I went here because some friends were performing that night and I was immediately turned off by the rude doormen. Â I tried to shake it off but the tacky decor and obnoxiously loud atmosphere was killing the vibe even more. Â The waitress took forever to notice us and I am a very patient person. Â I worked in the hospitality industry for over 7 years so I know what it's like to be slammed however when the waitress is texting at the server bar and ignoring A LOT of people it gets frustrating. Â When the food arrived I was extremely disappointed. Â It seemed like it had been heated up in a microwave and tasted terrible. Â It's got to be bad if I won't eat it too....
The only way I would go back is if my friends were performing there again and I would be sure to eat somewhere else before I arrived.
I wanted to not like this place because they offer bottle service but that simply belies my Chicago upbringing and disdain the disdain I have for the Viagra Triangle.
So as it stands this place is solid. Â Decent drink menu and the food is interesting and tasty. True the dishes are bit more artsy and small than I was looking for but that seems to be the trend (too many cooking shows) Â so I won't hold that against them.
I had the ravens claws which were quite good but could have stood to have more cheese and thinner wrappers if only to bring out more flavor. They aren't hot at all but that may just be the fickle nature of today's jalapenos.
I also had the Tuesday special - $2 for 2 mini-tacos. Â Not bad but tasted much like ground be mixed with salsa.
The espresso is good and coffee is mediocre.
The bartenders and owners are amusing or cool - both acceptable.
The trivia (Tuesdays) was difficult to hear near the door (my fault) and the questions were of medium difficulty which basically means I got half right.
I'm going with 4 stars because I'd definitely go back and hang. to try the other dishes.
My bestie and I went in there on a Saturday night. The live music was awesome! We found two seats right at the bar. Â The drink menu was pretty cool because it was available on an iPad.
The only thing we could have done without were the unwelcoming comments from the door security. Â Believe it or not, girls don't need to be hit on to come back to the bar...
You can talk about loving the atmosphere and a lounge feeling, but the food is the real deal. It's over the top for Benicia California.
My personal favorite, so far, is the Crab Cake Tapas. Wow! Unexpected flavors and textures served in a very appealing way. I should have taken a picture. The next time it's sliders or the chicken. Â Both were recommended by other customers.
We made two tapas choices off the cool  I-Pad menu and shared them. Initially, when we ordered I thought it wouldn't be enough food to make it feel like a full meal. I was wrong.
We had a house Relic Chardonnay and Relic Cabernet as an experiment. It was a good one I would recommend to any wine lover.
We'll be back soon, with friends. :O)
I've been here a few times for organized events. Â It's very, very loud and difficult to hold a conversation sometimes, which may be a turn off for some. Â The crowd seems to be a bit older (like 40's). Â Being in Benicia, it seems like a very safe and chill atmosphere. Â Nice place mostly, but I have to take a star away for the plate of raw chicken wings we got.
Review Source:This bar is fantastic. Thier drinks are top shelf and high octane. The moscow mule is really the best I have ever had. Its a classy place and has none of that Bro vibe. The staff is super cool and they have a really great laid back vibe  They also do a swing dancing night once a month there with this Dj group called the The Speakeasy Syndicate. Those guys are amazballs.I've never had so much fun. I reccomend this bar 100%. Make it out to Benicia and try this place..
Review Source:The Rellik is a great place for events! Very cool atmosphere and decor. Â The food is awesome from their new kitchen and the service is great. I just had a 60th birthday party there and it was so much fun. Â The owner is the perfect host and the bartenders and staff were great. Â This is a great way to go if you don't want to spend an arm and a leg on a special event! Â We had an open bar all night and a ton of food and it was very reasonable. Â We had about 40 guests and everyone had a great time. Oh, and they always have good entertainment.
Review Source:The Rellik is the best addition to Benicia since its doors opened. The Rellik has a friendly diverse crowd with an event happening almost every night from open mic night, to trivia Tuesdays, to DJ Thursdays, to live bands, to outside entertainment, to make your own bloody mary Sundays. Appetizers are delicious and most of the cocktails are signature to the Rellik.
