Commonwealth

What a beautiful bar! The decor is awesome; vintage seating, dim lighting and uniquely placed wallpaper surrounding the room. The drinks are moderately priced, service is good and the crowd is very diverse. Although our visit was short, we will definitely be back to get the full experience.

This place could a be great. It's got a lot going for it: great location, nice decor, list, plenty of staff available for service (at least when I visited), solid selection.

But, it's also blowing it on some levels.

For starters, It's taking itself too seriously. I had to pass 3 security guys on the way in. That's overkill. The staff glared at us at first, rather than walk up, say "Welcome" and help us get acclimated. And when we left, we had to use a specific door. Honestly, if we'd wanted nightclub treatment, we'd have  gone to one.

The staff is hit or miss: our bartender was friendly enough (emphasis on enough), but her fellow bartenders seemed to get off on being dick-ish.

And for a place that is trying to focus on cocktails, try picking one to order. The menu is printed so small that you can't really make a choice: the ingredients disappear. I have perfectly good vision; never needed glasses. Could barely make out any of the drink descriptions. And the bartender admitted most people can't read it, either. So, I settle for a beer at a cocktail joint. That's less than satisfying for me, less profitable for them. Fix that, folks. It's easy enough.

I like this place, got there early enough before they started charging for cover. (wahooo) You really have to get their early to get to stay on the rooftop. By the time we got there it was already filled up; luckily the seats downstairs weren't filled up. (Yay! they don't charge for tables)

Drinks were good, average price on the drinks. Our waitress was nice and kind enough to split up our tabs.

I'd go back here again since i'm more of a bar/loungey type than a clubber.