Mugs Away Saloon, in Laguna Niguel, California, should not really exist. The bar is located in an area with some the highest median home prices in the nation, and the perks that come with it. Premier Shopping, World Class Golf Courses, BMWs and Lexus are driven by teenagers, and yes, they were given to them as gifts by their parents. Yet, there is the Mugs Away Saloon. Tucked in a light industrial complex, by the railroad tracks, is a small vale. On top of the vale lie the estates of executives and the who's who, and in the vale, lies a den of trashiness, a place where you WILL get punched in the face, where you will get touched inappropriately, and where NOT owning a gun considers you to be a hemp loving hippie. It doesn't work, but somehow, it does. Southern Californians should not be pointing to "the 909" as the the armpit of SoCal, the den of trashiness. It can be found in "the 949," and it is called Mugs Away Saloon. It all makes sense, in an ironic way.
I like this place. Â I've been here before, but I have one memorable experience here. Â I came with my good friend, and the bartender was really drunk. Â She was so drunk, that she could barely pour alcohol in the glass. Â Then someone shouts out...."SHOW US YOUR TITS!" Â The Bartender, doesn't chuckle, or turn away. In the most nonchalant way possible, with a look of apathy, just pulls her shirt down. Â She did that numerous times. Â
As I was drinking, she comes and sits on my lap and slurs "I like the tallllll one." Â
Later, Black Sabbath came on the jukebox and we had a few drinks down and we were singing "War Pigs." An older gentleman comes up to us. Â
"HOW OLD ARE YOU PEOPLE?"
"umm 27"
"27!? 27?!?! FUCKING PUPPIES. IM 50 AND THIS IS MY FAVORITE JAM."
We then sang along with the dude. Â
Reflecting on Mugs Away, and drinking south of Irvine, I will only partake every once in a while. Â In my neighborhood in Los Angeles, we have tiki bars, fancy bars, dive bars, show bars, etc. Â Its a nice mix. Â But in South Orange County, where everyone is isolated, a majority are extremely wealthy, we have bars that, if there was a competition for worlds trashiest bars, would probably take top pick. Is it just everyone getting out their inner trashiness? Maybe its because there is no youth here. Â Only fancy wine bars for the ladies who lunch, and the dive bars.
Oh, and they moon amtrak trains here too.
WOW, the divey-est place I have been to in South OC!! You are literally transported into dingey red neck America when you enter here. Tits and butt pictures are on the back walls and everyone looks at me funny cuz I'm an Asian! GASP! I was literally the Asian spectacle. Anywho, don't know if I would come again but glad to know that this place exists. Hah.
Review Source:This place is hit or miss. Sometimes you walk in and it's the friendliest, most fun place with good, cheap drinks and great people to chat with. Other times you're left alone and can sit undisturbed to enjoy your drink. On event days, particularly the famous train mooning day, the place kicks up like crazy and it's amazing.
But, a lot of the nights I went there, it felt like its own little bubble where I was an unwelcome outsider. Get those raised hairs and goosebumps like everyone's eyes are on you for a bad purpose.
So, bottom line, hit or miss. I wouldn't be a regular, but if someone asks me to go, I won't mind.
Just recently started to frequent this place regularly. The atmosphere is great, the drinks are strong and the bartenders are extremely personable and gorgeous! I've made quite a few new friends and have met with old friends here and really enjoy the camaraderie. I hope this place stays here forever!
Review Source:So everyone calls this a dive bar... It's got a while before it reaches that status. Drunks and saggy boobs don't make a bar a dive. There's plenty of that at any Yard House and it comes with an attitude. Went here Friday night with some friends from work. It is definately off the beaten path and well hidden. The bartender was friendly and hot, got our drinks quick and made sure they were always full. Met and old kook from North Long Beach who grew up near High Low on Market back in the 60's and chatted with him for about an hour. Left drunk off my ass and woke up the next day wishing I hadn't drunk so much. I'll be back.
Review Source:For a dive bar that's in the middle of nowhere that houses one pool table, they really should have lower alchy prices. Â 2 pitchers came out to $27. Â At my fave dive bar, I can get 4 people drunk to the point where we are professing our love for each other in their parking lot for $50.
