The Rail Sports Bar & Lounge

I had a pleasant experience until I was closing my tab. Bartender overcharged for drinks I never ordered and was very rude and called me a liar. I had three beers during happy hour over a course of 2 hours. He actually charged my bill to someone’s else’s credit card and when I told him that wasn’t me, he grabbed another card, confirmed my name, still charging me for drinks I did not order and then threw my credit card at me.
Not an establishment I would patronize again.

I have been to the Rail many times over the past year, and even before when it was the Carlos Club. I am so impressed with how much they have turned the place around! They now have a great selection, and have added a pool table, darts, juke box, and nice seating areas. Definitely a great place to get a drink with friends! My favorite bartender is Carlos. he is so friendly & consistently gives great service!

Came here on a Friday with our coworkers and we basically flash-​crowded the Carlos Club since it was completely EMPTY when we went in around 7:30 PM on a Friday which was incredibly awesome. The one bartender on duty was superb in taking care of our group, making some incredibly tasty Kamikaze shots and allowing us to change the TV channels to our liking and it was a blast.
The pool table was nice, wish they had more stuff inside though as we did use the jukebox to play some music and dance but it’s not exactly like the most hip «cracking» spot in San Carlos or the peninsula– but a GREAT place to take over with a group and have some fun. It was like renting our own club without the overhead! Will be coming back for sure. The bartender was more than accommodating to our requests.
The drinks were quite reasonable. Pool table does require quarters which we got from the bartender, no big deal. The Jukebox is around $ 1.00 a song which is pricey but worth it since it was quiet in there so we could get that going.
Awesome lighting ambiance and great place, I feel due to the location facing El Camino they get less crowds and business than if it were facing Laurel St.
Will be coming back! It’s a neat little place, just wish they had food or something more ‘intriguing’ to attract more folks in here. Has a lot of potential!

We came in for a friend’s birthday party on a Saturday night. The place was desolate when we arrived at 9pm, to be honest. But we thought,“Hey.it’s still early. It will pick up.”…Not sure if/​when it ever did. At midnight when we left, it was still not very packed.
The décor is updated and I love the fireplace, especially on the cold night we were there. And even more so since the front door was all the way open on this really, really cold night. I promptly grabbed a seat by the fire where I could keep warm (perk of getting there early, I guess).
The drinks were rather on the expensive side, which is a shock compared to when it was the Carlos Club, but I guess you get what you pay for. I decided on wine, and was very excited to see that they had a Justin Vineyards Cab (one of my upscale favorites from Paso Robles). I stuck with that all night. My boyfriend had Moscow Mules. Both were tasty.
The bar did seem busy, though, as the night progressed. There were two barenders, and they seemed a little overwhelmed. I think it is because most of the people who came in seemed to pack in and linger near the bar instead of spreading out. This made it tough to get in for another drink. Would have loved for them to have cocktail service at our table…(hint hint to the owner).
Anyway, no major complaints. But with the sparse crowd, open front door during the frigid cold, and on-​the-​expensive side drinks, the experience was OK… I won’t go out of my way to go here, but would go back again for an event or party with no problem.

Hosted our holiday party, food catered by Rangoon Ruby. Everyone had a great time an enjoyed the decorations, music, food and drink options. The restaurant manager and bartender were great to work with and were extremely helpful during the planning process.

Came in here for a quick grab a beer and go and instead stayed for an Old Fashioned and enjoyed the company of Jay/​Shamus (his Irish name) the Monday night bartender!
The place was desolate, not gonna lie, but the wifey and I got to know the bartender which I firmly believe is way more important than a crowded bar and less than enthused bartender who only cares about pouring a less than great drink!
Jay/​Shamus (the bartender) was open to a friendly convo, okay to open up and let us get to know him– totally appreciated it. He even suggested a great place to grab Korean BBQ in Mountain View and a place with half off Bourbon and Whiskey in Sunnyvale! Score!
I can totally make this place the spot to go on a Monday after work.
Just saying.

If i could give this place no stars i would. The worst f***** bartender i have ever seen. Hella rude to most of his customers. Dont let him start a tab on your card becouse he can not keep track of who he is charging. Drinks were horrible. I think the pineapple juice was some kind prison pruno.

This bar was better before the new owners. Back in July, my friends and I were looking for somewhere to have couple drinks and dance after my birthday party and we came here. Wrong choice. We got there around 11 on a Saturday night and maybe 15 people were in the bar. 10 of which immediately left after the bartender shut off the TVs. The DJ wouldn’t play my song requests. They need to do some work to save this place. I’ll go back again in hopes it has gotten better.

