Chez Alcatraz

Chez Alcatraz has been updated with an all-new specialty drink menu and tasty new appetizers! Yes, that kitchen in the middle of the bar is once again fully functional and serving up some delicious small bites.

You can also look forward to meeting their new permanent resident - Bruce the Shark from the Jaws attraction! What's that you say? You've already met? Great, buy him a drink! We're thrilled to see what has always been one of our favorite bars getting some much deserved new attention.
 

Specialty Drinks 
The Alcatraz- $8.50
Pinnacle vodka, Chambord, sour mix, triple sec.

The Rock- $8.50
Jim Beam Bourbon, sour mix, Sprite and fresh mint.

San Francisco Bay Breeze - $8.50
Malibu coconut rum, cranberry and pineapple juice.

Lynchburg Lemonade - $7.50
Jack Daniels Bourbon, sour mix, triple sec, and a splash of Sprite.

Escape - $9
Crown Royal, Captain Morgan, peach schnapps, splash of sour mix and Coke.

Frozen Mojito - $8
Bacardi Limon, key lime juice, cane sugar and fresh mint.

Shark Attack - $8.50
Malibu coconut rum, blue curacao, pineapple juice and a dash of grenadine.

Bruce - $10
Jose Cuervo Gold tequila, Grand Marnier, sour mix and a splash of orange juice. Served in a souvenir pilsner.


Bottled Beer
Smirnoff Ice, Foster's, Corona Extra, Corona Light, Sam Adams, Heineken, Coors Light


Draft Beer
Yuengling, Blue Moon, Miller Lite


Appetizers
The Wharf - $8.99
Shaved turkey, Jack cheese, fresh avocado, tomato, alfalfa sprouts and seasoned mayo. Served on a triple oat wheat roll.

Red & Blue Chips - $4.99
House made potato chips, blue cheese crumble and buffalo style sauce.

Bucket of Chips - $3.99
Seasoned house made potato chips and chipotle ketchup.

California Sliders - $5.99
Home made chicken salad, crunchy slaw, potato roll and a pickle.

Margherita Flatbread - $6.99
Mozzarella cheese, fresh tomatoes and basil on an artisan crust.

Shrimp Cocktail - $5.99
Seasoned bay shrimp on top of shredded lettuce and cocktail sauce.
 

Pour Quality 
Average

Beverage Service Hours 
Noon - 9pm

Food Service Hours 
Noon - around 6pm (depends on crowd)

Atmosphere 
This is a fun "beach style" open-air bar with belly-up stools and a few tables and high-tops overlooking the San Francisco harbor. You'll now find ample seating and, in the near future, a cocktail waitress to alleve you of all that troublesome walking for a cocktail. The 2 big screen TVs have finally been installed behind the bar. Bringing Bruce (the Jaws shark) over to the bar has already proven to be an excellent move. The excited crowd streaming into this once quiet hideaway to get their pictures taken with Bruce reinvigorates the bar with a new sense of energy. Now it's an even better place for people watching or daydreaming about taking that big yellow Donzi for a spin. Along with these updates, they plan on having longer, regular operating hours.

Happy Hour 
For the time being, Happy Hour has been temporarily suspended while Universal tests out the new upgrades. But don't fret - we were told (promised even) that it will return at a later date. As of 1/2013 it still has not returned. (Previous Happy Hour specials: Well drinks $3.50/$5.50 doubles, Domestic 20oz. drafts $3.50, Import 20oz. drafts $4.50. Hours vary by the day, though no earlier than 2pm and lasts for usually 2 hours.)



Review 
We stopped by on 3/31/12 and had the fortune of stumbling onto Che'z Alcatraz' opening weekend of the revamp. Excited that one of our favorite stops at Universal is getting new life, we had to try a few drinks - all in the name of research, of course!

Left - Alcatraz, Right - BruceBruce
For our first drink, it only seemed appropriate to order-up the one named after the bar's new resident - Bruce the Shark. Bruce is a margarita with the added splash of some orange juice. Tasty, and the splash of OJ gives it a nice freshly squeezed fruit flavor. You can order Bruce without the souvenir cup to save a few bucks.

The Alcatraz
We wouldn't mind being stuck in jail if they served these! Vodka with Chambord and some sour makes a unique sweet yet sour concoction. Chambord is soooo good, how can you ever go wrong with it?

Escape
The mix of Crown, Captain, peach schnapps, sour and Coke makes for one interesting, savory yet sweet drink. The mellow flavors of Crown Royal always play nicely with a spiced rum and the peach schnapps add to the complexity and sweetness of this smooth cocktail.



Frozen Mojito
This one sounded a little strange but after seeing several pouring out of the blender for other guests we thought "Now just what kind of researcher are you if you don't try this?" Che'z' take on the traditional mojito is prepared with fresh mint leaves just like the original but they're thrown in the blender with a mix of juices (supplied by Bacardi) that make the final product similar to a margarita. The drink is garnished with a healthy sprig of fresh mint. The tart lime margarita flavor is spiked with little chopped up bits of mint leaves to continually provide a great smooth mint flavor to your icey cold blended drink.













Red & Blue Chips
While enjoying our cocktails, we decided a little bar grub was in order and picked up the Red & Blue Chips to munch on. Presented in a metal pail, these thick and crunchy kettle-style chips are tossed in a moderately hot buffalo sauce and then sprinkled with blue cheese crumbles. Aside from the fact that it could've had a few more crumbles, it's a fun snack that is worth a stop. In all fairness we're stinky cheese lovers so even if it was a pound of bleu we'd still be asking for more. And for a theme park, you get a pretty good value for your buck on this snack with chips piled all the way from the bottom of the bucket up to the top.




Updated 7/12. Any items or prices subject to change while they are in their trial period.

Comments

[Carol]

ah, yes. i have wasted many hours hanging out here too. bet i've seen you!