Purgatory Restaurant & Nightclub

Hello everyone! I apologize for all the inconvenience the closing of purgatory has caused any of you. As an ex-​employee I took it upon myself to contact GROUPON and inform them of the closing of the establishment. I hope this will bring some closure to most of you as it has for me.

IS PURGATORY CLOSED?
I am also a Groupon buyer and when I contacted Groupon they said they needed various kinds of proof that the restaurant is in fact closed. Can anyone point me to anything? The gate is shut every time I go by, they never pick up the phone, but there is no sign posted in front. Help!
If ANYBODY has in fact eaten there in the past 6 weeks please speak up, thanks.
UPDATE:
An interesting article on the restaurant’s legal and business woes:
«The restaurant’s former executive chef, Dave Brown, says that he is currently pursuing legal action to obtain $ 35,000 in owed back pay. Brown is now resorting to using food stamps to feed his family, a first for the former Marine who has also run kitchens in Key West, Miami, and Alaska. Several other former employees of Purgatory, who asked to remain anonymous for this story, confirmed Brown’s allegations as well.»

I dined at Purgatory 3 and a half months ago with a Groupon and had the same experience as all the other 2 star reviewers here! Reading some of the reviews was like deja vu. The empty restaurant. The awkward seating. The, I’m guessing, manager/​owner sitting on the side having some leisurely drinks.
It was 2 days before Halloween, I remember because our server took us downstairs to the nightclub area before seating us to show us their renovations and plans for Halloween night. It seemed as if they put all their focus solely into the downstairs area because it looked like sh*t upstairs. Like what Luci N. said, they definitely didn’t have enough liquor to serve as a nightclub. I waited to review Purgatory, hoping it’d get better and I could try it again but 3 months later, after reading Luci N’s review, it’s sad to see that nothing has changed!
Their menu included a good number of items but a few of them were actually crossed out. My bf and I ended up ordering a New York Strip, Stuffed Porkchops and 2 cups of Stella. Our server really intrigued us when he poured us «the perfect pour» but the perfect pour gives too much foam for my liking. My NY Strip, medium rare, was cooked just the way I like it. Mashed potatoes were flavorful, asparagus were firm. The pork chops were stuffed with goat cheese and were also delicious. If it were for the food alone, I’d probably give Purgatory 3.5 stars. However, the lack of ambience, poor management and awkwardness just makes this place not worth trying again.
When we left, the owner welcomed us back in the future and we stayed polite. However, if he really wants his business to thrive, he’s going to have to try a lot harder. Start by reading these reviews and undoing the damage and I think Purgatory could possibly stay alive.

I randomly bought a Groupon for Purgatory months and months ago, and just had the chance to use it a few weeks ago. After several unsuccessful calls to confirm that they were open, I finally walked by to see that they were under new management and also closed for lunch. My girlfriend and I decided to return around dinner time for a couple appetizers, and we were at first shocked to find that no one was inside the restaurant. We found out that they had reopened just a day or two ago, and weren’t 100% operating.
This didn’t stop them from providing one of our favorite dining experiences. The food (wings and quesadilla) we ordered was very good and the portions were generous. The cocktails were also great– we first had a white russian and 7 and 7. I asked the server for suggestions, and after listening to our alcohol preferences, he suggested a Colorado bull (a white russian with a dash of coke) and an «adiós mofo» (a fruity, strong drink). Both were very, VERY good.
Since we were also the only patrons there, we got to speak to the new managers /​owners about their future plans. The downstairs will be end up being the ‘club’ part of the establishment and will have a ‘hell’ theme (playing off the name of the restaurant). The coffee bar looked nice, and I was very excited to hear the manager /​owner tell me that he wants to have a hotdog stand (he mentioned wrapping hotdogs in bacon, which sounded like a very good idea) in the front of the restaurant late weekend nights. He also mentioned wanting to do a special where you would get discounts downstairs at the club if you ate dinner at the restaurant upstairs.
Overall, we were both thoroughly impressed with the staff, the food, the drinks, and the restaurant itself. As 20-​something grad students, my girlfriend and I aren’t used to being treated like royalty while dining out, so Purgatory was a very memorable experience– we’re both eager to return.

