Don't bother with this place. Haven't even made it in there because the bouncer wouldn't let me in (wouldn't tell me why) but I've heard nothing but negative things from friends. Bar fights, people throwing bottles, rude bouncers, awful DJ's, disgusting bathrooms, and not too many people know this but they are getting sued right now for some reason, so help this ship sink and get a better bar in there. There is absolutely no reason why you shouldn't walk across the street to Frog and Peach or around the corner to SLO Brew. Plus if you haven't noticed it already has the worst yelp rating of any bar in SLO.
Review Source:Best hip hop music among the 3-4 bars I hopped around to on a Saturday. The Library is considered the smallest bar compared to Slow Brewery and Mother's Tavern but the music makes up for it. I was also there a bit early in the night so had already left by the time this place really filled up. I didn't try out any of the drinks because I was too busy on the dance floor!
Review Source:This place is no frills, strong drinks at reasonable prices. Get there early so you can snag one of the few tables, which is great for people watching and having some personal space. The Bacardi girls came by with some Bacardi and coke shots in cute little mugs. The music was loud and the dance floor was packed. It was a great mix of people of all ages. I had some delicious shots - Chocolate Cake and Spiced Apple, and unfortunately, the biggest tequila shot I've ever seen - I think it was 8oz. I had a lot of fun, but will never drink tequila again!
Review Source:I spent a good deal of my summer 2011 here.
Yes, it's small. Yes, it's somewhat ghetto. It also gets dirty really fast. Once it's packed, it gets really, really hot. The only windows of the place, the front windows, get so fogged up that you can't even see inside when you're waiting in line.
But for reason, this place has its own charm. It was probably one of my favorite places in DT SLO. I always get AMFs here, and they are gross. But honestly, they do the trick. Sometimes they might be a little strong on the tequila side, but I still get them anyway.
When I lost my license and some other cards here, I went back a few times, constantly asking for them to check again and again and again to see if anyone turned it in. I never found my stuff, but they were nice. This place will always be memorable for me.
The dance floor is too small and the DJs are worse than the drinks. I don't know why they charge a cover. I went there once for my birthday and the doorman wouldn't wave my three dollar cover because my birthday was three days prior to the night we were going out. Youre better off at buffaloes, novo, dt brew or mother's.
Review Source:First off - all you that hate on this place, move away from SLO. It's a bar in a room. Stiff drinks, great staff - however (and I'm dating myself on this one), the missing Librarian sucks. It's your hole in the wall bar that SLO lost amongst all the trendy changing places in the downtown area. Lots of places got the face lift, but if you want just a bar and only that with great staff and stiff drinks - here ya go.
Review Source:Oh lordy you havn't changed a bit and I love you for that. Stiff drinks, loud music, dark lighting making my look utterly perfect, and a mixed crowd raning from grizzlled old patron to the young 18yr old I have a fake id and you know it because I am still a size zero college student. The bartenders here may have changed but the essence that is the library still has not.
Hit this place up on my impromtu personal pub crawl and def decided i needed water after my vodka with soda flavouring (my favvvsss!)
This place get hot so quickly so it is def one of my fav bars to hit up in winter when it gets slightly chillier. (not that slo ever actually get cold).
Everything is terrible.
- The DJ was TERRIBLE. If I really wanted to listen to Top 40, I'll listen to it in my car, for crying out loud! My car plays better tracks on shuffle in 15 minutes than this guy would in one night! What's sad is that his choices of tracks were so terrible, that I would've respected the guy, only slightly, if he just switched to polka music until close. That's how bad it is! Â This establishment might as well put it on Wild 106 and call it a night while the FM radio did the job! I truly hope the bar wasn't paying top notch to keep the DJ, because if this was the case, where can I sign up?
- You would assume people that live in San Luis Obispo are not ghetto and are not trashy. Well, this place attracts said people. The freaks come out at night and come to this bar! From Jersey Shore wannabes to Maury show wannabes. Whatever you can think of that's negative (except STD negative), they got it. It even shows on their attire. If you're not wearing Air Jordans, pants below your buttocks, and some form of jewelery on your face, then I'm sorry, but you're the outcast of the bar and you won't even be given a second look by the girls. The only exception is if your non-ghetto attire shows in some way that you have money. Judging by how ugliness in most of these girls, they might actually be doing you a favor by not showing any interest in you. Yes, I am your typical college student in SLO.
