Ostensibly a staple dive bar in Ventura, Sans Souci is more a hipster joint as much as it's a beloved hole in the wall bar. It attracts an enclave of local hipsters who're sometimes territorial and confrontational. The first time I went, I was treated like a member of the community, and patrons and bartenders were friendly; the second time, I was told that it's a 'locals only' bar and any outsiders should "watch their backs!" with bartenders rolling their eyes when I ordered a beer. I don't know if it was me and the absence of a handlebar mustache, but I don't remember being bellicose or rude to anyone.
The reason I'm giving it three stars is because it does bring in some local bands to play. The quaint bar area with two sofas may not be large enough to hold in a large audience, but the bands that play are actually pretty good.
Sans Souci has a mercurial crowd that makes going a risk: should I risk being judged and harassed by locals? Depends on how many drinks I have before I go in.
Why are you guys calling this a dive bar? Â It is a hipster bar, masked as a dive bar.
Anyway...
I don't know how I feel about a bar that advertises itself as 'Ventura's Premier Dive Bar'. Â Being put-off by their sign upon entering, I'm sure my review is extra-critical. Â For that, I apologize:
We came across Sans Souci on our trek to Main Street after enjoying a few specialty cocktails at Eric Ericsson's. Â It looked nice and dirty and cobblestoney from the outside, so we decided to check it out. Â I think our visit was around 5:00pm on a Friday, so it wasn't crowded quite yet. Â In fact, most of the patrons (mid-thirties, righteous, unshowered types) were hanging out on the front patio, smoking Camels and waving their hands around a lot. Â We ordered a couple vodka-cranberries and settled at a table in the corner. Â No music was playing in the bar, so I felt it was my duty to serve as DJ for my twenty minute stay. Â Nobody was responsive to my Warrant, Skid Row, or even Three Dog Night selections. Â You guys suck. Â I'm drunk.
The salmon and Indian food-hating bartender at Paddy's also recommended we check out Sans Souci after communicating to him our affinity for dive bars.
Pass.
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Have been in there so many times and it is RARE that someone greets you or let alone takes your order. I will be sitting at the bar for minutes and have to aggressively ask the bartender if he/she is working...etc. I hate that. Went in there Friday night and there were two bartenders. Stood there for a few minutes and nothing. Won't be back!
Review Source:Yes, it's a dive. Yes, the regulars may be a little "rough around the edges." Yes, there are only a few single-person bathrooms for the whole place.
Yes... it is my favorite watering hole in the area so far. Great, friendly bartenders, great, friendly regulars and a great vibe. Way prefer it over other nearby spots.
heres what i love about this place...the entrance has a large smoking patio with a giant tree growing in the middle of it but everytime i walk inside i find myself surrounded by a bunch of pseudo hipsters in an overcrowded bar. the reason why this place has so many bouncers is because all of the regulars at "the sewer" (which is a very appropriate nickname) thrive in dramatic situations and will start fights with almost anyone they feel threatened by. i wouldn't recommend this place to anyone, you would be better off in a real sewer with four turtles and a rat...at least maybe they have better pizza than jimi slice.
Review Source:I think that having 3 loser bro security guys at the front, making comments about people's I.D.s and attempting to flirt when my HUSBAND is with me is super rude and unflattering. The place has the potential to be a cool local joint but it smells of sweat, is so tiny that 20 people can barely move around, and their beer, pretty white trashy, is wayyyyy overpriced! Will not be back. Lots of better places to take my business. Oh and I was in a party with a ton of people, so you lost lots of potential business.
Review Source:Good dive bar. Â It knows what it is and embraces it. Â Includes a smoker-friendly outdoor courtyard. Â Beware though, there is a short, fat and reversed cross-eyed bouncer that is salivating for trouble. Â I've watched him screw with people at the door without provocation and walk through people, nearly knocking them over, without warning. Â To the owner(s) - fire this moron!
Review Source:The Best Dive Bar in Ventura... by far...
Best Bartenders hands down ;)
Best drinks : (ask about the bloody mary with the bacon) $5 Tall cans of PBR.. A shot of Tullamore Dew and a tall can of Rolling Rock for $8.. they also have a special or they make one up right there.... it's cool...
Best decor/courtyard
People are SUPER friendly... best regulars ever... u wanna chill out and have a good hard drink and then laugh your ass off and meet your new bff.. head down to the "sewer" night or Day.... they open at NOON!!!
I love this bar.
