The Velvet Martini

We came here on a Friday night to find that this cocktail bar is located on the second floor of the Sheldon Inn. We took a flight of stairs up and found the lounge bar and were able to get some open seats for drinks. The servers were friendly and got us waters and bread right away. We ordered the Dirty Sidecar and the French Prince. The drinks were okay, but we decided to get the espresso martini since we figured if the place is called Velvet Martini, maybe they specialize in Martinis. The espresso martini was the best cocktail out of the 3 we ordered and we were glad we got it to redeem the other drinks. There was a good amount of people here, some out celebrating birthdays, some on dates, and some tables of friends just hanging out and having food and drinks. There was also an outdoor area from the restaurant below which seemed to have a nice dinner setting. I would say the velvet martini is worth coming by if you're in the area and looking for drinks, but it is in a much more secluded area.

Wanted to visit this place as I was captivated by the ambiance and interesting drinks, plus the speakeasy vibe. However, I was disappointed to find that this place is essentially just overflow for Sheldon Inn now. There was one main bartender, she was fantastic-and impressive at multitasking and managing the whole establishment. She made me a lemon drop, which I enjoyed. Another gentleman made me a Moscow Mule which was not very good. He remade it for me, A for effort, but it still was lackluster. The menu of fancy drinks with ice cream and smoky bubbles, which previous reviews showed, does not exist anymore. It's much more generic now. Everybody there was just dining, same as Sheldon Inn. Shame, but they did their best to give me a great experience.

Had a girls' night out. After a birthday dinner, we decided to have an impromptu nightcap at The Velvet Martini, as we've heard so much about it. This "speakeasy" lounge has a flight of stairs on the side of the Sheldon Inn (restaurant), leading to a very upscale lounge with a moody vibe. Though it wasn't a typical speakeasy with a secret entrance or have any special password etc to get in, the ambiance was charming. We arrived on a Friday night at 9:40pm, expecting a speakeasy lounge to be open later. They only had one small group of ladies wrapping up. Besides them, we had it to ourselves. The bartender and waiter confirmed they were closing at 10pm due to it being slow, despite the menu and website indicating an 11pm closing time. The bartender kindly allowed us to order a round of cocktails, and we enjoyed the lounge almost to ourselves.We each tried different cocktails: the Velvet Martini was strong, but might be a favorite for vodka lovers, unfortunately out of bubbles for the night for this drink; the Lovely Day was a bit bitter for my sister and So Fresh & So Clean was okay to my friend, but nothing memorable. I had the Boozey Affogato. It was a bit bitter after first, but after mixing the ice cream, it struck a perfect creamy balance. We stayed until about 11pm, enjoying our drinks while the staff cleaned up. With four cocktails and tip, we spent $100, a bit pricey but worth the experience. The lounge offers ample seating, from conversation chairs to booths. I'm definitely planning to return to experience the lounge earlier in the evening for food and live music. I would recommend it for a night out with friends or a date night. Or even booking it for a special event!

I recently visited The Velvet Martini "Speakeasy" with the girls for a few drinks after dinner. We've been intrigued by their cool Instagram postings and had it on our list for a while. The space is upstairs, so it doesn't quite have that hidden speakeasy feel, but it's still very charming. We arrived an hour before closing on a Friday night and there was only one other group of ladies there. The vibe is super cute and definitely gives off a grown and sexy atmosphere.The drinks were good and not watered down, which was a pleasant surprise. However, I was a bit bummed that they didn't have the equipment to make the bubble on top of the Velvet Martini, which totally gives it that fancy aesthetic. Overall, the venue is cute and would be great for private parties. The prices were good as well. We'll definitely consider coming back.

The velvet martini is a great place to have a drink. It feels like an old-time speakeasy atmosphere was fun and quiet so if you wanna talk over a drink, it was a great place to be.

Dope Venue. Nice for a grown up date night and get together with friends. Dimly lit room, live entertainment and good bar. Food is great, service is good. Not sure if reservations are required. A nice spot to frequent. On the night we visited (Friday 9/29) the crowd was very diverse. All races and ages.

