Since we were staying at the Clocktower Inn right next door to The Tavern, and I saw all the great reviews we thought we'd try it out. We loved it!  It is such a cool interesting place with all the different rooms,  some just to talk and hang out with friends all nice and quiet, and some to have fun and party. The outside is amazing! Couches and fire pits, comfy chairs, heaters if needed, cool lights, 2 bars and an old black and white movie playing on one wall. While the crowd is mainly 21- 35?  we  50 yr olds had fun and no one seemed to mind having us old people around. There was an 80's band playing  and everyone was having fun and dancing and enjoying themselves. My husband loved the Maple Manhattan and I liked my strong Cape Cod. And no cover charge really helps, that way you buy more drinks! Would like to go back and try the food sometime too!
Review Source:Cozy, convenient, historic ambiance - friendly, and seriously - best service. I can't say enough good things about our experience at the Tavern! We needed to call a super-short-notice gathering, and I felt like we were treated as personal guests. My organization ended up looking stellar, as the Tavern took care of our every need. Thank you management and staff!!
Review Source:Such a great place on the weekends! Tucked away in an old established Ventura historical house, the party gets started in the back... The house has many lounging rooms, and a bar in the back with other amenities such as a projector for films, and a fire pit with seating everywhere.
I was surprised this even existed. I'd go back, and the only reason for the stars is because I didn't order food/had no idea there was that offered,
Went here for the first time Saturday and I loved it. This place was a great place to kick off a Saturday night. We got here around 11:30pm. They check IDs at the door which makes getting a drink easier. Walked in one room and got a drink in less then three minutes. There was a live band in two of the rooms. With plenty of room for dancing.
The place reminds me of a frat house. You walk from one room to the next and it's like a whole other party. Each room had a full bar and then there was a full bar outside on the patio. Along with the bar like atmosphere there were cozy little rooms that were a little more cozy.
I had their skinny Brazilian and it was so delicious. This was probably one of the best bars I've ever been to and I can't wait to go back.
For starters, I have frequented the Tavern, and the Candlelight before that, for about 4 years now. Â It has its pros and cons.
The VENUE brings me back again and again. Â It's hands down the coolest atmosphere in Ventura for a lounge/socializing setting. Â The large outdoor patio with fire pits and multiple bars in particular is a great place to grab a drink (I recommend their Burro) and kick it with friends. Â I like that they have live music most nights, but the downside is that on the weekend they put a live band in the front AND the center area of the establishment when in the past the center area was a DJ with dancing and it had a better crowd. Â Last time I was here enjoying the atmosphere with some friends we had to leave after the band started because we couldn't even hear ourselves think, let alone converse with each other. Â Why do lounge/bars INSIST on having music so loud that it drives people away? Â Everyone left, not just our group...
The FOOD is good, though nothing that I would write home about. Â They have a fairly small selection of items and almost all of them have a spicy element to them. Â I'd like to see some more variety, especially for someone like me who doesn't enjoy overly spicy foods.
All in all it's an excellent place to grab a drink and hang out but more during happy hour or if you're hanging out on the patio.
First off I have no idea how the food service is here. I only go there on Friday and Saturday nights when I want to dance. So take the review for what it is.
The atmosphere here is really cool, and also hard to pin down. You'll see people wearing everything from ties to t-shirts and jeans. You'll see people here from 21 years old to 50 (or older.) It's really a tough place not to fit in at. There are usually two bands playing (more on that in a minute,) an old movie playing outside on the wall, and if I'm not miscounting four different bars you can get drinks at.
Pros: The drinks. The Tavern actually cared enough to A) Create a menu of interesting, exclusive drinks, and B) Train all of their bartenders on how to make them. I've ordered from a dozen different bartenders and I always get one of a few of their special drinks, and the person I talk to is always able to make it and they taste the same across bartenders. I highly recommend The Burro if you like ginger (it's basically a Moscow Mule) and the Sinner with cinnamon whiskey if that sounds good. You'll be paying for the quality, but it is definitely high quality.
