It is an average bar when it comes to other things but one star for one reason - the bouncers. They are a bunch of jerks and idiots. You go through a 5 minute borderline strip search to find if you have anything on you. Its like going through airport on 9/11 anniversary, which I wouldn't mind at all if the bouncers were half as decent and courteous as Airport security. They are rude, order you around, and push you aside as if you were a lowly criminal, except of course if you are a girl, in which case worse embarrassments await you.
The service was horrible. The waiters not to be found anywhere. Takes an hour to get a drink. And a bunch of other nuisances which is somewhat similar in other average bars.
If you still decide to go here, maybe I have reduced your expectations now so you'll probably be alright. Just remember that a guy was shot at the doorsteps and got killed a month ago.
We came here for a friend's birthday this past weekend. Â My first impression was WOW this place is luxurious and so Red! Â The place is divided into two sections, first the lounge with several clusters of sofas and seating areas to gather and relax, second is the dining area with about a dozen tables. Â The chairs are comfortable leather but a bit oversized for the tables as we were quite snug nearly bumping into the party behind and to the corner of us. Â Otherwise a quite nice dining area. Â Windows around the dining area provide a nice view of the neighborhood. Â
The food was delicious. Â We each enjoyed everything we ordered. Â Prices were very reasonable. Â
After eating dinner we moved to the lounge area for dessert and drinks, and gift opening.  This area was so comfortable and felt cozy like hanging out at home.  I love the décor and the lighting in each areas was perfect. Â
We can't wait to return and might even make this our go-to place for future birthday celebrations. Â Hope you enjoy too!
Both the upstairs and downstairs are awesome. Totally different environments which makes it awesome or terrible depending on the people ur with. Downstairs smokey with a great free jukebox, lots of regulars and generally good bartenders. They have good cheap beers and drinks and lots of seating for every size groups. Good combination of young and older crowds. Lots of 20 something's and also the 30 and ups.
The upstairs is definitely more the get dressed up club like environment. Usually pretty crowded around the bar so generally hard to get a drink, but there's good seating and good food if u go during the day.(never tried getting food at nite) music varies quite a lot, not generally a fan of the music there to be honest, but it really depends on ur taste. It ranges from minimal house to pop top 40 and even electro esque dance. There really isn't much room to dance though so it doesn't really work generally. The crowd tends to mostly be the guys who wish they were euro bros with their girls wearing heels and short dresses.
The drinks here though are generally pretty damn good, albeit not super cheap. They share some drink with the 515 I believe. Also a good bar worth checking out if u like a classier nite out.
Anyways personally I'm more of a dive bar kinda guy so my votes go to the downstairs red but both have their merits.
Our waitress was fantastic but the food disappointing.
Menu has changed - they got rid of their strongest menu items it seems (most of which were appetizers). Â On top of that, the quality of some of the good dishes they did decide to keep have taken a nose dive (ie sauteed greens has now shrunk to half the serving size and is just kale). Â The salads can be easily made at home for a fraction of the price.
Also, whoever was in charge of running the ipod playing the ambient music could not make up their mind and kept changing songs in the middle. Â Extremely annoying.
I am embarrassed I so highly recommended this place to our group for dinner.
Oh, Red Room...
This place gets crowded on the weekends, like most places, but way better crowd (in general) than other places (...Motive). Cool atmosphere. Great service from waiters and everyone. The bartenders are friendly, but I prefer going during the weeknights like Thursday, great place to have a tasty cocktail (I like the Jean Grey!) and chill. Cucumber mojito is one of my faves too! They have a fun cocktail menu. Comfy lounge area. They play various types of music, but not much room for dancing. Food is yummy. New Dinner Menu out in June 2013! Also, chill downstairs area where you can smoke indoors, if that's your thing.
i was just thrown off by the people smoking under the "smoking prohibited indoors" sign....definitely won't be coming back.
not to mention that when asked if they had beer on tap, the bartender just blabed them off really fast, so i heard nothing instead of the usual "what kind of beer do you usually like"
either way all i got from this place was the smell of smoke on my gf clothes and mine...long drive over the hill...
Disclosure, never had their food so if you want to know how that is, look at another review. I've only been here for the bar scene which is pretty good. The crowd is pretty chill, lots of couches to relax, nice lightning. The prices for drinks are reasonable and it is pretty easy to actually order a drink. The bouncers are pretty chill, parking is easy, music is pretty good.
