Steamers Cafe

On music alone 5 star. The rest is all down hill. Wobbly uncomfortable worn out chairs and tables
Sloppy dusty and dirty interior
Slow and inattentive service
Food that reminds me of exactly what you’d get for meal service on a flight sitting in coach
Poor and dated wine and beer selection
Eat and drink elsewhere, come here only for the auditory. Keep your eyes and mouth shut and you’ll be fine

This would be the perfect first date.
As for my firat time: My best brought me here for a late birthday and absolutely loved it here. We didn’t make reservations but we were able to be seated right away.
Not quite sure if it’s an every night thing but we were told we had to order two things each. Which was NOT an issue. I ordered a stella and the spinich artichoke dip, LOVED! My girlfriend had the hummus and Chardonnay, scrumptious lol
I’m definitely returning.

Came here because my husband had to write a paper about live jazz music. We sat along the wall in the front. Let me tell you if you like cozy and eating with no space then that seat is the place for you. There Are tables, but if you only have three people in your party beware that they will seat a stranger at your table. This place does get packed and they squash you in like cattle. The food is pretty decent. They had a 2 item per person and our bill came out to 44.28. Which had a $ 2.00 cover charge added on. There sandwiches are pretty good, but your looking at $ 13.00 they do come with chips though. This place to me is like a nice night out on the town close to home. Other then that this isn’t really a weekend place to get crazy or anything.
Btw don’t come when a professor has his students play. The music is good, but the college kids get loud and obnoxious.

Perfect place for a first date! Dark & cozy, we sat along the wall towards the front entrance so it was difficult to see the stage.
Music was good, but it seemed like they were taking a lot of breaks, maybe because we were there for about 2 and a half hours. Service was slow, it took a while for us to get the waitress’ attention.
$ 8 cover charge per person, and drinks were decently priced. Definitely try the Cougar’s Blood!!!

I used to spend a lot of time here and tried out everything on their cocktail menu. I loved hearing Ron Eschete, Todd Johnson, Kate Reid, and Barnyard Barnes play. It was a happening place.
I guess those were the golden years because the last time I was here, there was a condescending prick of a magician that put on a f*** all warm up act. Never returned to this place after that.
If one can’t jam to it, then why put it on stage? Seems like the place has been on a decline.

Love this place. Barbara Morrison rocked tonight. Terrence, the owner, is very hospitable. Spicy sandwich was yummy!

Steamers is the only authentic jazz club in the whole county. If you don’t want to treck into LA, Steamers is your best option.
Steamers is really not well known for their food. They have some good basic options, but don’t expect any five star dining experience. I have however, according to OC Weekly, heard they have good drink options from their fully stocked bar. But the dining us all relative, the real reason to come to Steamers is for the jazz.
Hosting both great local jazz musicians and seasoned Grammy winners, Steamers will definitely not disappoint when it comes to hearing some great authentic jazz.

Great Jazz Club for a night of entertainment with family and friends especially when Tony Guerrero and the Quintet are playing

I was really excited to go to this place. I love Jazz music and the fact that they had live entertainment was what really drew me here. I was sorely disappointed. The music was great but the service was horrible. My boyfriend and I waited at the table for 20 minutes, maybe more, for someone to even talk to us or take our order. They made eye contact with us, but never even said hello.
It was a full house and yet three individuals decided to take their break at the same time right in front of the restaurant; talk about professional. Did I mention there’s a two item minimum and an extra entertainment charge added to the bill? If you like jazz music but don’t mind being blown off, then this is the place for you. As for me, I will NOT be coming back.

Had a good experience here, great service and were happy how they accommodated our reservation for a large group. They open at 7 and they kind of expect that you already had dinner (many good options for that just a few feet away in any direction in this area). They have some good finger food, we loved the artichoke dip, and good drinks options, had some great German beer, I’m not even going to try to spell the name though. Enjoy some good jazz tonight, that’s why you are here for anyway.