I’m not sure if this is still open since I was here a few weeks ago. I came here to use my coupon for dinner. I knew that with the bad reviews there was a good chance it wasn’t going to stay open for long. So I brought my sweetie along for the adventure.
We came on a Friday night about 9pm and the place was empty. One guy sitting at the bar and a DJ setting up… not sure why or what he was setting up. There wasn’t very much booze at the bars to open up as a night club. We walked to the bar and decided to eat there instead of being the only diners at the tables.
We were greeted by the bartender, Mark. He assured us that they were serving food. Mark entertained us the entire night. He was a unique character and one you’ll never encounter at any bar… I guarantee. I hope he gets hired somewhere else. Apparently he competed in the Unilocal bartender’s contest and he made us his signature drink– strong! No measuring of how much alcohol he was pouring in our drinks. This set us on our way to a very enjoyable night in an empty restaurant/​night club. We had the place to ourselves all night, DJ playing good, loud music, lighting set for a nightclub scene and our very own entertaining bartender.
The food– Mark gave us his recommendations and we went with it. We ordered chicken wings– good, cream of broccoli and cheese soup– LOTS of cheese and not much broccoli, and the pork chops– good. Average quality overall.
So, to wrap this up– we made the best out of this unforgettable, fun night but Purgatory is no where near ready to be open for customers. The clues are –step ladder out in dining room, broken mirror in the empty bar, and they don’t have a license to be a night club. DJ «The DubDeuce» was shut down by the cops at the end of our night. Too bad because they were playing great music!
Thanks again to Bartender Mark for this unforgettable experience!

We were one of the other 4 tables in service during Heather C’s review. I feel like I just had an out of body experience reading the review. The bread was completely stale and had no taste. It was presented after my mango Caesar salad which did not have any flavor, either. The salad was basically a plate of greens… The steak was ok, maybe a tad too much of the cheese on top. I kind of had a stomach ache the next morning (causal relationship… I’m not sure). Monique was absolutely gracious and kind. They offered some comp drinks which we appreciated. The décor… Was puzzling. I’ve read about the heaven and hell concept but if seems as though they have a few more details to iron out. I hope it goes well for them but I couldn’t recommend this place to anyone at this time.

Hey fester its true. They havnt paid anyone. He has claims all over the place check it out yourself. Donald Raymond Dunakin III the club could
be shut down at anytime. He has no proper permits to operate downstairs or the proper entertainment permit required by the city of sacramento. They are a work of art there. The last event you had there pouring out of soda bottles cash only no Internet in and on its a scam. You guys deserve better.

Went to purgatory restaurant yesterday eve around 4:30 pm. They weren’t officially open for dinner but let us in which was nice. We ordered dinner which took a long time, again they were not ready for dinner yet but squeezed us in. We both ordered the New York Steak which was cooked fine only it didn’t have a lot of meat, mainly bone and fat. Further my mashed potatoes and broccoli were cold. We were not horribly impressed with the food. The atmosphere was nice though! We do not plan on coming back to eat.

There’s a stripper poll?! Awesome! What else do you need? My only suggestion would be more french food… oh wait! they have that too? Well fuck yes then. gimme some of dat french press, gimmie some of that panini, and let me see them titties!!!

Zero Stars!!! Dang it!!! I HAVE never had such a bad experience in a restaurant in my life!!! Reallyyy!!! We arrived, lol with our groupon, And no one else was there! Not at the bar and not in the restaurant. The owner was sweaty and in a T– Shirt, he apologized for his appearance and proceeded to change into a button up in front of us… then he apologized for the menu! The dang menu was blacked out!!! Literally 1 appetizer (please check out the pict!)!!!
Soooo I ordered the Cali burger and Hubby ordered New York strip. Waiting, waiting, waiting… After some and forth banter with the owner, the food arrived! My burger had a smear of avocado and the tiniest bun I’ve ever seen! Hubby’s steak was already sliced??? Why was it sliced? To possibly disgust that it was not a New York Strip? Hubby dove in 1^st, and chewed and chewed!!! I sliced my burger open and realized it was still frozen/​cold!
We explained to the owner, our food was cold and overcooked. We were ok with paying for our drinks (water down Crown on the rocks) but did not want anything to do with the food.
Well, Groupon I need my money back and No they did not make us pay for the drinks we had!!! This was a mess!!! If you are in the mood for Frozen burgers and tough steak, Purgatory is the spot!!! Cuss word cuss word!!!