What. a horrible place! I can’t believe how rude the bartenders is. They didn’t acknowledge us. I REALLY can’t believe this place. Who the hell is the manager here? I’d like to make a formal complaint to John the owner because Herman was an ass! I kid you not.

This is a great bar to catch a sports game! I like what they’ve done by adding the HD TV’s. The drink options are great and we like the food from Ruby Ragoon (esp the samosas)
I think it’s not fair to see negative reviews for them wanting to remove the sign — it always reminded me of a cheap Vegas strip club so I wouldn’t be heartbroken to see it gone.

Unilocal says open till 1am. Door on building says open till 12am. Arrive 11:15pm and they are all locked up. Blacklist.

It doesn’t deserve even 1 — this place needs to be on Bar Rescue. I walked in and first noticed the flies, always a bad omen. The bar is understocked. The pour on a Sunday afternoon was pitifully weak. The bartender had the social skills of a 12 year old — well intentioned incessant chatter that was so awkward and oblivious it made me cringe. And again: flies. I couldn’t wait to get out of there.
The Carlos Club was old and funky, but The Rail is just creepy. Owners must want it to be a sports bar /​night club /​local dive, but The Rail fails to be anything other than hopeless.

The bartender Ken is the best part about this place currently. If he wasn’t there the place would be 2*.
Beer selection isn’t all that bad and they are getting rid of lots of canned beers which are going for $ 3 which is always a good bargain.
The couches are not set up well to watch the tv in the afternoon or for games and when things get going there it’s got an okay atmosphere but nothing to get excited about. High tables near dance floor is solid but the crowd is 30 – 40 year olds which is kind of the area but makes it odd to be a young person out in the area.

Not good. At all. When it originally changed ownership and changed names from Carlos Club to Rail Club, I didn’t understand the lounge vibe of it mixed with it trying to be a sports bar BUT they made GREAT drinks. Back tonight and instead of being local handcrafted spirits and amazingly made drinks, they have the same alcohol you can get everywhere else and also make drinks as shitty as they come. When we were here before the old fashions they made were one of the best around… not even close now. Also, my friend ordered a gin martini and it was served in a champagne cocktail glass and incredibly small.

