybody he told me he was going to stab me and my brother. I told him to fuck off and let the bartender know what was going on. The bartender told me to sit at the other end of the bar! Great solution. I hate this overcrowded bar. I guess if I were single it would be a good place to try to pick up on girls who are loaded and whose looks have rendered their self esteem low enough to sleep with me.
Meatheads, coked out kids, sticky floors and ZERO good beer.
Nasty Asti, Â I have stumbled into your establishment from time to time, your drinks are strong which would explain why many years ago I puked all over your bar or maybe it was the sight of your bathroom which smelled of years of other people excrement, piss and yak. Â
If your not drunk you may get sick regardless, its a classic dive bar end of story.
Alright, this place really deserves its coined name the nasty asti... it has some of the cheapest drinks on pacific, so definitely hit up the dive if you are low on dollas, but don't go expecting to see that great of a crowd (or people with teeth).
Main things I've noticed about this place:
- theres pool tables in the back!
- drinks are super cheap, and theres a good selection (flaming doctor pepper anyone?)
- the service is HORRIBLE. but I'm pretty sure they are going for that vibe
- this is one of the few bars downtown that allows you to smoke inside. I don't do cigs, but many find this a plus
All and all, if you are doing the 21 bar crawl, start at the nasty. It's a classic SC bar, but there are better ones down the road.
No pretense that you will find at ritzy club-type bars. Â The atmosphere is more low-key, dark lit, and can be smokey. Â
The beer selection is mediocre, with most the common beers.
Rock music via internet Jukebox is played loudly and people have a great time. Â The backroom has 2 pool tables. Â
The drinks are modestly priced and the bartenders do their best to keep them flowing on the busy nights. Â
If you're looking for a place to dress up and go dance, the Asti isn't for you. But if you feel like being casual and having a killer time with your friends, see you there.
HEY! Â Are you looking for a local pub where the drinks are strong and the crowd has a local flavor which to enjoy the evening? Â
Well, if that is the case, skip this wanabe pub with all the aspiration of a Greaser bar without class, history or personality. Â So, what is the bar like you ask? it is a B&T bar if i ever saw one without the healthy or long pour which they are ever so famous for. Â
I mean talk about a bar filled people who are seeking rebellion and by which gaining acceptance with other wanabe lemmings with whom are also just as lost as everyone else
People: The people are lame and with the social graces of a pissed off varmint in a pair of polyester pants that have been set on fire. Â Talk about a crowd who want nothing more than to look like each other and to scold anyone else who look different from them. Â Tools, i tell you, pure and utter tools.
Bathroom: Â Need to pee? Better bring your catheter as they only have 2 stalls and they are decorated in the style of the Marquee De Sod piss pot without flare. Â Talk about a vomitorium with out the Polynesian pleasure boy without the peacock feather to help you into the stall and give you smelling salts for your departure.
Bottom Line: skip it and go to the Bar Fly next store for an easy laid back drink without attitude, sympathy or the need to bring a canoe to navigate the unbridled waters of the generational cast always
Bottom line:
Smoking+HUGE shots+ cute bartender= goodness.
I was having a horrible day. I randomly appeared in Santa Cruz, somewhat by accident (I'm from SF). I NEEDED a drink. I mean, NEEDED. I drive by the Asti, definitely not expecting a gross, filthy, wonderful dive bar right off pacific. I go in. Order a neat Jack Daniel's. I light a Marlboro Red. I watch the game. i finish my drink, and the cute bartender yells from the other end of the bar... do you need another jack? Yes. Please.
The End.
What's up with the smoking in this place. There was one ashtray on the bar for every 3 stools and almost everyone there was smoking. Isn't smoking in bars illegal in California?Anyway other than absolutely hating cigarettes, the smoke didn't bother me too much, they must have had good ventilation in there. The pool tables were nice in the back where I dominated the three games I played. The bartender was friendly and the drinks were good, especially the extra large shots. I can't give it more than 2 stars because of the smoking though. Take out the smoking and I can give the Asti 3 stars.
Review Source:The Asti, better known to locals as the "Nasty" is one of my faves.
If you don't like it, you probably didn't grow up here, Â don't like punk, old SC dude's or you are just too sophisticated for this.
