This quaint saloon is reminiscent of another era, not just reminiscent, I think the building is historic. Be sure to look at the courtyard and rest of the little building, it's very cool. Wish I'd asked about the history.
The saloon has very good drink prices. The pineapple infused vodka cocktail was $6. I had to ask the price again to clarify that is was that low! Fun spot, I'd come back again to sample some other cocktails.
What do I say about this place? It's a really cute location. Good wine. Service was kinda "meh", as upon inquiring about the wine selection, I was asked in a huff, "red or white?"... then was just passed a glass with no info. Seating is super limited, (traditional Saloons don't have bar stools.) Over all all a great place to hang out at after work, stop at on a bar hop, or have a date IF you manage to snag one of the two tables.
Review Source:Odd narrow place that is pretty much standing room only. A fruit infused Vodka jug was on the wall (pineapple this time). TVs with sports and wall filled with memorabilia. Â I had a gellato from next door & had a couple of Stella's while enjoying my waffle cone.
Real friendly folks, they seemed to know the bar tender and we clearly looked like tourists-- all sunburned and smiles. So they chatted us up and we even ate some pretzels that made us more thirsty...that's the point right? drink UP!
When I went here for the first time, I felt like I was walking into a bar out of Cowboys & Aliens- minus the beach in the front.
Really small place that seems to be a popular joint in the Laguna area. Drinks were fast, service was quick- what more can you ask for?
My only complaint is there's not really anywhere to sit so you're kind of stuck standing.
Came here a couple weeks ago with some girlfriends and it was PACKED. The previous Yelp reviews weren't kidding; this is one popular dive. The place is known for their Pine-O drink (pineapple-infused vodka with cranberry) and even though I'm not a fan of pineapples, I had to try it and it wasn't bad. I'm still here, right?
After about 30 minutes of standing about, the place pretty much cleared out. I guess it's the first stop for everyone to pre-party since prices are cheap before moving on to the other local bars and clubs. Nice bartenders, cheap prices, pretty much standing room only. Maybe I'll come back during the day.
GREAT LITTLE PLACE TO UNWIND
I really like this establishment. The intimate setting is relaxed and just perfect. Not a bar where you will run into the Lakers jersey crowd but a place you can go day or night and watch all the people come and go down Pepper Tree lane or PCH.  beautiful bar inside pretty much standing room only usually I believe it's a prefect place to enjoy a cocktail and have great conversation with friends. Try the infused Vodka with pineapple  from the bar when there it will get you going. When walking around downtown Laguna and want to get a drink make sure you pop in for a spell great place for sure..
This Bar serves great affordable drinks. The bartender Sky is an awesome chill guy to talk to and makes for great conversation. Joe is also another cool bartender to get to know. Arran is also cool. Mike is the owner and runs a great business. I would highly recommend this pub to anyone.
Review Source:I love this place! I wish it was closer to my house. One word- Pine-O. A glass keg stacked with fresh slices of pineapple, topped off with vodka. Mix with fruit juice. $5, delicious. This place gets packed at night, nowhere to sit or stand if you dont get there early. But its definitely fun, great atmosphere and decor.
Review Source:This place is quaint, unpretentious, and utterly refreshing for Laguna Beach.
Yes, there is not a lot of seating but this place is meant for mingling. The challenge of getting a seat is part of the fun. The drinks were strong and well priced. The bartenders were friendly. There was a good mix of ages in the bar on a
I was very impressed with the saloon. I don't typically go out in Laguna, I usually stay in Newport but this Friday I went out with a friend who loves the scene in Laguna beach.
She told me we were startingoff at the saloon and I pictured a trashy place out of Texas in the 1930s. I couldn't have been more wrong. This little gem was classy and fun!
We walked in and met up with a few guys who had been drinking there for an hour or two. We didn't have to wait to get in or to order. I wasn't drinking but I caught a glimpse of my friends shots and the bartenders were very generous with their pours.
