I can't believe it took me so long to come here. It's hidden behind Carmines and located in a lot with other random stores (Osh/Jersey Mikes/donut joint). The place is extremely spacious with a square bar and numerous tables. We just missed happy hour on a Friday night but the beers were still reasonably priced. I had the monty python's holy grail beer ($5). This is one of my favorites because it's nice and light. The bartender was friendly and attentive. The bathrooms were clean and the decor was great (inside the bathroom) and out. I will definitely be back for happy hour. There's free parking right outside the bar but it might be difficult, so you may need to go a little further in the lot (closer to Osh) to find something.
Review Source:Love the decor! Â
Great selection of cocktails and beers. Â
Enjoyed the burlesque dancers and DJ!!! Â Great place to host a birthday party, they have nice couches for everyone to sit. Â I hear they have Jazz, I will have to check that out the next time I am in town. Â
Great place to take your friends after work for a nice cocktail and Delicious food.
I've been meaning to check this place out for sometime now and FINALLY My bestfriend and I went in this past Friday night! The place was pretty slow for a friday night but this was great for us because that meant we have somewhere to sit and ordered drinks quickly. They had a DJ with good music... overall great place to hang out with friends... great food and drinks!
Review Source:People that  are complaining about the decor obviously don't go out to a lot of the newer "hipster"  type bars that are littered all through out Los Angeles perhaps they are better suited to a place like The Yard House.  It has a cool vibe but the drinks were very mediocre. But as for the decor it is totally cool!
Review Source:2 stars because I like what they were going for with the decor. Â
1 star for: value, service, drink menu, vibe/clientele, music
value (overpriced & lackluster cocktails), limited and underwhelming wine list.
Service sucked - waitress seemed put upon and always busy (chatting up her co-workers at the bar). Â At one point she brought us the wrong drink and insisted it was correct (it was a different color and taste).
It was a Friday night and the whole place had a weird vibe - a cross between dive bar patrons, clubbers, and older couples on date nights (practically undressing each other on the sofas). Â Music got unbearable loud at one point and was a bad mix to begin with.
I'd been here a few times after they first opened and then not again until this recent visit - Â it's definitely gone downhill & I don't plan to return.
1. I love how they transformed the place...super cool decor! It's way better than before.
2. The drinks are yummy! I've happened to go when they are regular price but at least they are strong.
3. The music is awesome. I've been there on super slow days and on happening days and music is always good. They had a good DJ for St. Patrick's day.
4. The only reason I gave 4 stars is because the bartenders could be friendlier. It seems like they are just there to serve drinks (which is their job) but a smile can get you a long way...like me ordering more drinks!
Try it out! They have something different every night so call beforehand.
I've been to this place before and after the remodel...I prefer how it is now. before it felt like I was walking into someones garage with a pool table and a large tv in it.
Now it is swanky and chic..i love the tommy gun wall paper and chandlers. I think it has brought in a better crowd due to the atmosphere.
They have a Dj (I believe) Â Thursday-Friday and a piano player on another night.
I thoroughly enjoy coming here for happy hour or just to take the edge off. Appetizers are cheap and yummy. The drinks are what gets ya! a tad bit over priced.
OH WOW!!! How do I begin....terrible... don't judge a book by its cover.... yes it looks cool but definitely not!!!! Â Terrible service, weak over price drinks and the servers were drunk with nasty attitudes. Spent so much money ...but the establishment didn't appreciate it. Never again... They wanna cater to hipsters( not to say that I am a hipster, but its obvious thats the crowd they are goin for)...but in my opinion they are just not hip enough. By the way did I mention weak drinks and bad service,,,,I would avoid this place at all cost.
Review Source:Not sure why all the negative reviews, but I had never been to the bar-side of Carmines before it was remodeled, so for my first time here, I thought it was pretty cool, especially for a place in the middle of a random area of Pasadena. Â I even forgot I was in Pasadena while I was there. Â I love the 1920's and I loved the awesome gun wallpaper and the snake-skin couches. Â The bathroom was cute too! Â And the name of the place is kinda awesome too, don't you think? Â I can't say much for the bar food since I didn't eat there. Â As for the drinks, they are priced at LA prices, but they're pretty good. Â And who knew there was a burlesque show?! Â So random, but interesting, haha. Â I didn't know they charged cover after a certain time because of the show, but seriously, no bar in Pasadena should be charging a cover! Â I didn't think the show was worth a cover, but it was entertaining for the most part. Â I'd come back!
Review Source:I'm laughing as I write this. Â I know Carmines as a "sports bar"--loosely embodying this moniker. Â Basically just a bar with a big TV. Â We use to come here after our softball games. Â
I'm not sure I like this transformation. Â I think it's way too over the top. Â I get the whole "gangster" vibe (1920s, not Crips and Bloods). Â But it just really doesn't fit. But for the record I really don't like the new decor in the restaurant either.
