The Speakeasy Lounge

As a female, this was a pretty terrible bar experience.

I stopped in here with Jacquelyn M. on a Thursday night.  We immediately noticed the sign that noted a $10 minimum for card purchases, and then realized no ATM was in sight.  Okay, we will work with that.

The bartender, Nick, came over to us and asked what we wanted.  Being that the name of this place is "Speakeasy," one would assume they have some sort of cocktail list that they specialize in.  Nope, no cocktail list.  Beer selection was severely lacking.  After learning all of this I asked if they had wine.  Nick proceeds to check the lowest of the low part of the cabinets for some wine - white zin and a chardonnay were my only two choices.  I give up.  No drinks for me.  Jacquelyn ordered two coronas ($5 a piece) to make her $10 tab to satisfy the required card minimum.

Besides being disappointed with the drink selections, there were only a handful of questionable men sitting at the bar.  I know now why there were no other women in sight.  One guy went on about his two DUIs, another came in talking about "bitches" and how ugly, fat, or banging whichever one they were talking about at the time was.  Loud, obnoxious, sexist, and just an overall uncomfortable atmosphere for us.  The bartender, Nick, was nice enough, but he just couldn't makeup for the clientele that were in there or the management's lack of imagination with drinks.

After coming to The Speakeasy for over 4 months, I've experienced everything from awesome to terrible - this place fluctuates between the two frequently.

The interior is small and quaint in the front main bar area, which seats about 12 or so, with a few TV's hung up high on the wall. Most of the time, they show fun action flicks - I managed to catch The Boondock Saints and Hellboy before!
The main bar area leads back to an archway that helms the pool table area, regular tables and a stage (usually closed off with a curtain unless there is a show.)

My main event was coming out with all of my guy friends for "Mantastic Wednesday", which used to be Men Drink Free from 8-11pm. Every week, we'd invite more and more men to come on out and share in the fun Lake Worth experience - they loved it and wanted to come back for more!

So, my review looks positive, but why the 1-star? The staff. Although they are generally upbeat and friendly, my last evening there took a turn for the worst when the main female bartender rudely accused me drinking "the men's free drink" when I was not allowed to.
I calmly explained it was empty and I was sipping on the melted ice, but she nastily stated, "I SAW you drinking it, no!" and snatched the cup.
As I walked out, she continued her tirade and continued to belittle me and "talk trash" - my friends at the bar told her to calm herself, but she became irate and loud; we all left.

I found her behavior to be utterly and completely unprofessional, rude, and downright disrespectful. As a former bartender, I understand her plight, but the way she handled the situation was incorrect and for that... I will not EVER be returning to The Speakeasy Lounge - nor will my male friends.

One of the best venues to catch live music in the area. This little spot has been building its rep up more and more in the past year and snatching up lots of great artists, both national and local.

The stage is partially obstructed by a large column, which is slightly annoying, but not a deal-breaker by any means. More importantly, the sound is always on point and the drink prices are reasonable. There's also a pool table, which is always welcomed.

I like that you can get away from the music if you want to have a conversation, as the bar is separated from the stage area.  I do think they should carve out a little space for a second bar by the stage in case you want to get a drink without missing any of the performance, but that's just me.

Overall, the Speakeasy is a winner and I hope it will prove to be a permanent fixture in the South Florida local music scene.