Previously known as Imperial Bar and Lounge. I've lived in Reno for 6 years and have been to this bar plenty of times and always enjoyed myself. However when I had family in town last weekend we decided to go there on my birthday. It was a huge mistake! I entered the bar and was waiting for everyone else to enter, when I finally went outside to see what was taking so long, I came to find out they took my cousins ID. My cousin is almost 25 years old and the group of bouncers told her it was a fake ID and refused to give it back to her. Understandably frustrated she continued to tell him this was her drivers liscence and she needed it back to be able to drive home to California the next day! He told her maybe if she didn't have such and attitude he would have given it back to her. After much escalation of the situation the bouncer proceeded to call us d*** b*tches and many other expletives!! They told us the only way we could get it back was to call the non emergency police who could verify it for her. (Obviously the non-emergent line is going to answer on a Saturday night in Reno) Luckily a cop was driving by who we flagged down and was able to verify my cousin had a real ID. I've never been treated with such disrespect by ANY group of people in my life. I will never return to this bar. I recommend if you decide to go here have your drivers liscence, passport, birth certificate, social security card, and first born child as collateral to make sure the power hungry bouncers believe you!
Sally L.
Weird vibe. I miss the old Imperial. I guess it's kind of cool what they're doing, but this pop up has been here for so long, it's not the same anymore and it's not as packed as it once was. Good Korean tacos tho.
Kelsi D.
We came in the check out the Korean Barbie-Q pop up inside of imperial during the fall of 2019 after they switched ownership. While the decor was a little cheesy and could have been curated better (a third party promotional company took care of this so I guess it doesn't really reflect on the business as much)the food was absolutely STELLAR. The menu only had 6 items on it, so we decided to try them all. Which was a TON of food, but I was happy that we got to try everything. My absolute favorite though we're the kimchi fries, they had the perfect balance of flavors, although they could have used a couple more toppings. Also the burger was seasoned so well and was really delicious. Overall, I think even though this menu was a limited time, this reflects volumes on the kitchen staff and their ability to make delicious food. The chef even came it and asked us how everything was and was super excited about our feedback.
Dillon Hedgpeth
Not Imperial anymore. It's called Korean Barbie Q. Weird name and the interior design now is just odd compared to how Imperial was and they have pink lights for the whole place. Cool staff and all but the design is off putting
Chris Toles
Good service, good food, good atmosphere, and good people.
Kashmir M.
When I was younger, I regularly frequented Imperial for cheap eats and drinks, but I now live a much "slower" life so I don't go as much. However, when I learned that a pop-up was taking over Imperial, I knew I had to experience it. Thrice's Korean BarbieQ has been advertised as an immersive Barbie themed art exhibit with a special K-BBQ menu that will be taking over Imperial from August through November 2019. The boyfriend and I decided to experience BarbieQ on a Friday evening around 7pm and walked in to a choice of nearly every seat in the house. After walking the full perimeter of the bar to take in all of the art, we finally decided on a two top in the back corner. The server promptly brought us some Imperial menus, and we requested some waters to start with. I quickly noticed there were no specialty cocktails, so I went with an Icky (and so did the boyfriend). As the server was getting us the beers, my boyfriend and I were a confused because the menu didn't have any Korean BBQ. We decided that we would ask about the special menu before settling, and I am glad we asked! The server was willing to give us the K-BBQ menu, but not before warning us that the items on that menu are not what people are used to compared to the regular menu. The hot pink BarbieQ menu had a few themed cocktails and a few K-BBQ inspired dishes. I was bummed that I had already ordered a beer, but I may have dodged a bullet because the server told us that most of the cocktails weren't even available! Also, they are all pre-made drinks... at $10 a pop. So we ordered the Bulgogi Nachos. These came out a little differently than what the menu listed. Pickled ginger was added (yay!) but so were jalapeí±os and green onions (boo!). The steak was just regular tasting steak. The nachos were decent for a bar nacho, but don't expect to be blown away by some sort of Korean fusion nacho. I was pretty disappointed by the lackluster attempt at a pop-up, but I did like the idea and loved the decor! However, execution could have been much better. After about a month into this takeover, it felt like Imperial had given up on it altogether.
Guadalupe Luna
Nice bar. Chill atmosphere and great specials. Been coming here for years but thats probably going to change. I loved how convenient it was to use the bar's parking, especially since parking is becoming more and more of a nightmare downtown. but last time i came here i parked in their parking lot as usual and didnt realize they have started charging. Definitely was my mistake. I got an $8 parking ticket so not a huge deal but definitely a bummer. I guess, new management and changing times. Sucks.
Kylie Jensen
Food and service is the worst, no wonder only college kids go here.
Tanner Benavides
All around great service and food. They make an excellent martini too ðŸ‘ðŸ¸
Cheeko 205
Folks are nice. Technical difficulties with the taps (it happens). Hip hop music if you're into that.
Went here during a wine walk. Nice place. Decent food, good drinks.
Dana Price
Great service. Fun atmosphere. Clean and safe.
David Ocon
Great spot to have some drinks and socialize. This place has a great variety of draft beer.
Amber Shore
I'm too old for this kind of place but I took a trip back to my 20's and it was fun.
Allison R.
Came in around dinner on a Saturday. The bar was understaffed. There weren't very people sitting at the bar so the 4 bartenders that were there were standing around while the 1 server helped all the tables causing our service to be bad (not her fault). We ordered the lemon pepper wings, super nachos, and carne asada friend. It was alright. I'd be willing to check this bar out later in the night, seems like it could be fun, but never again for food.
