Shim's Tavern — Restaurant in Reno

Pains me to write a 3 star review for this place, because their drinks are amazing, and the vibes in this bar are awesome. The Decor and Art are awesome, and the place was clean. The Bartender was the owner, not sure if it is like that every night. I went on Monday which was their open mic and poetry night, so it was full. This is not a new event, so I have to assume the owner just does not care about their wait times for drinks. I mean, it was ridiculous. 1 Bartender serving that entire bar with 40+ people. I get that these are craft cocktails, but The process to order is disorganized, so depending on where you sit, stand, multiple people may order before you, even if they arrived after, or finished their drink after you. This place needs to have two bartenders working on busy nights. Especially since the quality of drinks are high, they need help. I could not even enjoy the event, because 90% of the time I spent trying to get the bartenders attention. The Bartender/Owner also forgot my two drink orders, so on top of the long wait to order, the long wait for drinks, the order was forgotten, so I had to do the whole process over again which was extremely frustrating. I felt like something probably should have been done for the inconvenience, but it seemed as though this is just a common occurrence, and I was likely not the only person experiencing this. I also specifically came here to support a black business. It's the first bar that comes up when you search black owned bars in Reno, and it even has a tag that says "identifies as black owned on google. The articles about this place and the Owner/Bartending working suggest otherwise, but I hope there is a black person at least co-owning this place, otherwise it just feels kinda sleezy. If the owner responds and tells me I'm wrong, I'll definitely update. I would love to go again and try their other drinks, but I don't think I will due to the painfully...

Shims still isn't getting the glass right. I returned to Shims last Friday after some friends invited me and ordered a whiskey. The bartender suggested Ardbeg, a high-end single malt I've had and enjoyed before, so I went with it. I also asked for a glass of water on the side. What surprised me was that he served the water a Glencairn glass--the kind used for whisky--and the whiskey came in a wide-mouth tumbler.

I was surprised to see that they finally had the Glencairn but didn't use it for its purpose. I mentioned that the Glencairn is the proper glass for whisky and asked if he would put the whiskey in it. Rather than simply honoring the request, the bartender insisted that I was wrong and that he personally prefers to drink whisky from a water tumbler. He eventually made the switch after I insisted but not without letting me know he'd "been bartending for 17 years," clearly irritated that I had asked and then proceeded to ignore me. You'd think that he'd know which glass by now.

Is it too much to just accomodate the customer, when I'm paying good money for a premium single malt? I expect to enjoy it in the proper glass--especially when the right glass is already in front of us. Whisky isn't just about taste; it's about aroma, and a tumbler just doesn't deliver that experience.

I left feeling more uncomfortable than welcomed. A good bar should be about hospitality, not ego. It isn't cool to disrespect a customer, especially in front of his date. I'd give Shims a 1 but they had a keyboard player and...

I love this place for multiple reasons. First off, the vibe and decor is great. Secondly, the drink selection is quite good - try the Sunset Sour, Bramble or Bully for You. Lastly, they have beers on tap that I don't see at most places, one of which is quite possibly my favorite beer ever, the Kilkenny cream ale. They also have several comfortable booths for seating, as well as a stage for when they have bands/performers and lots of games at each booth too, if you want to play dominoes or cards with friends while you enjoy your beverages. I'll be coming here regularly...