Vault

Giving the Vault 3 stars is rounding up. I have to agree with others that this is a place that could be good but sort of fails. They don’t seem to know what they want to be when they grow up. I’m not really sure what vibe they are trying to establish.
We visited with a group on a recent Saturday evening. They have a decent specialty drink menu and a respectable bourbon collection but neither is differentiating. The service was slooooww but cordial. Please schedule 2 waitresses on Saturday nights.
The prices were really high. It’s like they’re trying to somehow make you feel elitist by paying more than you should for drinks. One drink I had was a Blanton’s bourbon, chilled, neat. It’s my go-​to cocktail. It was $ 12 here. I had the exact same drink in another downtown Columbia bar the night before for $ 7 All the drinks on the menu were like that. Beer was reasonable. I travel quite a bit on business and might expect to pay those prices in Chicago but not in a bar pretending to be upscale in Como.
We ordered food from Glenn’s. This isn’t a review of Glenn’s but I would only give it 2 stars if it was. moving on…
While I think they’re going for «speakeasy» here, they just aren’t there. This place was loud; mostly college age patrons it appeared. My suggestion is ditch the pool table. I’ve seen that work in some upscale places but this isn’t the right place.
There was no music playing as far as I could tell until I said something to the waitress. Then they turned it on but I couldn’t tell you what they were playing as it was too low to compensate for the noise level.
Bottom line, I doubt any of us will return, there’s just no reason.

In regards to the drinks and the bartender, The Vault is second to none. Jason cares deeply about his craft, and can expertly guide you from your current favorites into different and exciting options. The classic cocktails found here are far superior to the bar upstairs. Sure, the atmosphere could use an update, but if you’re after good drinks, The Vault is the only place to go in Columbia.

The Vault is a unique place with a unique cocktail menu. Great to go with a group when you want to sit and talk while sipping on a tasty drink. The Gin and Basil smash was perfect for the gin-​lover in me. However, we waited an unusually long time for drinks and the check considering the number of people in the bar. Faster service would easily give The Vault another star in my book.

The waitress ignored us for 15 minutes, walking back and forth without acknowledging us. When we went to the bar to order, she told us that the bar was understaffed and we should «go to another bar.» We took her advice, and highly encourage everyone else to do the same.

This place has potential. They fail miserably with the music choices. The vibe is prohibition and they usually have newer music playing– it just didn’t make sense. Music sets the mood and the mood here is confused. For those of us that enjoy that scene– low light, intimate, jazz, 1920s/​30s– they totally miss the mark. It’s always empty for that reason– appealing to college kids with the music but catering towards the employed/​older crowd with atmosphere and prices (yes, for Columbia the drinks aren’t cheap.) The drinks are spectacular (and worth it!) but the music always has us leaving shaking our heads. And for the love of God, turns the lights down!
If they stuck with a theme and kept it on some real, old school jazz, they would be the new, upscale «it» bar.

The bartender (Jason) is so great here that when I wanted a Basil Gin Smash and they were out of Basil, he called his wife and she brought some from their garden! Now that is service! Delicious drink btw you should try one!

Romantic atmosphere, live music, and best bartenders in town. Plus order food from Glenn’s which is just upstairs!

In town for a bachelorette party. We called a week ahead to let them know a big party would be coming and they said it would be staffed accordingly but it didn’t seem to be the case. First 6 of us arrived and it took 40 mins to get a drink. The waitress was kind enough to give us a few free drinks. The next round took another 40 min. That was a disappointment. Secondly the music was not lounge-​like. It was emo. Disappointment. Lastly everyone seemed to feel the same because the place emptied out by 9:30pm

I’ve been coming here for a few years and I’ve seen some ups and downs but it’s mostly been a reliably good place. The atmosphere is pretty much unparalleled in Columbia. When the lights are dimmed and the candles are lit, it’s just gorgeous in here. The drinks are a bit pricey… you’re looking at $ 5 – 10 unless you can sweet talk the bartender into a special (or check their facebook). The ingredients here are top notch and they make some really creative beverages. This is a great place to go if you just want to linger and talk with some friends.