The Velvet Martini (Sheldon, CA) - June 22 2023We are members of Adkins Winery, which is owned by the same family that owns Sheldon Inn Restaurant and Bar, and now "The Velvet Martini," which sits atop the restaurant and bar below. We got an invitation to come to this soft opening event about a month ago. We were excited to see that it was falling on a day when we would be in town and promptly RSVPed. They only allowed 100 people. So we got lucky!This was supposed to be cocktail attire, so it was an opportunity to dress up a little. My wife loves that kind of thing. For me, it was just an opportunity to see if I still knew how to tie my tie. Nailed it first time! Old habits die hard. When we arrived, a little before 7 PM, the parking lot was full. Luckily, we got one of the last spots and headed indoors. There is an entrance on the left hand side of the restaurant, and there was a sign there that said, VIP. Yes! We're in the right spot.You walk up a single flight of fairly steep stairs to get to the lounge. They also have an elevator somewhere inside the restaurant that will take you up as well. When we got to the top, we were greeted by a hostess that handed us a glass of sparkling wine, an Adkins Winery special. There were about 30 to 40 people there when we arrived. A lot of people were coalesced around the bar area and most of the tables were still available. So we snagged a nice table on the back wall, and sat side-by-side so that we could look out to the musician's stage.I really liked the feel of this lounge. It's pretty much what you would expect a night club lounge to look like, dark walls and carpet, sconce lighting on the walls just in the right places, dim rainbow-reflecting table lights, the bar in one corner, the stage positioned diagonally across the room at the other corner, a few plush booths, tables with plush bench seating and chairs along two walls, and circular seating with low cushion chairs and round tables in the center of the lounge. When you're here, you feel like your spending a special evening out. The sparkle in my wife's eyes let me know we had hit a home run on this particular evening.Our entertainment for the night was CJ Williams, a very talented solo acoustic electric guitar player and vocalist. CJ has a terrific voice and his Traveling Martin acoustic electric guitar sounded fantastic! He's a very talented player and had lots of great songs, including Motown, classic rock, and even a few country songs.We loved our waiter, Gavin. A very friendly and attentive guy who brought us menus and shared a little bit about the food options. We had already eaten dinner before we came, so we weren't too interested in food this evening; however, they were also serving free hors d'oeuvres, so we decided to wait for those. We ordered our drinks and then sat back and watched the entertainment and everybody enjoying themselves.Winery and Velvet Martini owner, Jake Adkins, came to our table a short while later and thanked us for coming. Jake is a very personable guy and we always enjoy sharing stories about our latest travels.Our drinks showed up a short while later, a traditional Manhattan for me and a Velvet Martini for my wife (gin, lilet rose, velvet falerman, strawberry shrub, compari, rhubarb bitters, sparkling wine, and aquafaba). Never heard of some of those ingredients? Me either! Both drinks were very tasty! Manhattan is my go-to cocktail and the bar tender got this one spot on with two dark Italian luxardo maraschino cherries to boot.We enjoyed a few more cocktails as the evening marched on and had the good fortune to come across a couple of friends that we hadn't seen for a few years! Good to see you Gordon and Virgie!The Velvet Martini! The perfect place for a perfect evening of drinks, entertainment, and socializing!

Attended the soft opening! Very cool venue, cool vibe! Great signature cocktails. Servers friendly. Live music, CJ Williams performing. Small bite menu with truffle fries, chicken sliders, steak tacos and more. Elk Grove needed this.

First visit last night and it's not bad. They have some stuff to work on. Positives, service was very friendly. Atmosphere is relaxed. Live music. Gentlemen refilling water was on it.Negatives, music was too loud to have a conversation, drinks were not very cold, drinks were overpriced, service or availability of servers was hard to come by, food was mediocre.Overall value for the money not worth it at this price point. Much better beer and cocktail selection at other local places.

Great service food, drinks, and ambiance. Hard to get a reservation though. Only open on Fri and Sat.