Clutch

My husband and I happened into Clutch the other evening as the Twisted Spoke had a wait that we weren’t interested in. We were very happy with the yummy tacos we ordered. The service was great, really like the chill décor with interesting elements to look at and be surrounded by on the patio.
Then I went to use the bathroom… Total disconnect from the décor of the bar and patio which was hip, artsy and interesting and actually a bit classy. Bathroom is full of porn, tacky porn. Now I know I need to filter whomever I might bring here.
Just say no to bringing kids, parents or business associates unless you can convince them to pee in the bushes rather then use the bathroom! Maybe that’s why it wasn’t very busy? Otherwise, it was great!

Friendly service and really yummy chips!
We came here for a drink after a big dinner. The crowd was much younger and there was a wave of dressed up people that came in. I assume a wedding reception just let out.
The music was old school early 90s rap. Good stuff!
The décor is confusing. Its trying too hard and I dunno — has anyone mentioned the décor in the bathroom? Its funny in the same way that Showgirls is funny. There’s a way to do this and make it look cool but this isn’t it.
I think this is a hang out bar for people who live around here. I don’t think I want to come back to try other food but its good for a pop in drink on the way home if The Aberdeen Tap is crowded. I think they need more noshy, share-​sy food. Like how about some hummus or more dips?
The service was nice but I wouldn’t say awesome. I asked for water. No biggie that it didn’t come until the trio of salsas. It was spicy. I don’t know what our server was doing. I wasn’t crowded. But its fine for a neighborhood bar. I went up to the bar to get my own water. Its cool. But the bartender seemed kind of annoyed by it. Hmm.
Then after we ordered another round she noticed that I had water and asked if anyone else needed some. LOL!
Like I said its kind of expected for a neighborhood joint. It could be better but I’ve seen worse.
I won’t go out of my way but if I’m in the area and in the mood for a drink.

I’ve never spent time in this part of town before, but my friend and I were nearby for Paint Night at another bar and needed some munchies after completing our glorious works of art. We were drawn in like moths to the flame by the pretty patio lights at clutch, but with the August evening feeling more like October, we sat inside at the bar. We both really liked the ambience, with unusual art all over the walls and lots of repurposed items — the beer tap was an old cash register or gas pump or something (no, I can’t tell which one). They played lots of recognizable classic music like Bob Dylan. My friend went to the bathroom and told me I had to check it out, so I did, and was greeted by pictures of naked men (who were, how shall I put it, looking very «happy to see me»), pictures of people banging, pictures of women in ecstatic rapture… it’s a sex bathroom basically. So don’t bring your grandma or any prudes here unless they are down with sex bathrooms. I thought it was funny.
I got a beer, Bell’s on tap which was $ 7. I think all the drafts were $ 7, a little pricey if you ask me, The bottled list was sizeable and most were between $ 6 – 8. Also pricey, but lots of unique offerings. I wasn’t too hungry but fortunately Clutch serves tacos and you order them individually, so I had a fish taco and a chicken taco — not the mole one, the other one. It isn’t on the website but it EXISTS. Both were pretty good, the fish was better. Yummy flaky fish with lots of crisp cabbage slaw. Chicken was a bit dry and the tortillas were a little fall-​aparty. My friend got a turkey burger which looked so much like a beef burger that we were confused (it was dark in there!) but the bartender took it back to the ktichen and verified in the full light that it was indeed turkey. I helped her polish off her fries which were thin, crispy, and delish.
I can’t imagine going out of my way to visit Clutch, but it’s definitely a very reliable West Town establishment and the patio looks like it would be perfect on a warm night! It has its own unique flair, and is worth a stop just to see the art and the sex bathroom for sure.

I don’t understand all the bad reviews. My husband and I went in on Friday night and had such a nice time. The food was good and our service was as well.
Do you like Big Star tacos? These are better! The short rib taco literally melted in your mouth.
Great place in West Town — we’ll be back soon!

All in all, clutch is okay… but I wouldn’t call it «clutch.»
I came here for an impromptu celebratory dinner with my fiancé. We have lived nearby for almost a year but hadn’t stopped in because the Unilocal reviews were so average.
The service was prompt and EXTREMELY friendly; almost too friendly, if you think that’s possible. It felt like they were trying to sell us on the place (I’m already seated at your table; let your restaurant and food do the talking, not your mouths). She told us a few reasons she thought Clutch was better than other bars. I don’t need to hear that — I want to EXPERIENCE it.
The tacos were pretty good. It was two dollar taco night, which made it worth trying a few types. Would I pay two bucks a taco again? Hell yes. Would I pay their regular prices? Not so much.
We also had the chips, salsa, and guac appetizer. It was $ 7, so for a place with two dollar tacos, I expected some serious guac to be on the plate. Instead, everything was served in tiny bowls and it felt like a waste to order it.
Redeeming factor: I mentioned the two dollar tacos, right? ;-)