Did I mention music 24/7.. usually starts around 9p...
Dammit - I think I may be in love! Â
No cover;
+Live band playing fun covers of Van Morrison, Johnny Cash and the Clash;
+HUGE, awesome smoking patio out front;
+Fun, eclectic crowd - Â mostly of the punk rock/rockabilly scene, but in general alternative types, nice mix, age and race wise - tons of fucking hot menfolk (for the ladies) and plenty of lovely ladies, though I can't speak for anyone's available-ness;
+No one copped attitude, no pretentious dipshits, no haters, no groping drunks, no bitchy, unfriendly chicks.
The restroom was a little sketchy, being upstairs and all - how many drunk people have fallen over the balcony railing or down the damn narrow-as-hell stairs, one has to wonder?? And, they are shared - so ladies, there was rarely a line, however, you may have to deal with a post-male piss-mess encounter...
They do take credit cards, but I'd like to say that you may have more fun bringing cash so you don't have to 1.) worry about an open tab or 2.) wait for the authorization and sign.
The bartenders were quick about it and nice while doing it; bouncer was not shaking folks down for stupid shit.
At the end of the night, randoms from other bars came here, making the people mix, ummm, interesting - but not terrible - it did however bring some drunken groppers (eww).
I had an AWESOME time at this place, YAY!
OHhhhhhhhhh san souci.. how much character can one dive bar provide. Great place to slam beers and get shitty and rock out. Shannon the bartender is the most kindest person ive encountered in Ventura. Great live bands. Great  smoking area.  and they pay good if your playing live there. all around good joint.
Review Source:After just moving to Downtown Ventura, and hoping to find a place within walking distance of home, we happened upon Sans Souci. We were there in the quiet early evening weeknight and only a handful of people were there. Service was good. Drinks were great. Prices were reasonable. Ambiance was dark and grimy, which is often just what we want. Good jukebox. Nice bartender. Right down the street from home. Glad we found it. Had no idea Downtown had a place with such a funny mythology (reading all the "legend of the dive bar fights" reviews). Maybe I'm jaded, I used to tend bar at a biker blues bar in Colorado. This place was divey, but very laid back and nice. We'll be back for sure.
Review Source:First of all, I like that I searched "the Sewer" and Sans Souci came up without issue.
Best bar in Ventura, period. Dimly lit, seedy, a little sketchy with strong, cheap drinks. The bartenders don't put up with shit, the bouncers are awesome and every once in awhile they have some badass live music.
But don't go there, you touristy bastards. The Sewer is our Venturian secret.
FRIENDS, when I go to a dive bar, I'm not looking for safety and predictability. I want culture shock. Uncertainty. A twinge of Existential Angst. There has to be at least one totally righteous bartender on duty, the lights stay down low, and even the walls beckon you to peel off that bullshit veneer of respectability and admit you're just as much of an ass and a mortal as all the rest.
If it's unvarnished humanity you're after, Sans Souci is your kinda place. Welcome Home.
Are there brawls occasionally? Yes, but there's no extra charge for a ringside seat, and those fighting are usually too inebriated to hurt anyone much. Just stay off the floor -- that red indoor-outdoor carpet is saturated with fluids and microorganisms you do NOT want contacting your body.
Is your life feeling painfully normal tonight? Ditch that psychotherapist and spend your co-payment at Sans Souci. You'll feel better.
The Sewer is always accomodating in terms of divey-ness, and makes a great spot to sneak in during the day for a couple of coldies. Nothing on tap, which kinda makes me edgy. However- the faux hipsters that hang out on the patio and smoke cigs but don't buy anything kinda piss me off when they look at me and my boy Hairball with our slacks and snappy ties with disdain.. They have no idea that I am actually more of a rebel, and definitely more hip than they are. I almost considered starting a fight, but that would have been cliche' now, wouldn't it ? Blow me, faux hipster!
Review Source:It's a dive bar. It's a dive bar they call "the sewer." If you approach the place with that in mind, you may not be disappointed.
Even for a dive bar, this place seems to be a magnet for exactly the kind of people I don't want to hang around with.
Best application I can think of for this joint is if you want to get a little juiced up before a show across the street at the Ventura Theater. Walk around the corner, though, and you can relax at the Watermark without having to watch out for drunken thugs or airborne diseases.
