Lotus @ Le Colonial

A small nightclub with two entrances. Apparently, you can’t get in anymore through the alley way where the «front» of the restaurant is since people are still having dinner, but through the «back» on a pretty busy street with people and cars. Ironic.
The wait though wasn’t too bad for a Saturday night at about 10:30−11PM. We waited probably about 20 minutes. Not a big deal except for these two white girls and their guy friend who walked up to the front of the line (where we were after about 15 minutes) and told the front doorman that their friend had bottle service and wanted to know if they could go in. The doorman told them they had to wait in the back of the line. One of the girls said, «Our friend has bottle service. Can’t we go in?» The doorman said no. The other girl kept insisting stating that they had bottle service blah blah… After about 3 or 4 times they stated their friends had bottle service and were waiting for them, my friend told them that our friends too had bottle service and we stood in line. In a huff, someone muttered under their breath (but not so quietly that we didn’t hear), «It’s cause we’re not Asian.» Really? What is that even supposed to mean?
It was a somewhat wierd night for me as a lot of guys were so aggressive that it wasn’t even tolerable… bleh. The bartender too took forever to give me my water even after my friends had ordered their drinks… :(
Honestly, this place reminded me TOO MUCH of the Marina district… MEH. I probably would not be back here again.
Pros: No line for the women’s restroom and the DJ was good.
2.5 stars.

Went here on a Saturday night with a small group to get our bump and grinds on. Immediately went to the bar and waited patiently for several minutes to get the bartender’s attention. Took a while for him to look my direction, but once i had my drink in hand, i was ready for some action. The place was the perfect amount of crowded — where you know the place is bumpin, but not so crowded where you’re touching shoulders with everyone and that you can’t enjoy yourself. One observation: i dont know if it was just this particular night, but the guy to girl ratio was about 10 – 1. Not that i minded ;)
My cousin went off to get a drink and did make mention of an attitude-​y bartender, although i wasn’t there to bear witness. However, after reading some reviews, it appears that this/​these bartenders are alive and working at Le Colonial.
The jams were good all night long — the only reason i ever dreamed of sitting down was because my pumps were killing me. Rounded the corner to find some benches *gasp* practically empty so i got a chance to rest my feet.
All in all, i had a lot of fun this night, yet nothing about the place made it particularly memorable. Great music. No cover charge. No lines for the bathroom! Go there.

I organized my birthday party here last Saturday, since I didn’t want to make it at a huge club, where we had to worry about finding each other or paying for cover at the door.
We came here around 10pm, where there were a few groups hanging out at the tables along the back. Chill music was playing where everyone was just enjoying a drink while conversing. It didn’t get back until around 11pm, which is when usually things start poppin’. My group of friends and I actually really had fun at Lotus! The music was slow at first but started bumping like no other! Thanks to the House DJ of the night! Everyone was dancing like crazy, getting to know each other, and having a blast.
It was crowded but not too crowded that we still had our own space to breathe. That was especially needed since they only had the ceiling fans available for ventilation! Some of us kept trying to turn it faster but the security told us to stop doing it!
One thing though. I don’t know but is it just me or their drinks tastes like crap! I couldn’t hold ANYTHING down that night! OH and one of the bartenders was a pure jerk. I mean if you don’t like your job, then quit. Don’t give us attitude while serving us! They serve a mean mojito, which was probably the only thing I enjoyed. Drinks are a bit pricy, like santana row prices. Bathrooms are clean and spacious. No plumping problems that you would encounter at Vessel: P
So in general,
— NO COVER CHARGE :)

Meh, this place probably falls under the ‘the sort of thing you like, if you like that sort of thing” territory. I’ll admit straight up that the main problem is probably that it is not my thing at all.
Went there on a Saturday, but got in without paying cover since the gals I was with knew someone.
Now, I had gotten the impression that the place was relatively fancy, and in fact one of our group was worried that she would not be let in because she was dressed too casual. However it didn’t seem particularly high-​end at all. Not a dive or anything, but just your basic club.
The place was full-​not uncomfortably so, but the crowd seemed to have no dance-​floor etiquette. A lot of cutting through the crowd instead of going around, a lot of folks just standing and chatting and taking up space. Then again it seemed to be a twenty-​something kinda demographic so maybe they just don’t know any better yet?
The DJ was okay, but was playing a lot of auto-​tune pop dance mix stuff, which again; not really my thing. I danced, though, so I’ll give him that.
The least enjoyable part of the evening was the bar, I spent forever attempting to get a drink (or even acknowledgment) from the female bartender, but gave up after she started serving people who I *knew* had not been at the bar when I got there. I popped over to the male bartender on the other side and was served within a couple of minutes, in the order in which I arrived. Also the drinks where $ 10 a pop, which for a basic Vodka Collins seems a bit excessive.
Beyond that the scene was just very mainstream. A lot of tuckers and club gals, nice enough I’m sure but very much not my people. Not much good for people watching either since everyone seemed to be wearing pretty much the same thing, dancing (barely) the same way and just generally not being terribly interesting. In retrospect it was also a very het bunch.
After about half an hour I took off and headed over to the DNA Lounge for Bootie, where I danced away the rest of the night.
So, if you like a mainstream, normal type experience you may very well enjoy yourself at Lotus, but if you prefer the freaks and weirdos (as I do) you should probably not waste your time or cash.

