The Lady Silvia

Ugh I want to like this place soooo bad but my goodness, it's failed me TWICE now! But last night it had three strikes and we were OUT!

Last time I tried the place out, maybe a couple month ago.... I took my boyfriend there because we're both fans of speakeasyish bars. We went to The Roger Room in LA and were amazed so according to the reviews on Yelp, The Lady Silvia had potential! We loved that it's a hidden gem and the ambience is on point-- parlor furniture, bookshelves filled with all kinds of vintage and torn books, old movies playing, graffiti art on the ceiling, overall very tasteful decor!

First experience: It was a random Wednesday night, I had just gotten off work so it was like 1030ish. It wasn't busy at all.... I can't cut them any slack there haha. I'm in the service industry so I'm all about EXPERIENCE. Shortly after we sat down, cocktail waitress greeted us and just simply asked what we'd like. Not even a "hello, how are you, have you been here before" just a "do you know what you're having?" Ummmm no, we just sat down and haven't even looked at your menu... Sorry we're taking in the ambience? We were impressed until that very moment. Ruined it all. So we looked at the menu and made our decisions.... Maybe 15 minutes passed and she never came back. She was just gazing at her phone at the POS computer. We just got up and left, didn't even try a cocktail = and as we got up, she didn't even turn her pretty little head to notice or wish us a good night. FAIL! We went to the Velveteen Rabbit instead and were quite pleased.

Last night: Brought a girlfriend who had wanted to check it out for a while now and a girlfriend visiting from AZ... I put the past experience behind me and decided to give them another shot because I really want to like the spot! Plus, I knew they'd appreciate the trendy speakeasy idea of the bar. We sat down in the lounge, browsed at the menu,  made up our minds on drinks and just waited to be served haha. Shocker. A gentlemen noticed we hadn't been helped and sent a waitress over-- wish HE could've taken care of us! She came over and just starred at us.... "Hi, sorry about the wait, what can I get started for you" is that so hard to spit out? It's beyond me. So we ordered. She brought back my friends' drink but she let me know they were out of the earl grey tea to make myyy drink. Okay, strike II.... But shouldn't you know what you're 86'd so when a guest orders that you can let them know right then and there so you can suggest something else? Ugh it was just another setback to add to their list!! And finally, she of course never came back to check on us. Another round? Waters? Ladies alright? Nada. I had to ask the same guy who first noticed us for the check. Strike III and we're out. She obviously didn't want a tip, so I just left 10%.... Which was more than she deserved! I hate tipping 10% because I hate receiving 10%!!!!!! But I also cannot stand servers who think they should receive at least 20% when they don't even work for it. My receipt says my server's name: Jaime.... I wouldn't know because she didn't introduce herself.

We went to Velveteen Rabbit after this horrible Lady Silvia experience.... Again. Maybe they should hire PERSONABLE people who care to make their guests' experience! It's not my fault you may not like your job or working period, but don't ruin it for other people though. It really isn't that hard.

I can't say I'd recommend this place. If anything, I'd tell people NOT to bother. I hope they get their shit together soon because it has potential, just needs LOTS of attention on details that go a long way.

1 star for the secret spot, nailed the speakeasy part. 2 stars for the ambience. I think I gave those generously too =[

This place is cool. Sure, they try REALLY hard to be cool (Willow on loop? Come on), but at the end of the day their hard work pays off. To find the place, simply look for the 140 150 above the doors to the right of the salon. I'm a bit older now, so I look for a bar with some atmosphere and the ability to have a convo. If I want to go to a club, I will. I don't need a DJ playing garbage on volume 12 while I try to end the week with a cocktail. That rant aside, the place is decorated with bookshelves lining the walls (I didn't check to see of the books were real) and comfy victorian looking furniture strewn about. The drinks will run you $10+, but they are larger than your average cocktail lounge drink (compare it to Velveteen & DCL) and will get you nice and toasty. All it takes is a minute of silence from your convo, a sip of your drink and a glance around the room before you find yourself saying 'I like this place'.

Cute place. The ambiance is really fun and different. I love the chandeliers, the funky chairs, the old movies playing in the background. It's a refreshing change of pace from the usual. And I love that the music is soft enough that you can still hear your conversation.

The drinks are good and not unreasonably priced.

It can be a bit hard to find, but I suppose that adds to the speakeasy charm. I definitely commend them for having ample free parking (which can be rare downtown).