I haven’t seen any posts from Rail Club on FB in awhile and I am getting kind of worried because I love this place!!! So I wanted to share what’s great and what would be cool to add or change.
Here’s what’s great…
1) The dance music (Top 40s, Throwbacks, Mainstream Hip-​Hop) is perfect and the DJs are AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME! They know how to mix and they pick the right selection of music that my girlfriends and I love to dance to… so please don’t ever, ever change that!!!
2) The bartenders are AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME! We also spoke with Joel and he’s great… makes great drinks and great conversation.
3) The sign and building’s exterior are here to stay.
Now that it’s been established that you’re keeping the sign… even though «Carlos Club» isn’t lit up… hmmmm…why not?)…it’s time someone answered your question”…whatchu want?”
* I want the diverse CROWD back
The diversity still shows up but «the crowd“edness has been inconsistent. Out of the 4 times my gfs and/​or I have shown up, it was busy only 1 time, which is a waste of such a great place! I think the problem is that everyone sees on Unilocal or has heard that Carlos Club is closed and they go elsewhere like Club Bistro at Crowne Plaza (same diverse local crowd and same Fri/​Sat night music, the same crowd that used to frequent your establishment.)
Is anyone scouring the crowd hanging out near Club Bistro to tell everyone that the club they once went to is still alive but under new management and name? Because if you did, I bet they would come back!
But before you invite them all back, here is my humble opinion on what I think should be changed or added:
* It would be great if you lessened the amount of TVs inside the small club. I really have to be honest with you… it is TRULY overkill. It screams, «I’M A BIG CITY DANCE CLUB/​FANCY SPORTS BAR IN A SMALL BUILDING THAT CATERS TO LOCALS!!!» The people that want to frequent your establishment do want to watch sports and watch the music videos while dancing, but they don’t want to be attacked by it. Please please please take down some of the TVS (not all, but some of it).
* Also when The Rail Club was Carlos Club, it was kind of an anomaly. The dive bar crowd felt comfortable hanging out because it had the right ambiance… not too clubby… just a classy dive. And it catered to a diverse amount of locals with diverse tastes… the dive bar crowd («Cheers» crowd), the crowd that loved the Blues, and the crowd that loved to dance and have fun. A lot of times all those people, no matter what their musical tastes, would make it to the dance floor and EVERYONE was having fun. So why don’t you bring back the Blues Bands and have them play in the evenings and then follow that up with the DJs after? That way the Blues crowd hangs out for some fun dancing afterwards.
* We were told there would be karaōke. But it’s not posted on your website or Facebook or anywhere. We LOVE Karaōke around here! Moon’s, The Swingin’ Door… all crowded on Karaōke nights… DURING THE WEEKDAYS on a Wednesday no less. When is it happening?
* And during a Thursday night… what about an 80s night? Or a 90s night?
* And then there is your website. It looks nice, but the half naked woman throwing up her hair while in dance motion doesn’t reflect the personality of the establishment which is usually patronized by locals. It’s also not current. and I’d love to see the current upcoming events. I’d love to see reassurance for the locals that their regular brand of beer and mixed drinks are available at reasonable prices. The site has in its background a neon sign of «The Rail Club» which kind of brings back some icky feelings around the Carlos Club sign.
You know… there are bar/​clubs that don’t change the signs of the old establishments they take over, and they do REALLY WELL. So don’t give up hope, just because the sign is staying. Just embrace the sign on your website and in your business name even, like «The Rail at the Legendary Carlos Club». It will tell all the locals that you’re here but you also respect their wishes. (Also, light the sign back up please!)
So in summary, my 2 cents which you can take or leave:
* Less TVs
* Get your weekend dance clientele back from Club Bistro
* There was a big following for the Blues. Bring back the Blues!
* Keep the Fri/​Sat night DJs and Top 40s music. Awesome the way it is.
* Bartenders are awesome, don’t change
* Add Karaōke on Wednesdays, 80s or 90s on Thursdays
* Still offer the special local spirits and handcrafted stuff but promote the regular drinks/​mixers at REASONABLE prices, which is what the locals need reassurance about.
* Make it known that you’re positively embracing the sign (light up the sign) and the building’s history by promoting The Rail Club as something like The Rail at the Legendary Carlos Club.
* Update the website and social media. Add Rangoon Ruby’s catering package info IN DETAIL for birthdays and other special events.

Sports Bar? Dance Club? Cocktail Bar? You can’t mix all of these things together! It doesn’t work! I never went to the old place and don’t really care about the «historic» sign. I like sports bars and cocktail bars like Varnish, PTD or Smugglers Cove (oh need to Unilocal them). I even like dance clubs with all their cheesy douchebaggery from time to time. But all together? Yuck! Kind of a cool space, hope they pull it together and change direction.
Oh yeah, making your own cola? What a waste of time. Did anyone ever say «the coke in my rum and coke is no good»? No, NEVER! How can you charge Local Edition prices in San Carlos? Oh wait, Local Edition is fucking cheaper and so much better! In the FiDi with crazy expensive overhead.
I sound bitter but I hope they improve and make a go of it. They just need a more sensible direction. Good luck guys, Ill try you again in a few months.

I don’t write too many reviews on Unilocal unless the place really deserves it. My boyfriend and I just moved here from southern Cali and would drive by this place everyday Bc we thought it was super divey but this place is amaazing! I’m obsessed with craft cocktails and they have some of the best craft cocktails I’ve ever had! The Goldrush especially! To give you a better idea I missed my work holiday party to keep drinking here. Not only are there good drinks but you can watch any sport you want! Soooo many Tvs!!! In love with this place and can’t wait to go back!

First off I think its messed up they took down the Carlos Club sign and had to change the name.
Its one way to ruin the history of a place and make the people in town not wanna go there.
Whats the passion in the name of the rail?
Is it just to destroy the history of a place?
I“ve given this place a shot tho just to see for myself.
Every time I’ve passed by the place it looks pretty dead and is there karaōke on Wednesdays like they say online because I didn’t see any.
IT really disappoints me when a place advertises something and doesn’t follow through.
The events they have here seem like a hypeful of unfollow throughs.
This place is all flashy looking but it really doesn’t beat the Carlos club.