- Terrible sound system. You would think they'd upgrade to something of higher quality, but I guess not.
- Don't get me started on the bathrooms.. please don't.
- Guys. If you're looking to pick up chicks here, not worth it! Unless you like a diseased girl who will do anything for a double cheeseburger, then by all means, go for it! I just advise that you both wear protection. We really don't want more stupid kids populating the Earth.
- The bouncers are BULLIES! They can't even tell the difference between a sober and a totally wasted individual!
Is it worth the $3.00 admission? ABSOLUTELY NOT! I actually have more fun drinking at home with friends! Time to start doing that.
If you're a loner idiot guy looking to get laid (and totally fail to succeed) THIS IS YOUR PLACE MAN!
I swear to god every time I come in here it's the saddest scene possible. Terrible top 40 music. Sound system is poor at best. Usually 1 female to 3-4 guys. Always sleezey looking dudes trying to hit on ANYTHING possible.
And don't forget, if you're a TAP OUT BRO this is an awesome and very popular area to start a fight outside of. Don't let anyone insult your lifted truck or poly doly brah.
On a chill Monday night, this place wasn't at all seedy. Â (Maybe you have to come late on a weekend to experience the seediness some of the Yelpers are talking about?)
We didn't stick to the floors, the bouncer was friendly, the bartender made a great Cosmo... oh, and it happened to be Trivia Night.
My only complaint would be that it would have been nice to hear more music than having to answer trivia questions, but that's probably because I stink at Trivia!
Yes, this place is super ghetto. Â I advise the girls that come here to NEVER wear open toed shoes...there are always spilt drinks and God know what else on the floors. Â It's always smelly and the windows are without a doubt fogged up because it's so freaking hot inside. Â Usually when I tell my friends I'm going to the Library, they are always puzzled and say "Ew, why??"
But despite all negative things I just wrote about, I've had some of the best college memories from this place. Â This bar (to me) by far plays the BEST music to dance to. Â This is why my roommate and I always went here. Â Their drinks are super strong and usually twice the size of drinks compared to the other bars nearby.
Best thing to do here if you don't like to dance...people watch. Â The Library attracts the most diverse and interesting group of people in the Central Coast.
Oh The Library. Where to begin? Perhaps the window (which I really hope is sanitized on a daily basis, to prevent the spread of unwanted STI's). JK, i know STI's cannot be transmitted from a window  but still, it's pretty gross what some people will do ON that window. This place is pretty grungy and borderline sketchy but so much fun if you've had just the right amount to drink and ready to DANCE :) The restrooms are pretty much despicable, and your shoes WILL stick to the floor no matter where you are, but other than that, it's pretty clean (sarcasm). The DJ seems freakishly old for the crowd, but he's pretty decent. The decor of the place is also odd, tables with color changing lights don't really fit in but hey, they're fun...I guess.
On the plus side, if it's Pint Night (Tuesday night), this place rocks: 2 for 1 drink specials until 12:45a, need I say more to college students on a budget??
I would've given this place 4 stars, but this year they started charging a $3 cover to get on on weekends, which is pretty steep for what you're getting (see above).
I am shock on what people have to say about this place. The drink specials are amazing, the bartenders are super nice, and the music is on point! The legendary 2 for 1s on Tuesday makes the Library Lounge the hottest place on Tuesday in Downtown SLO, hands down! Sure it is not as big as any of the other bars in SLO but if you see the dynamic in the bar during peak hour you will get amazed on how people still enjoy themselves. Plus they stay open longer then any other bar in SLO. Just by 15 minutes, and that is a lot.
As for complaints about loud music, you are in a bar with a dance floor! Do you think they are going to play music just for your hearing pleasure. The music is there to make you dance and if you are complaining about how loud it is, then get some ear plugs!