Review Source:Love the ambiance: Â cozy sofas & seats, warm lighting, beautiful decor & ever-changing art displays on the wall, welcoming employees, great drink selection, very clean.
I enjoy going in the morning to get work done when I don't feel productive working out of the home. Grab the laptop, cell phone & go! It's quiet, has coffee & pastries, TVs and wi-fi (although it sometimes is hard to get onto the network, that's the only downfall). Â I wish it were open every morning.
Evenings are good too, but weekends get a little crowded. Even so, LOVE IT! I'm glad Benicia finally has a place like this. Reminds me of some neighborhood places in my hometown - San Francisco.
Can't believe it took so long for me to discover this fabulous Tavern. Â
Love it!
Try the  Moscow Mule - Stoli Vodka, lime juice, ginger beer
They make their own ginger beer!
Tom was our Bartender and he was so super friendly. Â
This place is cozy, quaint and they have a great Beer on tap selection!
After eating brunch at Lucca's i decided to continue taking my best friend out for her bday. Â What better way to start the day then with a drink! =) Â Bartender was pretty cool, the drinks were good and they have a patio in the back for smokers. Private room area to rent out.. which is pretty cool. Â The German Birthday Cake was tasty and got us a bit tipsy after a few Moscow Mules. Â I'd come visit here again.
Review Source:I don't recommend the food. Â They claim their food isn't fried but it probably just isn't fried THERE. It's probably fried then frozen and warmed up there. It seems super processed and not very good at all.
The drinks were good and they have a good beer selection. Â Lots of comfy couches. Â They had a VIP room that was empty the night I was there with someone standing guard outside (huh?)
They censored the band for sexual themes however all the waitresses are wearing corsets and super low shirts with mega push up bras - I don't get it - we're all adults, right?
The good things:
Best craft beer selection in Benicia, hands down.
A dress code with legit bouncers that keep the overflow from Vallejo to a minimum.
Nice, clean atmosphere with comfy couches.
One of the best store-bought cheesecakes I've ever had!
The bad things:
The crowd in here is mostly over 50 (lots of relics??) literally the whole night, not just an early bird crowd like most of the other bars.
The live bands are so loud you can't hear yourself think, much less anyone talking to you. Plus the bands usually aren't fantastic. I'm all for supporting local musicians... until 9 or 10pm, then put on Pandora or a DJ.
They are usually understaffed, so trying to get a drink on a Friday or Saturday is very tough, and their waitstaff isn't very nice.
All in all, I'd rather go to Rookies or Lucca than the Rellik. I LOVED this place when it first opened and you could actually dance to current music without running into your parent's friends. I get that they've found their niche in town, but its certainly not me!
I think I've been here far too many times to make it a Coincidence.
Either out of sheer boredom or a hard days works or a place to kick it with my friends.
It provides a cool atmosphere especially for those in the Vallejo/Benicia Area.
I have a love hate relationship with this place, because sometimes
the staff can be Bipolar a bit, and even the people this place attracts
can be either to Ghetto, too old, or too Snooty, etc.
(Then again If i'm writing this review you probrably think i'm one of the above)
I think with this place you get exactly what you look for a place where it seems
no age range is safe. Because you never know what your going to get.
I like Thursday Nights, the Music from the Dj(s) are always a good way to prepare me
for My weekends, so put on your dancing shoes for that.
The Wait staff is good the waitress are alwatys cute, friendly, and wearing corsettes.
I truthfully would rather deal with them over the some of the "non eye-contact-ignore you unless you look rich" bartenders, given it does depending on the night.
Enough with the Bashing...Because I would love to LOVE THIS PLACE...BUT....
We WONT GET INTO THAT!!!!!
The decor is nice, AND depending on the bartenders
the drinks are good, okay priced, my drink of choice "Absinthe" I love it, and plan to drown in it when I can.