The whole vibe of the saloon screams "I'm classy and I just want to mingle with my classy friends". But not in a pretencious or snobby way.
I would totally come back to this spot! It was a nice change of pace from the stuffy, crowded, db infused dive bars I frequent in Newport!
The saloon is a bar. Just a bar. Really, it's just. Â a. Â bar. No barstools or much seating to speak of, but lots and lots of drinks to order.
The pine-o drink with the pineapple infused vodka is the drink to get. I know how it sounds. I thought it sounded ridiculous and collegey and too sweet too, but it was surprisingly refreshing.
The service is good ol' fashioned bar service, and the big windows make for some great day drinking. But a couple more seats would make me more a fan of this bar for sure.
Best Bar in town. Â Great bar tenders, stiff drinks, real crowd, and be nice or go to Newport like the sign reads behind the bar. Laguna local spot that welcomes all, best nights Thursday's and Saturday's...Order a pine "o" and a poe po and be wrecked by the time you get to last call at the bird...
Review Source:Great little dive bar in Laguna Beach. A nice stark contrast to all the packed restaurants littering PCH. The bar is small with a quaint, warm mood to it, without the pretentiousness that is accustomed to Orange County.
Order: two shots of Jack Daniels , and a beer.
Great bartenders. Reasonable prices. Small dive bar venue. Limited-to-none seating. Very casual atmosphere. Full bar.
When I think of a Laguna Beach dive bar I think of The Sandpiper. The Saloon isn't so much a dive as it is a very small, intimate bar that has a friendliness seldom seen in OC. No excursion to Laguna is complete without getting a pin-o here.
The Saloon is definitely one of my favorite OC watering holes.
I guess this place is pretty interesting for Laguna, it's got a more old timey feel than you would usually find there. Â It's teeny tiny, but as I was there on a Weds night that was actually to its advantage, since there were very few people there. Â It's reasonably priced, but I had a glass of wine, I wanted zin but they only had pinot noir and it was disgusting. Â The bartender gave me the bottom of a bottle that had been open for who knows how long and I couldn't even finish the glass I Â had paid almost $11 for. Â I'm not in Laguna often, so not frequenting this place won't be a problem for me, but if I ever do find myself back there I think I'll stick with a beer.
Review Source:Honestly, this is the smallest bar I've EVER been to. Â I visited with a big group of people after a Christmas party last year, and we literally could not all fit in the bar comfortably. Â The service was fine, and the atmosphere was good, but I hate feeling that crowded when I'm trying to have a good time. Â If you insist on coming here, I would recommend coming early (before it fills up), having one drink, and then moving to a different bar where you will actually be able to breathe.
Review Source:Not much to say about this place. Â Its a great spot to go get a drink while you are out on the town.
All the usual hardcore drinker options. Â Beer is all bottled to the best of my knowledge. Â The bartender was hot. Â :)
There are 3 seating spots, but don't expect to get them unless you get lucky. Â Its essentially standing room only.
Its a cool spot to grab a drink, have a chat and move on.
Just a bar. What else do you need? There is some seating but it's not even worth mentioning; just consider this place standing room only.
Everyone seems to check their egos at the door. Good people and good booze... my kind of place.
Trademark: Pine-o shots (vodka that has been soaking in slices of pineapple)
I love stumbling onto RANDOM places and saying "let's check it out!" Well, this was one of those places that me & my lovely gf that stumbled upon. We were looking for a lively bar and this seemed very lively.
It's a very small bar...reminds me of bars in NY. Basically, it's a bar with just a bar! LOL.
Good drinks and very COZY ambiance. We stuck out, well b/c 2 Asian girls in Laguna Beach Bar...what do you expect? We still had fun watching & talking to drunken youngin's.
I'm glad we checked it out...and would recommend to those in the area to stop by for a drink! ;)
When i walked in i was kinda look for the rest of the place, and to my amusement there is no rest of the place.