Overall, it is one of the realest bars out here in SLO. The DJ line is great and they will definitely get you moving. The bartenders are amazing and they definitely don't undercut you on drinks. For the complainers out here on yelp, maybe you are expecting too much? Just relax and make the best out of it. I suggest you go back to the Library and check it out once more.
This place is kind of a fail. I get the whole, casual/dive feel its trying to convey (or maybe not) but the clientel here is seriously creepy. My friend went to go pee and some dude showed him his weener. Then two other creepy guys came out side were acting really weird and sketchy.
The bouncers here need to start bouncing the creeps before all of their decent clients bounce outta here to the next bar.
This place ABSOLUTELY RUINED my 21st birthday. Huge mistake making it my first stop downtown that night. My birthday was on a Saturday, so I knew it would be packed downtown, but I just wanted to go in to take the Statue of Liberty shot and get out of there. There was a line outside and I was with a group of people but was able to get inside with some friends somehow who were already waiting in line. The douche bag bouncer at the door wouldn't let my boyfriend in to see me take my first legal shot (he didn't have cash and couldn't pay the $3 cover). My parents were also with me and when my Dad tried to argue with the bouncer, he actually laid his hands on my Dad, a sixty-year-old man, and forcibly pushed him out of the way.
I vowed never to go there again after that, but I decided to give it a second chance another night because the bouncer (one whom I had never seen before) tried to lure us in by telling us their drinks were 2-for-1, so my boyfriend and I went inside for a drink. There was a $10 minimum for cards, which was fine, so we told the bartender to give us another drink to just set us over the $10 minimum. Â We FINALLY got our drinks from the bartender and eventually got the check back and it was nearly $20! When we asked him if the drinks were 2-for-1 like the bouncer said they would be, he asked us if we had a "2-for-1 card", and we didn't. The bouncer was supposed to give us a card to give to the bartender but instead had lured us in without giving us the card, causing us to pay for way more drinks than we were prepared to pay for.
Bottom line: slimy, rude staff and creepy crowd. AVOID, AVOID, AVOID.
Like everywhere else I've been I gave this place a chance. Â The drinks are alright and the bartenders are nice but the MALE bouncers are stupid...obviously hired for their brawn not brains (which most bouncers are). Â I've had incidents and my friends have had incidents with them - rather stupid incidents that shouldn't of happened. Â
The first one - I have a friend that's transgendered (female to male) and the bouncers knew this and offered to stand by the door whenever he needed to use it. Â One night however the bouncer was busy so I offered to watch the door for my friend. Â All of a sudden the bouncer comes by gets 3 inches from my face and starts to yell at me "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!?! WHA'TS GOING ON?!?!" Â I am 5'6 and he was at least 6'2. Â Then he proceeds to PUSH ME away from the door, also while he was yelling at me I was trying to explain to him what I was doing but he completely blew me off plus I wasn't arguing with him nor was I trying to block him what was also obvious was that I WASN'T DRUNK. Â He then proceeds to swing the door open while my friend was still on the toilet, Â instead of apologizing he goes "GODDAMNIT!! I KNEW ABOUT THIS SITUATION!! WHY DIDN'T YOU COME AND GET ME?!?!?!" Â I then told him that I had TRIED to ask him but he told me he was too busy, "WHATEVER!!!" Â Of course after this my friend left the bar humiliated because the bouncer didn't feel like listening. Â There is NO EXCUSE for PUSHING SOMEONE who is smaller than you and isn't fighting with you in anyway. Â
#2- This incident happened on this past St. Patty's day. Â I was there with some friends and left then about 5 minutes after leaving my friend realized he had forgotten to close his tab he went to the rear entrance and told the bouncer there he forgot to close his tab "I CAN'T HELP YOU!! YOU HAVE TO GO AROUND TO THE FRONT!!!" Â Well then. Â So my friend (with me and another friend in tow) went around to the front and tells that bouncer the same thing. Â "YOU HAVE TO WAIT IN LINE LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE!!! I CAN'T DO ANYTHING!!!" Â No no no NO! Â Look there were at least FIVE other staff members there- did they take a second to THINK to ask another employee to get his tab (LIKE OTHER BARS DO) so he could sign and leave? No. Â My friend then decides to go BACK to the rear entrance and finally we find an employee willing to do his job (should probably get his name) and went inside to get my friends tab.