Want real jazz in a club that has the vibe of real old time jazz. This is the place. Stage is tucked in the back so if you get here when they open at 7pm get a seat in back 5 feet from the stage.
Saw Tony Guerrero trio with a few extra players and they were great. Played some count Basie, medley of West side story and lots of great jazz. Played for 90 minute first set. The 2 drink minimum goes quick and their selection of beer is outstanding. Had a great Hefweisen imported from Germany. Oversized bottle for $ 11. Some pretty good food too-​cheese plates, artichoke dip, etc. finger food.
By the second set place was swinging and was standing room only. Notice that even seats in the back got great sound and the acoustics here are excellent. Get on their mailing list and they will email you upcoming acts.
Look for Saturday matinée specials too. Fun, fun, fun.

I’m pretty sure I’m never coming back to this place ever again.
For the third time I made a reservation and was asked to move. What’s the point of a reservation if they’re not going to honor it?
To add insult to injury, they ignored me in the back. I left before the show started.

This is the best example of a great «before» on a bar rescue. Great set up and amazing music. That’s about it. Cover charge with a drink minimum.
The short haired server didn’t know the very short over priced deli menu that they had. She had to ask someone else what was on the cheese board. Poor thing I think she was new or scared because it was hard to get service after that… I really enjoyed the live jazz but that was about it.

I had to attend a jazz performance for one of my classes so I decided to pop into Steamer’s since it’s one of the closest jazz clubs to my house.
Parking is available on Malden and Commonwealth.
Made reservations and was seated in the back. This, I was okay with. But I just hate how they stuff the venue so much to the point where everybody’s literally sitting shoulder to shoulder. I’m not gonna lie this place has the potential to have a romantic vibe, but the fact that everybody was packed in like sardines killed it for me.
There’s a $ 2 cover fee per person on weekdays and a $ 10 cover fee on weekends. There’s also an additional 2 item minimum per person. So either two drinks, two food items, or one of each.
I stuck to two drinks and got a bay breeze and PBR.
The service here is incredibly slow and our waiter knew I was getting flustered. We were probably one of the first to have our orders taken but about 35 minutes in I realized that our neighboring tables were already receiving their food items while we haven’t even received our orders or even water! I only had enough time to stay for the first set so I put in my second round of drinks even before I received my first one. After receiving my first drink I only had about 10 minutes remaining before I had to leave so I ended up literally chugging my bay breeze and beer and asking for the check.
The servers were very unapologetic which kind of baffled me, but nothing to get too worked up about. I just paid my bill and left.
I wouldn’t come back here just cause the customer service was off. Also i hate being in small places with a large number of people just cause I seem to get anxious which never feels too good.
2 stars go to the potential of this place.
Oh btw, the mixed drinks were okay at best.

If you have to ask what Jazz is, you’ll never know.
I went here about a month ago it was very cool! The musicians played so well and in between sets one guy would crack jokes while interacting with the audience.
There is a 2 item food and 2 item drink purchase requirement per person. On my first visit I was not properly dressed due to time constraints and prior engagements so I felt a little out of place. Everyone looked very well dressed. The men in their smoking jackets and the women in their high heels.
There was a cheesecake shortage the day I came and it was the only item I wanted. Their dessert looked very appetizing but I just opted to paying the extra charge for not meeting the purchase requirement.
When I come back I will be in my Sunday’s finest to eat cheesecake while I listen to the soothing sounds of jazz!

Privately owned, intimate and hip without pretension.
Steamers has been here for as long as I remember. It attracts young and hip and old and hip. It’s a café of inclusion rather than exclusion.
Just a great venue for relaxing live jazz by local and traveling musicians.
On Commonwealth just outside the recent hipper revitalized area of Downtown Fullerton, Steamers is small and intimate with tables for couples and small groups.
Great coffee but the evening beckons an order from their alcohol menu which is a bit on the small side but it’s a balanced selection of dark, brown and lights. The entrees are decent. Cheese plates, paninis, sandwiches and soups. It’s not a menu that reinvents the wheel, but it’s decent fare. Steamers, however, is a place for cocktails and live jazz, for settling in the dim lighting and tapping your foot to improvised beats.
And the beats don’t disappoint.
On warmer evenings, try the back patio. You can hear the train come into the station while glimpsing the collage of lights from the loud crowd bars of the Soco District.