The t.v.s are nice but not good enough to watch sports games.
(That's what "Rookies" is for!) The sofas are stylish and sexy,
but I wonder if they have been cleaned?!!?
This Place is my Mcdonalds for Bara/Lounges.
You know its probrably not good for you, but you go to it because its Convenient. :/
Hrmm. I've been to a tavern before. Like, a really nice tavern. A tavern, this place is not. This would be more of a lounge. Don't let the sign outside fool you. If you're expecting a quiet night with a pint, you're in for something different. That's not to say that's a bad thing... BUT you may be expecting something different, based on the name.
I reallllly want to like this place. The decor is actually very nice and it's quite clean in here. However, this place is located in Benicia. While there's nothing wrong with that, the next town over is Vallejo. If you're not really ready for a night of dealing with a bit of spillover from some of Vallejo's unsavory crowd, well, your night is not going to be that much enjoyable.
The drinks prepared here are standard fare. Nothing spectacular in execution, with no cocktail I can remember that wowed me. Rum & cokes tend to be a bit bi-polar in nature. One comes out, it's too sweet. Another comes out, bartender when nuts on the rum. And I love rum, so that's unfortunate. Tom collins were okay, but again, nothing out of the ordinary. Same goes for an Americano and other cocktails i've tried here, ad nauseum and so forth.
Semi-friendly staff, though there are times when I feel like the waitresses forget about me.
Overall, not a very memorable place for me. If I have a group of friends going here, i'll probably tag along for kick-it's sake. However, i'll probably offer up the extra gas money to head over the bridge to somewhere nicer.
I went to the Rellik with a band that was playing a show there on tour. Being a little on the country side, from a small town in podunk Washington, it was a little intimidating to walk into such a fancy looking establishment. Where we come from, there are bar stools and tables with half the varnished chipped away, not fancy red couches against the wall.
The people, however, treated us nicely and the crowd was amazing! More people got on their feet and danced to the music at this show than possibly any of the 60+ shows I've gone to with this particular band. The drinks were delicious and the crowd was very generous with their band tips and merch purchases (I was selling merch for them).
The only downside, and I didn't even let it keep me from giving 5 stars, is that the drinks are very expensive, and the band was only comped 1 free drink per person. In the sticks, where we come from, it's pretty common for the band to get all-you-can drink PBRs, but this is not that kinda place.
Out of the blue at 10PM my good friend Geraldine took me to Rellik's. Â Whoah, there were people there on a Monday night.
We had the cheese plate with Cypress Grove Humboldt Fog (stiff), German Cambozola Blue, Laura Chenel's Che'vre (creamy) & English Derby Sage (a white cheddar).  Really tasty & inexpensive.  The Rellik Amber Ale is a good basic amber ale.  Place is spacious & staff rocks: informative and very pleasant  & one could sleep on the couches they are so comfy.
Looking forward to the events. Â Tuesday's Taco Bar - we're there.
I think it's great to have a local bar/lounge close to my hometown that doesn't require me to cross a bridge/pay toll. Several friends have talked about this place that I had to check it out over the holidays when I was home visiting. My cousins and I spent a chill Monday night at this place and enjoyed ourselves thoroughly. Being a Monday, it wasn't too busy and we scored a couch area near the front door. Its lounge vibe with TVs playing sports was the perfect casual night we were looking for. For the smokers, the outdoor smoke patio is actually enclosed and had heat lamps that kept the cold night air away.
Being a fan of mules, I saw they made their own mule concoction. Their specialty drinks in general are on the expensive side for a divey bar in a small town ($8-10). They made the mule with housemade ginger beer, which was good, but it was missing bitters, so it didn't taste quite as I expected. They are known for their cosmos, which I tried and were standard to ones I've tried before. I also tried their caipirinha which was a-ok. I stuck with my usual Jameson/ginger ale at that point.
