Best Dive Bars In Orange County
Think Orange County is all about glitzy clubs and expensive shopping? Think again. These dive bars show you that the County offers plenty of bars that offer a great time without all the glamour.
Goat Hill Tavern
1830 Newport Blvd
Costa Mesa, CA 92627
(949) 548-8428
www.goathilltavern.com
What do you mean, peanut shells strewn all over the floor isn't classy? At the Goat Hill Tavern, the décor is geographically inspired (street signs everywhere!), the crowd is fun, young and almost everyone is in T-shirts, cargo pants and flip-flops (be prepared to get ID'ed). Additionally, the beer list tops all dives out there and there are three pool tables and two shuffleboard tables to have a great time while sipping your drink. It's everything what you want a dive bar to be.
Blackie's By The Sea
2118 W Oceanfront
Newport Beach, CA 92663
(949) 675-1074
www.blackiesbythesea.com
You're not a Newport Beach local until you've been to Blackie's By The Sea, which has existed since 1953 (when the beach was just a summer destination). The beach/surf spot was actually named after the bar (i.e., Blackie's beach), because locals used the building as a landmark from the water. If you're up for a cold one (and they have a thermometer above the door that tells you how cold their beer on tap is), and you're looking for an authentic, historical beach city bar, head over to Blackie's. Just don't hit a surfboard hanging from all the ceiling.
Mugs Away Saloon
27324 Camino Capistrano
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677
(949) 582-9716
www.salestime.com
Probably the diviest bar in hoity toity Laguna Niguel, this is where you can get a sob story heard at the bar. Catering to an older set, it may not be the most diverse crowd in OC (hey, it's Laguna Niguel, what do you expect?) but local bands who play there regularly know how to rock and roll and they celebrate the annual Mooning of the Amtrak (aka Mooning of the Train). Held along the fence outside the Saloon every year on the second Saturday of July, people bare their behinds along the fence as the trains pass by. It's gotten so huge that the street is lined with vendors, party RVs and hundreds of people partying for beads, holding a wet T-shirt contest or wading in blow-up pools.
Baja Sharkeez
211 Main St.
Huntington Beach, CA 92648
(714) 960-5282
www.sharkeez.net
So it's not your typical dive, and it's a chain. But you know why Sharkeez is a good dive? Because people who like to party, drink and hang out by the beach go there, giving it a perpetual college dorm-room vibe. So while it may not be the place to bring a date, it's definitely one of the dives you can go to that will cheer you up.
The Fling
2370 N Tustin Ave Ste D
Santa Ana, CA 92705
(714) 547-8972
www.flingcocktaillounge.com
Why is this possibly the coolest dive bar in OC ever? Maybe because it fulfills every expectation you have of a dive — it's dimly lit, it's small, you get the basic necessities (beer and stiff mixed drinks), and interesting characters abound. Low expectations mean it's the best place for unwinding after a crazy night clubbing. Open from 6 a.m. until 2 a.m. every day, bands play live music every night starting at 9 p.m.
