Reviewed by Steven Frith

My Ultra Lounge Standard – The Park (Sacramento)

Visited: Saturday, April 5, 2008
Location: 1200 K St., Sacramento, CA 95814 (map) (site)
Phone: 916-878-8344

Much like its newer sister club, Dream, Cabana is a fun, stylistic lounge/dance club that is satisfying if you get there early enough.

Deeper Insights:

While offering a younger crowd than Dream with a similarly cramped setting, Cabana still pulls off a fun night. I attended this lounge for my birthday and while there were some issues getting everybody in because of the long wait outside, once all of that was taken care of, our entire group had a good night. The overall atmosphere created by the staff and the décor of the lounge were inviting, and the drinks were strong yet didn’t require long waits.

I do have trouble categorizing Cabana as an ultra-lounge even though they call themselves that. I would say that it is more of a small dance club as there is an area where you can get drinks, an area where you dance, and a roped off, VIP, curtained cabana area - but that’s it. I think of an ultra-lounge as somewhere that has areas to “hang out” as an option, and Cabana only has this if you have VIP privileges. There are some benches along the dance floor with tables that may or may not have been VIP, but it was so pushed up against the dance floor, it wouldn’t be a place to “lounge” and talk – but more a place to rest for a second before the people dancing around you have a chance to fall or trip on you.

In the VIP area, there are supposedly video game systems available for people to play on the plasma TVs. As cool as that sounds, I don’t know how I feel about paying so much for drinks and the VIP area to play some Madden though – I can get a 6-pack, wear shorts and do that at home.

Overall, it is a good place to go to have a fun night out. It isn’t horrible in terms of a meat market mentality (both guys and girls) of people trying to hook up, but people are dressed well and the bouncers and doormen do a good job of not allowing the inside to become too packed.

Breakdown:

Attire: Normal club-wear. No tennis shoes! They won’t let you in. Cabana has a slightly more up-scale environment compared to most Sacramento nightspots.

Attitude: A place for early to mid-twenty-somethings to congregate, dress up, drink, and dance, but feel more sophisticated while they do it.

Bar/Bartenders: One bar immediately to the left when you enter. Another smaller bar with just beer and select hard-alcohol outside on the front patio. Three male bartenders manned the inside bar and were friendly and very efficient. Was able to get drinks very quickly.

Bathrooms: Located in the rear of the club, the bathrooms were not the easiest to get to. There was a stall and a urinal in the guys’ bathroom (may have been two stalls, having trouble remembering now). Was small and nothing special about it. There was, of course, a line for the ladies’ room, but only a 2-3 minute wait for the guys.

Bathroom Attendant: There was none on the night we were there. Space would make me wonder if having one would even work.

Bottle Service: You can go to the website ahead of time to reserve a Cabana in their VIP section where bottle service is available. Special packages exist for celebrations. With the limited VIP space, I doubt you could pay to get in VIP once you get there.

Cover: $10

Crowd: A younger crowd than Dream. Wasn’t too bad though. For the most part, it was made up of people aiming to look nice and spend some money. The guy-to-girl ratio was actually fairly close to 50/50.

Dance Floor: The entire open area in the back of the facility was the dance floor. There was a raised DJ booth that overlooked the area. Not huge, but big enough for the crowd they allowed in.

Décor: Trying to go for an intimate and secluded feel. The “cabanas,” reds and other dark colors and lighting give it a very warm, seductive feel.

Drinks: Your normal over-priced bar drink variety. Not too much over the top, but no $2 well drinks either.

Hours: Thursday-Saturday 9:00 PM – 2:00 AM

Line: Almost none if you get there before 10:30, but if you get there after 10:45, it can get long. Once one-in-one-out starts, you might as well find somewhere else if you aren’t among the first 15 people or so.

Music: Varies by night, check the website to see what kind of music is there that night. We had your normal top-40 dance music with your average number of “classics” thrown in.

Parking: Street Parking along J St. or L St. You can't park on K St. though (where Cabana is located), as it is blocked off as part of K Street Mall. Park close to 12th Street on either side though.

People Watching: Many good-looking people were there and a few were very scantily dressed.

Seating: Not much in terms of seating. I think you needed to be part of VIP to be able to sit anywhere.

Smoking: I think you could smoke on the front patio, but with no in-and-out privilege, that was your only option if you do.

Water (Free): Yes

Reviewed by Steven Frith

My Ultra Lounge Standard – The Park (Sacramento)

Visited: Saturday Night (2/23/08)
Location: 908 15th St. Sacramento, CA 95814 (map)(link)

The owners of Cabana Nightclub and Ink Eats and Drinks combine to offer a unique and satisfying upscale experience in a space barely large enough for a “hole in the wall” bar.