Previously known as Imperial Bar and Lounge. I've lived in Reno for 6 years and have been to this bar plenty of times and always enjoyed myself. However when I had family in town last weekend we decided to go there on my birthday. It was a huge mistake! I entered the bar and was waiting for everyone else to enter, when I finally went outside to see what was taking so long, I came to find out they took my cousins ID. My cousin is almost 25 years old and the group of bouncers told her it was a fake ID and refused to give it back to her. Understandably frustrated she continued to tell him this was her drivers liscence and she needed it back to be able to drive home to California the next day! He told her maybe if she didn't have such and attitude he would have given it back to her. After much escalation of the situation the bouncer proceeded to call us d*** b*tches and many other expletives!! They told us the only way we could get it back was to call the non emergency police who could verify it for her. (Obviously the non-emergent line is going to answer on a Saturday night in Reno) Luckily a cop was driving by who we flagged down and was able to verify my cousin had a real ID. I've never been treated with such disrespect by ANY group of people in my life. I will never return to this bar. I recommend if you decide to go here have your drivers liscence, passport, birth certificate, social security card, and first born child as collateral to make sure the power hungry bouncers believe you!
Weird vibe. I miss the old Imperial. I guess it's kind of cool what they're doing, but this pop up has been here for so long, it's not the same anymore and it's not as packed as it once was. Good Korean tacos tho.
We came in the check out the Korean Barbie-Q pop up inside of imperial during the fall of 2019 after they switched ownership. While the decor was a little cheesy and could have been curated better (a third party promotional company took care of this so I guess it doesn't really reflect on the business as much)the food was absolutely STELLAR. The menu only had 6 items on it, so we decided to try them all. Which was a TON of food, but I was happy that we got to try everything. My absolute favorite though we're the kimchi fries, they had the perfect balance of flavors, although they could have used a couple more toppings. Also the burger was seasoned so well and was really delicious. Overall, I think even though this menu was a limited time, this reflects volumes on the kitchen staff and their ability to make delicious food. The chef even came it and asked us how everything was and was super excited about our feedback.
Not Imperial anymore. It's called Korean Barbie Q. Weird name and the interior design now is just odd compared to how Imperial was and they have pink lights for the whole place. Cool staff and all but the design is off putting
Good service, good food, good atmosphere, and good people.
When I was younger, I regularly frequented Imperial for cheap eats and drinks, but I now live a much "slower" life so I don't go as much. However, when I learned that a pop-up was taking over Imperial, I knew I had to experience it. Thrice's Korean BarbieQ has been advertised as an immersive Barbie themed art exhibit with a special K-BBQ menu that will be taking over Imperial from August through November 2019. The boyfriend and I decided to experience BarbieQ on a Friday evening around 7pm and walked in to a choice of nearly every seat in the house. After walking the full perimeter of the bar to take in all of the art, we finally decided on a two top in the back corner. The server promptly brought us some Imperial menus, and we requested some waters to start with. I quickly noticed there were no specialty cocktails, so I went with an Icky (and so did the boyfriend). As the server was getting us the beers, my boyfriend and I were a confused because the menu didn't have any Korean BBQ. We decided that we would ask about the special menu before settling, and I am glad we asked! The server was willing to give us the K-BBQ menu, but not before warning us that the items on that menu are not what people are used to compared to the regular menu. The hot pink BarbieQ menu had a few themed cocktails and a few K-BBQ inspired dishes. I was bummed that I had already ordered a beer, but I may have dodged a bullet because the server told us that most of the cocktails weren't even available! Also, they are all pre-made drinks... at $10 a pop. So we ordered the Bulgogi Nachos. These came out a little differently than what the menu listed. Pickled ginger was added (yay!) but so were jalapeí±os and green onions (boo!). The steak was just regular tasting steak. The nachos were decent for a bar nacho, but don't expect to be blown away by some sort of Korean fusion nacho. I was pretty disappointed by the lackluster attempt at a pop-up, but I did like the idea and loved the decor! However, execution could have been much better. After about a month into this takeover, it felt like Imperial had given up on it altogether.
Nice bar. Chill atmosphere and great specials. Been coming here for years but thats probably going to change. I loved how convenient it was to use the bar's parking, especially since parking is becoming more and more of a nightmare downtown. but last time i came here i parked in their parking lot as usual and didnt realize they have started charging. Definitely was my mistake. I got an $8 parking ticket so not a huge deal but definitely a bummer. I guess, new management and changing times. Sucks.
Food and service is the worst, no wonder only college kids go here.
All around great service and food. They make an excellent martini too ðŸ‘ðŸ¸
Folks are nice. Technical difficulties with the taps (it happens). Hip hop music if you're into that.
Restaurantji Recommends
Went here during a wine walk. Nice place. Decent food, good drinks.
Great service. Fun atmosphere. Clean and safe.
Great spot to have some drinks and socialize. This place has a great variety of draft beer.
I'm too old for this kind of place but I took a trip back to my 20's and it was fun.
Came in around dinner on a Saturday. The bar was understaffed. There weren't very people sitting at the bar so the 4 bartenders that were there were standing around while the 1 server helped all the tables causing our service to be bad (not her fault). We ordered the lemon pepper wings, super nachos, and carne asada friend. It was alright. I'd be willing to check this bar out later in the night, seems like it could be fun, but never again for food.