Bartenders were cool, but since the place started getting busy, the two of them seemed a little swamped. We ordered appetizers to munch on and were bummed that they didn't have a couple of the menu items we wanted.
I'd definitely stop by again with friends if I was looking for a place close to home with a casual vibe that isn't the usual Applebees/Chevys bar crowd.
Do you consume the occasional cocktail? Â Does stuffing your face with unlimited free tacos sound like a perfect Tuesday evening? Â Perhaps beer tickles your fancy?
Well my taco loving, alcohol consuming friends: Taco Tuesdays may be the answer to all of your wildest fantasies. Â At the very least the Rellik (on Tuesdays) is a place to gorge yourself on semi-decent tacos and drink until they taste magnificent.
This bar has an ego that would shame Kanye West. The bartenders seem to not see you when you're right in front of them and the crowd seems... I don't like saying this word, but "snooty." The whole atmosphere seems generally unwelcoming. On top of that, the last time I went, the bartender gave himself an $8.50 tip for one drink... and not just to me, but to my friend as well... (I remember him being the old guy, so use cash or avoid him altogether)
The decor is bold with a lot of seating and the bathrooms are always clean. Major problem: The drink prices seem to sky rocket when a particular bartender  decides to tip himself more than the drink is worth.
There aren't many choices for nightlife in the Vallejo/Benicia area, so I've ended up here just a few times; but I'd be surprised if I end up back here again, that is unless I've already had a few drinks and somebody else makes the decision.
Oh the Rellik, the local yokel watering hole. I swore to myself I wouldn't write a review for this place because then it would implicate that I've actually been here. But alas, I find myself writing the review nonetheless.
It's supposed to be an upscale bar, but having a few couches and a few flat screen TVs doesn't necessarily make you upscale. It just makes you a bar with a few couches and a few flat screen TVs. But don't get me wrong, the ambience is actually pretty nice and I suppose compared to other places in Benicia it is fairly classy (though I wouldn't know, as this and The Chill are the only bars I've been to in this area). The interior has nice decor and it does give the feel of a classier bar, but nonetheless, it's still a bar.
I will admit, I do enjoy grabbing the occasional beer or cocktail here on a Thursday or Friday. It's conveniently located and the prices are pretty fair, not cheap but not terribly expensive. Although when I think about it being a bar in Benicia and not SF, yea ok I take it back, I would say the cocktails are kind of pricey. Beer is fairly priced though.
Bonus points to The Rellik for having my favorite beer on tap: Blue Moon :)
Quick pros: Pretty consistently clean bathrooms. And the servers are usually fairly quick and friendly.
Con: No Happy Hour! I would probably give them at least an extra 0.5 stars if they had a good happy hour, but sadly they do not.
It's a pretty relaxed setting so it's a nice place to grab a drink and catch up with a friend or two, or to just have a chill night out without paying bridge toll.
And bonus, if you're a Benician, you always have the option of walking home if necessary. ...not that I've ever done that. haha.
The Rellik is a far cry (in a good way) from any other bar in Benicia. The bartenders are absolutely top-notch mixologists, expeditious and always courteous. Management is always around making quality control is a top priority. There is ample seating throughout the venue and the clientele is extremely diverse -- both in character and age.
It's amusing to me to hear some of the complaints below regarding "expensive drinks".  Ever heard of the term, "you get what you pay for"? All of their juices are FRESH squeezed...fresh OJ, fresh grapefruit juice - they even make their own sweet & sour from fresh lemon/lime juice. Their well vodka is Skyy - not some cheap crap. As for their "expensive" martinis - they're around $9-11 for a DOUBLE shot serving in  a large martini glass with premium ingredients. When you order a beer, it's served in a standard English pint (over 19 ounces) as opposed to a 16 ounce pint glass you'll find in other bars.  $5 for 19+ ounces of Irish cider?? I'll take it.