Review Source:This is by far one of my favorite restaurants in Santa Cruz. Whenever I visit, I come eat dinner at The Red Room. The food is always delicious. The drinks are fantastic. The waiters are usually very kind and helpful. The decor is old and reminds you of a speakeasy, and just adds a little romance in your life.
The last time I went I had a yummy cucumber mojito that was very refreshing!
To be honest the stars are mostly for the decor, and the iconic stamps you get on your wrist. I'm not one to be biased but both the red and the Red Room are not really the type of place where I would tell my friends "Hey! Let's go to the Red tonight". It sometimes has awkward club music but there's no place to dance. The bar is of course super packed and getting a beer takes forever. But hey, this is Santa Cruz so your options are slim as it is.
I like the Red Room downstairs because it's quirky and the music is better. A nice reminder of my undergrad days in SC for sure.
Nice chill atmosphere, Â good place to go grab a few cocktails and appetizers and just kick it! Â Our cocktail server (Carol Ann) Â was super sweet and helpful and actually knew her shit, Â from their extensive cocktail and food menu to the cool local bars to hit up! Â
All in all  I give the red room an A
Good place to get a drink. Â It was quite because of the rain outside which was nice because we could sit at the bar and order a drink. Â The Red room is very red indeed (red upholstery, red lights, and red candles). Â They have all the typical beer and liquor that I dive bar would have. Â There is a sign that says no smoking but every single person sitting at the bar was lighting up. Â Two stars automatically deducted for that. Â Otherwise a good dive bar to relax at and have good witty banter with your smoker friends.
Review Source:Ok, so this is "just a bar". But it's a cute, older established bar in Santa Cruz. . . Red room, a deep red hue lighting, and some cool locals chilling out on a nice evening in December. Our bartender was awesome, as she didn't flinch over my detailed drink request. Sometimes I will be very explicit at a bar just to see how they will react. . . She was perfect!
My fav. . . The big sign on the wall that states No Smoking Inside . . . Yet, if you don't care for smoke, you need to sit closer to the door. Â ;)
So often, people confuse the Red Room with the Red. The Red Room is the downstairs one and it literally is just a red room. It's pretty small. There's one bar that's pretty small too. Usually there's just one maybe two bartenders working.
If you're on a birthday bar crawl, this is one of those places where you MUST stop by. They have flaming dr peppers and that's what you would order if you were a new 21 year old. However, you better hope you're turning 21 on the day that the flaming dr pepper guy is working because if he's not there, it's just not as cool.... He blows fire at you!
came here for happy hour around 5ish, and there were NO CUSTOMERS in sight. We were only allowed couch area in front of the bar. granted, we went on a Sunday, but i mean, its still the weekend!!
i liked the set up though, very classy, vintage looking. The couches were soft and nicely worn in. i bet on a nice night, it would be really good for a drink after a date, to catch up and get to know each other (;
My group got a few beers, a calamari, marilyn monroe, amaretto sours, and ...an AMF LOL. The drinks were pretty cheap, the armaretto and the AMF were not on the happy hour list though. The calamari and the sauce that came with it were okay. Our waitress was really nice though, liked her.
and everything is red, hahaha. oh and be careful -- dont get too intoxicated. there are stairs leading up to the bar, dont wanna fall down these steps!
If you don't go to red room, no, scratch that, if you've never heard of the red room, you're not really a 21+ college student from UC Santa Cruz.
I love the Red Room so much, I even left my "I turned 21" mark at the red room with a bang as my last stop too (sorry).
They have good drinks that hit the spot and the price is reasonable. The atmosphere varies, but it is definitely lively and gets more and more so as the night progresses.
The Red Room definitely emulates Santa Cruz and is most definitely a staple of my college experience.
Go.
And get the truffle fries while you sip on that AMF.
Ahhh, The Red Room. I'd almost warn you to disregard my review because how accurate can a person whose been drinking really be? But I assure you, I've been here numerous times and I still find ways to be in love with it.
For Santa Cruz, the Red Room offers you a laid-back, lounge-like, sneaky, cozy, bar getaway where you can have a glass of champagne and your date can get a tom collins, while you hideaway in a dark corner in one of their many, many, comfy velvety couches. Think Mad Men meets Interview with a Vampire, but (and I WARN YOU!) add the rowdy undergrads, locals, and regular barhopping bros. People usually get pretty into this place, you know, done up, dressed up, doused in cologne - but I think it's a perfect place to get cozy with someone before taking them home (waaah - no she didn't!, lol).
