Sandrini’s Italian & Basque Restaurant & Bar

I went to Sandrinis for my 23^rd birthday as a last minute thing with some friends. There was a cover band playing that night, so there was a $ 5 cover charge. Nbd. It was pretty busy and had an interesting mix of hipsters, restaurant workers, and middle aged people. I enjoyed the diversity. They have a pool table and booths as well as the bar stool area. It was strangely difficult to get a drink, which kind of sucked. It really just depends on which part of the bar you walk up to. I’m not a fan of their well drinks and their Moscow mule is like a syrup concoction instead of legit product. It’s a dive bar though, so whatever. The bathroom is tiny and there’s always one plugged stall every time I come. It’s uncanny. I enjoyed myself. The band was good. The drinks were OK. It’s a convenient location. I would recommend this bar to locals and people who like a traditional bar scene, nothing fancy. You can’t go wrong.

What would you prefer? Good food/​bad service, or bad food/​good service? We shouldn’t have to pick, right?! For me, that’s the case with this place.
Today chicken panini was good, smaller than what it used to be – the waitress said they changed the bread. Service was not bad, but not professional, and by professional I mean take our order and bring our order in a timely fashion. We asked for straws, we had to get up and grab from the bar because she forgot. She finally brought our bill, then took a long time to pick it up. Then we realized she was on her phone sitting in the bar area.
This place is lucky their food is good.

The service is terrible and the bartenders are very rude. If you are into a place that tires to cater to the young people but takes them self too seriously then you have found the right place. And they have the audacity to charge a cover at nights… For what?! Second rate music and a bar full of drunk kids that just got out of their teenage years thinking they are living large in a basement dive bar. No thanks! If you want a dive bar go to the Mint. If you want a classy place go to the Padre or Steak and Grape.

Bakersfield gem. Great beer and whiskey availability and awesome food. Special «off menu» items as well and the regular menu is wonderful. Been heading here for three or four years now and it’s always a great experience. Breakfast, lunch and dinner delicious !

Stopped in for lunch and ordered the Bruschetta trio. It was nothing like I remembered. It was just ok this time around. It wasn’t busy, not crowded… maybe a new Chef? Bad day? My husband got their beef dip sandwich. (unsure of the exact name) He pulled the pickled carrot chunks and onion chunks off. He thought it was pickled tongue at first, but decided it was the pickled veggies that tasted off mixed with Au Jus. Another other thing, the garlic fries were loaded with overly salted raw garlic. I love garlic, but I don’t want to smell myself all day long! Sheesh. Last time everything looked and tasted better, but that was a year ago. What a difference a year makes.

We went in to Sandrini’s for lunch Sunday. Nobody in the dining room but the bar was full. The very young bartender seated us giving us two menus which each were different. He told us he would get the server. A little while later a young woman came to our table and just stood there in front of us not saying anything until I stared back at her wondering if she was our server. Finally she said «would you like something to drink»? We said just water and she walked away. We looked at the two menus passing them to each other and after a while not seeing the server again, decided this was not for us and got up and left.
WOW!!!

Every time I come here during normal business hours, like noon or 4 PMwhen you can expect to eat food, «The kitchen is closed.» Never coming here again, which is a shame because their food is pretty good and the atmosphere at night is great.

I used to come here for the bar. Now I come here for the food, because I’m old and frankly it’s already past my bedtime.
Tonight we had the sausage bread, Caeser salad, Basque veggie soup, paella, and New York steak for dinner. It was all great.
Our server was Katherine K. and she was awesome too. Always kept our drinks full and was super fast.

Food alone would be 5 stars but the crappy service brings it down. No one to greet us when we come in, servers are rude (one girl in particular) and clueless. I would never come back here if it wasn’t for the food. Also on Sunday all they have is breakfast till 4pm and hot dogs…

Okay, so this is one of those split personality places that’s a super fancy upscale restaurant during the day, but turns into hipster heaven at night.
The food is awesome though, seriously the scampi is great. They have a decent selection of craft beers on tap also which is nice.
Once about 9pm hits, the hipsters take over and rotate between the indoor smoking room and hogging the bar.
Generally the restrooms are kept fairly clean, which is amazing for a place that stays open until 2.

Most definitely my favorite bar downtown yet alone Bakersfield period. They have a full liquor bar as well with a fairly extensive all around the world beer selection. I encourage you to at least take a gander and be mind-​boggled for yourself. Hence its an Italian restaurant their bloody marys are more Italian than others, which I enjoy. Food is great as well. I fancy their pizzas mostly. My go to would be the Picante Pizza. (Must warn you it has quite the kick to it) I also really enjoy the Caprese pizza. Mozzarella, tomatoes and basil is always a great combination.
A great plus as well is that you can always count on Sandrinis to have a great diversity in the musicians that come and perform.

Guinness privileges need to be taken away from this place. They pour a pint of Guinness straight away. Disgraceful to any Guinness drinker. Guinness needs TLC and patience. No Guinness at Sandrinis. Start the petition!