I for one, will gladly pay a little extra for consistency in quality, ambience, premium ingredients and excellent service. Â When you go to a restaurant, a reasonable person wouldn't expect to pay the same price for a sirloin as you do a filet mignon....so comparing Rellik to other bars in the area is completely irrational.
Kudos to the Rellik and crew for bringing an establishment of this caliber to Benicia - we were long over due!
First of all, I have to thank Erik U and Lydia B for introducing Jac C and me to The Rellik. Â Until last Friday our visits to Benicia were limited to Valentine's Day for dinner at Captain Blythers. Â
Downtown Benicia is super cute. Â It was especially busy on Friday night because of the Holiday Open House and Tree Lighting. Â We missed that fun but we arrived for drinks at The Rellik. Â
They have an extensive cocktail menu. Some of them seem a bit pricey at $10+ but their drinks pack a punch and most people will be fine with only one or two.
I started with the champagne martini (vodka, cointreau, float of champagne - $7)  It was very smooth and a nice "not as sweet" option.  For my second drink I ordered the schnozberry martini. (sake, raspberries, ? - $10)  It wasn't on the menu but had been a featured drink when they had a Super Troopers movie night a few weeks prior. (<a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.urbandictionary.com%2Fdefine.php%3Fterm%3Dschnozberries&s=00eba427d2d14c3b6dcdb0856913e2e82a8a27316ec3a852241a6844c1753ce7" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.urbandictiona…</a>) It was like dessert in a glass.  I don't normally like sweet drinks but this one was delicious and very easy to drink. It was a nice balance of tart and sweet.
I look forward to returning on a quieter evening and trying some of their other specialty cocktails.
Coffee Bar by day....Tavern by night!
What?! Â I haven't reviewed Rellik yet? Â Shame on me. Â Let's review it!
I'm not from Benicia. Â Been married to a Benician woman for 13 years though. Â Sounds exotic! Â Despite this, we've never really spent anytime together on first street. Â So, I had no point of reference. Â Judging from the "PastTime" demo remnants, Rellik was a dramatic improvement! Â Slick, contemporary, and clean from floor to ceiling! Â I loved the flat-screens across the wall above the bar as well the color fading spirits wall.
Place is still newer and people seem to love it! Â Very busy, but our server kept us taken care of for the duration. Â They had a full bar along with a menu with specials and specialties. Â There also was a flier with listed events, regular events upstairs, and a relatively honored dress code. Â
The only thing I really didn't like was the pathway to the restrooms in the back. Â It was a bit to clogged with people and should be dealt with better during busy times. Â Parking was a bit scarce too. That's it though. Â I really loved it there.
If you're in Benicia on a Friday or Saturday night, you really need to stop by.
I was exploring through my parents attic and I came across a little tattered box. Â It had a tarnished little latch on the front. I flicked my finger under the latch and slowly opened the lid. Â It creaked and moaned but as I peeled it back, the inside revealed a secret gem. Â The roof of the box was lined with a lovely block pattern, the back with a shiny mirror...a tiny ballerina circled in front of the mirror. Â As the last soft note subsided she slowly laid to rest upon the tiny metal bar.
This bar (Rellik) used to be Pastime...and from what I've heard it was dirty, dingy and tattered. Â The outside still hints of days past in this mature little downtown but the inside is captivating and new. Â Plush furniture, deep colors, a handsome brick wall is paralleled by shiny mirrors of the bar. Â A central column that is back lit by a color changing orb, makes the bottles seem to come alive. Â The ceiling is stamped with sophistication.
I couldn't help thinking about that little jewelery box I had once found.
The servers were all very nice and they were well staffed and ready for the busy crowd. Â They ran out of a few things and the drinks are kind of pricey. No hats* or baggy clothes and collared shirts for the guys are a must. Â Other than that, you will see anything and everything under the sun. Â I completely enjoyed myself and re-connected with one of the coolest girls I knew in highschool. Â We lost touch for 15 years and it was so awesome to find each other back in the town we both grew up in.
