Punch Line Sacramento

I’m only giving this club one star. Not because of the comedians, who I actually thought were great. It is because of the staff. We went on Saturday night and starting with the door man our group found the staff to be generally unhappy and definitely not friendly.
The door man just said have your id’s out, no hello, no smile. When you walk in the host wasn’t friendly and didn’t make any effort to seat our party together. We were able to find a place that would accommodate us on our own, but he didn’t even try to help.
We understood the 2 drink minimum. It was told to us several times, but still when 2 people in our party hadn’t yet ordered, instead of the cocktail waitress reminding them, it was a bouncer type person. He was very intimidating.
I do want to say that the cocktail waitress was nice. It’s just the silent, unhappy look on the men’s faces that you see when you walk in that sends a bad message. It seems like they are expecting trouble. In the past when we’ve gone to a comedy club people are smiling and friendly. This club was the opposite of that. So disappointing, especially because they book good talent.

This is a nice club, good location with plenty of parking and they always have deals and free ticket giveaways. They get some nice headliners in here (people you recognize and have seen on TV, etc) the service is good and food decent. 2 drink min (not items), so don’t expect to get some food and drink and be off the hook you need to get another drink. But when the tickets are free that’s no biggie. I do think if your buying food and obviously spending more than what 2 sodas would cost they should give you a break. This is easier to get around in a big group depending on the waitress but for 2 people I’ve heard the waitress tell a couple that had 3 food items and two drinks who asked for their tab at the end of a show that they needed to buy two more drinks! The show was just about over so they bought waters. I would have argued but they just went along with it. I usually have a good time here the place is never packed so FYI the early shows you can come right before showtime, no need to come when doors open. No lines and you can get in front of you want to at least the last 3 times I’ve been it’s been that way. On the way out there is always a long line for the late show, but 8pm your good to go showing up at 7:45 if you wanted to.

Went here a few years ago with a friend who had a free ticket. The comedians were just people that were staring out. No one famous :/
The only thing I didn’t like was the fact that every single person was required to buy something.
Other then that we had a good time

They over book and then send more then half the crowd home. LITERALLY watched hundreds of people get rejected.

Well that was a big disappointment! Got promo tickets and were so excited, got there and they turned about 200 people away! Don’t put out that many promo tickets out, I seriously thought George Lopez’s comedy club would be much better than that:/ Don’t ever want to go there again or even try! Waste of time people…

Never going back, ive been twice first time was ok but its basically a bar second time got tickets registered online and were told our seats were reserved. got there 20 minutes early huge line they turned away 80% of the people that got tickets because they oversold tickets.

This place sent out a letter to my company inviting us to come to the comedy club with our family and friends! They sent out 500+ «promotional» tickets that look exactly like a normal ticket. So someone would not know the difference. They cut off at capacity which is 200, why would an establishment inconvenience this many people mid week. Bad business tactics.

Went to my first comedy show at Punch Line and found the location odd and the drink minimum dangerous, but the staff were friendly and the stage was intimate.
I came here to see Bobcat Goldthwait with by bff Dana G. on a Saturday night for the late show. We found easy parking out front since it is a mall type property. Very odd location, right next to the mattress store in the arden area. A bit of a wait in line was expected and the ticketing was very easy despite my picture not scanning.
We were seated in a good spot with a good view without having to be too close. The seating wasn’t super comfortable, but manageable. The stage backdrop and décor were nice, but clearly hadn’t been updated in a very long time or just seemed dated. Well-​sized tables delineated the good spacing between tables. I think there was some background music, but it could have been louder. The lighting was just right, not too bright either before the show or on the performer.
One thing I had an issue with is the two drink minimum, which I know is industry standard. For a good number of people, two drinks, alcoholic or not, is a lot to down in a bit over an hour. Particularly for those who get two beers or wine, etc., they’d be no good to drive right after the show and there isn’t anything directly around to absorb their time. It seemed like one patron had had too much to drink, because he heckled the performer pretty incessantly towards the end of the set.
The Punch Line is usually the spot to see the most prominent acts in comedy in the area, but could use some refurbishment and higher door prices to reduce the drink minimum.

Went with my lady and saw Aida Rodriguez and she was hilarious. The super duper incredible hulk or what ever its called that they make is really good regardless of the price. glad we could mix drinks with food for the drink minimum. The venue is the perfect size for date nights.

Pretty solid comedy club. I’ve actually been to the Punch Line before, but hadn’t been here in about 6 years. The two drink minimum is a usual for comedy clubs, so I don’t have an issue with it although it would be nicer if the costs was just a bit lower. I came and saw Tom Segura who was hilarious. His opener was terrible, but I wasn’t there to see her. Our waitress was ok nothing too fantastic there to brag about, but she got our drinks out quickly enough. I actually like the small feel of the place. We had a good view of the comedian and overall had a nice night. It is randomly placed across from a mattress spot, but it doesn’t bother me about the location at all. The area around the club though is kinda the more sketch area of town and me being from out of town I only relied on Unilocal for spots to eat at beforehand. Fun spot, but be prepared to pay a bit more for the two drink minimum!

