Red Bar & Lounge

I’ve been here twice so far: once on a Saturday night and another on NYE 2015. On regular days when there’s not an event, it is very empty and quiet. It is a great place to quietly drink and chat with friends who are not into the loud club atmosphere. Drinks are made very well, but are on the pricey side compared to other bars/​lounges.
On New Year’s Eve, my friends and I did not have a place to go and decided to come here. Cover charge was $ 25 with complimentary champagne. This event was definitely for older people (~30’s to 40’s). May not be fun for younger adults who want to get drunk and go crazy.
Bartenders are very nice and recommend drinks for you based on the drinks you order. Very fast and knowledgeable about drinks.
Very clean place to drink and bathrooms are right across (which are also very clean). Overall, a great place to quietly drink and chat, but may not be suitable for younger people who want to get crazy drunk.

We come here because it’s a short walk from our office. Happy Hour deals aren’t bad and the food is tasty.
I do love a couple of their drinks (Loosehound being my fave) but have noticed that it tastes sometimes significantly different when made by different shifts of bartenders. Example: Happy Hour bartenders make it tangy. When we’ve gone couple times on Friday nights, it’s mostly sweet, even when I request «easy» on the simple syrup. (FYI, I prefer the tangy.)
Service is my main complaint here. I prefer to sit at the bar because the bartenders are on top of it. Can’t complain about any of them. Super friendly, super cool. But when you’re sitting in the lounge itself, the servers are typically tough to get a hold of, even when it’s not busy. You observe them chatting with coworkers in a corner somewhere, heedless of your thirst. The girls are nice most of the time but we just wished they were more available.
Still our work mainstay for HH because it’s conveniently located to us, drinks are good and food is tasty. That service tho…

Do their servers even value customer service. I came half an hour before happy hour ended. It’s self seating. A server did not come to my table for 30 minutes. Happy hour was over. I understand that you may be busy, but there’s no excuse for missing a customer for 30 whole minutes. Complete lack of customer service here. Food and drinks special is not even worth the horrible service at this lounge. It’s poor design of being completely open to the lobby doesn’t help its servers notice those customers sitting at the outer tables. Avoid this place at all costs. Irvine has much better eats than this place.
Poke — very bland, there was no seasoning/​flavoring on it besides a cream cheese drizzle.
Sliders — decent, burger was cooked well and served on a hawaiian roll. Comes with sweet potato fries that were just okay.
Salmon Flatbread — wasn’t a huge fan. The cream cheese + cheese combo made it too creamy.
Lumpia — pork inside was pretty dry.
Baos — there needs to be more veggies and more meat. The ratio of meat to bao was off.

Bad Joke Alert** They should call this the Orange Bar & Lounge since all the furniture’s orange… not red…
At the recommendation of a friend, I decided to check out Red Bar for their happy hour and their amazing tv screens. Located inside Hotel Irvine, I heard valet was free with validation at the bar, so, acting like I was hot ish, I pulled up to valet as if I had done it a thousand times before. And FYI, yes, valet is free with validation for three hours, just make sure to tip your driver — it’s plenty of time!
On the happy hour menu, I had to try the lumpias and the pork buns (also from Eats kitchen) to start. Ended up getting the sliders as well! Prices were pretty good for happy hour, though the portion size was a bit lacking. I’m not sure you’re meant to eat full meals here… but when I do happy hour, I intend to get full off appetizers (call me «cheap», that’s fine with me!) Everything we ordered was good, except those pork buns are not as great as I expected. It’s so… plain, the pork meat to fat ratio was a disappointment… I’d skip these next time and just focus on the drinks.
One thing I noticed right when I walked into the Red Bar area… all professionals! Good thing I came from work and looked put together, otherwise, I wouldn’t have felt as comfortable. The atmosphere feels kind of upscale… but it’s intimate and private enough where I feel like it’d be okay if I dressed down.
The servers were amazing! Great service and hospitality; I asked for the recommendation for draft beers, and they showed me a good tripel. It ended up being a really fun time with my girlfriend, plenty of food and drinks and ending with a bill that didn’t scare us! It’s a great place to network and meet people, too. I’ll be coming by for Happy Hour again soon!