Went with a buddy after work one night and ordered about five things. The wings were ok and everything else arrived cold and overcooked. The bartender was totally cool about things, but when we spoke to the manager she clearly didn’t care or couldn’t be bothered. Once again, the reviews you’ve read about the waitresses texting is true. While we thought the atmosphere was pretty good, we probably won’t return. Here’s a hint to the management: even if you really don’t care, pretend you do. It doesn’t cost anything and I wouldn’t be sitting here writing this review if you feigned caring. Also thought the beer prices were too high. You’ve got competition so wise up.

Ever heard the phrase «I like you, now change?»
Clutch could easily be the second best bar in the neighborhood if it just changed 80% of itself. I really like the set-​up and the aesthetics of the place. But for the quality and prices Clutch offers, your money can go so much further across the street, down the street, or pretty much on any other street.
Our party of 7 went in for a nightcap last weekend. The beer and wine prices are over-​priced by about $ 1 – 2 each. Not a huge deal, but noticeable considering the other places in the area. I can suffer an expensive microbrew, that’s fine. But I veered into the cocktail list. It is my belief that the bartender this evening could pour beer and wine, and that’s about it. The cocktail I got, the sazerac, was the worst drink I’ve ever had. For $ 11, my expectations were nearly Violet Hour level. The result tasted like college sophomore tried to make an old fashioned using only cough syrup, grenadine, and water. Others who ordered cocktails didn’t fair any better.
The staff was friendly, and fairly attentive.
We didn’t order food, so no comment on that.
In summary… You aren’t a downtown bar, so you don’t get to have downtown bar prices, especially if you can’t back it up.
It could be a great bar, but it isn’t.

Great atmosphere!
It’s very trendy and has a cute vibe! Unfortunately it seems to be a hidden gem. We came out late on Saturday on St. Patty’s day, arriving just after one in the morning. It was dead.
Shame too, the bartender was great — and the lack of other patrons helped us get to know him a bit more. We had a great time regardless and I’m sure we’ll return when the weather gets warmer!
p. s. Check out the bathrooms, don’t be a prude when you go in there ha ha.

To be frank: the recent spat of mediocre to poor reviews pretty much sum this place up.
They were out of a number of things on their menu, and they only had one beer on tap at the time. I ordered tacos, which was a mistake. And my girlfriend ordered a burger… so I spent yet another dinner envious of the plate of food across from me.
What really put a bad taste in my mouth was the service. They may have been rationing the little beer they had on tap, but my drink was never offered to be re-​filled. I could tell they were having trouble with the tap because it was stored in a small room directly behind where I was sitting, and someone was constantly going into that room to slam the keg of beer against the wall I was sitting against (at least I assumed that was the horribly annoying ruckus that was going on 10-​feet from my face)
We ordered an appetizer, which never came. A side of ketchup literally took 15-​minutes to arrive. The check took forever, and getting the receipt took almost as long. I’m pretty forgiving about this stuff if the restaurant is busy, but our server spent the entire time chatting, texting, wrapping silverware in a napkin, or doing pretty much anything but wait on us. The person who brought our food and ketchup was the other server. The place was being staffed by two servers, a manager (who spent the entire time chatting and distracting her waitstaff), and two others who didn’t seem to have a function. I’m going to guess and say this place has 10 – 12 tables in total, and it was 20% full when we were there. Because it’s small… I got to spend the entire time watching my server not asking if I’d like a 2^nd beer during my 45-​minute visit.