The drinks are all reasonably priced, they have a huge selection and the bartenders are some of the most knowledgable in SC, they will make you anything you want and if they don't know they'll take tips. A favorite & worth the try is the Marilyn Monroe, which is champagne with a cherry and some other stuff, so much class!
Anyway, this place is great and if you can manage to get down the stairs at the end of your night, pat yourself on the back and go back.
I took a trip down memory lane last night when I visited my hometown (and college town), Santa Cruz.
In college, I was at the Red Room a few times a week, if not more. It was bad for a while. I was there so much, I got used to drinking two Long Island Ice Teas. And these weren't for pussies; they were in pint glasses. Â Yes, you heard me correctly. TWO. And I never barfed.
The place is dark and sceney with sort of 50's warn out furniture and mis-matched hideous art, so it wasn't exactly a slick-looking place to hang out, but it was just... cool. The decor is red (lights, walls, everything). My favorite color.
It was perfect for people watching. Everyone went there - from the dorks at College 8, to the wanna be philosophizers at Stevenson, to the art kids at Porter.
The music was LOUD. The soundtrack was always bumping. Â There was never any TP. But I loved it. And I bet you will too.
Red Room is def Santa Cruz...
Decor: RED. Everything is red. The lights, walls, chairs, restrooms, candles, etc. Everything. Is. Red.
Peeps: Def a hipster crowd with a sprinkle of non-hipsters. This place is super causal & divey-kinda.
Style: The style is kinda old school, reminds me a haunted/mystery house in a way because the restrooms are behind a door you'd never guess was there. If it didn't say where they were you'd never find them. Nothing is new, its def a worn in...vintage feel. Â A place where no ones going to trip if you aren't wearing a dress or the latest threads.
The place to be in Santa Cruz, to mingle with UCSC students and feel young and alive. It is a lounge, but don't expect spotless clean plush seating. It's grungy, has an old-world feel and the dim lighting helps make everyone look more appealing.
Beware of the overlapping carpets and rugs, not crunk friendly.
Came here on a random night while visiting my sister in law who is a UC Santa Cruz student. This place is really pretty, but definitely a college spot which means drunken obnoxiousness!
I spent my time upstairs and this place gets one star for the lounge; it's really pretty with nice arm chairs and it really is a Red Room! And I appreciated that they didn't have a dress code.
Also, one star for the beer selection, it's pretty extensive and I was surprised because I assumed it would be crappy beer for amateur-drinking college students who just want to get drunk and go for quantity of alcohol, not quality. However, this place had alot of beers to choose from and alot were nice micro-brews at a great price, so I was happy.
Another star for the bartenders because they were really nice even though the place was packed and there were hella people at the bar. As soon as we stood there, even though we were in the back of a group of people, someone came out from behind the bar and took our drink order and brought them to use within 3 minutes. So I really appreciated that. However, I will probably not come back here unless I want to reminisce on my drunken, obnoxious, and hoochie-fied college days.
There was a DJ and I didn't really like the music until around 12:30 when he started playing some good hip hop jams but then he was asked to stop at 1am because apparently the venue does not allow music after 1am. booo!
Very cool upstairs lounge: plush seating, fantastic beer list, old-world feel like turn of the century France (not that I would know, more like Moulin Rouge...).
My first suggestion to someone visiting Santa Cruz, and going out. I wish there was another lounge that felt similar closer to me (recommendations?).
I waited until my second trip back to write anything up on The Red.
I have friends that have been going here for a while and continually trying to get us to come out. So when I had the urge to head out of the house on a Thursday night and I was asked where I'd like to go, I suggested we get supper and drinks here.
Our group had 8 and we didn't make a reservation (which was apparently a bad move). In place of a table, we snagged a large couch and chairs in front of the fireplace, perfect for our needs.
Drinks were properly poured; I was happy with my Jamesons.
Everything that came out of the kitchen was great. Truffle fries should be on everyone's plate because they are incredible. I had a Johnny Cash burger; it was nothing short of amazing. Large patty, soft bread, full of flavor, not greasy.. great burger for the money.
Second time through I went for the chicken and waffles. GOOD CALL. The waffle, while fresh and made in the kitchen, was a little.. basic. Not bad, but it didn't really leap off the plate. The friend chicken on the other hand, ho boy.. Good good good. And boneless, no less!
If you're going on a Thur-Sat, expect a DJ, loud music, hipster boys and girls hawking for a bed buddy.. That aside, it's not like a highschool dance, but the crowd is younger. Or first night in the DJ was spinning old motown, doowop and R&B and it was great. Next night, 6-'s & 70's. Second night through we ate at around 10p, so the crowd was a little more rowdy.