As usual, went to CoMo for Homecoming. This time, though, we opted to watch the game at a bar. This was not a good plan. Tried iTap — no seats. Watched at Klik’s until the Cards came on… then MU was pushed to the tiny tv above the bar and the bigscreen went to the Cardinals.
We wanted to watch both, but wanted to be able to see MU better. Our journey began at halftime. We tried Teller’s, Broadway Brewery, Gumby’s, Willie’s, Fieldhouse and a few more. Places with more than one functioning tv were packed with no seats available. Places that only had one tv were empty (and only had one tv).
Finally, we gave up and decided that we were going to stay at The Vault whether or not they had two functioning TVs. As expected, it was pretty empty. They had two tvs… but one was broken. Bummer. We resigned to walk the rest of the Homecoming game and follow the World Series on our phones.
The reason I am writing this review though, is because of the service. Our entire group sat at the bar and had a blast. We had just tailgated for five hours so we were in varying stages of drunkness.
We had a great time talking with the two bartenders Taylor and Meredith (I think those names were correct). It was Meredith’s first night and she did a great job. I think I talked about the merits of toasted ravioli and the crappiness of West County for twenty minutes. There was a tall, blond bartender who I guess was in charge who was perfectly polite to us but we felt was rude to the other employees. I have worked for a horrible boss before so I hate seeing something like that occur.
It was expensive, but everyone enjoyed their food and drink. Did I need four glasses of single malt scotch after that tailgating? No — but I enjoyed it anyway. Poutine can’t not be good.
Last note — they apparently have a cupcake shop upstairs/​attached or something and in my drunken state I thought it would be a great idea to buy one of each flavor, which was a total of four cupcakes. They were pretty crappy — but that could have been because they were not fresh at all.

Good atmosphere. Just don’t hide prices then charge me 30 dollars for two beers and two shots.

Taylor makes the best martini’s!!! The vault is by far my favorite bar in columbia!!! If you have never been it is the best kept secret!

I am not sure where to start. I visited the establishment months ago and thought it was great. I heard there was new management, now I am sure of it. It used to be a nice higher end speak-​easy adult place with some soothing jazz in the background. I didn’t mind paying a little more for the atmosphere. On this recent visit there was a louder party music atmosphere, keg stands (that right) going on in the back corner, swim trunks and cut-​off sleeves seemed to be the popular dress and they got the bill wrong… twice. Now I do care about paying a little more. Save your money, it is just an expensive college bar now. If you want that atmosphere there are a lot of other (cheaper) options in town.

My friends from CoMo introduced me to this place when I was in town and it is absolutely awesome. The inside is great and it has that kind of speakeasy/​lounge feel to it with the high back booths and the light fixtures. My first impression of this place was that it has to be a great date spot with all the candles and the intimate lighting and background music. The bartending staff is great and the waitress was awesome my last visit. We were celebrating a friend of mine’s birthday and she did an excellent job of taking care of all of us even with having to deal with several separate checks. It is a bit more on the expensive side to drink but still the atmosphere of the place is worth it.

Big fan, it was my first time and I will definitely be back. The drinks were delightful, especially the gin beer. I also appreciate the intimate atmosphere. We were surprised with the amount of college kids, but it is a college town. Go, bring a date because you might score later.

Amazing 1920 atmosphere. Drinks are a bit expensive, but they are original cocktails, not to be confused with mixed drinks you find at most bars.

I probably should have gone here more than the few times I did. I like bourbon, probably don’t know all that much about it though and the barkeep is helpful and engaging. There are almost too many choices. I would like to try them all but somehow not end up in the emergency room.
What makes it for me is a friendly barkeep and selection. Too many places in town have bartenders who only smile for their own friends and surgical enhancement. Here you can sit at the bar and make conversation without feeling like you are ruining the guy’s night.
That plus whatever the other reviews said.

Let’s just say we came here for one drink but ended up staying there for the night. I don’t think this would be everyone’s cup of tea, but we had fun. We grabbed a corner of couches and chairs, got the drink specials, and couldn’t leave. A beer + shot for $ 6 a pop? Dude, I live in Boston. Six bucks gets you a beer SOMETIMES. They probably could have gone a lot further with their attempts at having a «speakeasy» type of theme — like, they absolutely went halfsies on this theme you guys — but with the aforementioned drink special, it only took a little while for me to not give a shit anymore.

Ok ok, so I was a bit unfair on the first couple of reviews…
The atmosphere is very cool. It’s in the basement, and this adds to the atmosphere. It’s further removed from street traffic, and people don’t wander in by accident.
The bartender does make some complicated, more refined drinks, and they use real ingredients instead of bottled mixes.
I like this place, really I do, but it seems to take some convincing to get anyone else to go here.
If you you want a classic cocktail, and you want to look cool too, then hang out here.

This place just recently opened and I went there for a bday party. The guy rented out the bar and the place looked great! It’s filled with booths and tables all around. The owners of Bleu Restaurant manage this speak-​easy-​style bar on the lower level of the Tiger Hotel and it’s about 1,900 square feet. When I went, they had drink specials (but I also went on Cinco de Mayo). I’ve heard that they’re bringing in a baby grand piano for future entertainment. The bar features classic cocktails and provides a very low-​key atmosphere. It’s a great gathering place for friends and ESPECIALLY good for private events!