Usually Punchline is a 5 Star review BUT after tonight, it is a one star!
Colin Kane was headlining on Friday March 11^th. He gave me 8 free tickets on Facebook and told me to show up 30 minutes early. I should up at 920pm, 40 minutes early and waited in line. By the time I got to the door it was 1005pm.
We told the guy that Colin gave us 8 tickets on FB. The door man, who I’ve never seen before, I go to Punchline about 10 times a year for the last 5 years, said because it was after 10pm he wasn’t going to let us in unless we paid full price for every ticket. Well I told my 7 friends, I wasn’t paying to go in when I already had free tickets. We all left and I’m not sure if I’ll ever go back there. I was embarrassed because I invited my friend’s there and we all had to call it a night.

Tired of the same old date night? Check out this highly underrated spot. The comedy club has a full bar, cozy seating and new performers visiting throughout the year. Laughing is good for the soul. Give it a try.

It may not be their fault regarding the business model of comedy clubs, but forcing patrons to purchase two waters at $ 5/​each seems criminal. Even the airport doesn’t charge that much!

The lack of positive vibes for the Punchline are due to the same reasons other reviews are knocking the comedy club. High priced tickets, high priced food (the price isn’t necessarily the problem in and of itself, but the quality of food does not match the price), and the two drink minimum.
I understand that most clubs similar in style also have drink minimums, but for someone who doesn’t drink this gets annoying. And because it is annoying and inconvenient and expensive it effects my overall experience, hence the lower rating.
Like everyone else, if I were to rate Pablo Francisco’s performance and the comedians leading up to him, they were fantastic! But, the venue itself just left me not wanting to return unless the comedian was just too good to pass up.
The building itself is really nice too, but I will just return to the fact that I don’t like being forced to buy something I don’t want. If that policy were to change and the cheap-​tasting-​wallet-​emptying food was either worth what I pay or the prices dropped I think twice as many people would come here.

The comedians that perform there get five stars hands down. The problem is Punchline itself.
Punchline is ripping people off with their 2 drink minimum & food prices.
My last visit there, I ordered a thing of crappy nachos & 2 drinks. My bill came out to over $ 30 !!! Smh
And the staff is terrible & they’ve done nothing to improve the place. After all these years, I think I’ve had enough. Punchline is just getting worse & worse.

Punch Line Sacramento: A Lonely Point-​of-​View
First of all, this review does not cater to the actual performance, which was of 5-​star caliber in and of itself. This review is about the venue itself.
I’ve been to one other comedy club before (mostly I watch in bigger, stadium-​sized theaters), but not one as dingy as this one. Normally I wouldn’t complain about how small it is, since you get to sit up close and personal with the comic. But the people are packed in like sardines and the seating is horrible. Since I was alone, I opted not to sit at one of the tables with a bunch of strangers and instead sat behind the couches at the «bar» area. The highchair was too high for me and the bar itself was too low, so I ended up slouching for the most part (which was hell on my back). The chair itself was hard and uncomfortable as hell. I would have preferred to sit on one of the couches, but apparently those are available as «priority» seating for an upcharge. I’m not sure I would have been happier at one of the tables either.
The worst part was I was seated next to an annoying loud-​ass woman to my right. Even as I tried to press myself further and further away from her (there was literally no space for me to move), she did not get the hint. I’m too polite to say anything and none of the wait staff said a damn thing about it. She would keep saying «sorry» for talking, and then continue to do so. She almost singlehandedly ruined the whole experience for me (it’s not easy for me to tune people out). Just my luck I would be seated next to the biggest loudmouth there.
By far my BIGGEST grievance is the «two-​drink minimum.» $ 5 for a Pepsi half-​filled with ice (maybe 4oz total). I had to order two of those. I decided to buy some «bites» to go with them as well, which was well over $ 11. Including tax and tip, I paid almost two times more for the concessions than I did for the actual ticket. I don’t like that at all, and it will definitely affect whether I come back or not (which I won’t).
The show was good. Just wish it could have been at a better venue, with better seating, a better policy of shutting people up, and without the mandatory «two-​drink minimum.» I don’t care if that’s considered the «norm» or not, it’s not worth the price of admission.
One other annoyance: I got up the courage to ask for a picture from the act and one of the employees at the Punch Line took the photo for me. They took a total of 4 photos (I had to ask them to retake the first ones because they were both blurry) and in each one, I could see the performer’s face gradually drop. In the end, ALL of them came out blurry, and the one that was most visible had me blinking. So, no thanks for that.
The unfortunate part about all of this is that this seems to be the «best» comedy club in Sacramento… all the performers I want to see come here. In short, Sacramento sucks.
–Lonely out