This is a great spot for specialty, local beers and liquors from CA. They make great cocktails, have a great CA liquor and beer selection, and a great retro vibe. They press their own juice and make slushies too!
My only complaint? And what keeps me from going more regularly? The walls of TVs. My eyes hurt when I leave from all the TVs. They are on random sports channels even when there isn’t a sports game on. They will put other stuff off for special events or holidays but after work, I don’t want to stare at a wall of TVs of interviews with random athletes. Just saying. Find something else to do with them. The sports TVs don’t match with the rest of the vibe. The TVs are bud light and you’re serving craft brews. Choose which audience the establishment wants. (Hopefully the booze selection sticks and the TVs go!!)

I was here with my wife and some friends on ¹⁰⁄₂₅ following a Halloween pub crawl.
I’ve been to the old Carlos club a few times, and it was OK, nothing awesome. Hearing that they were doing specialty cocktails and hand made mixers I was excited to try.
The reality was a let down. The TVs were too, too much. The flickering colored neon was an assault on the eyes (they evnetally turned it down). And the drinks were ‘meh’ at best. We ordered an Old Fashioned, a Manhattan, and a rum and coke.
My wife, in another review also talks about the rum and coke and the business owner replied: «The rum and cola (we don’t serve coke) that your friend ordered was actually a Cuba Libre and is on the menu as such, with the price clearly listed. We use a local rum and house-​made cola». I ordered it and watched it being made. I ordered a rum and coke (can’t say it wasn’t a Cuba Libre because I don’t’ remember if lime juice was used) but I am 100% certain that it was Whole Foods 365 Cola. Not house made, I SAW the can.
That being said, the two drinks were OK, nothing awesome and 12 bucks each.
The bartenders were nice enough when I could talk to them. Then the DJ started. The music was so oppressively loud that we hurried to finish our drinks and leave. I realize I’m old, but this was WAY too loud for the space.
It took a good 10 minutes to get the check — I realize they are busy making drinks by hand, but it wasn’t that busy and nobody could hear me.

Super cool place! I read some of the reviews that bemoan the loss of the previous establishment, but I’ve only been here since the new guys took over, and I love it! Awesome place to watch the game (screens everywhere!) and a fantastic selection of all local beers, wines and liquor. All organic and non GMO, which I love.
John on the bar is very cool, and he tells me that they are looking to bring back weekly karaōke soon, which I like the sound of.
I’m glad I found this place. I’m new in town, and most places I’ve found in the neighborhood seem really ‘stuffy’, but this place seems like a chill neighborhood spot. I’ll be back!

We ended up here as part of a Halloween pub crawl.
I knew they changed ownership, and prices had gone up. I also knew they were serving organic, non-​GMO, locally produced spirits and (mostly) local beer. No artificial colored syrups and that kind of thing. I appreciate that, and I understand that increases costs. Plenty of places in SF have been doing this for years, so it’s nice to see it get to San Carlos.
Unfortunately, the drink my husband had as well as mine weren’t very good at all. Our friend had a rum and coke for $ 12. Really? Well drinks (not featured on the menu) need to be priced lower.
$ 16 for a cocktail? I’ve been to a lot of the trendy”, «artisan», «hand crafted» places in SF, and they don’t charge that much.
Plenty of places in SF have been doing this for years, so it’s nice to see it get to San Carlos.
That being said, this bar is CONFUSED. The music is deafening, the lights are manic headache inducing, and the numerous TV screens??? WTH?
If I’m going to pay high prices for a drink, I’m never going to do it in that atmosphere.
Even screaming, none of us could talk.
We got there ahead of a few friends and once they got there, we all left,
They literally walked in and walked out.
We tried to leave, but it took 15 minutes for my husband to pay the tab.
The staff is busy, hand crafted cocktails take time, but 15 minutes to pay? Ridiculous.
Like everything else here, RIDICULOUS.
We saw other groups leave quickly too, so it wasn’t just us.
Hopefully this place will figure out it’s identity, or will close FAST. Every time we’ve driven past (World Series night, weekend nights) they have been dead.

The beer here is overpriced and the place was empty and frankly quite sad on the night that my spouse and I went here for drinks. I understand what they’re trying to do, but they don’t seem to have a clue. I really don’t care about drinking non-​GMO alcohol! Some friends also went a few nights earlier and they had the same reaction: decent drinks but overpriced.
Pair this with the fact that they are trying to destroy the Carlos Club sign (which the City is trying to save as a historic landmark) and I give this place one star. Why would the owners of Rangoon Ruby, who took over this place and have been in San Carlos for several years, not understand how much people in San Carlos cherish the Carlos Club sign??? They have already destroyed part of the sign without the City’s permission. Between that and the overpriced drinks, that’s enough of a reason, in my opinion, to go someplace else.