This is what I would call a 'bar bar'. Â Hmm that doesn't seem to make much sense. Â But I mean it isn't a sports bar, not a dog bar, not a hippie bar. Â It is rock n roll, stools, pool tables, if-you-drop-something-on-the-floor-for-gods-sake-Âleave-it, dark drinkers bar. Â
I like coming here - there is always a great mix of people in the crowd. Â Mostly older (for Noda) which I like. Â Some of the other Noda bars can get too young and silly for us old folks.
The bartenders are super fast and always have an eye on the crowd. Â There are also tables for you to sit with your friends on the side. Â
It is just for drinks (but they do have snacks like chips you can buy behind the bar!) Â I always know what to expect here - drinks and conversation. Â A nice change from the usual places.
Noda is always a fun neighborhood and this place really shows the essence of the area in my opinion.
Grafetti (sp) walls and cool artwork abound. Â Characters galore and plenty of people watching to do here. Â We popped in for a few drinks so I can't say I've spent a ton of time here but I could certainly see myself hanging out here for a live music performance and maybe just a chill evening out.
Divey, small place, homemade look. And it has skee ball tables. I don't know why, but I like that. I'm now in the market for some skee balls and a case. You know how badass pool players walk in to a place with their own stick and case, and you know they are a bad mofo? Well that's gonna be me with skee balls at the Sanctuary. I'm thinking a mahogany skee ball with inlaid brazilian walnut. Also probably a skee ball that is actually a real crystal ball from a gypsy I killed for no reason and there's a little bit of her blood on the skee ball. This lets people know I came to win.
Anyway, the bartender was chill, friendly, and served us right away even though I didn't have a beard. Note, 78% of male patrons at the Sanctuary have beards. If you want to fit in here, grow a beard. If you can't grow a beard, dress like a woman. Everyone is drinking heavily here, and if you wear a short skirt, people won't notice you are a man, and they will still like you even though you grow facial hair like a bitch.
The Sanctuary is the definition of a dive bar, and being in the heart of NoDa and right beside the Neighborhood Theatre, the already eclectic crowd can quickly turn into throngs of people on the night of a big show or gallery crawl. Â The alcohol is cheaply priced and the bar food comes from Beaudroux's menu (and kitchen). Â As mentioned previously, the boys behind the bar can sling libations with the best of them! Â Inbetween drankin' and people watching, play your favorite tunes on the jukebox (these can be as eclectic as the crowd, so you can really feel safe playing anything your heart desires), shoot some pool, or do a little bowling on the Wii in the back.
One note I have to make is that I am thankful for the No Smoking policy in bars solely for Sanctuary. Prior to this law taking effect, I have literally walked in looking for a friend and walked out within 5 minutes and my clothes still smelled like the butt in the bottom of an ash tray!
Either way, this is a great dive bar to go to for an interesting and relaxed night out!
Ryan Adams "The Bar is a Beautiful Place" lyrics:
I hang my head down on Uptown
'Cause either way you look down it's just stars
And I'm making my way down to NoDa
To get drunk in a bar
And I know my friends, they worry about me
I can see it written on their face
Despite anything that I said before
The bar is a beautiful place. . . . sha na na na, sha la la la la.
So if you're looking to forget all that Uptown glitz and show, this is the most real place in all of Charlotte.
Review is for drinks only-
Came in Wednesday night - we had the most friendly bartender ever. 1/2 price wine night- but the wine we ordered was a little icky (odd temp) but hey this is more of a beer dive bar anyway. The guys gave us a free dessert too since they said they put one in by accident. Awesome music selection and an all around good time.
They also had a pool table. I would definitely go back!
I haven't visited in a few months (see aforementioned preggo issues), but I used to consider this bar one of my favorites. Â It definitely has a nice divey feel (but not grimy) and a good number of pool tables. Â I've had some fun times sitting at the bar and chatting it up with the bartender and regulars--and I've had nothing by great service here (although I do think I tended to visit on less busy weeknights). It's definitely rocking a scene (i.e. not fratty), and that's exactly what I like about it.
Review Source:Dive bar..........which can be a compliment........if..........you don't add in the attitude that "outsiders" or "non-locals" are not welcome. Â In addition you don't ignore folks that aren't regulars when trying to get a drink.
I mean in a recession like this, particularly in a town like Charlotte, I'd think a bar would be happy to see anyone in there establishment. Â Not so for The Sanctuary, which probably speaks to the regulars that go there because the treatment I got at the bar was terrible. Â I'm not sure they do that to keep is a Sanctuary for the regulars, but if they do it is working............and if they don't, it is still working.
I do like the bar....initimate, dark.....interesting set of people...1 pool table....stacks of beer boxes along the wall. Â It has a lot of character, but it is the staff that makes this some place and due to their terrible service and unpleasant attitudes a place I won't frequent again. Â I think the Dog Bar dogs have more class than the bar here.
I guess you would call the Sanc NoDa's response to a dive bar. Â When I first moved near the hood back in 2006, Sanctuary was still one of the art galleries in NoDa. Â And one of the last shows was of a father and son art duo that had rented the space for a few months and used the walls to have a back and forth graffiti conversation that still adorns the walls of the bar today.
It is the minimalist approach to what you need in a bar. Â Plywood and steel pipe framed seating runs along one wall with the bar on the opposite side.
This is where all the wait staff from all the other NoDa bars go when they are not working, so everyone knows everyone and it is extremely laid back.
Alex and the rest of the bar staff know there stuff and sling beers and shots with the best of them. Â The current $1 short and $2 tall Miller High Life is perfect for the budget drinker.
There are video games and two pool tables to keep you and your friends occupied while enjoying the buzz of conversation and digital jukebox.
There is one unisex restroom tucked in between the video games, but there are separate usually very clean ones down the hallway of the adjacent Boudreaux's Louisiana Kitchen space.
And it has been a lot easier to patronize this joint since Charlotte went smoke free. Â Its truly a breath of air. Â It doesn't always have to be fresh...
But be a little wary, this is also a stop for professional level drinkers. Â So you get a mix of those already tanked looking to finish a night and those looking to start a night of getting tanked.
Something abut The Sanctuary keeps drawing me back. It's a very NoDa place and I always feel at home there.
The bar feels very industrial with marble slabs for seats and finished wood planks for tables. A graffiti mural covers one wall while work by local artists hangs on another. You can play Wii Sports or Wii Play there, and they have a pool table.
The British bartender makes a mean mojito (though they're not always available), and The Sanctuary also serves a late-night menu of tasty Boudreaux's food.
My only complaint: Around 11 pm, they always seem to turn on heavy metal at full volume. You go from having a normal conversation with a friend to screaming at the top of your lungs.
Hands down best dive hangout in the NODA district. Â It sits directly beside the Neighborhood Theatre and I come here before and after every concert. Â Its nice because ninety-percent of everyone else there is a music fan, and the last time I made a visit the members of Incognito Mosquito (great band, classification: Schitzo Jam) were throwing back some beers after their show. Â
I like to sit on the grungy little plywood booths held up by metal pipes that make for great footrests. Â I can't remember his name for the life of me, but the British bartender is a riot! Â He's not the only one though, everyone that works here as always seemed to be in high spirits. Â
There is a fun graffiti collage toward the back of the bar that is definitely worth checking out.
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