27 Best Dive Bars near Newport Beach

“Five years, my husband and 6 of his dedicated friends have done this yacht show pilgrimage, and every single time they hit Newport Beach we ask: where would you eat. Not the polished nonsense, just real food. They all get this look–like they’re letting us in on classified intel–and say skip Lido, skip Fashion Island, go to Cassidy’s. We laughed; the joint looks like the garage next to where I get my tires rotated. Wood walls, sticky floors, beer signs flickering. But Brian puts down a burger on that open flame and suddenly everyone’s quiet. It’s not hype: it’s seared geometry, it’s salt and beef speaking French without trying, it’s the kind of center that flirts with you. Our friends–the ones whose belts sit under their nipples–suddenly slumped into chairs like humans again. He didn’t just feed us, he defused tension with a spatula. Michelin stars could orbit this thing. We’ll be back. Brian, thank you.“

“Newport Beach in my opinion is one of the best beaches for young families. The beach itself is flat, easy to walk on, and continues out into the water. Small waves that run along the beach make it easy and confidence-building for the little ones. Very clean, bathrooms are close, and lifeguards are present and very active. Parking is the only factor that might take a bit. You have to cruise the parking lot to find someone pulling out.“

“I have only great memories of the Beach Ball in the early 1980's when Phil Johnson was owner or manager. Beach Ball always had a live band on Sunday afternoons. Great drinks great people great memories and times“

“Johnnys is hands down the best pizza. The dough is fermented for 3 days before being used and their ingredients are imported from Italy. You can literally taste the quality with every bite. I’m soo glad I discovered Johnnys because I explicitly remember thinking how complicated it felt to order and waiting an hour felt ridiculous. Now, I can’t even imagine eating another pizza it’s THAT good.“

“My grand father Ray Grady used to love this place I have been lucky to come drink at the table its amazing and its so tucked into a spot you would never know it was there. Love this place I think the steak house chris n pits its gone but anther great spot in this gem of a zone.“

“love this spot ! Music, food ,& the service is awesome 👌 Will be back !“

“I only come here during the daily, karaoke nights and, soon, maybe you will too. Shanghai’d Room is a divebar thru and thru. But I can count on one hand how many bars I’ve been to where I felt welcomed on my first night. And this is the ONLY bar I ever made friends.

There’s usually one or two bartenders being very attentive — making sure glasses are full, singers are purchasing drinks, and new faces get a turn on the mic. each of them has their own charismatic charm and seductive appeal. I can’t help but call out MeowMeow as my fav tho because you cant help but get drawn to her personality (plus the music/mic balance is always on point all night). She was there my first night and the energy in the room was electric.

This is the only karaoke bar where you don’t have the pressure of singing in front of the crowd on stage because there isn’t one. If you’ve ever been in a private karaoke room with friends it’s like that but with 20+ people and ur own bar LOL. If ur flyin solo and like to sing with libations in hand: check em out, sing a song, compliment ur fav singers, and soon you’ll be makin plans to comeback and meetup.

Few tips and house rules to emphasize: no food served so you can byof, only one M & one F restroom, only patrons sing so if you don’t drink buy one for someone else (lol), try the WATER OF LIFE, respect every singer and ask them for permission before you grab the second mic, and FTLoveOG don’t pick multiple songs back to back. Even when a group changes singers with duets, singing 4+ songs looks like ur group is hogging the mic. Lets spread the love and elevate the vibes.“

“Great place for drinks bartender was awesome and super nice. Great beer selection and great music too“

“A good spot for a casual meet up for drinks and to play pool. Can spend hours here as other locals are friendly, bar staff all pleasant and good music on the jukebox. Drinks are reasonably priced and we definitely spend more on pool than drinking“

“Fun place bartenders are nice, They host Pool league and a Dart league several nights a week dart players are older folks who can be slightly rude but otherwise fun place for any night of the week they have TouchTunes jukebox that has an app you can pick almost any song you can think of it's fun“

“Great little place to have a quick drink or spend a Friday or Saturday night. They have multiple TV sets for watching the game,two pool tables and an old school shuffle board .the place is clean and even they bathrooms were kept clean and fresh.The bartender was a beautiful young woman with an affectionate smile and was busy and still made sure to c g neck on her customers and make sure they were good.i would recommend this spot over any other in the Tustin area come down to nite it's always funn“