That is to say, it is a small, marble floored, wooden barred classic old place.
No chairs exist, well a few, a bench and a couple tables, but who needs them?
Mimi the bartender was very sweet, and fun. She makes a solid drink, including a nice concoction of the pineapple vodka they make in house, triple sec a splash of cran and something else.
Needless to say. I like this place, and if in Laguna, I'll be back.
That and drinks are about 6 bucks, so who can complain.
Stock oranges!!!
...and then I can happily bump this review up, mayhaps all the way up to five stars; however, so long as there are no oranges... I cannot review The Saloon too well.
I love The Saloon!!! What, right in Peppertree Lane adjacent some fine establishments of food and gelato and all. It's small, stand-only environment and wonderful decor is both quirky and keen, and Erin the bartender is fantastic! It usually has a really good crowd from Wednesday on, which can actually become suffocating at times, but is alright because that's what it is.
However, this is a classic, ol' timer bar without the ability to make a legitimate Old Fashioned due to their not carrying oranges. I generally am then forced to go with a Manhattan, Rob Roy or Rusty Nail, which are delicious drinks and usually well-prepared here; however, when the mood strikes you for an Old Fashioned, nothing satisfies you short of one and a bar with this type of old time feeling should definitely be able to make an old time drink.
Please saloon, get oranges, maybe even blood oranges and I'll show you some yelping love.
Located in an area the size of Imelda Marcos' show closet, The Saloon offers a stand up bar with a couple of small tables on either end.
People come and go, as this seems to be a before or after the main show kind of a destination.
Good conversation and people watching, it is just another little spot to rest an elbow and watch the world go by.
From my column, <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.HotSpotsInLagunaBeach.com&s=7faeab6d59b193032571326f92ef410950fab8eac75c2064330ce1850b793d57" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.HotSpotsInLag…</a>
Granted, there are a number of great restaurant bars in Laguna Beach (i.e., Rooftop, K'ya, Lumberyard, The White House, Nick's, 230 Forest, etc.) but there are only three REAL bars in Laguna Beach, all with personalities of their own.
Together, these three long-standing Laguna Beach bars are a veritable triumvirate in our little town, having dominated and outlasted hundreds of other tries over the decades. They are, The Marine Room Tavern (Ocean Ave.), the Saloon (PCH right in the middle of town), and The Sandpiper Lounge (PCH toward the south end of Central Laguna).
Today, we discuss the Saloon, the only standup European pub in the entirety of Orange County. (To be sure you don't miss out on our other two "personalities," and insider tips and secrets to each of these renowned bars, be sure to subscribe, above).
Established in 1978, Laguna Beach's Saloon has been owned these last five years by Bobby Doerr and Mike Byrne. Step in the place and you feel you've been immediately transported to some pub in Central London or Dublin.
Aside from a couple of small benches and one teensy table in the corner, this is a stand-up bar. Don't be asking for one of those foo-foo blender drinks - they don't own a blender. DO feel free to peruse one of the finest single Scotch menus in town, and enjoy 100% juice in any mixed juice drink you try - they refuse to go the way of "juice from a gun." Â
While the Saloon certainly offers above-average wines by the glass, this is primarily a mixed drinks, straight shots, and mighty beer kind of bar.
The Saloon opens its doors at noon on weekends and at 2:00 on weekdays, but the real action begins after 9:00 p.m. Packed with both locals, nearby town regulars and people who come from all cities and countries to this renowned bar, just take a deep breath and worm your way through. (Come on, that's half the fun.)
Learn more about the other two bars we have in Laguna Beach at my blog, <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.LagunaBeachBest.com&s=2c37b8335bd6f98e585d0e15cd1a41b3fb6cc6c530a8fb81740f56ee5048f8a1" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.LagunaBeachBe…</a>
Local, Insider Tips to the Saloon
The Saloon is famous for two drinks:
1. The Pine-O Cranikazi. See that big ol jug of fresh cut pineapple rings soaking in vodka there on the Saloon's back bar? That's the foundation to this drink. Â A pineapple-infused top-shelf vodka Cosmopolitan served up or on the rocks, it goes down extremely easy.