Most H.O.R.R.I.B.L.E experience we’ve ever had. It seemed like we were on a punk’d show… waiting for something to laugh at us. But when I saw that it was really happening. And it wasn’t just happening to us, it was happening to others around us. Others were angry but laughing about what was happening. We walked in, it was completely empty on the outside area. Then u walk into the actually restaurant, and we were actually seated right directly in middle of the restaurant, very awkward! Two tables on the left side of us & 10 tables all the way on the other side of the restaurant. The waitress even asked us if it was ok that she sat us there. We said sure. Not thinking anything of it. Then realized that we were on the wrong side of the restaurant. The real customers sat on the left side of restaurant, where the workers & owner sat on the right side & ignored R.E.A.L. customers!!! We then were informed by the customers that were already there b4 us, that something awkward was going on. We found out that the waitress were fighting over tips & tables. Everyone had major attitudes, walking around.
First, food was horrible, would have never came to eat here if I knew it was gonna be like that. I could have cooked it myself…& let me tell you… I do not cook! So that should tell u how good the food really is. The mashed potatoes were so bland it tasted like it was just mixed w water. The chicken was burnt around the edges that you could taste the charcoal around it. Like I said, I don’t cook! But I promise I can cook a better chicken than that!!! Our food came out before the other people that were there before us. They were shocked that our food came out first. (One of the other tables that were there before us, didnt even get their food, even when we were leaving.)
Second…the atmosphere was like a strip club. The waitress or the girls that claim to be waitresses, had their boobies literally popping out of their vneck tanks w booty shorts. I knw that it’s a club at night also, but the club wasn’t even open to the public yet. So there shouldn’t be any reason why half naked girls should be flaunting around in light areas.
Third, owners & managers should not be in visible to customers seen drinking on the other side of restaurant. Letting servers sit at table while there are customers around. The manager finally came over to see how things were, we informed him that we noticed that his staff memebers are having issues amongst themselves & it’s involving customers. He mentions that he knew what was going on. But he doesn’t want to be an a**ho*e but hey things happen. He used those exact words!!! We were in total shock he would say that.
Never again would I ever refer or come back. This is a story for the books of the worst experience we ever had!!!
The funny part was when we were seated one of the other couples that were there were making fun of us, because we were not offered bread & butter. And in the end… they were the one’s that never received their food!!! Hahaha…
Also, don’t think they will last long if they continue to watch their «A.S.I.A.N soap opera» videos like my gramps did in his room on the outside bar area!!! That is a no-​no if you want to make money! Pay attention to your customers!!!

The food here is great. The servers are always nice. The décor is awesome… makes me feel right at home.

I ate there last month and the food was top quality. I eat alot at Rutherford grill in Napa and i must say the higher priced foods came out great reguardless of the 25 minute wait. Dont forget to try the «delvish ?horseback?» ive never tried such a great combo of a garlic clove stuffed into a date wrapped in bacon with a sweet balsamic vinegrette! Yum! My buddy had a great burger but his fries came out pretty cold. No worries they reheated it! I dont know how that happened since there was only 9 tables full? But its all good they made it up in cust service! =)
Appearance wise, I really like what they done to change the image of the place but i can definitely tell the place needed more work. It only looked like it was 80% complete. I felt the décor was missing a fancing chandelier and better placed lights. The music was playing Pandora radio which was okay but the server who did a great job catering to our satisfaction informed us that they were just getting their entertainment license soon and that downstairs would be a nightclub.
After we we’re able to meet the owner Don who was a cool guy. He told us they were running into alot of start up issues and challenges left by the former owners but he seemed very passionate to make this place work and thanks to some dedicated people it has gotten back to its feet! Its always great to meet someone with alot of commitment to start a business even with todays economy.
Lastly we got a tour downstairs of the nightclub and its definitely a stepup from the rest. It had a dark and sexy black leather and red color scheme that u would find n Vegas! Im definitely excited to come to the Halloween Costume Party when they Officially open up!