Red Bar & Lounge is located inside the Irvine Hotel on Jamboree/​Main.
We came in on a Saturday Evening and the lounge was vibrant and full of a good variety of different people of ages and ethnicity.
Amongst the bar area, there are plush lounge areas where you can lounge with a group or have an intimate setting. Towards the back theres a huge big screen perfect for popular exciting sport events.
They have a great selection of appetizers and cocktails. Happy hour is Monday — Friday from 3−7pm. I will definitely be back and try there happy hour as cocktails and selected appetizers are a special price.
We had a big group and service was amazing. Our server was attentive and had our orders delivered in a timely manner.
I tried the Loose hound cocktail and boy was it refreshing and amazing! It was grapefruit infused and it wasn’t sour or overpowering. It had a good combination of tartness and sweetness. I enjoyed myself so well that I didn’t think about pulling out my phone to take a picture lol. Just enjoyed the company, ambiance and the moment.
My husband tried the moscow mule and it had a nice kick of fresh ginger infused in the cocktail.
Overall this is a great place to lounge and hangout in a nice relaxed environment. There was also a dj and the music was great with a nice selection of different types of music.
Will definitely be back!

Great place for happy hour! It’s from 5−7pm. Drinks were very strong and cheap. I like the nice open layout with comfy couches everywhere, perfect for a big group. I wasn’t able to try any of the food, but definitely will next time. You can valet and get your ticket validated so it’s free!

I was surprised by how tasty everything was, even with the bar being a part of a hotel. I got there for happy hour with co-​workers, lots of comfortable seating inside and outside — great classy atmosphere.
$ 6 HH Ahi Poke — Flavorful and overall very good. You’ll taste a hint of wasabi (but not very much). Comes with crispy wonton chips!
$ 5 HH Orange Wheat Beer — If you want a light beer, this should be your go-​to! I can actually taste the oranges.
$ 5 HH Mercy Me — Raspberry flavored cocktail — I thought it was okay, it kind of reminded me of how vitamin tablets tasted!
You should ask the host or servers for parking validation prior to leaving! I would definitely come back.

This review is for their happy hour only.
A HH that features half priced lumpia and cocktails infused with chamomile?! I’m IN!
Red Bar’s happy hour generously runs from 3:00 PM — 7:00 PM, which is perfect for the many workaholics at Park Place. While a majority of the customers work in the area, anyone can park there without a problem. The bar validates parking for 3 hours, and the parking attendants are pretty generous with their interpretation of what «3 hours.» means.
The HH deal itself consists of a few cheap food items, half priced cocktails, half price on some beers (I favored the Heff) and half price on their house Cabernet or Chardonnay.
Their lumpia is a FANTASTIC deal for $ 4. You get 3 – 4 crunchy pork eggrolls lightly fried on the outside and stuffed with pork. The sweet and sour sauce is standard though… I would have preferred something with a bit of a kick. Their beef sliders for were just OK, but still a good deal for $ 4.50. You get half a plate of sweet potato fries in addition to the burgers. I wasn’t a big fan of the Biscuits & Jam for $ 3. Like most restaurants, they provided MUCH more spread than you could ever hope to use, and the biscuits were super dry and tasteless on their own.
Go for the lumpia.
As for the drinks, the Heff, white wine, and Bourbon cocktails were pretty good deals at $ 5 – 6 a pop, but the stand-​outs were the Cannonball and the Thyme for Tea cocktails, in that order. The cannonball is strong, but has a light lemon-​orange taste that really pairs well with the lumpia, and the chamomile-​infused vodka really makes the Thyme for Tea stand out as a unique, refreshing drink at the end of the day.
If you’re a fan of the spicy, try the Icy Hot, which starts with a sweet cucumber elderflower taste followed by a stark jalapeño bite. Not for the faint of heart.
If you get there early, I’d HIGHLY recommend sitting at the bar. While servers do occasionally serve the tables in the back area, they come around rather infrequently (maybe once every half an hour) and less infrequently in the front area (one server only came around once every 20 minutes, until we moved to a different table to get an awesome server that came around every 10 minutes).
All in all, a great find in Irvine. I only docked it one star for the sporadic service.

+Happy hour. Good prices for house wine, beers on tap, and I think certain well drinks. I paid $ 13 for 3 drinks, you can’t beat that price.
+Plenty of parking at the back of Hotel Irvine.
+Friendly and nice servers.
+Lots of comfy sofas to lounge on.
+Flat screen tvs.
What else could you ask for.
Tip:
Park in the lot behind the hotel and get validated. It’s a little confusing since there are two structures near by.

Sometimes Unilocaling ain’t easy, and the responsibilities can be downright painful at times.
So sad to report that the hh honeymoon is over. They eliminated most of the hh food items, and removed the best wine offerings as well. Instead of the Gainey for the bargain $ 6, I was only offered their house chard at 50% off its normal $ 8. Yep, the lobster tacos will now set you back the full $ 12. We settled for the cheese flatbread and it was a soggy mess, and we both struggled to finish said mess.
Well they did their job in getting peoples attention with all of those now great ex-​choices, but I am sure they will lose many of the locals. I gave em an extra star because the service is still awesome.
Too sad indeed.