Look...My brother has been a bouncer and I have friends that are or were bouncers so I know it can be stressful dealing with drunk idiots on a nightly basis. Â But, if you take that job you also have to be aware of other things (such as not everyone is an drunk asshole). Â There is no excuse for these two situations. Â The bouncers there drive away regular costumers and new ones. Â If you DO go to the Libe be aware.
Hells ya I want to dance with that hottie in the window with his belly showing and the drool coming off his chin-- yes this is the typical look of the Library's crowd.
Skanky girls and nasty ass boys run to this club because they want to dance in the window so all of DT can come and look at you make a fool out of yourself.
Now I regress- I have done the skanky dance in the window so I am making fun of myself, but I have refrained from drooling, and or smacking my own ass, thank you.
Now to get past the window:
The bar, at its best, is a place to get hit on by scary dudes.
The dancefloor, a place to get stared at and groped by scary dudes.
The music, bleeding from the ears might be a side-effect. (I like loud music. I do not like shitty speakers with even shittier "mixes" at scream mode.)
Unfortunately this is usually the only bar that is packed before 10 pm on the weekends.
Oh how I miss your sleazy....
A-OK for SLO standards. Typical college bar I guess.
I've been a few times and there usually isn't a cover (see below). Bar is smaller than others in the area and has a SMALL dance floor with some places to sit and a smoking area in the back. Dark, loud, and crowded, like most other places around.
Most recent visit was last week for a friends birthday. After having our fun at DTB, we headed over to the library at around 1am to get a few more drinks before the night ended. We were surprised to be told that there was a $3 cover. We were a fairly decent sized crowd and even explaining that we just wanted to buy some drinks before last call, they still insisted on the cover. Or, the guy said, come back at 1:10 and it will be free. Really? It's already 1. You can't just let us in now?
Whatever. 15 minutes later we come back, and guess what, there's still a cover! But oh, it's *only* $1 now.
Yes, it's just a buck, but I find it ridiculous that you would
1. flat out lie to your customers like that
2. Â try to charge cover when you're gonna close in a few minutes
After that, I probably wouldn't come here again, unless I was dragged along by my friends.
While on a recent trip to SLO, my coworker and I made our tour of the local bar scene each night, and just about every night we ended up here at the The Library. Â It's a decent crowd, especially on Tuesdays when they have the "buy 1 get one free" of anything (except top shelf).
We started our debachery here on Sunday night (which, by the way ended with my colleage puking in the back alley), and continued all week. Â We met some great friends, some beautiful women (and their numbers!), and overall had a great time.
Ahh...The Library brings back some memories.Havn't been in a while but i spent the better half of my late teens(shh..had a great fake id) and early twenties there.Excellent dive bar.My advice to you is to get there early if you plan on going on the weekend...line forms around 9.
Drinks=cheap
Crowd=college
Music=good dj
Women=easy
I used to use my mom's credit card to buy my college buddies beer at 'the Library.'
Mom would get the monthly bill and then gladly pay it, because she assumed that I was buying books at the county library every Friday night.
Well-priced drinks, cool owner, and the kind of crowd that will back you up in a bar fight.
My book collection never grew, but my group of friends did. :)
Woah..What happened? I think I tripped and fell into a car on my drunk stumble over here. Maybe I was accosted by one of the four transients in downtown SLO. Either way I must've perished and had my beliefs shattered in front of me because this HAS to be Hell...
Nope. Its the Library. My bad people..my bad.
This is the ultimate for the "Omg-im so drunk- i just wanna dance and spill drinks and scream that every song that comes on is about me-dude bra this place is as good as bong rips with Nati Ice" crowd.
Listen, I'm not bad mouthing dancing, I've been known to get my Dishwasher on (washin, washin, rack em to dry, rack em to dry) Â but this place caters more for finding that person thats juuuust drunk dry hump you for a couple hours and maybe a sloppy make out, and I'm just not havin it.
