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TL Gem!.
After I got past the fact that this bar smells of malt vinegar, I had a really great time!
I went to the Castle for TenderNights (Loiners with Drinks) to meet some neighbors as I live near the TL. It was definitely a divey bar, not some place I'd choose to use the restroom, but it was clean enough that I didn't feel dirty inside or walking out.
They had special drinks for the Tenderloin event -- they were very reasonably priced and equivalently strong. The atmosphere was very fun. It drew in a good crowd (I'm not sure if I can credit the TenderNights group for that, but I really enjoyed it).
Great TL experience!…
Bad service.... Gotta tell you, the service was horrible. Sat at the bar for close to 10 minutes before getting a drink and the place was pretty empty. Next round, we were at a table. Hoping that the waitress who kept walking back and forth would stop. Nope, didn't happen. From then on, just walked directly to the bar. For some reason, and I don't think it was because I was drunker, the bartender served faster as the place got busier. Fairly amazed that the group got sloshed with such slow service...…
An artsy, Scottish bar and theater in the Tenderloin..
The Scene
If King Arthur belonged to a fraternity, it might have looked something like this place: iron chandeliers, coats of arms and tankards hanging on the walls to impress the coeds.
The young collegiate-looking patrons form their own roundtables near the bar or climb up to the parapets on the second floor, peering down on the lucky jousters playing pool.
The Draw
Edinburgh Castle lives up to its namesake, right down to the collection of Scottish pennies under the bar top. Scottish flags hang from the ceiling and cast patriotic shadows over the pictures of bagpipers on the walls. For those interested in the great manly sports/kilt conundrum, a caber (a log used in Scottish throwing competitions) is mounted near the pool table, waiting to be tossed. Upstairs, tucked back in a secret chamber, there's a room as big as most bars where live bands and comedy acts perform.…
