The Saloon

Came here for a before dinner drink of some simple old fashions that was simply great. Old fashions I’ve had in the past tend to have a slight burning of the throat when you drink them, but the ones that was ordered by a friend was just perfect with a nice smooth refreshing edge to it that you can sip a couple and it doesn’t make you pause to let your throat clear from the whiskey.
Right next door to Nick’s Laguna Beach, this place is pretty popular as it always full when I walk in. There is the bar front and center where patrons can walk right up and order drinks from, but also a few seating benches as well inside the Saloon. My favorite are two specific spots: 1) the small table seated right by the front window where there are only 2 chairs and a wonderful view of the passerbyers walking to and from wherever they need to go down PCH and 2) the bay window benches where it’s perfect to just sit and chat with friends and also to watch foot traffic of people walking down PCH.
Dimly lit but just the right amount of light to produce a nice intimate environment for guests to grab a quick drink and then head off to dinner, or for post dinner drinks as well!

The pineapple infused vodka is awesome and the bartender was on top of her game. If you’re looking to wet your whistle and need a great tasty concoction stop here and ask for the Pino!

We’re skipping this one on our next bar crawl. Sorry, but the amount of friendliness equaled the amount of chairs.

What can I say. My go to bar when starting off the evening. I always run into some one I know, at least in the winter when you can actually see the locals through the tourists. An old style small saloon that goes from being packed to being empty, depending on what night you are there.

This is a real bar. standing only, cramped, it’s loud, it’s small, they have matchbooks on the bar
But, this saloon stocks my JD Single Barrel. a lot of other alcohol is present in a wide variety of flavors. and the pineapple thing Drinks are served quickly and empty’s are cleared constantly. this is our night cap spot when we are in Laguna Beach on business
There are a cast of regulars too.

The Saloon has quickly become my favorite Laguna Beach watering hole. Bobby and Michael know how to take care of their customers and when they aren’t around Erin and the other Michael hold down the fort pretty good. Their pineapple infused vodka is tasty as is their famous coffee shot. I also like to come by on a Friday evening and sip some Tia Maria.
The atmosphere is just like Cheers! There are two distinct crowds there — the silver lined before 8 variety and the younger generation that arrives between 8−9pm. Its a standup bar. There are a few chairs to sit in but its 90% standing only. There are a couple of TVs usually showing sports.
Alcohol is present in a wide variety. Drinks are served quickly and dead soldiers are cleared constantly. There are a cast of regulars and hopefully one day I’ll be known as one of them!

Hadn’t been home for the holidays in like 4 years and told my gf «let’s go to Laguna» for dinner. While looking for a place to grab dinner, we walked by this place and I said «we’re coming here after».
I was attracted by exactly what it looked like… a saloon, like I should have tied my horse up to the front before moseying up to the bar.
My friend ordered the infamous Pine-​O after being sold on it by a woman who was standing next to us at the bar. Oh, and yes, it’s standing room only. I loved that. I ordered a snifter of B & B. I had been craving B & B for like weeks. My gf loved the Pine-​O, simply describing it as «refreshing». It looked and smelled so.
We were having a great time with our new friend and her FWB and their friend. So why only 3 stars? The bartender wasn’t the most welcoming individual. People who work in restaurants forget or quite possibly have no clue that they are members of the hospitality sector. Their job is to make guests feel welcome, give them great service, a reason to return, and on top of that do it with a friendly, engaging attitude, and some fucking personality wouldn’t hurt as well. If you don’t have the people skills, you have no business being behind a bar.
Having said that, I didn’t let our not-​so-​friendly barkeep ruin our fun. I made up his backstory that could have quite possibly been true.
I would come back here but not necessarily on a potentially packed night needing a doorman like I read about in other reviews. I liked that I was here on a Sunday. People were out of town and so there were not more than 10 people there at one time. It felt like a neighborhood bar night.

This is a must see, it’s the local flavor. You won’t find another establishment like it. Yes it’s small but it is friendly and fun. I am a former bar owner in upstate NY and I visit this area three times a year and I always visit the Saloon several times each trip, I have tried to buy this bar just about every time I come to California, even offered to partner, that is how much I like the Saloon. If you are visiting Laguna Beach or surrounding area you should do yourself the favor and stop in.

Cool cool cool place. Nice staff. Always crowded though :/​The bar tenders can get creative make some new things for you. But honestly, just stick to the classics, since there are so many people there all the time, it’ll take a little longer to get something their not used to making.

One of the most unique bars in Laguna beach. Great drinks and cool old fashioned atmosphere!

If I could Rate this the worst bar in all of California I absolutely would. The doorman is a jerk, rude offensive an pushy. He insulted the homosexuals and apparently blonde females. The off duty waitresses was just as rude and downright awful, acting like she owned the place and appalled we didn’t know who she was! The environment made for an uncomfortable time. I’ve never been talked to as though I was so low to the earth. When I’m a paying customer there with visiting patrons from across the country to celebrate our night and it was quickly ruined. I am appalled at such a rude crude inappropriate behavior. I asked at one point when we were so rudely being talked to by the doorman is this how you treat paying customers he said I don’t give a $h!& told us we can go! If I was the owner of this place I would be very upset at the way my staff treated the clientele, they lost potential for more profitable evening due to such events as we had others joining us and we had previously heard good things of this spot. If this is how the place is managed and handles its customers then it doesn’t deserve to be in business. We truly order a few beers and literally were pushed out the door. It’s a shame because I have heard the owners are very nice. They deserve a better review and sadly I can’t offer one due to such a nasty experience.
I will let others know and post this to all social media and make sure that I never recommend this to my friends, travelers and coworkers. I run a local blog and be sure to comment on the rudeness encountered. I also work for a local company well known worldwide and I will make sure that no one speaks of this place in a good manner, if I can help it and spread the word to other locals that this is not a place worth keeping in the Laguna culture. thank you for a wonderful night it should be one My guests and I will never forget. I hope for the owners sake that they look at who effects their p and l and know that in this case the customers were treated beyond horrible– I truly can not believe such an appalling staff exist!