Came here on a Friday with the bae expecting some relaxing jazz while sipping on classy drinks. Once we are seated we’re informed that they charge an $ 8 entertainment fee. No big deal, as long as they keep us entertained, right? I ordered a Lion’s Tail ($ 10) and it was pretty tasty. The whiskey that we also ordered ($ 9) was not very generously poured. Ambiance was pretty nice, with the candles on the tabletops and all. We were seated near the back so it was kind of awkward for viewing the stage.
The pleasant strains of soulful singing continued for about 10 minutes before they announced they were taking a break. Of course they’re entitled to a break, but they took maybe 45 minutes before starting up again. Our waitress, caught up chatting with a coworker, ignored us as we stared her down. During this awkward period of no live entertainment, we also noticed the monitors at the bar that looked like they were straight out of the mid-​90s. Is an upgrade really that out of budget?
If I’m coming here again, it’ll be on a no-​cover day. Not worth the $ 8 unless you’re planning on staying there the whole night, in my opinion.
Drinks: 4, Service: 2, Environment: 3, Price: 2

Entertainment: 5 stars
Food: 2 stars
Service: 3.5 stars
Our group of 6 had a reservation for 10:30pm on a Saturday night. We were seated promptly and the waitress explained how things work. Each person is expected to order a minimum of 2 items on the menu on top of an entertainment fee ($ 10/​person). A bottle of wine can count for 5 – 6 people’s 1 item. We got 1 bottle of wine and some others ordered other drinks while I had a slice of their hazelnut cake,
The hazelnut cake tasted stale and the texture was hard/​rigid. I had couple of sips of different drinks, a bit «watered» down.
Service wasn’t too bad. A couple of different staff members took care of us. Originally we were seated next to the entrance, but when a table opened up near the performers, one of the waitress suggested we move to that table, which we did and the staff helped move our stuff over.
I think that I would probably come back for the entertainment, but I’m really hesitant on the food, especially when there’s a minimum of buying 2 items/​person.

I was told to skip the food here because they don’t have a kitchen, but if you come here, come for the live music and their drinks. Service is absent for the most part, but they’re friendly and they make great recommendations when they’re around. Make sure you take a look at the calendar (
) before heading out.
Their specialty drinks are constantly being rotated, and my friend and I were lucky enough to have had tasted of a few of them. They were yummy; zero complaints on that end!
Atmosphere is lively and perfect for socializing.

Lounge and sassy Crooners tunes really get me going.
I came here a little later than expected, and it was crowded-​excellent sign. My guests who were waiting for me found a spot at the very back of the room but the space was so small, I was touching backs with the guest behind me. I wasn’t quite fond of that as I felt claustrophobic with my abdomen touching the table in such a tight squeeze.
The menu is a bit limited — or rather just boring to me. There was nothing that truly caught my attention but I did not have dinner so I went for the Proscuitto panini. The reason why I asked for that was the fig spread which was hardly any there. The panini was alright but nothing I remember to be honest with you. It came with some kettle chips that I did not really touch. We had dessert as well but it was the ones where you can purchase at Whole Foods… it wasn’t anything too special. I also ordered a drink but as some of you may know that I do not drink, I didn’t have much of it because it wasn’t as sweet as our server had told me; I was tasting too much of the strong alcohol in it. Oh well, I hope they add champagne to their menu soon.
I suppose next time I need to come much earlier so I can get a better seating. This establishment seems more like a place for good music and some drinks rather than trying to enjoy your dinner here.