If you're on a date, head in early. If you need late night chow after drinking, or wish to continue drinking, roll in whenever.
So, would've been 5 stars except they've recently made the incredibly inconvenient decision to become a CASH ONLY bar. Â Stupid. Â And, of course, I found this out after I ordered my drinks and noticed the ATM machine was BROKEN. Â Great...been coming to this bar for years, not expecting them to regress to a 1980s transaction policy. Plus they're so cheap they can't even give us a functioning ATM, and now I have to ask my friends to loan me cash. Â Almost walked out right then and there. Â Except my husband ran down the street to another ATM (on a freezing cold night) so that we could continue to hang at the Red Room.
Aside from that highly unfortunate feature, it's a really cool bar. Â Service is always prompt and friendly, drinks are solid and reasonably priced, smoking is allowed, good crowd, and of course--the sultry red lighting. Â For those reasons, Friday nights are simply better at the Red Room. Â Just remember to bring a pocket full of cash!
(This review is for The Red Room, which is downstairs. Â Not to be confused with Red Restaurant and Lounge upstairs)
Pretty interesting bar, it's called the Red Room and it literally is a red room. Once you get in, everything is lit up color red, dark and red.
It get's pretty stuffy in here and if you do not like the smell of cigarettes I suggest you go somewhere else. People smoke inside everywhere and the smell just lingers around in the air for the whole night.
The atmosphere of this place is pretty nice though. When they played some square dancing music, literally everyone in the bigger room got up and danced together simultaneously! Pretty chill and fun to watch. I would have to say this bar definitely has a different tone to it.
Come in and check this place out for yourself!
This bar has an old fashioned atmosphere with soft-spoken bartenders, heavy handed pours and a red lighting to match my Asian glow.
It's dirty, it's dingy and it's full of regulars who probably don't like you. There's no signage on either the upstairs or downstairs and it's pretty mellow most of the time. The bartenders know how to make everything pretty well (nice dirty Absolut martini, excellent whiskey sour) and a few specialty's I've never heard of (something called a "Flaming Dr. Pepper" )
It's a good, solid place. Not much to say about The Red other than that.
The heat from beneath my collar seeped out and slowly crawled over my red face. Â My heartbeat, which had been the slow rhythmic pounding of a bass drum, was now the rapid tapping of a snare drum. Â I felt a sweat droplet form and press against the roots of my hair. Â It grew until it finally dislodged and streaked down my right cheek, leaving a glistening trail. Â It came to a stop and dangled on the tip of my chin as I swallowed the ache in my throat. Â We stood there motionless, eyes locked, like adversaries on the battlefield. Â Her eyebrows rose to form deep arcs as she pursed her lips.
"Get out!" she said once again, her voice rattling the silent room.
I frantically glanced around at everyone. Â Luckily on a Sunday night there weren't many people there but I was the show of the moment. Â There were two college age girls sitting only a couple seats from me. Â I wondered if I would ever run into them on campus. Â They would point at me and laugh at the guy that got kicked out of a bar for using a fake ID. Â ...however... it was in fact a real ID and I was 22. Â In my first attempt to exonerate myself, I told the bartender to swipe my ID through the system, but they didn't have one. Â Then I tried to show her that everything in my wallet had the same name including credit cards, but she wanted a 2nd form of ID with a picture and birth date. Â Who carries that? Â I'm sorry, I didn't realize The Red Room had become an international airport. Â I'll remember to bring my passport next time.
The following day I talked to the owner, he was professional but not especially apologetic. Â He said it was an isolated incident but he allowed the bartenders to say the ID was fake if they felt something wasn't right. Â So.... the ID is real but she said it was fake because she didn't think my group LOOKED 21. Â I'm not short, or small, what then? Â I didn't let my beard grow out enough?? He called me later after speaking with the bartender... she told him she was confident there was something wrong because I was embarrassed when I was kicked out. Â You don't say. Â What kind of a tool am I if I wasn't embarrassed about getting kicked out of a bar, regardless of the reason. Â I lost it and accused him of allowing his bartenders to racially profile customers by letting them freely use the fake ID excuse. Â Yes, I went there. Â In the heat of the moment sometimes we blurt things out.
