Mercury Lounge

Bar, Eatery

5871 Hollister Ave
Goleta, California, 93117-3613
United States

(805) 967-0907 | map
mercuryloungeotg.com
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.28
Reviews:
5
Ratings:
6
pDev:
8.18%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews.
Photo of JenniferHoush
Reviewed by JenniferHoush from California

4.93/5  rDev +15.2%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.75
Mercury has added more taps and now has dedicated lines to each style of beer. There are 13 beers and one cider on tap ranging from lagers to stouts and everything in between. The lineup changes regularly and incorporates many local brews.
The lines are cleaned every two weeks (and sometimes more!) so the beers always go on fresh and come out clean. They also get seasonal brews and special releases regularly.
Apr 10, 2019
 
Rated: 4.5 by Nominoe from California

Nov 11, 2014
Photo of mrkdwrds
Reviewed by mrkdwrds from California

4.13/5  rDev -3.5%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4
Really good spot, particularly for Goleta. Perfect dive bar atmosphere (complete with kitsch decor, lots of couches, and a single pool table) coupled with surprisingly good selection make for a nice combo. Selection can vary pretty greatly - sometimes the tap list is uninspiring, though they get stuff like BCBS, Abyss, Pizza Port, etc. on tap occasionally. The bottle list is always good - I have recently had Fantôme Noel, Eclipse EC 12 year, and Enjoy By in bottles, and they stock the usual Belgians if the more limited stuff runs out. Bottle prices range from fairly expensive ($14 for a Smoked Vanilla Bean Porter from Stone) to extremely reasonable ($28 for Eclipse variants).

My only real complaint is that they add up beers by hand if you do a CC tab, and sometimes this gets confusing - I have had beers charged onto friends' tabs, etc. happen before. If you keep track of everything it's not a problem, or just bring cash.
Jan 22, 2014
Photo of 2LBrew
Reviewed by 2LBrew from California

4.15/5  rDev -3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 5
My buddy who is a graduate student at UCSB introduced me to this place. Now everytime I go up there I stop in. The place has one pool table, a couple of different lounge areas inside and a nice little patio that accomodates the smoking crowd.

The best thing however about this place is the popcorn! Oh, and the beer selction isn't bad either. Had Delerium Tremens there once, some winter warmers during the holdiay season, and Gulden draak.

They have live music weekly, but have never seen a show. They also have some good magazines to read while enjoying your beer. They have a diverse collection of music and also enable an Ipod at times for some chill/ foreign music to listen to.

Definitely recommend if you are in the area and want to get a great beer, in a dark yet warm place.
Aug 30, 2008
Photo of rallison
Reviewed by rallison from California

3.8/5  rDev -11.2%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5
Altogether, not a bad little place. I'd like to try it again on a weekend night, as it seems to be a bit dead weekdays. Tap selection has a few good crafts, while the bottle selection expands on that. Had a bottle of Old Rasputin, while the girlfriend had an AV amber from tap I believe. Nothing too out of the ordinary, but I appreciate the efforts. And to have this place in Goleta is nice. This is more a place you'd go if you happen to be in Goleta, rather than a place to drive many miles to seek out.
Jan 28, 2007
Photo of JayTheFinn
Reviewed by JayTheFinn from California

4.2/5  rDev -1.9%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4
Atmosphere and good beer is what the Mercury Lounge is all about. You could drive it a hundred times and not now it's there. The facade is almost none existent. The front door is hidden. It's as if it doesn't want to be found!

Once you get inside you'll think you walked into a cave. It's kept extremely dark at all times. Once recently a light shade slipped, exposing the bulb, and I swear the patrons hissed like vampires at the sight of dawn. So while you might consider it dark at first, you'll get used to it...and even come to despise the light, lol.

The decor is kitschy 50s and 70s lounge. Super comfortable couches fill up the place and turn it into a very homey livingroom. There's a pool table and a stage, neither of which get much use.

The beer is what people come for. Thanks mainly it seems to Chuck, one of the bartenders, the Mercury Lounge has a great array of beer. Mainly they come in a bottle. This isn't a big place, so tap room is at a minimum. They could do more, but for right now you can all kinds of good stuff in the bottle, such as Youngs, Fullers, St.Peters, Duvel, Gulden Draak, New Belgium, Sierra Nevada, Bitburger, Mad River, Lost Coast, Island, a few other German and Belgiums as well as some American macros. There's also a good selection of wines, but no hard liquor or food, other than snacks which they offer free without asking.

In the back is a mostly-enclosed beer garden. It's a great place to relax outside with friends or have a beer and take a nap if you're alone. It's covered too, so you're not sitting directly in the sun.

I'd give them a higher selection rating if their taps were used for better stuff and if there were more of them. As of now, they only have about 7 or 8, half are micro, half macro.

All in all its a great place for a pint if you're in the area!

NOTE: Don't get this place confused with the club in New York, which pops up when you google "the mercury lounge".
Jun 04, 2006
Mercury Lounge in Goleta, CA
Place rating: 4.28 out of 5 with 6 ratings