Rancho Bbh

My girlfriends and I wanted to get some drinks before we headed down the hill to go party it up in old town. BUT... we became sidetracked when this very cute, tattoed and fantastic mixoligist started making the most amazing bloody mary we have ever had. He did things to it that I have never seen anyone else ever duplicate. I went back the following week but it turns out that he only does it once in a blue moon. BUT..the rest of his drinks and shots are out of this world as well!! If you love booze as much as I do... find this bar and bartender...then make it a habit. Pros: Best Bloody Mary on the planet! more

Cheap drinks? Ha! That was not my experience. Moreover, I had a very unpleasant encounter with the evening bartender - an older guy, somewhat portly with thinning white hair and tendency to loud commentary. Here's what happened: My friend and I went in one afternoon and ordered two double bloody marys. The bartender was a young guy. We were charged $14 for the drinks. The drinks were quite good, so we came back some days later and ordered the same. We were charged $16. I noticed the difference but wasn't going to quibble about the two bucks. The next time we went there for bloody marys was on a Tuesday evening. i ordered the same drinks. The white-haired old bartender was there and he charged me $20 for the drinks. I asked him why the difference in price from my previous visit. He said that I must have been there 10 years ago. .I said no, that I had been there only several days ago. He then got quite angry, yelled at me that $20 was the right price and ""..thanks for the tip."" (I was going to leave a tip when I had finished and was leaving). I think he thought I was accusing him of trying to rip off customers so that he could collect the difference. I tried to make up with him, give him his tip but he was still angry and said he didn;t want it. I left the money on the bar anyway and he soon picked it up. All in all, a very unpleasant experince and it ruined our evening pretty much. My advice: Don't go to this place unless you are very desperate. Pros: good blody marys Cons: sleazy joint, weird people more

I live in the area and had been there but thought it was boring. 2 years later, I come back and its a totally different vibe. I have definitley come to really like the Rancho. Its definitley a locals kinda place. I'd say the majority of the people who go there are 28-35 years old. Im 23, so at first the age range wasnt appealing. BUT...the people are super cool, friendly and easy to talk to. Plus the bartenders are nice and make pretty good drinks (never watered down). Its definitley one of those places you go after work or when you wanna get out and be social, but not get too crazy (Unless you go on Karaoke night Tuesday...it gets pretty busy/crazy). Plus thats when most of the younger crowd is there :) Pros: good juke box, cheap drinks, friendly people, chill (most nights) Cons: small, sometimes you get hassled by older men (if you're a semi-attractive younger woman) more

Now here is a bar that I will travel a goodly distance just to have a cool one. There is a friendly ambience with an eclectic batch of different people of every walk of life. It has soul. It doesn't need glitz - what it has is history, decorated with Mt. Lowe paraphenalia, and cutsey sayings posted everywhere giving it a local verve. It is casual and inviting. There is no false sense of who they are - it just is. It reminds me of the loose and casual atmosphere you would find in a beach bar. Pros: Casual Cons: Small more

WOW. There are some truly bitter peeps below reviewing the one and only Rancho! Obviously some guy drama there affected them deeply...no matter, the Rancho is a true dive, your neighborhood home away from home, Cheap, strong drinks, a great jukebox (Pixies, Fugazi, Sonic Youth, Iggy, anyone?) and lots of pool playing...all in a cozy lodge-esque environment. One of the things that makes this place special is- like Altadena proper- there is such a variety of clientele- little mod kids, punkers, artists, old guys, blue collar workers, 'regular' guys- and all ethnicities as well. Gotta love it. If you don't you have probably been at the trendoid cheesy Mcbars for too long and your brain is warped. more

I first stepped into the Rancho 3 1/2 years ago.. had the best bloody maria I'd ever had in my life! Came back for another and the next thing I knew I was a regular. True enough, the bldg in small.. but jam packed full of fun people. Great drinks, much cheaper than any city bar you might find. They have kareoke on Tuesdays and a DJ on Thursdays.. the jukebox is eclectic with everything from hard rock to jazz to country and everything in between. Lots of good pool players if thats your thing.. free during the week days and sundays.. .. to me it's like having CHEERS in Altadena... stop in and check it out!! Pros: inexpensive, friendly patrons, dj thursdays Cons: crowded weekends more

It's true.That's what the owner Ron larson(god bless his soul)would say just before he would ring the bell,meaning the next round was on him.He was the reason the local patrons would come and come again.He was and still is the spirit of the Rancho.The bar atracts some competative pool players,which is why I go,it is the best bar in Altadena. Pros: comp.pool players, d.j.wed.night, beer selection Cons: smokey more

I had heard mixed things about this bar so I went with a fw friends to check it out. The bartenders are hilarious. Not because they are funny, they arent. They are funny because they would like you to believe they are know what they are doing. They dont. Drink are way watered down, the beer was warm and the attitude was terrible. I cant stand the frat bars of old town but I will go hang out at one of them before I go back to this place again Pros: cant think of one. Cons: , bad music more

Went here the other night and I can say these local folks can have this place. The bartenders were rude and served poor drinks, tho cheap.. who waters down wine anyways? I dont need a hello from a bartender but when the girl cant even look up at me when she isnt even busy thats bad. The guy that bartends was very interested in my friends, but we didnt stick around long enough for him to succeed in trying to flirt. Definitely a local bar, half the crowd were old men who think they should be in cigarette ads, the other half were silly lil kids who read too much Bukowski. But someone should tell them Bukowski never drank in the hills. Im going back to the city, and the good bars where the cowboys in the bar arent trying to listen to jazz... too funny. Pros: cheap drinks, smoking allowd inside Cons: drinks taste cheap, bad music, the crowd more

The rancho can be summed up in one word....""Players"" Its a cool little dive bar with cheap drinks but with a cheap drink comes kissing and flirting from the guy bartenders, Everyone should go once to get the real feeling of a slezzy bar.. but you will have fun! more

I love this place! Its a small dive bar with alot of character! With 2 outside patios, a pool table and great bartenders. I was introduced to this little bar a few years ago and I have been somewhat of a regular since. The only problem that I see with the bar is that the jukebox could use a few new CDs for everyones listening enjoyment! Aside from that, I recommend it highly. Pros: Inexpensive Cons: Jukebox more