Come here at night, and you are on your own. I myself have been serenaded by a bum, burnt with a cigarette, motor-boated by a stranger, and I may or may not have puked in the men's bathroom with the door wide open. WHY? 'Cause it's just that kinda place. And  you know what? I'm okay with that.
I used to come here all the time to check out my friend's band and before 10:30pm and ESPECIALLY on weeknights, it is a relatively chill place. Sure, it smells a little funky... They don't call it the Sewer for nothing! And there are bound to be the usual soul-suckers-- leathery old hags, burnt-out musicians, and more scene/emo/pseudo-rockin' kids than you can shake a stick at...
But the bartenders are cool as hell, they've got PBR tallboys and one of the best jukeboxes in town. (Which is fact... okay, opinion. But it's MY opinion, so..... FACT) ALSO--- and this is key... I have recently found that Sans Souci is THE spot for day-time drinkin'. Specifically, SUNDAY day-time drinkin'.
I didn't know until the other day that the Sewer is actually dog-friendy. Say wha?! Now, I'd never bring my pup in at night when it's all rowdy-like but I was in sheer heaven the other day, loungin' on the patio with a few friends, sipping on a Negro Modelo with my pooch-for-the-day, Herman. Everyone, patrons and barkeep alike, gave him plenty of lovin' and even told me where I could find the hose and a big plastic water bowl for him.
Sans Souci is kinda like your weird elementary school friend's single mom-- you know, all June Cleaver and hospitable by day with the milk, cookies, and apron deal and then all platinum-wigged and spray-tanned by night while she moonlights as a "cocktail waitress" at the Blue Iguana.
I tell you one thing... I don't hate it.
Apparently this place is called "the Sewer" and I didn't know that before I went there. If Kenny Rogers were to turn into a vampire, this could be his lair-- at least part of the time.
The issue? A huge happy hour sign that says "4$ you call it" and somehow getting charged 13$ by the bartender for a red stripe and a bloody. I think that's lame...we left after the first drink. The bartender was nice, maybe her boss was messing with her tips.
Otherwise, cool music and patio.
This place can be a lot of fun. But if you get so lucky as to be in when its packed and a fight breaks out, then your ass better be ready to dodge debris! Well I am exaggerating a bit but San Souci is definitely not your kind of place if you don't have at least a little balls and street sense. I love the music, they land some kick ass bands who do awesome gigs, this place can get high energy and be a hell of a good time. If you bring your girl tell her to be polite to the other girls, catty-ness can get you an ass whooping in this joint quicker than anywhere I've seen. But definitely a good time and nice people (for the most part.)
Review Source:Being told that Sans Souci is a dive bar, I was expecting a sadness like Billy O's, but instead found the edgy punk hipster scene of folks that are not yet willing to admit that they really are trying to be cool and will fight you to prove it.
If you don't believe that the characters are shady, the numerous bouncers covering the door will prove it to you. Â Copious amounts of alcohol served to punky hipsters with chips on their shoulders so large you're surprised they fit in the room make for an ugly mix that is only entertaining if you can watch it from afar. Â And from now on, I will!
If you love poundin' PBR tallboys, and overpriced shots, while trying to avoid fights with folks who are so hammered they can barely stand, then a trip to the sewer is right up your alley.
Bonus points for the chick I met who claimed I wasn't Irish because I didn't agree with what she felt Dun Laoighre was most famous for, then proceeded to tell the entire bar I was "a liar and needed to get my ass kicked."
Ahh, good times. Good times!
Ah yes!
The Sewer!!!!!
This bar is my old stomping ground . i use to go hear almost every night for you 5 years.
the staff is usually pretty cool and the music rocks.
the only bad thing is that there is a line to get in on the weekends ( i never had to wait really)
and when dargins and winchesters close , the CHAD's flock to this bar and no one really likes them there.
Ive had some real good times here and enjoyed myself with all my friends.
mondays rule because Favio hosts the open mic night and they got a new drumset for it.
but the rest of the week is kinda weak!
What a dive, and what a great place to waste a day at. Yeah, it's old and dirty, but man alive, is that shady, candle-lit courtyard out in front cool or what? Certainly doesn't have the feel of southern California, that's for sure. Inside, the drinks are strong as hell and there are plenty of tall cans floating about. The punk playlists are appreciated. Overall, it's a great dive bar.
I got curious about the meaning... apparently it translates as "without concern," which is pretty appropriate after you've been there for a little while.