I went back to this joint last Saturday and I was pleasantly surprised by the overall lack of douchebags. Granted, my galpals and I showed up at 9:25 (eff the cover charge – aren’t the drink prices steep enough?) so perhaps we just didn’t stay late enough to be bombarded by d-​bags, but still.
I thought the music was good, not amazing, but definitely solid. I have a small crush on the d.j. so maybe I am biased. Also, while it did not get overwhelmingly crowded for the first few hours, it hit a point of ridiculousness with the amount of birthdays and bachelorette parties being announced.
Another thing, there was an exorbitant amount of females. Sure could have used some sausage at the taco party, ya know?

This place is nuts. The music reminds me of middle school, but in the best way possible. Let’s just say when I requested Ignition (Remix) by R. Kelley, the DJ complimented my song choice. This is a great place to come for a ridiculous night out with lots of dancing and drinking.
I always have «5 stars worth of fun», if you will, but I deducted 1 star because the $ 10 cover and bitchy bartender (who messed up my drink order). Also, drinks are pretty expensive; $ 9 for a vodka soda at this type of place is a bit exorbitant.

Finished up my birthday celebration with some dancing here last night. I got at Le Colonial with my friends just after dinner, at around 9:45, and we were the only people at the lounge. A friend who was visiting from NYC was a little worried the place was not going to pick up, but it slowly did, and after 11 pm there was a line at the door.
I liked the décor — elegant, charming and not too clubby. We got a tall table in one corner and could comfortably lay our purses and drinks there, while dancing next to it. The DJ started playing at around 10 pm, and we had the dance floor all for ourselves. It got really crowded after 11:30, and I would have left then, if it were not my birthday and if some of my friends hadn’t just arrived. It was not too bad though — it was just the fact that I have been kinda over nightlife. Since I hadn’t been at a club until it closed in years, I was actually pleasantly surprised that we could still move and dance around with comfort and without being bothered. I guess it also had to do with the crowd, which seemed older and more polished. There were two ladies next to us who seemed to be in their late 50s, and who were having a blast shacking it! it was really fun — and inspiring — to watch!
The DJ was good and played top-​40s plus some fun 80s and 90s. The staff was really friendly — from the bouncer to the lady in the restroom. Overall, it was a really fun night and a fabulous way to burn up some calories and have a lot of laughs! :-)

Came her for a friends birthday. Really cute place and has a nice seating area.
The downs…
Expensive drinks, a little crowded on the dance floor… and the DJ could have been better. He would start a song just imediatly mix it out with something else. Would have appreciated a sligtly more diverse crowd too.
Would I go back? Maybe but not soon.

An extra star or two for the company I was keeping when I went, most definitely. My friend CP had a milestone birthday here last weekend, and not only does she know how show people a great time and charm the pants off of them, but her guests were wonderful fun to hang out with.
I was shocked at how the club portion of Le Colonial filled up — when I showed up for dinner, the upstairs was deserted… when we made our way back out to shake it for a bit around 10pm, the place was packed wall to wall. So Lotus can apparently draw quite a crowd.
I felt like the DJ was a tease — he would do the thing that DJs do where they start playing a really great song that you get all into dancing to, then chop into a crappy disjointed one after a minute or so — think something like Aerosmith/​Run DMC «Walk This Way» mated awkwardly with Lady Gaga’s «Poker Face.»
Seemed to be a mix of ages and attitudes, with most in the early-​mid 20s set. While trying to get 2 glasses of water back across the insanely packed dance floor, one glass was slapped out of my hand and all over my shirt. The guy was apologetic as hell and fought his way back through the crowd to get me a replacement. So you, cute girl that was dancing with the guy who refilled my water after soaking me with it… you might consider giving it up for him at some point.
All my complaints about loud, sweaty crowds aside, let’s face it though. I’m older and cranky and less fun these days, and was never big into the club scene to begin with. I need a dark dive bar with a sticky jukebox, a 50-​cent pool table, and maybe a skinny DJ with a skinny tie spinning circa 1980 – 1990.
What mattered most to me on this occasion was that CP had a great birthday. And girl, I refuse to believe that this was your 40^th. You’re freaking amazing.

