The Mercantile Saloon

Absolutely love going here! My friends and I always meet here for drinks! Our favorite is the pink starburst, it tastes just like candy!!! They have a system where you can select your own music, so everyone gets to hear their song. I'm always dancing and laughing. the merc is the place to be!!!!

Strongest drinks in town and at a cheap price. We mean real cheap at Happy Hour. Many people come here do drink before they go to the other clubs. Hope to see you there some evening.

I don’t remember the young ladies name who was the bar tender but she was super nice and manning the bar on a Saturday evening alone. Great drinks!

The Mac and cheese was so good.. Good drinks and am awesome mix of people

Bar tender Chris is the absolute best! Loved this place and the energy! Very friendly service and guests.

Jovana Lloyd

The Mac and cheese was so good.. Good drinks and am awesome mix of people

Corry

Bar tender Chris is the absolute best! Loved this place and the energy! Very friendly service and guests.

Absolutely love it! Nice place to get night started for drinks and chatting with friends. Definitely can get a little packed due to location but definitely worth it once inside. Almost always my togo spot for starting night or if I wanna have a chill relaxing night and a couple drinks with friends.

A very fun LGBTQIA+ bar with fun people and attentive staff. When I come home from the Bay Area to my house, I always stop off at the Merc and get a Black Superman. Great libations and fun atmosphere.

Best gay bar I've ever been to - it's small and packed constantly, the drinks are strong, and everyone is gay as hell

Fun spot. Played pool undisturbed. $5 for two games and the bartender killed it with my spicy mango margarita. I’ll be back.

Had. A. Great. Time. At. Mercantile. Saloon. I. Will. Come. Again. For. Sure

One of the coolest spot on the block, nothing but love

Perfect place for cheap strong drinks and great conversation. Crowd is usually always great and jukebox plays in the background. It does get crowded and the patio can get pretty smokey which is great for the tobacco smokers but does have non smoking indoors and plenty fresh air for a non smoker to hang on the outdoor covered and heated patio!! Love this place

Bobbie Clemens Rush

Had. A. Great. Time. At. Mercantile. Saloon. I. Will. Come. Again. For. Sure

Darnell Black

One of the coolest spot on the block, nothing but love

Brian Chambers

A very fun LGBTQIA+ bar with fun people and attentive staff. When I come home from the Bay Area to my house, I always stop off at the Merc and get a Black Superman. Great libations and fun atmosphere.

mike G

Fun spot. Played pool undisturbed. $5 for two games and the bartender killed it with my spicy mango margarita. I’ll be back.

Mario Ruelas

Absolutely love it! Nice place to get night started for drinks and chatting with friends. Definitely can get a little packed due to location but definitely worth it once inside. Almost always my togo spot for starting night or if I wanna have a chill relaxing night and a couple drinks with friends.

Crevice & Corners Professional Services

Perfect place for cheap strong drinks and great conversation. Crowd is usually always great and jukebox plays in the background. It does get crowded and the patio can get pretty smokey which is great for the tobacco smokers but does have non smoking indoors and plenty fresh air for a non smoker to hang on the outdoor covered and heated patio!! Love this place

Strong drinks and cheap prices. Not as gay as it used to be since the college crowd and the hipsters discovered you can get blitzed for only a few dollars. Stay away on Second Saturday unless you want to be crushed by the crowd.

Decided to stop in here on a Saturday night as I was passing through Sacramento and it was okay. The drinks were great, pricing was good, but it was more of a place to sit around and talk or play pool with your friends then it was to mingle.

This bar is a fun atmosphere to start your night, they have great music and the service is good. The wait for drinks can be daunting but they are made with care. There is both a open air patio and a inside lounge area with a pool table. I suggest going 30 mins to an hour early before the crowds fill the place around 11, especially if you wish to find a niche place to enjoy yourself as this bar can get crowded at times.

One of Sacramento's great bars! With an open heart and mind enjoy drinks and music inside or in their great covered patio. The bartenders pour generously, so be responsible. Always a happy place.

Wonderful place go anytime you can it's fun, and 😃. "I actually really really enjoy this place but if I were you I wouldn't waste money on the jukebox cause if they don't like the choice of music you put on they will just change the song, it's like you're going to do that give me the money back I put in the jukebox. It really is disrespectful to people who frequent your establishment."=Addendum: The owner will actually refund you for the songs he skipped, so it's less egregious, but still feels a bit obnoxious.

Super fun and super busy on a Friday night. The crowd was a great mix of people. With the packed house though expect drink service delays, even though the tender staff was super fast and support efficient, so order appropriately.

Very very different environment for me.🫣🤔, but cool. Cash only!

