Fannie's Cocktails

This place is now called The Bancroft, it seems.

Stopped by for a friend's MC's fundraiser event.  I liked it.  Service was quick.  Servers and patrons were friendly.  Plenty of room to mill about.

Also, gotta love the old-school neon ZIMA sign on the wall.  SERIOUSLY.

If I lived in the area, this would probably be my home base.  Casual, no frills, laid-back people, cheap drinks.

Boy have things changed. First off, the name. The owners now are seriously improving the negative rep of this dive bar. If u had a bad experience there give it another try.. U can't always judge a book by its cover. Old saying but true, it's a work in progress but improving more every day. Look out spring valley new bar competition in town coming soon! I mite add the crazy credit card/atm system has in fact already improved. Tabs accepted and there is no fee whatsoever!!!! Come check out the new beers on tap, prices have been lowered, free pool on a regular basis, and many drink specials.. Stay tuned...  Many new improvements to come!! Come check out The Bancroft. Good bye fannies...

I'm looking askance at some of the better reviews here, as I'm having trouble seeing anybody but a hardcore barfly (who likes anywhere that has booze) loving this place.

An evening with friends to see a mutual friend perform at Fannie's began to turn sour as soon as we finally located this place and actually saw it. It's not the scene we were expecting for the dark 80s cover band we came to see.

There are dive bars, there are roadhouses, and then there's Fannie's. It's a tumbledown place down a ramshackle road; Linda immediately felt overdressed and began removing accessories. As we parked in front of the abandoned, graffitied building behind the bar we made jokes about being dragged into a dark corner and never seen again. I doubt even a PBR-chugging hipster could pretend to think Fannie's is cool.

Things did not improve when we went in. It's a sizable place, but it looks pretty shabby and more like it's intended to be a place where you drown your sorrows than where you come for a good time. There is a small stage and a dance floor, however.

We sat at a table near the stage. In front of us sat a man in unkempt clothes who we quickly realized smelled like an uncleaned litter box. (This is my polite way of saying he absolutely reeked of piss.) To add insult to injury, he requested money with which to buy a drink.

Things didn't improve at the bar. The bartender told us that imports were on special and therefore less than domestics. She pointed out the lineup of imports... not all of which are imported. I believe Samuel Adams was among them. Cassidhe ordered a Guinness. It was served to her ice cold (again, Guinness) in a can. The bartender asked if she'd like a glass, and she was given a frozen mug (no doubt out of the standard kitchen fridge in the corner), into which Cassidhe poured the stout, herself.

Linda ordered a vodka collins. The bartender literally didn't know what that meant, and asked if she meant a vodka tonic. Linda corrected her and tried to explain, then gave up and ordered a vodka and 7UP. My Captain and coke was fine and priced reasonably, although I actually have paid less for the same drink in decent bars in the city.

When the band finally got to play, the sound was awful. The acoustics are worse than one would even expect of a dive bar. I looked up and I saw the place, including the stage and audience area, has a popcorn ceiling. A popcorn ceiling in a bar that has live music.

Just save yourself the pain. If a band you like gets booked here, wait until their next gig. Better yet, tell your friends in bands not to take a gig at Fannie's.