Punch Line Sacramento: A Lonely Point-​of-​View
First of all, this review does not cater to the actual performance, which was of 5-​star caliber in and of itself. This review is about the venue itself.
I’ve been to one other comedy club before (mostly I watch in bigger, stadium-​sized theaters), but not one as dingy as this one. Normally I wouldn’t complain about how small

I wrote to live nation about my experience and was promptly emailed back by the manager, Kirk. He apologized profusely and offered me two free tickets to any show. I called up yesterday and the chick on the phone knew who I was as soon as I said my name. She was also apologetic and informed me that their staff now knows how to handle customers such as the one I wrote about. I’m super pleased with the costumer service and will be returning tonight to watch Craig Robinson perform.
Thank you SACPL!

The hubby and I came here on a Saturday night for our first ever visit to a comedy club. We saw Tim Meadows and really enjoyed his and the other comedians performances. I really enjoyed the experience of a comedy club.
Now to review the venue. The reason for this rating is based on the cost and what I feel like I got for my money. The tickets are high, it was about $ 40 for two people. If you’re only with one other person, you’ll probably be sharing a table with strangers. There is also a two drink minimum purchase required. The cocktails are $ 10, beer was about seven dollars. I ordered a Gin& tonic and then a salty dog. My salty dog had no salt. And the drinks were small and weak. Not quite what I was expecting for the price.

First time to this comedy club. The establishment itself is nice. I give the establishment 3+ stars. It’s not dark inside like most comedy clubs are. We grabbed dinner before coming to the club so didn’t order any food while we were here. Not wanting alcohol, I ordered a Shirley Temple. It tasted like mildew. I think it was the Sierra Mist.
The main comic for the night was Scott Capurro. He replaced someone that called out sick (from what we understand). His comedy style is certainly not my cup of tea. We were invited to go to the club with friends. No we did not look up who was on that night. Our bad. Again he was replacing someone else. Capurro attempts to joke about every controversial subject including pedophilia, religion… and uses the «N» word. He’s full of offensive language and graphic descriptions of gay sex. He talks so much about pedophilia and gay sex that it’s clear he’s running out of material.
Would we come back? Yes, but not to listen to Capurro. He’s disgusting. Hence the one star.

Michael Yo had people laughing pretty good and so did Guerra from last comic standing. The host Bo was pretty good too!
Punch has a good history of bringing good comedians to town! I don’t mind the two drink minimum, but at least pump the air conditioning like a casino. Maybe it was hot to get me to buy mor drinks? I don’t know, but this place has been a quality comic theatre for many years, hosting some of the most talented comics we have come to know.

For a fun time, call Punch Line!
I attended a show here on Saturday night with Taylor Williamson as the featured act. I highly recommend Taylor for any PG-​13 appropriate audience. I can’t get on board with super raunchy comedians which is why I think I enjoyed Taylor’s so much. I think he dropped one f-​bomb during his entire show, and he apologized for it.
Punch Line is located upstairs in a strip mall. It’s a strange area and there are so many «Guard your car!» signs around, I was a little nervous about parking in the lot but everything turned out just fine when I scored a spot in the front row by a brightly lit entry way.
The bouncers here are a little rough around the edges. Not friendly at all. We get it, you’re checking ID’s and taking tickets, but it would have been nice to feel like we were welcome!
The wait staff made up for this, the waitresses were really friendly and service was quick and quiet when we wanted to order our second round of drinks.
If you sit in the back row, the high top table/​bar closest to the bar you’ll have an excellent view of the stage and you will also get to see the comedians before they go on stage, they stand there and stretch and get ready. Kind of a cool experience if you like behind the scenes things, but don’t sit there if you’re bothered by ambient noise, you’ll get the bartender’s sound effects as well.
I would definitely come back to Punch Line to see another comedy show. It was a lot of fun and a great date night activity!

When my friend first brought me here, I was like, oh laaaaaaaaawd. Upstairs in a mini-​mall right next to a mattress store?
But, I turned out to have a great evening. The venue is nice; not too big or small. You are seated at a table according to the # in your party, and you can choose to sit where you are least likely to be heckled. The chairs are a bit on the uncomfortable side. Although there was a 2-​drink minimum, I was glad that I could use it for soda (I don’t really drink). I think you can order dinner here, and definitely snacks, but the menu seems iffy.
I went to a late-​night show on a Friday, and although the line-​up consisted of local Nor Cal comics (no major headliners), they were hilarious. I got in on a comped ticket through a friend, so I am not sure how much this place costs normally, but I would definitely come back if I lived in the Sacramento area.