2. The No Name shot. Primarily a coffee liqueurs shot, this gizmo was first invented by a Filipino bartender at the Saloon years ago and was initially named after him. When he eventually retired, the shot became the "NO Name" shot. This either occurred because of some kind of strange politics OR a reverence for retiring the name, much like they do a Michael Jordan jersey number. (I prefer the latter story.) Whatever the case, this is a no-nonsense shot made up of 5 liquors (yes, I said FIVE) and mixed on a weekly basis by just one, long-time bartender at the Saloon. If you know the actual name of the shot, the Saloon treats you like a V.I.P. You'll see the clear, unnamed, unlabeled bottle there on the back bar, too.
How to Find Laguna Beach's Saloon
Remember the cobblestone path I told you about in the Gelato Paradiso article? Well the Saloon stands right on PCH at the front of that cobblestone. From Main Beach (Broadway and PCH), travel south just 3 blocks past Park Ave. About halfway up the block, you'll stumble across the Saloon. (If you hit Watermarc, you've gone too far.)
Hours of Operation for the Saloon
Weekdays, 2:00 p.m. to last call (usually around midnight on week nights)
Weekends, noon to last call (usually 1:30 a.m. All drinks are out of hands and off the bar at 2:00 here.)
I somewhat remember this bar this past weekend. I was with my pissy friend who pouted in the corner over some imagined slight all night. This bar made it easy to ignore her BS. Service was prompt and the patrons were cool. I think I drank some beer here. I got smashed to deal with my idiot friend.
Now if I could only remember the bar that was south and around the corner from this place because I really liked the band that played there. And I'm sure they remember me very well because I left a $45.00 tip on a $5.00 bar tab. Yes I was pretty drunk and I wanted to make it an even number. Doh!!!!
This place is true old school! Â It meets all the Old School Haunt parameters:
Stiff drinks on the cheap
Salty bartender
Good crowd
Slightly intimidating to the uninitiated
Highlight of the visit was running into Mike, the bartender from Turk's, who was there for a drink. Â Best quote ever was when someone asked Mike if he works the night shift at Turk's anymore- "No, I don't have the time or energy to teach another generation how to drink."
Classic!
Hole-in-the-wall bars a mystery to me. I mean, I know they exist and all, but they're sort of like a unicorn. Or maybe a kumquat. You've heard about them, and maybe seen a picture or two of them, Â but never experienced them directly.
One night of bar hopping not TOO long ago, and sobriety being a near recent memory, my friends and I made our way into this place. Kick ass. It's a mans bar. They can do the foo foo drinks, but this is a place who's image exudes that sort of macho machismo, and where the bartenders look that they'll go as sweet in terms of a drink as a whiskey sour for your girlfriend.
The problem with the place, which is actually one of it's greatest benefits, is that it's small. However the ambiance of the place, plus it's location near EVERYTHING in Laguna is what makes it ganz toll.
This place might have gotten a 3 or a 4 out of me if it wasn't for the prick bartender. Â I like the bar itself, it had a nice old timey feel to it...and the jukebox was "ok", you could manage to find something you liked.
And yes, their signature pineapple vodka shots were pretty good...however, Pissy McCranky Pants (read: Â bartender in his late 50's) tried his damnedest to ruin our night. Â I don't understand what the problem was...a huge group of girls with cash burning holes in their pockets, isn't that a bartenders dream?
Anyway, I wouldn't recommend going there if you want to celebrate a birthday or cut loose in any way, unless of course you're into your dad yelling at you every 5 minutes...even though you're tipping him generously and dropping about $150 every 15 minutes in his bar. Â McCranky has no time for you youngins and your antics...or your money apparently, so don't waste his time. Â Go somewhere else if you're looking for fun times.
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