On top of that though, its small, dark, somewhat seedy, and draws a lame crowd.
However is not ALL bad. My beer was nice and cold...and umm.. oh the bouncer told me my girlfriend was hot. So umm.. theres that.
WHAT IN THE WORLD IS THAT RACKET??!!! Â Oh, it's what the DJ is playing and calling "music".
I'm low maintenance when it comes to finding a spot to grab drinks, listen to music and shake what my mama gave me...but whatever it was that the DJ at the Library was playing made shaking anything pretty impossible! Â He'd play a great dance song, but would mix in some techno sound effect that would ruin it. Â Here's a tip: not every song translates into a techno mix very well! Â One more tip: if the crowd is dancing, leave it alone!
Oh yes, then the DJ's "hype man" would grab the mic and yell "go DJ, that's my DJ...". Â Grrreat....
Anyway, 2 stars because although the music sucked, I was able to consume some libations and the company I was with made it a fun night.
i wish i could give this place a half of a star...
bartender had a light light light hand (lame-o!)
a vomiting man walked in on me in the bathroom & puked in the sink.... so much for washing my hands
DJ stunk worse than the vomit.
booooooooo. never let anyone convince you this place is cool. EVER!!!
My shoes were sticking to the floor as I attempted to walk from the front door to the bar. Overcome by the effort and fear of falling onto this sticky mess, I decided to turn around and find another place to get drunk. At least a place that if I fell down, I might have a chance of regain an upright stance instead of being mired in who knows what on that floor. Â
Drive Bar Rating ***** **** (see SLO Drive Bar List)
Drive Bar Rating Factors: (1 * for each)
Small *, dark *, seedy characters on bar stools *, windows and floors could use a wipe *, good drinks *, smart ass folks on both sides of the bar, locals hang out *, clandestine meetings * in the far corners of the lounge or the bathrooms, extra points for smell *, tacky design and poor service *.
Hint: Costco and Home Depot both have mops for sale!
Surprisingly, I actually enjoy going to The Library. There's nothing too special about this place, drinks are of average bar quality, and it's not entirely disgusting. The selling point is the last couple of times I've visited, the music has been quite good. In between the hip-hop standards that I'm sure the DJ is obligated to play, I heard some Daft Punk and even some Modest Mouse, which wins me over in a downtown area that seems to embrace anything that's in the current top 40.
Plus, as small as their dance area is, there always seems to be room, which is good for me... I like to flail.
This bar is one of my favorite places on the planet! Â It's just a great place for soome no holds bar fun! Â In my mind this is hands down one of the best bars in SLO town. Â I understand that it's not for everyone, that very low lighting and extra stong Long Islands aren't every person's forte. Â But, man if you are a partier/drinker this is the place for you. Â The dance floor is always packed and it's not too hard to get a drink once you've fought your way to the bar.
The only reason I'm not giivng this place 5 stars is becuase of 1) the bouncers are HUGE jerks most of the time (seriously boys, you are working the door in the whitest town in America, you're not that hardcore) and 2) the bathrooms are hardly clean and the stalls never stay shut. Take a buddy girls, that's my only warning. Â :)
Lauren the bartender is awesome. If she's working ask for Lauren's Berry Shot haha, it was a special a while ago but she still remembers how to make it. Sad how she recognizes me now, but oh well.
I frequent this bar mucho.. No cover (usually), I don't wait too long to get a drink, and no cover. Also if you ask for a drink and they don't know how to make it, sometimes they'll ask around or even call up another bartender buddy to check... It's happened before I swear and I was pretty impressed at the effort.
Well, this is your typical college bar scene: loud, crowded and dark. Drink prices are not that bad, so there are a lot of very inebriated people here.
On the plus side, there's usually no cover, unlike Mother's next door. But it is smaller, and there is no dancefloor, so people just get up and dance just about anywhere. Watch out for frat boys (or any boys for that matter) on the prowl. A friend of mine ended up dancing with one of them and he stuck his hand down her skirt. Drink and dance with caution.
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