“Great place love going there !“

“Been a nice place for many years to sit have a beer, catch a game or sip some wine with a date. My favorite is shooting the breeze or some pool. Serving staff always cordial and with a smile. Pretty decent selection of Taps, bottle and canned beers. Lots of Big Screens to boot“

“It's your typical neighborhood dive bar. A number of beers on tap and a good selection of cans and bottles. Daily specials are on point. The bartenders are all young and cute and everybody knows your name.There are two dart boards pool table and giant connect four.Plenty of flat screens are available to watch your favorite teams and a booming jukebox with all the jams!Parking is plentiful.The servers are amazing, especially Mckenna and Melissa.“

“If you play pool this is your place anywhere from novice to pro tables are well maintained for public standards fun atmosphere. The crowd is a good mix of young and old drama is left at the door not the barstool Thanks guys great experience from a long time fixture of old-school HB where the real hang!PS gave the atmosphere a 5 star cause not snotty,snutty,people are friendly service well the gals make good drinks and do it with a smile and quick whit to me this leaves a lasting impression of your welcome here.“

“LOVE the GOAT‼️♥️ 1st place I headed on my last day to begin my RETIREMENT‼️ Life is good‼️😃“

“Invited my friend for her Bday treat and was not disappointed 🤩 steak was melting in my mouth and my friend said that fillet mignon was super tender !! potatoes and veggies simply delicious 😋 very good service and atmosphere 🥰 highly recommended 5⭐️👌“

“Great live music, wonderful bartenders, low key atmosphere!!!“

“It's an Awesome place to have a drink and Par-tay the cocktail waitresses we're a total blast my band played there Saturday Oct 29th and we were treated with the best of respect by all can't wait to come back and play again .. Switch-Blade Rocks !“

“It’s a great place to have a beer.“

“All I have to say is it doesn't matter who's tending bar the girls are the most beautiful creatures on the planet the drinks always are pouring and you're going to have the best time here thank you Joe for having the best bar in town and thank you for my spirit animal is there) loves. I really appreciate you and all your employees and the times that I have there thank you so much come see Mel Erin Jen Ali Brandy and Babs“

“This is a quiet, tucked-away bar with plenty of space inside. It features pool tables, pinball machines, and soon will have Phoenix online dart boards where you can compete with players from around the world or from the bar next door. Dart leagues are starting soon, so ask the bartender for more information and to sign up. There’s also a TouchTunes jukebox for your music needs.“

“Love this place. Sleepy little dive bar with hands down, the most hilarious K.J. on Wednesday nights. Service is always fast and happy to see you. Pool tables are always clean and ready to go. Only complaint. I really wish they served pitchers. Easily my favorite place to spend a Wednesday night.“

“Showed up with my boy who was visiting from out of town. Never been to a lounge or bar in Santa Ana before. This is definitely the neighborhood spot, but they made me and my friend feel like regulars.

Claudia hooked it up with the libations. She made it happen. I mean you won’t get Clase Azul here but you’ll get first class food and service.

I had no idea the food was going to be on point as it was and it surprised me. You expect bar food, but this food is on another level. Fresh made tortilla chips served hot with mouth watering and juicy tacos. I had the asada and al pastor. Served hot and fresh.

Claudia and the chef Josh made it real nice for the experience. I highly recommend if you’re in Santa Ana. It’s dark in there so when we came out the doors at 5p you definitely need sun shades or time to adjust.

It’s a perfect vibe in there. Lookout for the baby giraffe!“

“1st time there and absolutely loved it. Biker bar, bands every Saturday, atmosphere was great. They have a guy outside in back on the grill burgers and chips. Was very good. The wait for drinks wasn't bad, I e been to alot worse where wait time was 300 times longer. The place is a bit small (smallest I've ever been to) but wasn't as bad as I would've thought it to be. I will definitely be visiting again.“

“Love the atmosphere, everyone that walks in just wants to have a drink, a good time and make friends... Best little dive bar in Costa Mesa and Penny is the coolest bar tender :-)“

“LOVE the GOAT‼️♥️ 1st place I headed on my last day to begin my RETIREMENT‼️ Life is good‼️😃“