The signs they have are fun and they having hanging bikes and a unicycle with a rudder...??? Â Haha, hilarious decorations and good entertainment. Â How do you fit a live band in that tiny space???
The crowd is of the older variety and there's no food here. Â As a tip, you can bring food into the bar =) Â The shrimp burrito at Albertacos on the other side of the freeway is amazing =d
I came here to support my friend's band, the HOGs, not knowing what to expect.
For a dive bar, this place was well lit and relatively bumpin' for a demographic of white 50-somethings. Older white folks sure know how to put away the alky and break it down on the dance floor!
The patrons are pretty nice and sociable, too. Great for people watching if you're a wallflower like myself. :)
P.S. There's a wall of titty photos. ;)
OK this is my second review since relocating to OC after 10 years in NoCal.  I love this place.  Quintessential dive bar.  Good beers on tap, good happy hour prices of $3.00 draft beers and $4.00 well drinks, friendly and cute bartenders, nice group of locals.  Heather was  our bartender.  Very cute, friendly, hospitable despite the fact they had a good crowd in there and she was the only bartender.  I think the owner was bar backing but I didn't catch his name.  Suzanne was bartender that came on after Heather's shift was over and she was equally nice, friendly and courteous. Â
If you like a good dive bar with a mix of white collar, blue collar and everything in between plus cute bartenders with good service and good drinks this is your place.
Mugs Away has an interesting history for being in a very uninteresting town. With Laguna Niguel being as "puritan" as it is I'm surprised that this little hole in the wall has survived as long as it has. This doesn't mean that the city isn't trying, however. The new Mayor has all but destroyed the Amtrak mooning; only a few hundred people showed up this year... things do not bode well for Mugs. Anyway... the bar is a typical hole in the wall "dive" with mostly locals haunting the establishment. They are not the friendliest of locals either so don't expect any warm welcome or an offered seat. They've got your standard random guy stuff adorning the walls, a conventional beer selection, and smells of body odor and bile. If you enjoy playing pool on a crappy table or trying to play darts around people standing around than this is your place. Or maybe you're just one of those guys that likes dives because dives are "cool" - if so, this is your place. As for me, the only time I show up is when I'm mooning the train - that's when this bar is flat out fun.
Review Source:THREE STAR DIVE BAR - (It should be five stars but the prices for the drinks are simply outrageously high!)
Tits behind the bar and I mean ones you can look at and the Owners, of the Tits, encourage you to acknowledge your appreciation of those wonderful 'Ta Ta's by contributing to their Tip Jar. (Nothing is free here....nothing!) Guys I actually suggest that you don't even mention this place to the - Wife, Girlfriend, Significant other, skag or whore that you're currently banging, this place is for the guys....too bad. The 'women' that do show up are usually the very middle aged, Cougars or older wives/girlfriends of the Bikers, who for the most are civil and nice in their black leather, sterling silver, tattooed, pierced, kinda of way. They pour a very good drink here, however you pay for it, NOTHING is for free here...except the bad advice, sometimes very weird conversations and 'Stupid Drunk Tricks' performed daily by a various lot of unemployed, under-employed, employed, but should be at work, group of AA Graduates. Middle aged locals basically during the day - Armature Drinkers and more than a couple of drunk idiots at night. The worst thing about it is that there is only one-way in and one-way out...so if you're the unlucky car first in line leaving after midnight with the OCSD gauntlet just past the bridge....HELLO DUI!!!
I give it THREE Stars because the prices for the drinks are Stupid Expensive - $10.00 for a pitcher of PBR, and up from there! (Don't even ask what the 'import' or 'Craft' beers go for.) The other booze is priced similarly 'Stupid High' as well , but a decent pour. That stated, what you have got to do get in there and back out again....well you need to go once, but bring a wallet full of cash.
Nasty old saggy boobies and asses once a year. Rad!
Serious alcoholics the rest of the year.
This place is a total dive and I love it!
P.S. <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.moonamtrak.org%2F&s=c6ca681a1e9747d2cccf7afce3676534494c5dd09c006350dc9f2f14c16a00ed" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.moonamtrak.or…</a>
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