Balboa Saloon

Nasty place, nasty people. A rough crowd of older, burned-​out surf bums and drunks. Indifferent bartenders.
A lot like Blackie’s on the beach.

Douchebag bartenders, every one of them. They all act too cool for school and serve only their friends. If you go there, only order beer because the bartenders get pissy with liquor drinks. I literally cannot figure out these guys, they seem like hippie, down to earth people, but they’re really just complete assholes. Good luck if you go there.
P. S. Their bathrooms smell like dick.

I used to go there in the 80s and 90s I always had a great time. I meet some great people there, I will remember for the rest of my life. the bartenders always treated me right and had many good conversations with them. I agree owner mark is a cool guy. Your friend: THE MAN OF STEEL:

I love balboa saloon
This is a great dive bar on the pen.
Older (rad) crowd during the day
Younger in the evening but it’s awesome whenever you go.
All the bartenders/​security rock
Talk to one of the owners mark if you get the chance. Great guy l
I’ve never had a bad experience here
:)

If you want to find the place on the peninsula, this is the place. Great location fine barkeep, and a fun afternoon.
Must stop if your cruising PCH

This would definitely be my regular bar if I lived in California. The bartender was nice, but nice in the way, of «I don’t take any sh*t from people». We had a good conversation with the bartender and some of the people that were hanging there about yuengling, because apparently California is one of the last states in the country to not have it. It was just dark and comfortable enough that I could have hung there for hours. Give me keno, and I might not have left.

Good place to go for a beer while walking down the streets. Good beer selection. Staff was okay. Place was packed because of memorial day weekend. Didn’t try any food. Good place to grab a beer and chill for while.

Have I mentioned that I LOVE dive bars? Well, this place is just that, and more! They have darts, big buck hunter and a bunch of TVs. It is really fun to hang out here during the day even, as they have a lot of big windows with tons of daylight, so you don’t feel like a total scumbag for drinking inside on a beautiful day. Great location as well, being right in the middle of the fun-​zone. Bicycle parking just out front and walking/​stumbling distance from Class of, and Cantina. Fun will be had by all.

I would have given it a hire rating, since we had a pretty good time. until I received notices of charges that I didn’t make. Some one there stole my credit card number made several charges. Beware. use cash and don’t let your card out of site. when I called they said call back tomorrow no manager.

Your classic fisherman bar. Fish on the walls, on the ceilings, and in the ether. You simply won’t find a place any more authentic than the Balboa Saloon when it comes to pubs by the sea.
It’s definitely a locals spot, but they welcome anyone. Grab a mug and share your fish stories!

Balboa Saloon serves your dive needs when you are on the Balboa peninsula.
I am not much of a dive bar fan, but I can be found in one time and again if the company is right (Dan H., mostly). That was exactly the situation when I visited Balboa Saloon on a cold December’s Saturday night. The interior is somewhere between «rustic» and «dump».
The draft beer was cold, the Bouncer was funny and the Bartender knew how to work a tap and open bottles. Sure, the restroom was a bit stinky but that is par for the course in the dive world, no? Other than that, no complaints with Balboa Saloon.

I recently went here and received the worst service I have ever gotten at a bar.
The older long haired man bartender was extremely rude and provided the slowest service, even though they were not busy at all.
I am a Newport peninsula local, and I will never be back.

One of the best local’s bars in Newport.
Rod’s the man! Many a great nights owed to him.

We stopped in here after a fishing trip so that I could superglue someone’s cheek back together. I had a Stone IPA and my gf had a margarita. Very friendly bartender. Prices were surprisingly good. Definitely on my short list of places to try again.

Salty and old and looks like the dude. That was my experience tonight How about getting someone who is from the 21’st century. Good location but old salty bartender. Put a smile on your face !!!

As a Balboa resident my boyfriend & I only come here if the bartender Colby is working. Not only is he super nice & friendly — he ALWAYS has a smile on his face. I work as a bartender at a different bar — so I’m selective as to what bars I go to in my free time. I choose the Saloon over Class of 47 for many reasons — great service (by Colby) is the main one. We barely even know the guy — but he always recognizes us & treats us as «old friends,» or «regulars» — no matter how much time has passed.
The prices are somewhat reasonable — but the customer service is what keeps us returning.
Only con: pool tables need an upgrade — balls are slow rolling on the felt.
But that’s not a big enough reason to not return to this bar.
Two thumbs up. Thanks Colby for an awesome time, as always.

Very cool little dive to check out in Newport Strong drinks, cold beer and fun games to play. And you really can’t beat the view or people watching. Not much to say beyond you should check it out if you’re in the area.

Writing a review because the woman bartender was extremely rude to us. She gave us so much attitude and clearly doesn’t care or know the first thing about quality customer service.
Take your money to a different bar. Not worth it!

I will start by saying that I don’t necessarily remember stopping here after a night of drinking. However, my check-​in and my bar tab are evidence enough for me. Apparently I had a Dos Equis and a shot of tequila. Good for me!
I think I remember the bartender being really nice and helpful.
Thank God for Über… I got home safe :)

COLD COLD BEER! The boyfriend gets cranky when the beer is cold but not REALLY COLD! He was happy with the pitcher he ordered here last Friday and said if he ever owned a bar he would make sure the beer was served as cold as this one! Good job B. Saloon, keep the bar icy cold!
It’s a neighborly pub with mostly locals and regulars, flat screens, darts, 2 pool tables and nice bartenders. It’s usually not packed on the weekends and they keep their bar stools out so I like sitting at the bar. They stop serving food at about 9 or 10 but the bartender gave him some pretzels when I asked if they were still serving food b/​c he knew I was hungry.