I vowed to not come back again if I could help it. Â This used to be my favorite bar, having celebrated my 21st there twice, once when I turned 21 at midnight and the next night after that. Â It would be 7 years before I walked through those old wooden doors again as one of my college housemates had a party in Santa Cruz recently and we stopped by. Â Not surprisingly, it looked exactly the same as I remembered it, down to the red Christmas lights, red leather furniture, even the placement of the cocktail tables in the front room. Â Overall my experience was ok, not getting kicked out was a huge plus obviously. Â Would I come back again? Â Maybe, but it still wouldn't be my first choice.
This is the place to be in Santa Cruz, and it might be the best bar in down town. Â The bar has really nice atmosphere with booths and couches. Â After being there over millions of time, i have finally gotten sick of the place....
I recommend going there on Tuesday and Thursday...
Tuesday = DJ with a dance floor, less crowded...
Thursday = Extremely crowded with college kids, you bump in to someone you know 99%
I've heard good things about their food. Their drinks are descent...You can smoke downstairs, which is pretty cool.
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WARNING: Fake ID, Do not even try, it never works there.
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Imagine going to UC Santa Cruz. Now take all the people you met, hooked up with, and wish you had never met at every single house/dorm party at Santa Cruz and put them in the Red Room. It is the place to be and the place you wish you did not go every weekend. Its seems that everyone you know and their friends goes to the Red Room, which makes this place an exciting and yet mundane bar, because the drinks, music, the people and atmosphere will all be the same.
Despite all this the atmosphere is pretty unique. Dark Red lights galore, DJ AM on Tuesdays, Rock, Hip-Hop playing in the background; its a little bit of everything. Although this place is often crowded, and waiting list form on weekends, I seldom hear that people actually have an amazing time here. Its gets pretty crowded, and its the same Santa Cruz faces, which makes the Red Room a difficult place to meet new people.
However, I will never forget the Red...Its truly on the things to do in Santa Cruz, and it is the ultimate hub for college students to gather.
Alright, for a long while I hated this place because it was too packed for my taste on Thursday nights. But after awhile, I realized there was a reason for that--it's because my friends all end up going here leaving the other bars empty and fairly dead! This has become the default bar for me to go to because it's pretty much guaranteed that you'll probably run into somebody that you know/recognize. Also, since my default drink is also Jack & Coke, I've also realized that they serve the cheapest ones here for $5.50, which isn't too bad. The bartenders are a hit or miss so some nights you'll get good drinks, and some nights you'll just wonder why you even went out to pay for your drinks.
On packed nights, this place can get a little uncomfortable because there's no walking room and if you come here with a group of friends, good luck finding a spot to sit so you can all have a good time together. But on more chilled out nights, it's a really nice spot to relax if you're able to get a seat. Also, they serve late night finger foods until midnight so that's pretty cool if you have cravings for fries or something. Oh, and because it's packed, they have a mini bar near the entrance so that you can buy your beers, shots, or simple drinks...very useful! (cash only though!)
Tuesdays are DJ nights. It's usually the same DJ every time--DJ AM. She plays the same top 40 over and over, and isn't the too hot at mixing so if you're coming here for good music, you may not find it. But if you just wanna just chill, or have a good time with your friends while possibly dancing your booties off, then this place is one of the better bars in Santa Cruz to do it at!
I think I come here way too much. Â I somehow always end up in the upstairs Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Â its not such a bad thing though, because this is THE spot to be.
Its the college kid oasis, with DJ AM spinning on Tuesdays so you can get your grind on with that random girl you'll awkwardly bump into the next morning on campus.
If you have a fake, don't even try. Â Sometimes I have trouble getting in with my legit ID.
It is really, really cold today, so I'm going to review a place that was always toasty and hope the memory warms my freezing fingers and toes.
This review is for the upstairs. I only went in the downstairs once and hated it because, at least when i was living in SC, they allowed smoking in the downstairs.
The upstairs is gorgeous. There is a two sided fireplace that you can see and feel from either side of it. There are tons of comfy places to sit, including what we used to call the VIP area, which is a fenced off sort of area with cushy couches and pillows. All the light is red. It's very womb-like. I have fallen asleep here more than once.
The drinks are expensive but they are really tasty and very strong, so I always considered them worth the price. The food I've had there is good too. They serve french fries with a vinegar dipping sauce that really hits the spot when you're buzzed and need some food to absorb the alcohol.
Late at night, this bar is for the younger folks. I went here all the time when I first became of legal drinking age, and that's who is there. I went back a year ago and felt ancient at the age of 24.
Minus one star for the ever-disgusting bathroom that never functions properly.
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