This is s great spot! Friendly and fast bartenders and a fun, energetic crowd of both mature and younger people. I regret having taken so long to come here!
We had the popo shot — no matter how much we tried, our bartender would not reveal the secret ingredients. It was warm with a coffee liqueur and oh so delicious. I’ll just have to keep coming back for more!

It’s a narrow, small bar with very few chairs. We managed to snag the table in the front window – be careful sitting in those chairs because they are broken! Definitely a place to just chill with an older crowd who doesn’t care what you look like unless you look «Newport». Then GTFO.

Place sucks you have to pay a cover and once you get in it takes 30+ minutes to get a lousy beer! Bartenders ignore you if you. Won’t be be back!

Two words: old fashioned.
It’s cramped, it’s loud, it’s tiny. But, in the awesome observational words of Alex P., «this is a real bar. They have matchbooks at the counter.»
We noticed the bartender infusing the pineapple vodka as we sauntered in prior to our dinner reservation next door. Must return to try that goodness.

Came here on Presidents’ Day, no customers just a bartender cutting pineapple … But my god was She was by far the most racist lady I have ever encountered
No hello…
She said «IDS» then «what do u want…»
We asked .“any specials? What do you guys have“
I mean. sometimes bars have cool house drinks
She replied with a straight face and said «…we have a full bar…»
Ok.well do you babe Moscow mules? …“no.you can go next door“
I mean her vibes and additive was awful! She treated us like crap and clearly didn’t want our services.
You can tell she was soooo racist by the way she treated us.
another family Came in (Caucasian of course) and she was so friendly to them it, smiled ‚“hi how are you guys“
So it as clear customers weren’t the problem but Mexicans were. As we walked out no thank you. just kept flirting with a younger man
Very sad… I will NEVER come here again.

If I lived in this hood i would be a regular. I came her for the 1^st Thursday’s art walk and after parking, walked past this cute little saloon, and new I had to come in for a drink.
Their ambience reminds me of a friendly neighborhood bar. The bartender was so nice and friendly — she mentioned she makes about 80 pineapple vodkas a day! After seeing their beautiful display of pineapples sliced in a jar filled with vodka I knew this was the drink. Scarfed it down. Couldn’t taste the alcohol. Dangerous!
Overall really great date spot or place to hang with friends.

One of the most historic watering holes in Laguna Beach, it is a no frills mostly standing room only little nook of a bar located in downtown Laguna in the center of boutique shops and restaurants. A great place to hang out for a bit with a couple of friends (not room for many more!) and grab a beer. Last night I tried one of their cabs and a couple of friends of mine threw back a Guinness. Cute décor and friendly bartenders. Over all, a good time was had by all.

Definitely a cool bar to go to if you are waiting for a reservation at one of the neighboring restaurants in Laguna Beach. We must have gotten there right before peak time because we got our drinks as soon as we got to the bar top.
I would definitely recommend trying their Vodka infused drinks. The one we tried was the Pineapple Vodka infused drink… I loved it because it was all natural and Vodka is low in calories and the pineapple gave it a natural sweetness to it.
Definitely made the hour and a half wait go by quicker!
Cheers!

I spent last Saturday evening in Laguna Beach with some of my closest friends. After having dinner at K’ya Bistro Bar, we took a stroll down PCH and arrived at The Saloon — it’s only a few blocks away.
It’s a really tiny place. If I had to guess, it’s about 50 feet long and about 20 feet wide. Picture a rectangle with a bathroom attached at the end. Naturally the bar takes up a HUGE portion of the space. It has one small table and some booth seating in the two back corners. The only lighting you get is from the bar area so it’s pretty dim. Even though this place is tiny, it never really gets packed (this wasn’t my first time here). It doesn’t attract the party animals in Laguna. Instead, you get the crowd that wants a slightly mellow night but with all the benefits of a hip bar. The bouncers and bartenders are really friendly. They don’t bully you around or make you wait forever for your drink. It’s the kind of place you want to go to if you’re looking to get buzzed or drunk at a low key spot.
They usually have some kind of «special» drink. I didn’t pay attention to what they were pouring that night. They have a full bar and I only order Ginny T’s (gin and tonic). One cool thing about The Saloon is that they make their own pineapple infused vodka. You can see it behind the bar in this large glass dispenser. The pineapples are laid neatly inside the container bathing in Russian vodka. Even though I didn’t try it, some of my friends enjoyed shots of it. They said it was really smooth. WHO THE F TAKES SHOTS OF VODKA? Anyway, if they say it’s good, I’ll take their word for it instead of trying to find out myself.
I’ve always been a fan of this place. If you don’t mind getting drunk while standing, check this place out. Grab a few drinks and if you’re not feeling it, you can take off and walk to another nearby bar to cap off your night.