I’m coming in at about 2.5 stars. Yeah, we really wanted to like Clutch. And we kinda sorta do, but not really enough to make it a good nearby home default option. I even told them I wouldn’t write a review but now I’m wondering if I did them a disservice by saying that. Not that my opinion is The Word, but maybe they’ll start to think about some stuff before it’s too late, especially since I’m not the only one with a smaller star rating.
We went a couple of times and I dunno, I just don’t think we’ll be back. The staff was nice. Probably because they’re all new or new enough.
I dunno… Here’s where things fall apart:
Food does take a long time (it even says on the menu that it will which sends up a red flag to me), it arrived lukewarm to cold after taking so long, and it’s really pretty pricey. I get that ingredients are costly, running a restaurant/​bar is costly, but $ 15 for a small so-​so burger cooked to dried out well despite asking for medium is harsh. One burger shouldn’t cover the cost of the ingredients for the next 10 burgers or to cover any potential loss going on due to paper tickets.
Beverages are very pricey. Not sit and linger kind of pricing.
Décor. While it’s interesting and there’s a lot to look at, there’s something not quite right going on. It feels sterile plus it has too many themes. Maybe it’s the lighting, I dunno. Props for all the artwork though. Oh and yes, the bathrooms are NSF kids at all. Like, not at all.
We kept hearing the staff say «we’re out of this» or «we’re out of that» to customers. One woman asked for at least 6 different things, all of which were not available. Or no one knew what was in the specialty drinks and had to read the menu to make one. One night we showed up and the cook had quit so we couldn’t get food. Yes, they only have one person in the kitchen at a time.
Our own personal issue: we didn’t enjoy the clientele. Every single guy was hitting on the staff in kind of a gross, dumb caveman sort of way.
On the plus side, I’m sure the patio is nice during warmer weather. And as always, it being dog friendly is a major plus in my book. The place does have a sense of humor about it which is appreciated. And as I said, the staff was really pleasant to us.
This place does have the whiff of death about it, sadly. It’s fine to have a «my way or the highway» position about things, but everything better be beyond top notch. I don’t mean that as an insult; a lot of places start with this line of thinking but come to realize that it’s important to make changes based on feedback from customers in order to be viable. It could be a really cool place (and would likely stay open) if a few things were tweaked.
Jeez, now I feel like one of those Mystery Diners on tv.

The husband and I had lunch here over the weekend. We were the only customers at prime-​time lunchtime.
While Clutch had a decent beer selection and the food was fresh, our overall experience was just ok.
I had to run across the street to get cash from a drive-​thru ATM because the waitress was not able to find receipt paper for their credit card machine.
Not cool. Clutch was not worth the ATM fees I incurred.
Also, I never received a receipt for my cash payment. I’m crossing my figures that I don’t find charges on my credit card.

I love Clutch. I really do. Maybe they’ll read these reviews though and get rid of that waitress because everyone’s who complained about her is right on target. Been there… been through that. She’s rude, unfriendly, and really doesn’t care about working there which is a total shame because it is such a great little bar.
Regardless of the waitress with the tude, I’ll always be back. Great beer list, amazing patio and décor, and the music is just wonderful.

Still a great little bar! The menu has changed (more upscale food now) with tasty entrees like shish kabobs, or they’ll even order you a pizza from CoalFire around the corner but the ambiance and great music still exist.
Love their drink menu with flavorful drinks like the «High Five» and something that looked like a Pimm’s Cup with a special glass and straw.
Service was spot on, thanks Leila (sp?) and the crowd was friendly.
Now that’s service…from an old service station!

«Ummm, do you think they’ll play hip-​hop in here?» I asked one of my friends, making a face as pretty mellow tunes came outta the speakers. It was a Saturday night and I was sleeeeeeepy. The music was NOT helping my cause.
Thankfully, these nice employees just asked us what type of station we wanted (Pandora, ya know) and they had NO problem changing the station for us. How effin’ nice… considering that I doubt hip-​hop is their music of choice and they could have just laughed at our request.
Anyway, Clutch has a ton of specialty drinks on their menu. In fact, you might spend a long time reading all the ingredients in the drinks because you want to make the right decision on what drink to get! I think my favorite is the Ginger Hat… and, although I don’t remember what’s exactly in it, I’m sure it contains some perfect ginger/​whiskey combo.
Service is awesome! Our waitress took great care of us and had absolutely no problem opening up separate tabs for each one of us. Win! The bartender was also a delight and I noticed that he captured the heart of a few girls in the group. Aw. The décor is… eclectic, to say the least. A free art exhibit, for sure.
FYI — I called to make a reservation for a birthday party of about 20 people. Clutch ended up cutting us a nice deal since we had a bigger group — $ 2 off mixed drinks/​beers and $ 1 off shots/​special drinks. Pretty nice special!

I hate to do this because the location is great and the menu is good too. This review is based 100% on the staff.
The one star is for the bartender on Friday night (9÷10÷10). We sat down at the bar to have dinner and drinks. There was only one other couple at the bar. The bartender gave us one menu to share… it was actually uncomfortable to try and share a menu that was a bi-​fold with info written on the back. Fine not upset yet. Bartender asked what I wanted to drink and I ordered a beer on tap. The Bartender was making a bunch of drinks for the waitresses who were serving tables outside. Still okay because I know she is working hard. Fifteen minutes after we sat down, still no beer yet. I looked at my wife and said, «Do you wanna go?» I have never walked out of a place before. I told the bartender that we were leaving and she was like, «I’m going to get your beer right now!’ I told her no thanks and we left. We were sitting at the bar… it was a simple beer order… it is not that hard…
We walked down the street to another bar and got our beers in about 15 seconds… same beer we originally had ordered at Clutch! In this economy you do not want to lose customers!