Venue: You're partying in an old victorian house. That's just cool. Also there's a giant patio with couches and tables and what not if you want to take a breather from the music.
The music: There are two live bands most nights I've been, playing in separate rooms. That's a good thing on the one hand, because yay live music, but you really ought to check who's playing before you go and make sure you'll like at least one of them, because there's nowhere there (the times I've been) playing DJ dance music. They seem to have kept it balanced when I've been and had at least one that you could dance to but I'd be a little uneasy walking in without checking out the bands first I guess I'd say.
Cons: Basically just what I said about the music. Check out the bands first (links would be nice on the schedule page, hint hint). The Tavern is pretty much positioned as a late night music venue so that should be obvious, but if you go in expecting a DJ spinning top 40 hits (like it used to be, and I'm not saying I want to go back to that) you may be disappointed. So I guess that's not really a con.
This place had a cool vibe and lots of space for large groups. It was pretty mellow when I went on Friday and the security were really nice. I did not like all the cops lurking around, both in and out of the venue, kind of killed the vibe.
I was too late to try their food so I will come back early enough to enjoy their happy hour and food!
I really like the ambience of this place. You walk in the front gate and it feels you're stepping onto the lawn of someone's home and it feels like you're walking into someone's birthday party at their house. Â There's dancing and music in the living room and the bathrooms are upstairs. Â Everyone hangs out on the back porch just like any house party and there are plenty places to lounge out back there. Â Â This place also has plenty of bars so you're never waiting too long for a drink. Â Apparently the food here is amazing I need to come back and try it sometime.
Review Source:Terrible, terrible service. Arrived at 7:00pm and joined our group who was already there. It took 45min to get a drink, and an hour to get our food. It took an hour and 15min before someone asked us for another drink or if we wanted anything else. We had to get up and ask someone to bring our bill, then it took another 10min to get our cards back.
It's very disappointing cause the food and drink are good but most of the service and management don't seem to care.
Great atmosphere! Â Our party of six settled in some big club chairs on the patio surrounding a gas firepit. Â We then waited about 15-20 minutes for a server to come by. Â When that didn't happen I went inside to order drinks and the hostess said she would send our server. Â When our server finally came, we all noticed tha this person had walked by us at least 4 times withough acknowledging us. Â There was only ONE other party on the patio. Â It was not busy at all. Â We ordered a bottle of wine that she brought out and set on the rim of the firepit without offering to pour. Â She never came back to see if we needed anything else. Â The wine was overpriced and we couldn't even finish it because it was so awful. Â
Overall, I really hope this place gets it's act togeher on service. Â I would love to go back and enjoy the outdoor patio with friends, but a nice glass of wine and attentive service would make the experience so much better!
I've been here for happy hour and for the late night activities where this victorian house/restaurant turns into a full blown house party!
It's a pretty casual place, no dress code, mixed crowd, dance floor in middle of place, awesomeee music and large outdoor area with plenty of heat lamps for us girls that get cold easily. The only big gripe for me was the fact the bar outside, we were told by bartender they didn't have any energy drinks. Really? So no red bull vodka, no jager bombs? no to a lot of drinks. Then we ordered an AMF and he told us it would be $15 each, what are we in VEGAS?? Â
It's a pretty awesome place as a restaurant. Decor is dark, tavern like. The place was originally a victorian style home, so sititng eating it felt like we were having dinner with our friends in living room. There were a lot of cool art drawn on the wall and glowed at night. It's nice to see something with character open up in dt Ventura.
I came here for happy hour, half off food and some drinks. The drinks, if you like a drink with a slight spicy after taste, definitely try the Dragon and the Bathtub Gin, it was definitely the highlight of the meal for me. The waitress we got was super informative and nice. On some nights there's a live band playing in the room in the front which is cool.
Ultimately this is just an awesome place to grab some food, chill with a drink with friends and then even stay til night time festivities.