Sans Souci or "The Sewer" as it is known to the locals is one of my favorite bars to visit when I come home from San Diego. Â It is conveniently located across the street from the Majestic Ventura Theatre, so you can easily pop by for a couple of drinks after a show.
 Â
Is this a piss soaked shit hole of a bar? Â No way! Â The decor may be in typical dive bar form, but if you ask me...the wood paneling on the walls and the dirty red carpet with its mysterious stains are what gives this place character. Â Bars are supposed to focus on providing a good variety of liquor and The Sewer does a excellent job of that WITH decent prices. Â
Usually when I stop by this venue, there is a local band or DJ performing, so you can almost always find someone dancing the night away on the tiny floor space. Â If the inside is too packed for your liking, the front courtyard is a nice retreat. Â The courtyard (with its heat lamps and red painted walls) is my favorite place to chill with friends while smoking a cigarette or two.
If you are not entertained by the local bands or DJ's, then observing the locals that flock to this bar will be enough to get you through the night. Â From punks, bikers, and hipsters, The Sewer attracts all sorts of people trying to get away from the touristy bars in the surrounding area. Â
Cheers to you, Sans Souci!
This is an awesome little dive bar. Theres an eerie, gritty sort of ambiance with a dirty red carpet and a general feeling of unease. Perfect! The bartender was really nice and steered us towards a great beer that i have never seen elsewhere and the name of which I unfortunately cant remember (too many nights in dive bars). The locals seem to kick it here, which is cool if you want to escape the tourists and the high end contingent of ventura - just some aging drunks and misfits drinking their pain away.
The drawbacks are that its very small and has an unsightly ATM planted against a wall which ruins the mood a little. It was not crowded at all, but a few more people and we would have run out of seating options. They were showing a skating video on TV and playing  cool music on the juke and there was a framed painting of Kenny Rogers hanging on the wall behind me. Theres a nice patio too. Its very cozy for a piss soaked shit hole.
I've only been here twice- the first week I moved to VC 3 years ago and last week for my birthday (after Dargans, which I left b/c it sucked). I was introduced to the sewer by ventura natives, so I had no notion of what to expect. The place was packed! Â Little room to move or even blink. Â I ended up spending the entire night laughing my ass off at old, drunk biker chicks shaking their groove thang to Free Bird or maybe the Ballad of Curtis Loew. Either way it was a Skynyrd classic. That was back in '04.
Fast forward to last week and the experience was totally different. It was a Wedneday night around 1am, so there weren't many people there, but the people who were seemed really chill and laid back.
So, I don't know if the next time I'll be back is any time soon, but given my record it'll probably be in the year 2010.
Kind of fun place if youre not claustrophobic. Â Sometimes, they have some really talented bands to show off. Â Kinda seems like a place to hit late at nite after you're nice n' primed up, tho. Â
Honestly, if youre looking for a cold one, they have the biggest cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon I've ever seen, and theyre not too pricey, either.
My friend Feldman and I determined one night that Sans Souci must have adopted the name "The Sewer" seeing that all of Ventura's finest refuse wash up there at around one in the a.m. when all else nearby have closed their doors.
Fri - Sun: bring your flame tattoos and muscles, and dont forget your harley davidson shirt either... you'll fit right in.
This is the worst place to go if you want to hang out and grab a drink with friends you care about. Especially if you're showing someone around Ventura for the first time. I've witnessed many rediculous fights here, one involving a guy getting stabbed in the neck with a broken beer bottle (seriously).
Happy hour may actually yield a moment of decency at the sewer. In other words, you may actually be able to drink your beer without some 50 y/o haggard rubbin' her business all over you.
Though, for a good laugh, this place can be damn entertaining.
Known to some as "The Sewer," probably the best attribute of Sans Souci is the fact that it is directly across the street from the Majestic Ventura Theatre, making it an okay place to grab a drink or two before a show. They have an assortment of local acts playing music inside, but the layout is cramped and awkward, and the acoustics are muddled. The courtyard out front can be a decent place to sit on less crowded nights, but more often than not, it's jam-packed with hipsters and scenesters and all other manner of cliquish -sters.
Review Source:Wow, I can't believe this place hasn't been reviewed. When I lived in Ventura, this place went off at night, or at least before shows across the street. Maybe it ran its course in terms of trendiness (I noticed from Yelp Billy O's turned trendy and when I was up there it was straight up awful.) If that's the case, San Souci is still a cool layout of a bar and a unique setting. Great courtyard out front, looking out across at the classic Ventura Theater.
Review Source:
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