What Happened to Mandala Lounge After Bar Rescue? (San Mateo, CA)

Mandala Lounge was a custom cocktail lounge in San Mateo, California, opened in 2007 by owner Greg Hawkins near the Highway 92 corridor. On the episode "Mandala Down" (aired 2015-04-12), the venue was shown struggling with inconsistent drink quality and underused space, positioned as a cocktail-focused lounge rather than a higher-volume neighborhood bar. Bar Rescue's team, including mixologist Mia Mastroianni, worked with staff including bartender Angelo to overhaul recipes and service standards. As part of the makeover, host Jon Taffer renamed the bar 38th Floor Bar and gave it a new interior concept aimed at increasing volume.

At the relaunch, the episode showed the reworked bar taking in about $1,100 in its first hour of business. Six weeks after the rescue, the production's follow-up reported sales at the renamed 38th Floor Bar were up roughly 40 percent, and Hawkins had promoted Angelo to manager and added two additional bartenders. Hawkins also later appeared on a Bar Rescue "Back to the Bar" special, where he said the changes had helped the business. Despite that early momentum, the 38th Floor Bar did not sustain itself.

On April 19, 2016, owner Greg Hawkins posted a message on the bar's Facebook page announcing that the 38th Floor Bar would close for good at the end of that month, citing months of declining sales and accumulated debt despite the rescue. In the post, Hawkins thanked the show and host Jon Taffer for the opportunity and thanked his staff and family for their support through the bar's run, while noting the changes had not been enough to reverse the business's financial trajectory. The bar held a final weekend of events before closing.

The 38 East 25th Avenue location has remained vacant in the years since. A Yelp listing for the 38th Floor Bar showed the location marked as permanently closed as of an August 2026 update, and no subsequent tenant has been confirmed at the address.