Alley Cat Lounge — Restaurant in Savannah

Not going to give this a one star off one bad experience but my gf and I were very excited to stop in for a quick drink on our way home as we were walking her aunt back to the place we were staying. We stopped in to get her a quick water for her aunt and both my gf and I a drink (mind you I haven’t even drank at all yet). According to the bartender w/ short light brown hair we had to sit down and eat because we were “plastered” All we wanted was to get my gf and I a quick drink to go and some water to take care of her aunt but instead were treated so freaking poorly. Ive never seen a person deny other people in a group drinks who did nothing wrong and were respectful the whole whopping 5min we were in there. I asked politely why I couldn’t get a drink cause I legit didn’t say one word or do anything wrong and she called all of us plastered and that we would need food before any drinks. We just came from a late dinner to take her aunt home. One drunk person affiliated with my group apparently means the rest of us are too. We’re all in the service industry so we understand not serving someone if they’ve had too much but we were all very respectful and immediately removed her aunt from the situation so I just don’t understand the hostility from the bartender. Wish I got the name of her, she was not the friendliest or understanding with us whatsoever. Looks like a cool atmosphere though, just an unfortunate...

As an actual craft cocktail bartender myself, these are not craft cocktails. I ordered the Caribbean punch and it quite literally tasted like flat root beer on a big cube. The root beer masked any and all other flavors that should have been in the drink. There was zero dimension to the cocktail. The other 2 drinks ordered at our table I had the same complaints about - zero dimension to the flavors. I have no issue paying $19/20 for a good craft cocktail, but when I’m paying $20, I expect the drink to be worth $20. Flat root beer on a big cube simply ain’t it.

On top of the disappointing drinks, our server didn’t even know what was in the cocktails. He asked my friends mom if she likes the taste of licorice because the drink she was ordering had absinthe in it, according to him. But when we opened the menu back up, we were not seeing absinthe listed under the drink she had ordered. After going back and forth with the server for a bit, as he continued to repeat that the drink did have absinthe in it, he finally realized he was confusing it with a different drink.

My recommendations are to 1) provide your bartenders with further training to better develop their palates and hopefully create drinks with more dimension for your next menu, and 2) make sure your servers know the menu.

Not impressed, would certainly...

There are many many spots to get a drink in Savannah. But where does one go in a busy tourist town for a drink that screams quality. The Alley Cat. Here drinks are the focus and the entertainment. Quality ingredients take the stand instead gimmicky themes or shoreline views. The bar is exactly what you want and need. Taking the steps down into the basement location gives a cozy vibe and will hone your attention on your immediate surroundings. Their menu is vast and boast a unique concept where every drink is the same price. In the moment this helped filter my choices based solely on desire and one I appreciated and now endorse. The goal here is not to pop in quickly inbetwen ghost tours and that is evident in extrememtly labor intensive choices on their menu like the grasshopper or milk punch. The punch was a no brainer and one they prepare many days before as it takes some serious patience with filtering. This concoction rewards in an unbelievably clear apprearnace and brain breaking soft mouth feel that comes from removing some but not all of the proteins from the dairy ingredient. The grasshopper is also a labor of love that has much sweat equity and although I expected an audible sigh from my bartender when ordering she obliged willingly and crafted in what I can only describe as the best...