I’ve only been here for lunch two times but I can honestly say that it’s really good! As for the bar, from the looks of it, it seems to be fully stocked and great. From the reviews I’ve read, the drinks are great but require a long wait on most nights. Like I said, I’ve only been for lunch so I haven’t had to deal with the bar crowd, but their selection seems great if you’re into that kind of stuff lol.
Now onto the food: I’ve had a panini which was good (average, really) but most recently I had an Ortega hamburger and it was fantastic! The meat was juicy and perfectly cooked! It wasn’t dry or crumbly like some other local places and it was very tasty. Well seasoned and warm when brought out. So good. It had grilled red onions which were a great touch plus fresh lettuce and tomato. Yum! Since I had the Ortega burger it came with an Ortega chile (which was great) but the best part was the ghost pepper jack cheese!
The cheese was so good it needs its own paragraph! lol. The cheese gave the burger an extra kick that just barely makes your nose runny but not enough to where you couldn’t eat any more. On the contrary, it had me coming back for another bite! It was so tasty! If you’re not into the Ortega thing, get a regular burger and request the ghost pepper jack cheese and you will love it! I sure did!
My friend had a lasagna which I tasted and can say it was pretty good as well. Great portions (on all parts of our meal) so I can’t complain. Priced just right as well! And the bread they bring out while you wait is warm and fluffy and so delicious! Perfect with the oil and balsamic they provide.
If you haven’t given Sandrini’s a try yet, I’d recommend you do. I can’t wait to go back and taste more of their yummy food!
4-​star review because I have no experience/​opinion on the bar area which seems to be a big part of this restaurant since it splits the restaurant into two rooms, essentially having two bars! lol

This place is pretty sweet. Especially when Mark is working. Mark is like… The 189^th greatest human being ever.
Also, get a Toronto Cocktail.

Since 99% of the time I’m here to booze it up, I’ll just be reviewing that aspect of this place.
If there’s a band playing, expect a $ 5 cover and a permanent marker tattoo on your hand. The bands play on the restaurant side and it gets ridiculously loud in there. The bar side isn’t as loud, but it gets pretty crowded there. The crowd itself ranges from bikers to hipsters on any given night.
The bartenders are really friendly, but they’re chronically understaffed, so getting a beverage can be a decent wait. Based on that, I usually double fist when I’m here. Cocktails are nothing to write home about, but I can say that I’ve never seen them pour lightly. The beer selection is probably the best of any bar in town, so kudos to them.

Next time you’re in search of Sunday brunch with spicy bloody marys, this is the best spot downtown. They are pretty serious about their bloodys, going so far as to infuse their own vodka with peppers for just the right amount of heat. The Sausage Bread appetizer is pretty amazing. Italian sausage baked into Italian bread with mozzarella cheese, served with marinara and gravy. Yes, it’s greasy. And yes, it is worth the years it will probably subtract from your life. The breakfast skillets are also fantastic. You definitely can’t go wrong with the Sandrini Skillet. I ordered a side of bacon for my bloody mary, and it was so thick, it was more like ham. It was good, just not the crispy bacon I prefer.

I came to visit my Italian family in Bakersfield. Fam knows the original owners and stopped by. Walking down it looks skeptic because all you see is the bar. But get down, look to your left and there’s is a bar and seats for family to eat.
WOW. Great awesome Classic Italian cooking. Service was great, along with the atmosphere. Of course good beer selection, and house cab. Love it and love Italians for it!

Best Burger in town!
Hands down.
Taste is on point. And
Bonus style point due to garlic fries !

I love love this place! The tap beer is always cold and crisp. The bartenders are always personable and friendly and the food, OMG, is to die for! I love going here time and again in the early evening during a weekday just to relax and unwind.

I’ve only been here once, late in the evening to hear my favorite local band (1916) play. I headed down the stairs and noticed that the bar area is in two separate rooms divided by a large bar. I was in the room on the left where the band was playing and I recognized many of the people int he crowd that I usually see wherever the band plays. As the night wore on, I noticed a very different sort of crowd was congregating on the other side. All I have to say about that crowd is that I was wearing entirely too much clothing to be a regular. :)
The bartenders were very friendly and served us promptly. One even offered up a rather extensive beer menu and was able to discuss the different items on it intelligently.
It was a fun atmosphere and I would certainly consider returning. We didn’t eat anything, but after reading the other reviews I’d certainly return and try it out.
update 7÷16÷14 — So, obviously, I’ve been back here numerous times, always to listen to the live music (usually Travis Byler) and have had nothing but good experiences here. The music is superlative. The bartenders are very friendly and knowledgable about their beverage offerings. The gentleman working security is very polite. The bathrooms are ridiculously clean. What’s not to love?
I am aware that this is a restaurant by day, but have not sampled their offerings. I feel guilty giving it five stars without having at least tried the food, so I’m going to put this place on my radar for a meal and then revisit how many stars they deserve based on food AND bar.