Pleasantly surprised to find a fun, cool, laid-back place in Ventura. Â The hubs and I just relocated back up here from Long Beach, where we've been spoiled by tons of eateries, bars, high-end and low-end and everything in between. Â We didn't think we'd find anything of the sort in Ventura.
We went on a Monday night, mostly to avoid the typical bar scene of our other choices, since we're not avid MNF fans. Â Yes, two of the TVs had a game on, but all TVs were on mute and there was great music playing instead. Â Much more our vibe.
We had:
Drinks:
Vanilla Malt ~ quite tasty. Â I was pleasantly surprised to discover apparently I like bourbon, at least in a good drink. Â Hubs happily ate my vanilla bean.
Ginger Beer ~ also quite tasty. Â Hubs said he'd definitely order again, and even I liked it, which, I'm normally not a fan of ginger at all.
Je T'adore ~ delicious. Â Definitely would get again. Â Granted, it didn't pair well with our food (see below), but on its own, pleasantly fruity.
Dragon ~ Hubs loved the spicy finish (tabasco; we asked, since neither of us could put our finger on it). Â But, he said he preferred the ginger beer.
Food:
Mozzerella Bites ~ we both thought they were tasty. Â I was not a fan of the tomato sauce, hubs was. Â I couldn't figure out what the other sauce was until I a) looked at the menu (duh), and b) hubs gave me a hint as to a better way to get some, since the sauce wouldn't stick to the bites ~ take a bite, use the hole left from the bite to scoop. Â A-ha! Â Much better. Â I believe the sauce was a garlic-basil sauce that was tasty on its own, and with my special method.
Cheddar Bacon Biscuits ~ O. M. G. Â TASTY GOODNESS. Â THESE are a definite repeat for us. Â Surprise ~ they come out on a plate and are meant to be eaten with a fork (we expected a basket o' biscuits), but yummy tastiness. Â Definitely a must-do.
Service:
When we originally arrived around 5:30ish, there was only a table full of guys and us, so the three guys behind the bar were super attentive to all of us. Â However, around 6:30ish a gaggle of girls arrived and service slowed to the rest of us a bit, albeit not too bad. Â We never felt unattended, all the servers/bartenders/guys had a great attitude and gave us good suggestions for their faves.
We will definitely be back again, although for sure only during Happy Hour. Â The prices were reasonable-ish for that, but more than I'd like to spend on a casual night out.
Went here with some friends for girl's night out. Â Some of them had been before and said the food was good and they had a great server. Â Unfortunately, not this tiime. Â The food was decent, the drinkes were "eh" but the service left a lot to be desired. Â Slow, unattentive and not very friendly. Â Errors were made on drink orders and on the check and the response of the waitress and manager were "oh well." Â If you're coming here to get wasted and don't care about service, definitely your kind of place.
Review Source:After reading all the reviews about the best Happy Hour in Ventura, I had to go and try it, plus after a long school-filled week... I needed an alcoholic beverage.
First of all, I love the location and the ambiance. The Tavern is an old, but fairly large Victorian-style home that been converted into a bar. You walk in and all the rooms have their own themes and styles. It seems as though the owner takes pride in his business, which I love and respect! I saw some Yelpers below complain about the service; my beau and I didn't notice the slow service, but it also could be because we got there at 6pm, not at the peak which I would assume would be around 8-9pm.
Second, the drinks were pretty good. Not amazing, but good enough. The Tavern has their own specialty drinks with thoughtful and catchy names such as "Bathtub Gin," "Skinny Brazilian," and "The Old Fashioned." If you're into minty-flavored drinks such as mojitos, you'd like the Bathtub Gin. If you're into bourbons or whiskeys, I'd recommend the others. As far as alcohol content, there wasn't much in there, but at the same time, it IS a cocktail, not a shot.