Deeper Insights:

First of all, I must commend Dream for making good use of the space and never allowing in enough people where it felt over-crowded. That is saying a lot considering the small amount of inhabitable space for the patrons. Actually having elbowroom (huh - I never knew elbowroom was just one word, no dash or anything…anyways) and an opportunity to have a conversation was a breath of fresh air (no pun intended). That combined with the colored lights, couches, art, widescreen HD LCD TVs playing sports highlights, friendly staff, and fireplace somehow combined a quaint “Cheers: everybody knows your name” bar with the plush modern lounges that are so popular today.

A major drawback of Dream (because of its small size) is the fact that there is no dance floor. People seemed to make due with the space that would most mirror a dance floor, but it only marginally worked. It was a shame too because the DJ really seemed to captivate the crowd with a lot of short snippets of popular songs from the 70s to today. The combination of the desire to dance and alcohol led to a lot of people dancing wherever they saw fit, but nearby tables and people standing and talking amongst the dancers seem to be an accident waiting to happen.

Overall, I really enjoyed myself. As one of the newer nightspots in Sacramento, Dream offers a nice change of scenery from the few other “ultra-lounge” spots such as The Park. Although, those looking to get really far away from The Park are out of luck as the clientele and prices are very similar (that and Dream is only 3 blocks away).

Breakdown:

Attire: Normal club wear. Guys: Jeans (not overly baggy), dress shoes, polo shirt/collared shirt, no hats, etc. Girls: Dream is nice enough where you can take advantage of the opportunity to dress up in a dress or at least some kind of nice top with jeans.

Attitude: Since it is brand new, I still think it is trying to develop one. It’s a place that they want you to come to eat after work and enjoy happy hour, but also a place where they want you to come for a night on the town.

Bar/Bartenders: One reversed “L” shaped bar stretched most of the length of this small establishment. There were approximately three bartenders with a bar-back. All of them were friendly and made good drinks – female staff left little to the imagination. Only a minute or two wait on drinks.


Bathrooms: Had to go through the narrow aisle-way all the way to the back to use the restroom. The men’s room contained one closeable stall and one urinal, which actually seemed sufficient considering the size of the bar. At least they plugged speakers in the bathroom so you could still hear the music.

Bathroom Attendant: No (updated 3/14/08): No for men, but unconfirmed reports from two woman say that they think there was one recently on a Friday night.

Bottle Service: Yes, there were VIP booths that could be reserved, couches that could be reserved and a back VIP area. The waitresses were more then happy to assist you in taking out a loan for bottle service.

Cover: I was actually on the guest list for a birthday, but I believe it was $10. (Updated on 3/14/08, Thanks Heather!) If you join Dream's MySpace page, then you can usually be added to the guest list for free entry before 10pm.

Crowd: For the most part, the crowd looked to all be young executives, suburban twenty-somethings and midtowners. The guy to girl ratio was actually fairly even, but this was assisted by two bachelorette parties that were there. BTW – what’s with the crown and penis straws?

Dance Floor: Wherever you wanted it to be…if you could find room. There was no “dance floor” but a lot of people were making the area in front of the DJ booth one anyway. (added 3/14/08, Heather with the scoop for us) - Apparently, a new room is opening in about a month that will include a dance floor.

Décor: Upscale (for Sacramento) lounge with very modern white furniture. Lights that changed hues throughout the night and a fireplace that separated the outdoor area with inside added to the appeal.

Drinks: They were good drinks, but rather pricy. Even the wells were premium I believe. $6-7 a drink.

Food: While I didn’t get there early enough to consume any of the “eats” (I’m not going to say “American Nosh” as Dream’s website states because I had no idea what that was until I googled it) that form the restaurant part of the establishment, I hear they are very good. The unique cuisine includes items such as Lobster Melts, Buffalo Burgers, and Crispy Duck Rolls.

Hours: Restaurant from 4:30 – 10 p.m. where they serve “American Nosh” which from what I can gather is glorified finger-food appetizers. Happy Hour goes from 4:30-7:30. From 10 p.m. to “bar time 2 a.m.” (or 1:15 for your average watch) is lounge hours.



Line: Not too much of a problem. I got there at 9:45 and walked right in. The wait didn’t seem to be any longer then 5-10 minutes until 11:15 or so when Dream reached capacity. At that point, the wait time increased significantly.

Music: The DJ took a trip down a mid-twentysomething’s memory lane. It was 20-30 second clips of choruses from many popular songs from the last 30 years or so mixing into each other. Everything was played from rock, rap, R&B, country, old school, and classic rock.

Parking: No direct lot. Street parking is free after 6 if you can find it, if not there is a nearby garage you can pay to park in. (added 3/14/08, again, thanks Heather) There is also valet parking available on some nights.
TIPS:

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