This review is for happy hour only… actually it was just a cinco de mayo deal but nonetheless, it was awesome.
I had a Vodka and Sprite, an order of lobster tacos (2 tacos) and an order of steak tacos. I got them all for $ 7. WHAAATTT!!!
The vodka and sprite was whatever… I’m not a big drinker but this was such a steal.
Lobster tacos were awesome! Tangy, succulent… pretty damn tasty. The steak tacos were fine but they were definitely overshadowed by the lobster tacos.
The only reason I had to dock a star was because of the service. Our waitress was nice, but not always there. She forgot my water a couple of times and it took her awhile to make her way back to our table. The bus boy was great though. he changed the tv so I could watch the warriors game and got our utensils as soon as we asked for it.
The environment is pretty relaxed… large couches where my feet don’t touch the ground if I sit all the way back. The crowd, at least on cinco de mayo, was kind of stuck up 30+ year olds but for $ 7 I don’t even care.

Love to come here for HH! Everything is half off including cocktails and wine! Eat and drink your heart out from 5−7pm! The servers are super friendly and sweet!

½ priced happy hour in comfy seating with great service. What more could you want? Now, I have to say that I don’t ordinarily go to hotel bars for happy hour. I usually hit Javier’s or Kabuki but we thought we’d try something new.
Upon arriving at 5:30pm, we found plenty of available seating in the spacious lounge, which was inhabited by suited male types. We sat in a comfy corner decorated by tons of fluffy pillows. I was thinking. if I drink too much here, this would be a great spot to take a little nap before heading home. We were immediately greeted by a server who armed us with menus and informed us about happy hour pricing.
We ate (the cheese plate was awesome), we drank, we had a great time in an open and relaxed environment. We’re making plans to go back!
Don’t forget to get your parking validated before you leave.

I’m not usually a fan of bars/​lounge and stuff like that but I’m really starting to like this place a lot. I couldn’t really enjoy it since I held a meeting here with my partners but that décor and ambiance, wowzers.
Its located inside the Irvine Hotel. You can valet your parking and they will validate it for you (sweet). The décor is beautiful, absolutely stunning. They have their own mixes they create so do try if you get the opportunity. I had something strawberry to drink because I like fruity drinks loll. When I arrived, it was still part of their happy hour so everything was half off. Thats a great deal. Too bad I only had one drink and then it was down to business. You can actually order food as well, but I wasn’t really hungry. I’m not quite sure if the food comes from EATS next door, but if it is then I suggest ordering food as well.
It gets packed here since they show sporting events on their television screens as well and with a great happy hour deal its no wonder this place is alive and well. Service was excellent and with a great vibe I can definitely get use to this.

Red Bar & Lounge is a great spot to grab a cocktail in Irvine’s northern business area.
I owe this one to OC’s infamous Unilocaler Dan H. who suggested we meet for a drink on a Saturday afternoon. The long and bright bar is wide open and inviting. You almost forget you are in the lobby of the Hotel Irvine thanks to the adjacent restaurant (Eats) and the friendliness of the Bartender (look for Grayson, he is a great guy).
We met during March Madness and supped on libations while watching the two televisions that adorns the back bar. What really set off the entertainment was the people watching factor thanks to a couple of conventions that were in town at the time.
With great happy hour specials, wonderful bartending and the fact it is so close to my office, a return trip to Red Bar is a stone cold lock. Perhaps I may even invite Danimal H.

I’ve been here twice in one month and both times did not disappoint! A cute hang out spot in hotel Irvine. Love the classy look and vibe.
Self parking for $ 6/​hr but you can get it validated. Dressy casual attire. Age group looks like working professionals and plus.
Good music that you don’t have to yell over.
Came here with a group of friends the first time and even though there wasn’t a huge crowd for a Saturday night, we enjoyed the ambience and fantastic cocktails.
The second time it was just my boyfriend and I. Came here on valentines to enjoy some hand crafted cocktails and good conversation.
SHOUTOUT to GABE and JAMES BROWN for whipping up some of their own creations for me. I highly recommend trying an item on the menu and requesting something for them to make. They’re creative and are more than happy to personalize it for you. I wanted something with gin and Gabe delivered as its one of his specialties. I have a sweet tooth and James made me a strawberry martini of some sort and it was delicious.
Thanks for making it a fun experience guys and offering a good classy hang out spot cause Irvine needs more of that.