Raven “Misty Teves” Teves

Wonderful place go anytime you can it's fun, and 😃. "I actually really really enjoy this place but if I were you I wouldn't waste money on the jukebox cause if they don't like the choice of music you put on they will just change the song, it's like you're going to do that give me the money back I put in the jukebox. It really is disrespectful to people who frequent your establishment."=Addendum: The owner will actually refund you for the songs he skipped, so it's less egregious, but still feels a bit obnoxious.

Ken Harlan (Liquid)

Super fun and super busy on a Friday night. The crowd was a great mix of people. With the packed house though expect drink service delays, even though the tender staff was super fast and support efficient, so order appropriately.

Chuck

Very very different environment for me.🫣🤔, but cool. Cash only!

Tonight. I had a bar tender literally bully a tip. Not ok. First time it’s happened anywhere, and being very honest about it that really changed my overall experience. Legit I’m sitting here on location writing this review instead of having fun.

While enjoying a night out in Sacramento we found Mercantile Saloon in a quick search for gay bars. At first we weren't sure if we were in the right place with armed security at the door. After a quick pat down we entered the bar. It was a cash only bar. The drinks were decent but more expensive then I would have expected for any bar let alone a local bar like the Mercantile.

Always loud and crowded, so if that's what you're in the mood for you're in the right place. Bar banter and meeting new people is difficult because of the volume though. You'll get your money's worth with hard alcohol, where they pretty much fill the glass with alcohol and splash in the mixer, but if you want a really well made drink while you're having a chill night with friends then this isn't the place for you.

Everyone loves the merc. Unfortunately it's a secret that everyone knows about now and the crowd is just too much now. Best times to go are happy hour or for day drinking...unfortunately going on the weekends is so incredibly crowded now that the last time I went it literally took me 45 minutes to order a drink. Not worth it anymore.

Good place to go to get trashed for very little money. They could use a little help on the concept of friendly service, which is no big deal when they're busy, that I totally understand. But it was the bartender that wasn't actually doing anything that was rude over and over again.

Expensive, only cash, not very clean. Not very good mixed and size cockteil drinks. AROUND 35 FOR 2 DRINKS without tips.

Maria B Dzurilla

Expensive, only cash, not very clean. Not very good mixed and size cockteil drinks. AROUND 35 FOR 2 DRINKS without tips.

Nathan Wise

While enjoying a night out in Sacramento we found Mercantile Saloon in a quick search for gay bars. At first we weren't sure if we were in the right place with armed security at the door. After a quick pat down we entered the bar. It was a cash only bar. The drinks were decent but more expensive then I would have expected for any bar let alone a local bar like the Mercantile.

Very poor service. Low quality drinks. Basically this is a college bar for adults. Cheap long islands etc. with heavy handed pours. If your looking to go out and drink on the cheap ,this is your place, though a pint of vodka from the grocery store would likely be a better choice drink wise. You can have some fun here if you go with a group of friends, but don't expect the staff, atmosphere, or drinks to add a positive spin on your night. This has been my experience the last three times I have gone.

Once upon a time this place was really fun! I will not be going back. The last few times I tried “again” to give it another chance, it was a bad experience. The bartender is so rude and catty. The patrons are rude and catty af! I enjoy a good hair flip and some sassy attitude ok BUT this is downright annoying, especially when I spend money freely to have a great time! My last experience? Some punks ripped off my phone right in front of me and denied it when I questioned them. I tried telling the bartender and all he said was “hold on to your stuff!” …and walked away. I understand that but c’mon. A person can’t set their phone down for a minute for a friendly game if pool? The sheriff payed them a visit the next morning and I got my phone back. Who steals iPhones? Ugh! So there it is. The only positive- strong drinks if you wanna pre-game but, I wouldn’t give my evening to that place ever again. There’s two great bars right across the way I’d rather go to. Sorry-not sorry at all.

The entire place smelled like disgusting cigarette smoke, really brought down the quality of the bar. The bartender made me and my friend juice instead of cocktails, was actually really excited to come here for a long time but now that I've finally went, I understand why everyone spends their time at faces and badlands instead.

"My home. My safe place. Great atmosphere, cheap drinks. All are welcome!" This was my old review, but after hearing so many bad experiences I have to change it. Management needs to work on employee culture, treating patrons with respect

Overall, it was a nice bar. It's one bartender who's rude. I didn't catch his name, but he's somewhat on the short side with some bold designer glasses who worked in the back. Drinks weren't all strong, but that seemed to be the norm with all the local bars around here. I live in SF, and the drinks in the Castro are always strong. 👌

The place was cool however, bartenders should not do the most basic service and expect excessive tips. I understand that cheap employers pass the responsibility of paying for their workers onto the customers via tipping but come on dude please do your job and not whine and moan. You signed up for this. The short bald bartender did not let me even organize my money before demanding a tip. I hadn't even stepped away from the bar because I was sincerely organizing my money and then going to tip. Shame on you man have some respect. The drinks were watered down anyways.

