Recommends

shender55

Joined 5 years ago

Steamers Cafe/Jazz Club - It's a National Cultural Treasure. Been there 4 times, eash night has been very special.

While working as a consultant at UC Irvine Medical center over a 10 day stint, I was asked what my plans were for the weekend. I replied with some things I planned to do on the project, then asked “any recommendations on a good local jazz club”, and perhaps got the best entertainment recommendation of my life. I’m 55, life-long part-time musician, long term consultant and have traveled all over the hemisphere for way to many years. In the process I’ve come to appreciate both good restaurants and value.

Steamers is a jazz club open 7 nights a week, and other than the free jazz jam session Sunday night, they literally have world class musicians in most nights of the week, and most nights is no cover. Most Fri and Sat nights it’s $8.00, with an occasional $16 fee for bigger name acts. The $8 cover and the no cover fee were ABSURDLY too low given the level of talent that was playing. You can search Kristen Korb, Gina Saputo and Ron Eschete on You Tube and get a sense of how good they are. I've put my money where where my mouth is - $90 of CD purchases so far.

On to the food! With minimal or no cover, you’d normally expect to pay dearly for food – wrong. Most of the dinners ar $11.99 with a decent portion, salad and some form of bread, such as garlic, pita, depending on the entrée. Nice selection of appetizers including a humus combination, and appetizer-size pizza’s for 6.99 including vegetarian options. Surprisingly varied menu considering the very small kitchen area. Wonderful deserts. I've enjoyed everythig I've had there.

Back to the music. I’ve been to many great concerts, but at Steamers you may be at a table 12 feet away from the stage! I’ve gotten to talk with the musicians at each break. I’ve played sax, flute, piano and bass and currently hand percussion over the past 45 years. I’ve learned each night there observing and talking to serious pros.

I cannot recommend Steamers more highly. And no, I have NO conflict of interest. Did not know any of the staff, ownership or musicians before I walked in, and I live over 2,000 miles away. Seriously, if there was a way for me to somehow get Steamers designated as a “National Cultural Treasure”, I would.

Have been trying to talk others I'm working with to join me, have not succeeded yet, but I'll keep on. Plan to go tomorrow night again for the Ramon Banda band.

Recommends

Lilian Lee

Joined 5 years ago

Citysearch Editorial Review. Arguably one of the best places to hear live jazz nightly in Orange County, owner Terence Love's music joint has it all: Big bands every Monday, Dixieland jazz on Sundays, and Latin and classical jazz on the remaining days. Add inexpensive minimum charges, good cafe food, and an appreciative audience, and it's little wonder that this small music venue is a downtown Fullerton institution. Love calls his cafe an all-age venue, and indeed, it's one place where older folks, twenty-something couples, and teenagers squeeze side-by-side to enjoy the music. The welcoming atmosphere also beckons to jazz neophytes as well as enthusiasts, as long as they don't try to chit chat during the performance. There's usually no cover during weekdays, and a small one during the weekends, but a minimum number of orders does apply for each table on days with no cover, so don't think it rude when the waitress expects your table to order another round.

Recommends

crzyjo

Joined 4 years ago

Layback, relaxing nite out. This is a perfect date place, the ambiance & atmoshhere is cool , drinks are strong & good best to sit up front or call ahead for a really nice table to enjoy the show, this is the place if you want to kick back and enjoy some good music, parking is not so bad just get there before the show i have been frequenting Steemers for a few years and alays have a good time! i had fun hanging out with a friend or on a date !

Recommends

Libra2013

Joined 5 years ago

Is not a place to dress up. We really didn't give this place a chance because it was my boyfriend's birthday and we wanted to be in a really decent place. We made reservations, which obviously weren't necessary, and went dressed up to our dissappointment. The place was your typical neighborhood coffee shop with a swinging door and bright lights. As well as a stage where they did play Jazz. I cannot attest to the quality of music as we there on a break. The point of this review is that if you want to go to a fancy/nice Jazz club and dress up THIS IS NOT THE PLACE TO GO.

Recommends

GirardConguero

Joined 5 years ago

Bring a designated driver cus drinks are good!. I've been frequenting this joint for a couple years now. Great jazz (not enough avant-garde/free jazz, or younger acts though), great drinks, I usually order at the bar and never have to wait on my drinks, and there's always parking either in back or in front, covers are always fair, and lastly, Poncho plays there often, what more could you ask for?

Recommends

milkboy33

Joined 9 years ago

Great Jazz, Good Drinks and Good Food. I've been here several times with friends on fridays and saturdays. The music is pretty good and it could make a nice date spot. The food is also pretty good although the selection is somewhat limited. They also do have a full bar. The only downside about this place is it can get rather crowded since the location is somewhat small. Overall recommend.

Recommends

juju13es

Joined 6 years ago

great music & food. I visited this jazz club with a bunch of friends randomly since some of them are aspiring musicians. I'm not an expert in jazz music, but I really liked the local artists that performed there. Their sandwiches and paninis were pretty good, and I loved the intimate setting.

Recommends

marden

Joined 6 years ago

Great place to relax and enjoy good live jazz.. I've never had a bad experience here, and after reading the other reviews, I would encourage them to give the place another chance. Food is good, coffee is great, drinks are reasonably priced. I went with a group of friends, and we all enjoyed ourselves. Sometimes there is cover, so keep that in mind. It's a nice change from the teeny bopper college bars in the area.

Doesn't Recommend

oc_david

Joined 6 years ago

Horrible service!. The food was OK, nothing special. But the service was non-existent. Waited 20 minutes to order a drink. Finally got tired of waiting and left. I told the owner as my wife & I were leaving and his response was, "People often wait 25 minutes or more for a drink."

He found it perfectly acceptable. I do not.

Thank goodness I was there with my wife and not a date I was trying to impress, although I still had to apologize to her. If your significant other complains about not going out enough, take her to Steamers. The experience will more than likely give you plenty of ammunition as to why you don't enjoy dining out.

Contributor

Joined 10 years ago

Editorial Review. Live jazz, food and cocktails for more than 10 years. Cuisine includes paninis, pizza, pasta and more.