Yes, it can be grimy, smell like cigarettes, (which I hate but for some reason I get over it when I'm there). Both locals and slugs can agree on being fun, at least the ones I know.
The bartender's are nice, local, (at least when I used to go).
When I was under age I dated a guy  "bouncer" haha and I always heard some crazy stories years later I can still hear them echoing in the wind in there. I manage to always see someone I know. You can't go wrong if your looking for a fun atmosphere.
I agree with Neely B about the summer, you can catch me there!!!
Love this dirty place! Hence the name, "Nasti:"
The Asti (The Nasti) is nasty... it make you do nasty things.
If I role into town and my good friends are at work I can always find someone I know at the asti. Â You never know how you night will end at the asti. Â Will a big group of friends take over the place. Â Might it just be you and girls. Â Or might you meet a guy that the asti convinces you is a good idea.
The music is always good, the drinks are cheap (if not free), and strong. Â There's 3 pool tables in the back. Â The scared, tattooed ruffians scare off all the jocks, so it's home to me. ( as far as bars go)
Honestly. Â I've taken home at least 2 guys from the Asti and I don't regret either. Â Â That's saying A LOT.
If you want to hang out with all of the cutesy new punk rock UCSC students and all of the washed up old locals still perving on the UCSC students then this is your place!  Honestly,  there are some extreme fuglies that hang out there  too so don't think that this is some kind of hottie mecca.  It is your classic hipster-punk dive bar. Â
It's the type of place where your girlfriends can judo chop creepy dudes and you won't even get kicked out.
I know people who have boned down in their bathroom, a girl who has peed in one of the guys urinals, and a close friend who punched her ex-boyfriend in the head in one of the booths.
Ahhh, sweet memories. Â I still love it. Â It will always hold a special place in my heart. Â Â
Viva Seth!
The problem with this place is that my friends hate it. Â This means, unfortunately, that I rarely have occasion to hang out in here, which is unfortunate: some of my favorite nights have been spent with my credit card behind the bar, waiting for some drunken white dude to put "Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthin Ta Fuck Wit" on the jukebox.
Too bad the clientele borders on wack at times; this might be an awesome bar. Â I like the dirty, grimey vibe. Â Four stars for pure potential
The Nasti...you never really know what your night will be like when going to this place. Might be rocking with a load of shots and a couple games of pool...or could be filled with bad attitudes from occasionally PMSy bartenders and locals. I've always had a completely different conversation with someone totally random every time I go here.
Asti is a very local bar...our ex-skater housemates used to be here every friggin night (and probably still are). My college friends never liked the place that much unless they were there to play pool, but I always seemed to enjoy the randomness of it.
Probably the only thing truly steady about this place is that the jukebox is one of the best in SC if you like punk, metal and great dive bar rock n roll!
Check it out if you like dive bars and old punk music. If you don't then don't bother stopping by.
This was the closest bar to my old apartment, I wish I had gone here more often when I still lived in Santa Cruz.
A good spot to get drunk on the weekdays.
Do they charge more on weekends or was my confusion caused by drunkenness? Â
Nice and friendly neighborhood bartenders. Â Stiff drinks all around. Â Pool tables are usually full up, so get there early!
What he said! Super-seedy, divey place, one of the better jukeboxes in the world, and strong drinks.
This place is worse than Luckey's Cigar Club in Eugene when it's busy, though. Which means that it is SO OUT on the weekends. I thought all the hipster swine went to the Red Room, but looks like they're trying to set up shop here, too. Another reason to avoid it on the weekends. There's nothing freakier than going to a bar to DRINK only to be surrounded by people going to a bar to be seen. Gah.
Yeah, if you're serious about drinking, this is your spot for daytime boozing. Sometimes it's cool on Sundays. Avoid the talkative bums. ESPECIALLY ones named Jim Moran. Especially. I want that three hours of my life back!
This place is what it is, and succeeds very well in being what it is - a mutherfucking dive bar.
 This is *the* bar for mid-afternoon drinks. The pool tables are empty, they've got the news channel on the TV, the jukebox has 36 Chambers, and the local vagrants are dying to tell you all about themselves (in a meandering, oh-god-we've-been-talking-for-2-hours kind of way.)