Jordan Parker

The place was cool however, bartenders should not do the most basic service and expect excessive tips. I understand that cheap employers pass the responsibility of paying for their workers onto the customers via tipping but come on dude please do your job and not whine and moan. You signed up for this. The short bald bartender did not let me even organize my money before demanding a tip. I hadn't even stepped away from the bar because I was sincerely organizing my money and then going to tip. Shame on you man have some respect. The drinks were watered down anyways.

Isaac JR

Overall, it was a nice bar. It's one bartender who's rude. I didn't catch his name, but he's somewhat on the short side with some bold designer glasses who worked in the back. Drinks weren't all strong, but that seemed to be the norm with all the local bars around here. I live in SF, and the drinks in the Castro are always strong. 👌

Sabrina Naves

"My home. My safe place. Great atmosphere, cheap drinks. All are welcome!" This was my old review, but after hearing so many bad experiences I have to change it. Management needs to work on employee culture, treating patrons with respect

Went here for the first time last night with a few friends and one of the men called me the N word with a hard R I was obviously upset since it is an upsetting word to use towards anyone and the bouncer kicked me out and patted the man on the shoulder saying “it’s ok man go inside “ letting him back in and told me and my friends we were over reacting I was and still am sick that’s people think and allow this behavior just because they are “friends” it was his job to prevent this kind of thing and still took his friends side in a racist act

The owner was really unreasonable last night. I don’t think I’ve been treated so rudely in all my life, he should really not be bartending under the influence of alcohol, or what ever other substances he was abusing. I wish you could rank places with negative stars.

I went to this bar awhile ago. Eric was the bar tender. I ordered a beer and gave him $5. He gave me the beer but refused to give me my change. When I politely asked for my change he said "I spent it for my tip". Apparently its customary for these bar tenders to tip themselves. I demanded my change and he had told the other patrons that "he's mad about 75 cents!" and had them laugh at me. He said he would throw me out if I kept demanding my change. I demanded my change and THEN THE BAR TENDER THREW COINS AT ME! Not once but twice and then had me thrown out. I talked to a local police officer and they went in and got my change. Suffice it to say I won't be returning

I was there with my friends on March 3rd 2022 and the 2 employees (that are men) body slammed my friend which is a female and the other one punched me in the face and now I am suffering with a concussion (im also a female). That bar is known for being racist and attacking their customers. There was a ton of witness that saw my friend and I get assaulted. We are pressing charges and never going back there again!

Most condescending bartender I've come across. Made people feel like they were a waste of his time. I'll never go back. Been a long time Sacramentan, and this place should shut its doors or hire people who like to make money. Obviously, they don't need jobs at this place. Otherwise they'd treat people like humans. Don't waste your money here.

The place I used to be at, there where great bartender's now just waiting, but the one busman that was rude and condensing and why!?? Confused... Should not help the public is bothered, here's his pic... Think twice about coming to this place.t he one standing... Dude Why be RUDE,!!?????

David Rivers

The place I used to be at, there where great bartender's now just waiting, but the one busman that was rude and condensing and why!?? Confused... Should not help the public is bothered, here's his pic... Think twice about coming to this place.t he one standing... Dude Why be RUDE,!!?????

Horrible, unfriendly bartender and offputting “no puking” policy. You’re a bar and one apparently known for strong drinks. Get over it. Treated terribly here.

If you leave $300 Michael Koors prescription glasses, just know that according to the girl on the phone, "oh we just throw away stuff like that" I'm wondering if they throw "stuff like that" away, then what in the hec are the keeping? Way to treat your paying customers because you are too lazy to save something valuable for a few days because it's clearly inconvenient.

Bartenders and Staff have completely ruined the experience here... Will never return.

Aditya V

Bartenders and Staff have completely ruined the experience here... Will never return.

Yvonne Leggett

Horrible, unfriendly bartender and offputting “no puking” policy. You’re a bar and one apparently known for strong drinks. Get over it. Treated terribly here.

Candace Jeffries

If you leave $300 Michael Koors prescription glasses, just know that according to the girl on the phone, "oh we just throw away stuff like that" I'm wondering if they throw "stuff like that" away, then what in the hec are the keeping? Way to treat your paying customers because you are too lazy to save something valuable for a few days because it's clearly inconvenient.