After reading up on the Buffalo Club for my “Wine Tasting Under the Stars” posting last month, I honestly never thought I’d patronize the joint. Many people on CitySearch complained of extremely rude service, verbally abusive staff and overpriced food and drinks. And the fact that they charge a cover turned me off completely. But since my girlfriends and I were long overdue for a girls’ night out, I dragged myself over there. And, surprisingly, I had a fabulous time. But here’s what I think made that possible.
I didn’t have to pay the $10 cover. I was there with two of my other girlfriends (good-looking girls) and we were dressed up. The bouncer waved us in to “pay” the bartender inside, but once inside after speaking with the bartender, he let us go on ahead.
The bouncer wasn’t letting people in who didn’t have reservations and fortunately we actually had a well-attended party to go to inside.
I wasn’t there for dinner and I didn’t have to pay for drinks as the guys we met up with took care of that. But I don’t think I would have minded paying for my own cocktail as the whiskey and Coke I ordered came in a tall glass, was pretty strong and oh-so tasty.
So that all knocked the chip off my shoulder about the place. I was able to enjoy the disco cover band as my friend and I hit the dance floor and just danced the night away. I felt like I was in Vegas because of the onstage cheesiness of the guitarist wearing an afro and the singer sporting a shirt unbuttoned to his navel, but they performed great renditions of crowd-pleasing disco hits.
The scene itself consisted of really good-looking men and women in their 20s and 30s, maybe some random 40s, enjoying the flattering mood lighting on the outdoor patio under the Chinese lanterns. And for some reason I didn’t get the meat market vibe, either because I didn’t mind the eye candy so much or because we didn’t have overaggressive men coming onto us. We were just able to enjoy our girls’ night out.
So if the stars align for you, too, then check out the Buffalo Club and enjoy. If they don’t, you can always head over to the Arsenal, Bar Copa, or the recently renovated Busby’s (get there before 9pm to skip the cover) to get your groove on.
1520 Olympic Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90404
(310) 450-8600
Cross Street: 14th Street