Wax Rabbit Speakeasy — Restaurant in Spring Valley

My husband and I had wanted to go since we saw it on Norma Geli's review on YouTube, but after seeing the reviews on here and yelp we were hesitant to say the least. We agreed we would go and if anything was off before we got our drinks we would just leave. Wax Rabbit exceeded our expectations. The hosts for the restaurant were very friendly and told us where to go and the gentleman at the speakeasy bookcase was welcoming and let us right in. Upon arriving inside were weren't sure where to go exactly as the bar was full and we weren't sure if we could sit on the couches as many said reserved, but we made our way to the bar and the bartender, a blonde lady with tattoos, wish I remembered her name, greeted us and sat down cocktail napkins at the end where we could stand to make us feel welcomed. The espresso marinti she made was the best I've ever had, super chilled with a beautiful creamy top. My husband's old fashioned was extremely smooth and a nice change to a traditional bourbon one. The bartender made small chat with us which made it even more welcoming. People shortly got up and we were able to sit down, where the bartender moved our drinks for us and continued to be attentive making us a second drink, the mezcal paloma, which she suggested and got us waters. My husband loved this one which was smoky and refeshing. The live dj was entertaining and not too loud so you could relax and enjoy. The space was relaxing with the dim red lighting. It really felt like a speakeasy as you could no longer see the door exit once settled in. We both agreed this could be a regular spot for us and a much needed experience for locals who are tired of always having to drive to the strip for this type of place. 5 stars....not sure what happened with the many other experiences that were negative, but I knew I had to leave a positive review as the espresso martini alone makes me not want this speakeasy to go away. Keep up the good work Wax Rabbit and to the readers on here, don't let the bad reviews keep you from trying it out. Experience it...

I am writing this review to share my horrible experience at Wax Rabbit. We came to Mijo to eat dinner and celebrate my sister’s bday. It was 6 of us there. The waitress invited us to the Wax Rabbit, we were escorted in and informed that it was open seating (No RSVP). Due to spacing our party split up, 3 of us sat at a high table next to the bar and the other 3 sat at the bar with my daughter standing because there were no seats available. We were waiting for an area that would accommodate our party. Devin (the worker who was cleaning tables) came to us and stated aggressively, “This table is reserved, I will let you sit here but you have to get up when the party gets here.” He later tells my friend that she had to get up out of her chair, he takes a chair and gives it to a guy who just walked to the bar. We were all confused, like I thought this was open seating. We realized we were lied to by Devin and bullied out of our chair, only to give it to the guy at the bar. We couldn’t believe that we were treated that way. We reported to the manager Diego who stated that he was sent home for his behavior. This was a traumatic experience. Devin should be fired and should not represent Wax Rabbit. It is bad business. He appears that he has been getting away with it way to long. It seems like it gets paid under the table for lying about tables being reserve and selling it. He met the wrong one. ...

This place has gone from a nice, low-key vibey spot to a trashy club like environment. Ridiculously overcrowded, classless, and stressful. The bartender didn't even acknowledge us as we stood at the bar for about 30 minutes. I get it if you're busy, but at least give us an acknowledgment. He knew we were there, and I signaled many times to get his attention in a polite way. It almost seemed like he didn't want to even acknowledge us. Others who just walked up got their drinks literally as soon as they walked up. We were pleasant and were not being rude. It was very obvious we wanted a drink. This place is a total 180° from the last time I went, and I will not be going back there. I work with big executives, and I will no longer refer any of my clients to this spot. As a matter of fact, I'll encourage them NOT to come here. If you want to be in an overcrowded, stressful, classless environment, this is your spot. What a shame this place gas turned into. I'll finish by saying we ended up leaving out of frustration and were never even tended to. ...