It just feels like they are trying too hard. Â And the beers are too expensive. Â It doesn't fit with South Pas. Â They could have toned it down a bit, made it a nice loungy feel and called it a day.
It looks like a lot of the 1-3 star reviews are from people who think this is supposed to be a trendy place or a sports bar or otherwise completely missed the atmosphere/decor of the place. Â Here's a hint: 1920's gangster. Â That's why there's tommy gun wallpaper (awesome), chandeliers, fancy couches and stuff, faux fur, suits, fedoras, etc. Â That's why it's self-described as Al Capone style. Â Sigh, some people.
Anyway, The Holy Water Room. Â I'm sure you can tell, I'm a fan of the atmosphere. Â The gangster theme is really cool and something you don't run into every day. Â The chandeliers and nice furniture and bookcases give it a classy upscale feel. Â The DJ spinning club music with 3 or 4 people dancing was a bit weird and didn't really fit in, but at least it wasn't so loud that I couldn't hear anyone (yelling at people standing next to me was still do-able for conversation). Â It would have been perfect with a lounge singer, sort of like the one they have at The Derby in Arcadia fairly often. Â But then again, the crowd at this place didn't look like the ones who would want to rock out to Louis Armstrong. Â
Overall it was a cool place, I definitely want to go back already, especially if it has good drink prices and good food.
All of the following is, of course, opinion:
Whoever came up with the concept behind remodeling the "bar side" of Carmines must have been on a coke fueled bender.
I venture up this way for a change of scenery and to get out of my comfort zone, lets just say I achieved my goal.
This place used to be a divey sports bar with a vibrant set of regulars and affordable beers. The place was stank , but tolerable.
The new interior is an example of someone thinking the pinnacle of design is Las Vegas inspired shabby chic.
The execution comes off as sleazy and uncomfortable and is so over the top you should just go to understand how out of place this re- incarnation of a neighborhood  bar feels.
Forget about ordering food, the two guys working the bar couldn't get a simple bar placed order of a regular basic item to me in less than 1 hour. The duo was more interested in acting "G" for their buddies drinking at the bar (the only other people in there).
The whole place just feels tragically uncomfortable. It is an attempt of polishing a turd and ending up up with horrible baby shit.
Wow. Just wow. If you ever wanted to have a New Jersey experience without actually having to travel, go to the newly remodeled Carmine's bar, now for some inexplicable reason named the Holy Water Room.
Bad taste + money = tacky, trashy, loud and obnoxious.
This place is the weirdest mix between the Godfather/ baroque (the piano, which was unfortunately not being utilized), the naked light bulbs, numerous ornate chandeliers, the bookshelves with various psuedo-antiques- mixed with odd modern furniture, the ugliest gigantic faux alligator couches and the WORST blaring video music ever. If you want to hear mind numbing loud, repetitive, generic Britney Spears and Taylor Swift type music, this is the place for you. Â If that is the case, I probably don't want to know you. Music sets the scene and the atmosphere of any environment, and whoever is in charge of it here needs to be replaced immediately. Someone start playing the piano and don't stop!!!
The food here is always good- hearty Italian style, but you can have that in the main dining room without subjecting yourself to the icky crowd here- the kind that pulls up in colorful lowrider cars and trucks.
Quite a disappointment in an area that desperately needs more nightlife options.
I used to come here when it was this dingy dive connected to a pretty good Italian restaurant, but when they remodeled the restaurant they rebranded the bar. What does that mean? The change is like turning a sandwich into a steak. In other words, it's a completely new concept-higher end, very kitchy. I neither love it nor hate it. I come here often because it's two blocks from my apartment.
Great drink menu, nice beers on tap, cool bartenders, interesting crowd. Only downside is the prices are a bit high. Solution: PREBAR IT!!!!
prebar // v.
1. the act of consuming large amounts of alcohol before going to a bar to avoid needlessly wasting money on overpriced drinks.
[from or suggested by Latin prae-, from prae (adv. & prep.)] Middle English from Old French barre (n.), barrer (v.), from Romanic]
Whoa, what is up with all the 5 stars?! i guess people are easily impressed by Shinola...
I remember this place when it was just a regular sports bar that had a pool table and served cheap beer in really big glass steins. It's been years since I've been here, so I was a little taken aback when I walked in and saw the black chandeliers on the counter top, machine gun damasking, a piano, a taxidermy beaver rockin' a priest collar....it's cluttered neo-baroque with an "edgy" Goth twist. What's the word: ostentatious? Maybe that's too harsh...it's not ugly so much as over the top. Look, listen, I really like Rococo but this is not a forum to discuss ambitious interior design. I'm reviewing a bar after all and the menu was not impressive, the beer on tap was just whatever and the "vibe" was meh.