 As far as night-life goes, I tend to stay the hell away, especially on weekends. The have only a small walkway between the bar and the half-dozen booths, so once the bar and booths fill up,  it's fucking impossible to move around, cause everyone is standing in the already-too-small walkway.
 But like everyone says, the drinks are good and they have daily specials, so get down here the next time you feel like being drunk in the daytime.
The Asti is right next to another bar called the Avenue so i put them together and call them the "Astivue" these two bars are my fav in santa cruz.
because....
cheep booze
cute boys
punk rock
and I've thrown up in front of both of them, and had to get my mom to come pick me up, ya I'm that classy i pulled the mom card.
if your ever in town go there and check out Seth the bar tender.... (hot)
and say hi to Brucie at the ave. Sweetest guy in town.
CHEERS TO THE ASTIVUE!!
So here's what. I used to live in the old SC. I went back this weekend with a couple of friends who lived there back in the day as well. They were adament about going here. I never frequented it myself, as it always seemed a bit sketchy for my taste, and the smoke pouring out the door everytime I walked by made me pretty naseous. But my friend begged, and it was 1am and we had just seen that 300 movie and I needed a beer to calm the abs-muscle-overdose I had just received, and so I acquiesced.
It started out ok, aside from all the smoke (wtf? smoking in bars in Santa Cruz? Whatevs. Cancer Stick lovers) we had our beers and each others company. The music was not so great, the bartender seemed like kind of a stick in the mud, and the clientele was sketchy as hell, but what the heck? I was pumped, on account of the 300 movie.
And then it happend. It was about 2am at this point, and Bon Jovi came on over the stereo. Oh yes, a little "Livin" on a Prayer" for yours and my listening pleasure. Everybody in the bar is stoked, they live for moments like these (don't we all?) and we all have one of those "oh so rare bar moments", when the stars align and the nostalgia is thick like Guiness in the air. And we're all singing together, shout it out with me now....
"Once upon a time
Not so long ago
Tommy used to work on the docks
Unions been on strike
Hes down on his luck...its tough, so tough
Gina works the diner all day
Working for her man, she brings home her pay
For love - for love
She says weve got to hold on to what weve got
cause it doesnt make a difference
If we make it or not
Weve got each other and thats a lot
For love - well give it a shot
Chorus:
Whooah, were half way there
Livin on a prayer
Take my hand and well make it - I swear..........."
AND THEN!!!!! The effing bartender TURNED IT OFF!!!!!! RIGHT BEFORE THE BIG PAYOFF OF "OOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHH LIIIIIIIIIIIIVVVVIIIIIIIIIINNNNNN ONNNNNN A PRRRRAAYYYYYYYEERRRRR!!!!!"
Asshat!!!!
The bar errupts into screams, people are throwing things, smashing their glasses, breaking bottles over one another's heads!!!! It's madness people, MADNESS!!!!
And the bartender just puts up his hands and says "yeah that's right, I fucking turned it off. Get over it, you'll hear this song 5 billion more times in your lives. LAST CALL!"
Maybe he had a point. But here is my point. You just don't do that. That is 15 different kinds of wrong right there. You don't just turn off a song when the whole bar is singing along, and you certainly don't turn off "Livin on a Prayer" right before the big payoff.
I kicked his ass after last call.
I might be lying about that. You'll never know.
I might or might not be going back the (N)asti. That's for me and the asshat bartender to know.
I haven't been in downtown Santa Cruz for about 6 years. Â The last time that I had seen some 'night life' in SC the Asti was known as one of the seedier clubs on the track. I was happy to go back.
Seems as if they are trying to change their image at first, as they scrutinize over EVERY ID at the door. Â Once inside however it is the same old Asti.... crappy.
Ran into a woman I hadn't seen in 2 years here... Â bitch was tanked. Â So much so that when I walked past the bouncer I heard her yell my name, leap over a table and come across the bar and start punching me... I guess it was because she loved me so bad as she was smiling.... but the boxing match isn't what I had in mind... I'm getting off track.
After removing said woman from me I wandered to the bathroom, while standing there doing my business I looked and saw a good amount of cocaine sitting on the TP dispenser. Just sitting there.... Asti, nothing has changed.
Rejoining my friends and the crazy woman we decided to go down the block for a new atmosphere. Â The Asti might just be too nasty for me now.
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