Kingman's Ivy Room - Albany, CA

When you take someone to the Ivy Room for the first time, the first thing out of their mouth is usually, “I can’t believe this is in Albany!” Because when you think of the word hip, the well-manicured, pasty-white town of Albany does not usually come to mind. The Ivy Room, however, is the epitome of hip. Velvet couches, gilded wallpaper, sparkling chandeliers. And furniture that is both high-tech and retro at the same time.

The Ivy Room used to be a total blue-collar dive bar, sporting the same dark and cavernous address since the 1940’s. The drinks were cheap and the live music was raunchy and loud. Then Mr. Kingman, of Oakland’s Lucky Lounge, took it over in 2006 and redid the interior, top to bottom. Swapped the live music for DJs (with bands still booked every now and then), dolled up the décor, and put in windows to lighten the place up.

The only thing that didn’t change was the drinks: as cheap as yesteryear. The happy hour here is nightly (gotta love it) and extends from 5pm to 8pm for the commuting cubicle-dwellers. But the best part is that all well drinks are $3.00… dirt cheap by any standards. And the pours are extremely friendly (their tequila shots are served in a double-fisted tumbler).

A usual night will have us chatting with the friendly bar-peeps about the latest electronica (the tunes here are always awesome) or Robert Downey Jr.’s newest flick or whether Hillary Clinton would order the Luck-Be-A-Lady or the Poison Ivy (two of the bar’s signature cocktails).

Tonight we asked for our tequila shots shaken with lime, a request that surely would have gotten us kicked out of most establishments. But the bartender here took it as a creative challenge, whipping us up a citrus-infused concoction unlike any margarita I’d ever had. Later on an 18-piece band was set to entertain, complete with electric harps and harmoniums.

And all this on a Monday night. In Albany.

Deets:
Kingman's Ivy Room (Reviews & Map)
860 San Pablo Avenue, Albany, CA 94706
510.526.5888
Happy Hour: 5pm-8pm Daily