I can totally see this place being a swell place to bring a first date or maybe a cool spot for a 20 something year old to have a "girls nite". It's just not my cup-o-teabags.
Finally a breath of new life into Carmine's smelly sports bar. This place has a great ambiance, good beer selection, great bar food, and a whiney lounge singer at the piano. Tommy guns on the wall paper, a beaver in clerical clothing, glam furniture, and a more mature crowd really brings this place together. I'd compare it to Magnolia in pasadena. Check it out.
Review Source:Love the decoration and feel of this place. Â My only complaint is that I love dance music, but I just don't understand why it needs to be 120 decibels at all times. Â You can still have the music be fairly loud for the dancers without it blasting so you leave with a sore throat and deaf ears. Â I suppose this is the DJ's fault, not the venue's... Â either way, it would have been nice if I didn't have to yell uncomfortably into my friend's ear the entire time.
Review Source:Never really was a fan of the original Carmine's bar, but definitely ain't diggin the new spot one bit. Â From the newly expanded dress code to the bartenders lacking knowledge of their beers to the $8 price tag of said beers (no prices on the drink menu + beer pours were under 16oz), no thanks. Â 1 star merely for their efforts.
Review Source:To My Fellow Yelpers,
The Holy Water Room is pretty damn awesome! It's been awhile since I went into Carmines, this bar and restaurant, at one point was a weekly stop for me.
The other night I was headed out to DTLA in search of a lounge to hang out at and catch up with an old friend when I Yelped nearby bars in my area. That is how I found the Holy Water Room. I had no idea the renovations where over and the bar totally redone!
I walked in, sat, ordered my specialty drink "The Granada" and watched the DJ set up. The place had a nice layout, really great decor, it was fun, the crowd was layed back. and then...
The DJ got started *head bopping* I fell a little more in love with it at that moment. 30 minutes and 1 drink later, a drummer walked in and played to the tune of the songs the dj played and at this point i was in love.
The crowd loved it, people danced, it was just a FUNNN place to be.
The only, ONLY, flaw was the grouchy bartender. Â Meh, Maybe it was a bad night.... Â but he recreated my drink to the tee so, this place gets 5 stars from me!
If you live in the area, you gotta stop by (I went on a Thursday night) and if you don't live in the area, its worth the drive.
The owners really out did themselves. I envision, many, many fun nights at this place... Hope to see you there!
I am SPEECHLESS. For those who know me, knows that's quit rare times.
My original birthday bash fell through and someone recommended The Holy Water Room. I went to visit and spoke to the owner Carmine, whom I believe professional is an ANGEL that rescued my party.
The night of; The area we reserved was set up to the T. Everything was ready to go and the server was ready & very pleasant. They even made sure I ate. DJ AJ Mora was spinning that night and he was AWESOME.
Bottom Line: This place has the upbeat Hollywood Feel without the Hollywood headache that may come with cover charge, parking and LINES. EVERY ONE of my guests rate & raved about how PERFECT it was & how much FUN they had. SUCCESS!
I will for sure book more parties and events there. Thank you Soo Much for making a Birthday so Great.
~Ms. Bee
Remember back when Carmine's used to be fun? Cheap beer and drinks and a pretty good crowd - especially a happy hour crowd? You'd go in there for a beer and a tasty bambino? Sure there were fights here and there and in the parking lot - but hey, that's normal.
Then it became...unsafe...I'll just leave it at that.
All that has changed now - they've cleaned it up quite a bit. Totally redecorated interior/bar. It looks nice, although I find the machine gun wall paper and clips of Godfather playing endlessly a bit cheesy. This is now a swanky lounge and everything you expect at a swanky lounge exists. Couches, nice tables, lighting, and a ridiculous amount of time to order anything, even when there isn't anyone at the bar.
One the one hand, I love that it's now "safe" - on the other hand - it's...swanky.
Since it's still new - I'm hoping that at some point they can figure out something in between a happening bar and an uptight lounge.
On a side note - they have these light bulbs hanging from a cable at each of the bar tables - it looks pretty cool - until you sit down. They're at eye level so if you're talking to someone across from you - you're going to stare at a light bulb or a cable. Even more interesting - I wonder how long it will take before someone gets drunk and either accidentally smashes someone in the face by swinging it - or intentionally smashes someone in the face during an argument.
Either way, that light bulb needs to go up about 3 feet.
In terms of food - it's the same...yeah. Except they took away the bambinos which is a bummer.
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