Third, the appetizers.... YUM! Some of the ones my beau and I ordered:
- Cheddar and bacon biscuits: A perfect blend of savory and sweet. And it is completely filling because of all the starchy-ness of the biscuits. This one was our favorite order!!
- Mole Chicken Wings: Mediocre. Really tasted the mole, but felt that the chicken wasn't that tender. The blue cheese dip that it came with made the dish though!
- Truffle Fries: Your basic french fries with a twist. SO fresh. They tasted as if they literally came out of the frying batch and served right to us.
- Mini Corndogs: Another delicious one. The batter that covered that mini hotdogs were perfectly crispy. Came with 3 dipping sauces, but I prefered eating them by itself because of how crispy they were.
In my opinion, The Tavern has the BEST Happy Hour in Ventura. $3 off beers, half priced cocktails AND food. I'd go back... and if you haven't there yet, you should go and try it! Will definitely be back.
Fun spot, lots of character, great happy hour from 5-8p. Â Not really into the late night dance scene but am into cocktails w/character, Victorian houses, great service, big screen TV's in the bar complemented by couches. Â Only reason this is 4 stars is b/c of the pricing and no beer on tap. Â I'll definitely be back - the manager was working on getting the Sunday ticket when we were there.
Review Source:I think I'll like it way better if I didn't get rubbed on the shoulder by this nasty dude, or bunch of drunk ppl (from middle east) start talking to me in Hebrew. The crowd to me is Ghetto, I'm sorry but just my opinion, there were some respectful, good looking fellas in the club but not many.
The place is def. popping, I don't know how it is compare to other places, because it is my first time being around this area. The music is cool, a lot ppl (girls) in their flats on the dance floor make me feel this is a very casual place. but I do like the design of this place is very cozy, its like a nicer version of "house party". When you just walk in to your right hand side there were a live band planing the music I don't even know from what century. -_- if you keep on walking down the hall thats where the dance floor & DJ was. I actually like outside way better, I met way more ppl when I was waiting in line for the bathroom than on the dance floor or chilling by the bar. foshizzle I will not return to this place again..
This place is average when it comes to eating dinner. The food is great but the service isn't. Their specialty drinks are really strong, but they aren't well-balanced with the rest of the ingredients. So it seems like I'm drinking a very big shot while trying to eat my small appetizers. Next time I'll just order a beer.
On a lighter note, the bands and DJs are really good! And the dancing is great too! So once this place turns into a dance club it rocks!
My favorite part was that The Tavern is in a converted Victorian (?) house. I'm a sucker for old houses.
Other than that-- the service was slow. My friend and I waited forever (maybe half an hour to 45 minutes cumulatively) for our drinks and appetizers. There was a live band, though, on a Sunday, too. That was sort of cool. Except I didn't really like the music. A mix of folk, country, and rock? Something like that.
Probably won't be coming back.
I was really surprised how cool this place has become. It was like 3 places in one. In the front is the bar which is full of people, good music and good sound. The back reminds me of some of the outdoor lounge bars I saw in south France. Fire pit, waterfall, cool semi-private tented booths and a bunch of leather lounge chairs arranged near a long bar area. More live music outside! Then there is a smallish DJ dance room that was also packed.
However, the one big stain is the sloowwwww service, if you can find a server at all. It felt like they had half a staff at best and were totally caught off guard that anyone might show up. Once you go to the bar, it's not bad. Just don't make the mistake of sitting at a table and expecting anyone to notice you.
Had a great time once I conceded defeat and started a bar tab at the bar.
Ok... I'll admit it. My name is Casey and I am a Tavern addict. (Hi, Casey).
But seriously. I adore this place in every which way. Â
The food: EXCELLENT. We've been back about 5 times since our first visit there a few months ago, and so far neither my boyfriend nor I has ordered something that's come out as any less than fabulous. Â The curried mussels are my favorite at the moment, but I also love the glass noodle and shrimp salad. If I'm food-splurging, the bacon and honey biscuits are INSANE. Â The best thing we've had so far though? 100% the negro mole chicken wings. HOLY MOLE. Not only is the negro mole sauce on the wings amazing, the blue cheese buffalo dip that comes with it is no joke the best blue cheese sauce I've ever had (they had to take it away from me by force.)