At times, it got a bit loud and it was tough to hear even the person sitting right next to you...but..it is a bar. Â All in all, I had a great time. Â This is a great little spot for Benicia.
*Apparently there are certain exceptions. Â A guy that must have been 6'5 and weighed 275+ came in with this hat on backwards. Â I questioned, "I thought there were no hats allowed in here."
The only reply was, "You ask him to take it off." :P
4 and a 1/2 Stars...
Ok, my opinion has DEFINITELY changed. Â The customer service has really improved. Â Kudos to Eduardo who really went above and beyond to make me a believer. Â And to the owners...right on! Â I came to The Rellik tonight hoping for a better experience and that is exactly what I got. Â The staff was great, Eduardo was great, the owner came and chatted with us about the drinks and where he found them and the history of the different vodkas. I loved it! Â He was excited to talk to us about the different drinks on the menu and was glowing that this was his date night out with his wife. Â
If you come to The Rellik, try the Lychee martini. Â It is incredible. Â It reminds me of my grandmother in the summer. Â She would put lychees in a bowl with ice cubes. Â We would hang out on the lawn and munch on them. Â It is my favorite memory of summer and the Lychee martini at the Rellik brought me back there.
 I really respect what they are trying to do here.  I think that some change is good.  I think Benicia needed a place like this.  Even though I may not come here all the time, I can appreciate the atmosphere they are trying to achieve.  And though many of us natives aren't used to a place like the Rellik, we really don't have to come here (although we can't seem to stay away).  There are a lot of people who are really into it.  So, in conclusion...The Rellik is great for Benicia.  We all want a swanky place to hang out and shmooze.  If we want to be rowdy, we'll go somewhere else...but something tells me that we will keep coming to the Rellik to "check it out"...I know I will.
My review is for 3.5 stars.
We went by O'Leary's first for our first drink, since we knew Sonia would be working and got our usual Long Island (Sonia makes it the best!) which was soooo Yummy!
Anyways, I digress..so for our 2nd and 3rd drink we headed over to Rellik to check it out. First impression, with the black suited body guards and bouncers is What the heck??? But, they do have a cool, license scanner, which tells them your age on a digital screen! Not, so cool if you are using a fake ID, so beware...but being towards the 25-30 age, I like seeing their faces when they see how old I really am!
Ambiance is very nice and different from anything on 1st Street. Having just come from O'Leary's and $5.50 Long Islands, we opened the menu and we shocked to see the pricier cocktails...Our waitress was very nice and accomodating and so we settled for cranberry and absolut vodka which came out to $5 each! score!
They give you little dish of mixed nuts and wasabi peas which was great! Love the wasabi peas!
The smoking patio is cute, they even have a flat screen tv out there! Cool!
When we went out for our second smoke break, the owner was out there. We wouldn't had known if my girlfriend hadn't pointed it out to us. To say the least, he didn't smile or even ask us how our evening was going, or if we liked the place.  I would have thought he was just a  regular customer.
So, thumbs down for that. Especially in Benicia, which is a tightly knit community. If you want repeat customers, then you gotta be friendly. I don't care if you have the cutest bar on the block! I will gladly take my business back to O'Leary's for their down to earth, friendly, accomodating customer service! That's what u need if you want your business to survive and thrive in these times!
The 5 best restaurants in the 2015 Denver Restaurant Week
3,611 Views | Category: Denver
The complete list of 2015 Denver Restaurant Week businesses
1,972 Views | Category: Denver
The tourists' guide to Portillos: 5 must have dishes
3,318 Views | Category: Chicago
Pho = Pronounced "fuh" not "foe" for pho-king sake
2,915 Views | Category: Denver
Indulgery selected to exhibit at Collision Conference
2,987 Views | Category: Press Releases
Not Logged In
BUSINESSES
Local Businesses
Near Me
My Favorites
SOCIAL
Blog & News
MY ACCOUNT
Login
Register
Contact Us
Add Your Business