Some friends and I decided to come to Le Colonial after a faux prom party… yes, I said faux prom party.
It had been awhile since I’ve been to an overcrowded lounge/​club and found myself immediately adapting to the environment (e.g., elbowing my way to the bar and holding my gal pal’s hands as we walked through the crowd for fear of losing one another).
The DJ in the main room was spinning a good mix of Top 40 hits and songs of the indie variety, which is always a plus in my book. I really liked the area in the back with the smaller bar and seating. We found a prime position away from the crowded dance area and right next to the bathroom for some solid people watching.
It was an especially busy night and I realized that going to places such as this reinforces the fact that all 5’2″ of me is at armpit level of 90% of the people there. This isn’t a surprise but when you’re trying to get your groove on in a crowded room and all you can smell is people’s deodorant, well that isn’t the most pleasant of experiences. I guess it could be worse, I guess they could not be wearing deodorant?!

Pricy drinks.
Small dance floor.
People were okay.
Get’s stuffy and hot.
Music wasnt too bad.
Might come back again, but it didn’t rock my socks off.

I can see why this place has 3 stars. While I really enjoyed my night here, and I probably would go back, there were a few things that I don’t really appreciate about this place as a drinking venue.
First, drinks are expensive. It is the city, so OK fine. Next time I will just drink more beforehand. Second, it got sweaty as balls in there. Maybe turn the fans on high? OR next time I’ll go to the lower bar part (down the ramp near the coat room, the door on the left) that we didn’t see until we were leaving that was cool and much less crowded than the upper part. OR next time I won’t wear a sweater, though I don’t know if it would have helped that much.
Even though they were expensive, the drinks that I had were strong and well-​made. At least there was that. Also, the DJ was really good that night (although he did scoff at my friends request for «Gettin Jiggy Wit It»… and it totally would have fit in his repertoire!!). It’s not a place to get too nasty though… If you want that, The Cellar is right down the street!
Also, the bouncers were really nice, and if you get there before 10pm, you don’t have to pay a cover! Paying a cover would be lame!

Sat – way too crowded (and gets very stuffy)
to avoid the cover charge ($ 10 or $ 15), we met some people who were having dinner in the dining room before going up. thus entering the main entrance – otherwise they send you around to the other side
music is top 40 and 80s/​90s popular stuff

Having been to the Le Colonial in Chicago many times– I was interested to see how it’s San Francisco sister would treat this Chicago girl especially after reading some of the reviews on here.
We were looking for a place to end a Thursday evening– and since this was close to our hotel– an easy pick. Maybe it was just me– but it seemed a little hard to find as we had to wander down an alley to find the entrance to the place. But turn the corner and viola! There it is!
We finally get to the bar upstairs and what a sight! There is swing dancing going on. Girls in their 30’s style dresses and guys swinging them around a dance floor located in front of the main bar. We quickly found a seating area of couches and chairs and sat– watching the action.
The server was quite good. There were easily 10 in our party and she remembered what we each wanted to drink without ever writing it down. She also was able to find us some snacks as we were starving and the kitchen was already closed. Definitely appreciate the pampering especially when it was obvious that the place was going to close soon.
As I sat there with the ceiling fan, gently pushing the cool air toward me, as the music washed over me and with my martini beginning to kick in– I wondered what all the griping on here was about cuz Le Colonial truly put the cap on my evening.

No complaints here what so ever.
A few of us went to The Ambassador before hand and it was WAY TOO packed w/​people, though I did like the style of that place. We walked over to Le Colonial and BAM– LOVE AT FIRST sight. Love the inside of this place. Ceiling fans, fireplaces, GREAT DJ and music (hip-​hop, dancehall, tad bit of reggae thrown in, rock…) friendly staff (bartendar said I looked like his best girlfriend and gave me my drink for free-​thanks Joel) a variety of ages and types of people, it really was a GREAT time. I will be back… many more times.
(Plus, I’d like to try dinner there sometime)
Anyone know how to sign up for the Guest list for saturday night– let me know.

Went there for a birthday party of a friend of mine…
Cover charge. Expensive, poorly poured drinks. Dress code enforcer wouldn’t let one of my friends in. Bad, predictable DJing. Bridge and Tunnel crowd.
Having said that, and knowing from the get-​go what I was in for, I just went for it and had a blast.
When in Rome…
Sometimes it’s good to go against your core!