The drinks: UM YES. I am a huge gin fan, and have never really found a restaurant/bar that has any truly unique and interesting gin drink. Then came The Tavern! The "Bathtub Gin" was surely created by some kind of gin-God. Gin + cucumber + mint + lime + agave + JALAPENO! I died.
Their drink menu is extensive and exceedingly interesting, and I keep trying to try new things.... but I love the Bathtub a little too much ;)
The service:
Happy, friendly, knowledgeable. Every damn time. The only time I avoid the Tavern is Friday and Saturday late night, but not because it's not cool. Because I'M not cool. The place is HOPPIN' and if you're into the dance and DJ scene (sadly I'm a bit of a homebody after 10pm... aka I'm completely asleep), it looks to be insanely fun.
Oh and one more thing: BEST HAPPY HOUR EVER.
The end.
I think this is one of the most popping places in downtown Ventura for its bar scene :)
I remember it had a small dance floor with a DJ playing Afrojack, a cozy outdoor patio with a bar and bathroom lines going by fast lol
I would like to come here sober to enjoy the atmosphere and dance to the music but from what I recall, I had a great time coming here later in the evening when it really gets crowded and guys bring my friend and I bottled beers over a random conversation about a music festival in NorCal haha :D
I really enjoyed this place. It is in an old historical house in downtown Ventura. Â Between the hubs and I we tried the Bathtub Gin (so-so), The Dragon (Yum!), The Manhattan (meh), The Skinny Brazilian (yum!) Â and the Old Fashioned (super good). The place was very eclectic, and pretty busy for a Tuesday night.
Pros:
Happy Hour, 5-8 with 1/2 off of  food. Makes it easy to try the place out without spending a small fortune.
Food: Delicious! Would go back for the Mussels.
Portions: The drinks were huge and totally worth the money.
Cons:
Service: bartender was great, but the kitchen was s-l-o-w.........if the kitchen is going to take 45 minutes to bring out your food, then they need to put some snacks out on the bar. I also have a feeling that had we not been sitting at the bar, it would have taken longer to get drinks.
Where to sit: It was kind of confusing when we walked in. There was a hostess area, but no hostess. So, do we seat ourselves? Not seat ourselves?! And then if you do seat yourself....where?! I get that they are trying to make the place cute and comfy, but you need more tables. We eventually found a place at the bar. Also, put a sign out that says to seat yourself....
All in all, I would go back. But probably with my girlfriends. The place was full of chicks, and a few guys. Hubs prefers the feel of a good old Irish Pub......but that is just a matter of taste. The Tavern is worth checking out.
This is my new favorite place to bring people from out of town. It's never disappointing. Tried a couple appetizers: Fries and calamari were very tasty and I loved the happy hour prices. Can't beat $3 beer too! The atmosphere looks fancy but feels very cozy. No matter what room you're in you're bound to have a good time. There's the front bar w/ chalkboard walls that sometimes has live bands playing in the eve, and boardgames are always on the tables...or there's the back patio w/ great ambiance- fire pit, waterfalls, vintagie chairs with old movies playing on the projector wall, and if you want to dance, the dancin' really didn't start 'till after ten and they closed shop at 1:30- that was the only downside. I wasn't ready to go home. :(
Beautiful home turned party house/restaurant, beautiful atmosphere.. I really love it!
I love the feel of this place, it's in some Victorian house (which I hear is haunted). You can sit in any of the rooms in the house. My only complaint is even though we went during happy hour, the appetizers were too small and too pricey. Also it seems like they need some more help. We were hungry and thirsty and at times it took the servers awhile to make their way too us. The drink menu was awesome though. I must have tried about four of their drinks. The gin specialty drink was so good and I don't even like gin!