Came back. Not blown away, but at least I wasn’t blown off and IN FACT had a very pleasant experience waiting for my tuna steak sandwich. The two waitstaff there were helpful, super friendly, and make a mean white mocha (they make the chocolate and white chocolate sauces in-​house and are not too shabby).
I only had the sandwich and to-​go no less, but even so, it was really tasty. If I ever have a craving for that type of dish again, I know where to go. Peppery, thick fish on a decently-​holding bout of bread.
Not quite a fan yet, I imagine the restaurant/​café scene has a bit of potential. but the fact that there are more spelling errors on their menu than a second-​grade student’s book report makes me feel like the owners don’t care so much about their restaurant’s perception. Maybe the nightclub is the real scene stealer here.
Bottom line: if you want to sit in an awkward patio that is semi-​calm (they are still doing some building/​construction) and watch the J Street traffic with a decent coffee beverage, this is a really chill place in which to do so. Bonus? You don’t have to wait the 35 minutes in line for coffee like you do at Temple. And the «outdoor» seating is under cover.

Tumultuous «Hellish» Changes Afoot for the Subject of my 666^th Review!
SITREP
And how appropro it is that this review is about «PURGATORY RESTAURANT & NIGHTCLUB!» [Can you kinda feel the HEAT already from all the drama & excitement being generated here!?]
I will say right off the bat that I will be posting further review-​updates since there are so many changes going on right now.
RATING — BARTENDERS
I am giving a solid 2-​Star review based solely on the bartenders, since they are the only positive.
These guys are amazing. I’ve enjoyed experiening their energy both at Purgatory itself where they dazzle & impress with their delicious concoctions, and then again as «representatives» of Purgatory in the recent Unilocal «Bartending Olympics» held over three nights at R15, the Pour House and Barwest. As to these «Olympics», the drinks the Purgatory Bartenders prepared were always delicious and kicked me on my ass!
BUSINESS DRAMA
However, the only question is, will the required synergy come together by October 28^th to be ready for «Elysium’s» opening night? This is not just a mere musing either. I am well aware of the business drama going on with the closing, repopening, remodeling, former staff complaints, ownership judgment questions, etc.etc. And I acknowledge all of that as well as the reviews of my Unilocal peers, the majority that certainly appear to be very disatisfied with their personal experiences. And I respect that.
But along that same line, I am sticking soley to my OWN personal experience, which has been decent, and will not extrapolate situations that I have no personal knowledge about.
THE LOWDOWN
I honestly can’t think of a better candidate to have been my 666^th review!

Groupon gave me a refund for the horrible experience! I’ve talked to friends and colleagues who have tried this restaurant and I am now alone in my review. What in the world are they thinking?!

I could write pages about all the things which are wrong with this place.
Just to mention the basics:
Food sucks!
My friend and I both decided to order a burger — just to stay on the safe side. Well we were wrong. After waiting for it for 45 minutes it really sucked. Dry, flavorless, and they forgot to put some of the menu items on it eg. bacon. The fries were good though It was the only eatable thing on our plate.
But at least we got food! The table next to us wasn’t so lucky. One of the steak was undercooked so she sent it back. The waitress told her that it was the last steak but they can put it under the grill, she said okay. Unfortunately one of the hostess (btw someone should ID those girls, they look 15) grabbed it and eat it. The lady next to us still did not give up on this place and said okay, «I have the chicken» while her friend was enjoying her steak. The chicken did not arrive after another 15 mins wait and the waitress explained that somebody grabbed that one too LOL. They employ lots of hungry teenagers.
The wine selection is amazing! You can have red or white. Yep, these are the two choices.
You could ask why didn’t we leave?! I had a groupon. This was the first time groupon failed, but I should have done my research before I bought it.
Service sucks!
The 15 years old hostess dressed as a slot seated us (my friend was very much enjoying that «feature» though).
10 mins later our waitress arrived, took our drink order, another 15 mins later the drinks arrived. Unfortunately we were laughing so much about how bad that place is that we missed the opportunity to order. So another 15 mins later she took our order.
Then 45 minutes wait. 45!!! minutes to get two burgers.
The waitress never asked if we needed anything else, if the food was good or bought a side plate for our bread.
When we asked for the manager, he was trying to blame the waitress for everything and was searching for excuses instead of taking responsibility.
Atmosphere sucks!
Just like Azukar was, but in very classy tiffany blue — which makes it super funny.
I had a great time though. Me and my friend and the two other table near us were keep searching for the cameras.
Yes! It was so ridicules that we thought it must be a set up!
Well it wasn’t.
It was the WORST dining experience I ever had. EVER! Including diners and fast food places.
I suggest you stay away from this place or go just for the entertainment value.

