Nick on the Town

I is for Idle Hour

January 21, 2009 at 11:07 am 3 comments

Idle Hour
6816 Fruitridge, Sacramento

For drinkers, venturing out from the midtown grid is always a risky endeavor. The bars are more spread out and if you pick a stinker then it’s a long walk/expensive cab ride to correct the errors of your ways.

However, the rewards of such an venture often outweigh the risk…especially for those in search of a more neighborhood feel.

I recently made the short trip south to the Idle Hour. Those of you who know Sacramento’s most famous burger spot, the Squeeze Inn, know the neighborhood.  Actually, a squeezeburger and a trip to the Idle Hour would pretty much be full day of fun.

The Idle Hour doesn’t look like much from the outside and it doesn’t look like much on the inside either. That’s cool with me. It’ s a neighborhood bar and when I was there neighbors lined the bar. The rest of the spacious bar was fairly vacant.

The Idle Hour has been around for many decades, but recently got itself new owners. They’ve really cleaned the joint up and it was much more tidy and welcoming than I had expected. Even though I didn’t experience it firsthand, I heard the women’s restroom was immaculate. That’s a big bonus.

The Idle Hour is definitely not a hot spot for the in-crowd. By no stretch could a trip to the Idle Hour be called “clubbing.” You would not take a nice lady here on the first date. On the 20th date after she realizes you’re just a dope who wants a cheap beer, this could be the place for you. Let’s face it, she’s not that great anyhow.

The Idle Hour is perfect if you just want to chat with a couple buddies over beers. It would also be a good spot for post-game softball team meetings. If you live in the neighborhood it would serve you well to become a regular.

This is the bartender:

He doesn’t come across as very smart, but he gets the job done.

I don’t come across as very smart either.

There are pool tables, Golden Tee, some bar food and good sized patio for smokers. Not a bad deal. Oh and they have a really cool sign out front.

I guess that’s about it.

Highlights
* Not crowded and loud
* Neighborhood feel
* Cool sign
* Close to the Squeeze Inn

Price
Excellent. If I remember correctly. I think I paid $3 for a tequila & soda. Patron shots for $6.

Clientele
The friendly folks from the neighborhood come here. generally and older crowd. Some folks that just sit there all day. These are my people.

Entry filed under: ABCs of Drinking in Sac. Tags: .