Review Source:I totally dig the atmosphere in this place. Rustic, yet classy. The staff was friendly and very informative. Conversation with the staff was a sit down, casual kind of thing as we were told about their own concoctions as well as locally brewed beer that was available. We had only appetizers and drinks that night, but they were delicious. The service is slow so it is not a place to go for a quick bite to eat. Personally, I do not mind this as I like the "European" style service where the waiter is not in your face every five minutes. There are different rooms and a beautiful patio to; eat, drink, or read a book in which gives you some amount of privacy and keeps everyone from cramming into one space. All in all we had a very pleasant experience.
Review Source:Great reinvention of this amazing location. The owners new direction with the place is extremely comfortable and fun. Dark woods and books on the walls give it a warm "travern" / pub feel.  The DJs play upbeat music  or you can listen to live bands playing anything from classic rock to blues .  Tavern has the best patio in Ventura (it's huge) for hanging out having drinks with your friends  The new vibe has also brought in a MUCH better group of people !!  A great improvement overall !!
Review Source:The Tavern has a few kinks to work out, but overall I really enjoyed my night there.
First, the good. I can't believe that I'd never had mole negro chicken wings or sweet potato tots...what great ideas. Food was fun and tasty. We were surprised to see a live band on the night we came and were pleasantly surprised by how good the band was. I'd never been here when it was Candlelight, but I thought the decor and ambiance were great.
I'll definitely be back, but there are a few things that The Tavern can improve on.
1. Staffing. They were definitely understaffed the night we came. Only one person in the kitchen and the bartender was kind enough to act as our server since the actual server for the bar area never spoke to us. Great bartender, by the way!
2. Identity Crisis. I think The Tavern is still having an identity crisis. In the first bar area it feels "gastropubby" and the live band helped this vibe. But as you head back to the the second bar area and lounge area outside, they had a dj going and it felt clubby. Most annoyingly if you sat in the nice area with the indoor fireplace you could hear both the band and the dj. I vote for going gastropub all the way around...no dj needed.
So, a few things that could be worked on but I'm excited to go back and try their other menu items.
So, went to The Tavern after reading about it in the VC Reporter. Â It was a Friday at about 5:30, so their Happy Hour had just started (5-8pm). Â They have great happy hour prices. Â All food is 1/2 off and beer, wine and cocktails are discounted (don't remember how much $3-$2). Â The atmosphere is laid back and the service was very good. Â Waiting staff were always around and attentive. Â The menu is pretty interesting. Â We had the burger and pork belly tacos. Â Both were good and there were a lot of other things I wanted to try. Â The mixed drinks were excellent, a lot of cool, fresh ingredients. Â There is both outside and indoor seating with the same kind of laid back feel. Â At the end we had a good burger and fries, 3 tacos, 2 mixed drinks, 2 beers and the tab was just over $30, a pretty good deal. Â We will definitely go back and will likely take a bunch of friends next time.
Review Source:I love the Victorian house and the laid back lounge feel. The whole place is beautiful and has so many details. The outside is huge, and has fire pits, a waterfall, and old movies playing. The staff is great as well, and always making sure you are having a great time...including Curtis the manager. A great beer selection, and most of what I ate was great. I liked the corn dogs, mozzarella, and tater tots. The biscuits were a bit dry though, and they need more dessert options.
Review Source:Whenever I don't feel like cooking dinner it's Happy Hour to the rescue! Â I have a few local favorites but last night we decided to try The Tavern.
Drink discounts and half off all food? Score. Â
I had the Dragon which was a strawberry vodka cocktail with a spicy finish (amaaaaazing) and my honey was happy to find Delirium beer on the menu. Â We each ordered sandwiches and they were both great.
All of the tables had board games on them: scrabble, jenga... Â We had fun cheating our way through trivial pursuit. Â Seriously, those questions are hard. The bar area has a great vibe - dark wood, comfy couches, amber colored lighting. Â Looking forward to our next visit!
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