My friends and I went to Purgatory for a pre going-​out birthday dinner and had an amazing time! The food was delicious and the staff was so accommodating to our large group. Akeem was our awesome server and made sure we were always taken care of! I had the California Burger which was cooked to perfection and even the bread came with this yummy herb butter. I will definitely be back! :)

I bought a groupon for this restaurant, Never bought a bad groupon before, and the picture of the steak looked delicious. So the other half and i went on a date night! Yeah it was anything but good, the bread was dry, the scallops were cold (even on the 2^nd batch that they re-​cooked), The mans roasted vegetables consisted of (no joke) half a tomato and half an onion, the garlic mashed potatoes on both our plates did not taste like garlic and were cold. The steaks looked great, but they were not seasoned, and were cooked damn near rare when we asked for medium. Also the cheese on top of the steaks was repulsive, i had to scrape it off.
The dining room is huge and only had 4 tables (including ours) that had people at them. Then they started setting up for a table for 16, rather than using the other side of the restaurant that only had one table being used at the end, or putting them on the unused balcony type thing, the waiter stet up this large table in between our table and the other table at the end. So for the last 35ish min we had a table full of skinny, half dressed 20ish year old’s, drinking, toasting everything, sitting right next to us watching us eat. Also the waiter who was helping them was flirting with the girls who were sitting right next to us, and every time he would go to the end of the table to talk to them, he would squat, and shoving his ass in our face on the way down.
On the way out The general manager asked how our meal was, and the man told him we were not at all happy, and explained why we were not happy. This other gentleman came up and was listing to our conversation, he was slouched and leaning on a podium, turns out he was the assistant general manager. The entire time the man and the GM were talking, I kept staring at the food stain on his shirt, and his dirty fingernails. I could not get out of there fast enough.
The best part of the night was that our waitress Monique was amazing! However We will NEVER go there again, and the only reason they got 1 star was because i had to mark something to be able to leave this review.

I genuinely feel bad writing this review. Literally every member of the staff (which outnumbered the patrons) was very attentive, and every time we expressed anything other than pure satisfaction with our meal they offered to swap it out, bring something new, give us free dessert, or buy us a cocktail during our next visit. Service was absolutely not the problem.
I also understand that this is the restaurant’s «soft opening» period, so there are bound to be some kinks. Nonetheless, this was not an experience I look forward to repeating.
I love the concept: that you get to pick between «heaven» (a fine dining experience) and «hell» (an edgier club scene). In reality, however, the entire dining experience was exactly how I envision purgatory. We were, for all intents and purposes, the only two diners in the bar (there was one lone person sitting at a table, talking loudly on a cell phone saying things like «don’t get it twisted»). The music was soft jazz — and not even the Kenny G soft jazz, but the shittier stuff you hear in a dentist’s waiting room. And we waited and waited for our food. The amount of time wasn’t so long, but the absence of other patrons, the repeated «can I get you anything» questions from the staff, and the soft jazz made it seem like — well — an eternity.
Then there’s the food. The girlfriend ordered the pork loin which supposedly had a «curry rub» and a «mango chutney.» The pork loin was overcooked (a big no-​no for me — if you’re going to make a pork loin, then make it right). The mango chutney did no exist. And the «curry rub» was, in fact, a curry sauce.
I got the burger. The menu listed a a variety of cheese options, but I wasn’t given a chance to choose. I assumed it would come either without cheese or with something like cheddar. It came smothered in bleu cheese. It, like the pork loin, was overcooked (I ordered medium and it came well done Not medium well… well done).
Again, when I expressed a lukewarm opinion of the meal, the staff repeatedly offered to bring me something else. And once I scraped off the bleu cheese (and the tainted bacon) I ate the entire burger. But at the price point of $ 14 per burger (they charged us $ 15 on the bill) and $ 18 for pork loin (they charged us $ 23 on the bill), neither the quality of the food nor ambiance lives up to expectations.