Mugs Away Saloon — Restaurant in Laguna Niguel

My wife and I like to drop in to dive bars on the weekends. I believe we have hit most of them in the Lake Forest, Mission Viejo, Laguna area. Never hearing of Mugs Away we visited one across the freeway which was nice but crowded and very loud. No way to hold a conversation at this bar. So we searched for dive bars near us and found Mugs Away was just on the other side of the freeway.

As we are relocating to Mugs away we notice it is pretty secluded in a business district. Once businesses close Mugs Away seems to be the only reason anyone travels down this street. Only one way in and one way out. I personally really like the fact that this place is pretty secluded, but that's just my preference.

Once we arrived and entered you definitely got the dive bar kind of vibe and could tell it was filled with regulars. Wife and I were thinking this will be a one and done kind of visit. We sat at the bar. Ordered or regular drinks (Me: Old Fashion - Wife: Tito's and Soda with 3 limes, yes has to be 3 limes). Drinks came out good although they don't have the whiskey I prefer (more on this later). We kept to ourselves for a while just enjoying the music, each other and a little light conversations with some others at the bar. After we have been there for a little bit both Dan (Bouncer) and Lisa (Bartender - although I feel her name is spelled different) both checked on my to make sure we were comfortable, which we were. Once drinks were flowing we started chatting and just had a great time with the regulars.

Once the night was over my wife and I feel this is worth another try even though its a little bit of a drive for us. We ended up coming back for another visit and this time we meet Brittany (another bartender) and the owner. Brittany is a ton of fun and a great bartender. After about our 4th visit I even stopped getting asked for my credit card up front. I asked bartender does this mean we get regular status. Some where in these first 4 or 5 visits we were chatting with the owner and I mentioned I like my old fashions with Angel Envy. Needless to say on my next visit there was Angels Envy on the shelf.

Thanks to Dan, Brittany, Lisa, the owner and the patrons we have decided this is our bar we frequent. After a few times of going and everyone gets to know you this place will almost feel like family.

I did see a review about drinks being expensive. Maybe they were getting the a-hole tax added to their drinks, but they are very reasonable. One of the other reasons we come here is because your money goes a lot further on the drinks

Lastly the food - so the bar does not have food but if you are lucky enough to be there while the Jose the taco guy is there you can not go wrong. His shrimp tacos are so good. But just because everyone knows him as a taco guy doesn't mean you should be afraid to try other items as well. He changes his menu so he will have other food items for sale as well. He makes a really good burger (not kidding, try it). He had ribs once and they were really good as well. My wife and I have gone there at least twice just to get his food. Of course we have to have some drinks while we are there. Don't quote me on these hours because I have no clue if I'm right, but he seems to be there on Friday nights and some Saturdays. These are really the only times we visit so as for other times and days I...

Honestly one of the rudest experiences I've ever had walking into a bar, for starters I was visiting from out of town on vacation and wanted to check out different bars within the area so I seen mugs away saloon and see they were having a annual event called the mooning of the amtrack so I said to myself why not get a good laugh and have a drink, Soon as I walk in I stand in line waiting to get a drink the bartender with black hair rudley comes up to me with a angry look on her face refusing to serve me with no explanation why, I'm standing there puzzled, and confused on what the issue is and she just says you can't be in here and that's all I'm going to say! She then tells me you can see if the bartender outside will serve you and just walks away, I have never in my life had such a rude experience such as this, and mind you she dosent say this to anybody else except for me! So i didn't want to jump to conclusions maybe there was something going on inside the bar, and I wasn't aloud in because being from out of town I wasn't quite sure what was going on. Although the bouncer outside checking id's didn't say anything. So I get a drink from the bartender outside and ask her was there a special event or something going on inside that I wasn't aloud inside and she had no idea why the other bartender said that. That was enough for me so I left the bar and will never return there. No matter who you are or where you are from everyone should get treated with the same respect! That is no way to talk or treat anyone especially if you are employed at a establishment. I have never gave a bad review for any place I've been in my life and for anyone that knows me will tell you I'm one of the friendliest people you will ever meet. I hope nobody else has the experience I...

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ We had my 60th birthday party at Mugs Away Saloon, and I can't say enough good things about the experience! From start to finish, the owner was absolutely wonderful to work with—responsive, kind, and genuinely cared about making sure everything went smoothly.

The atmosphere was perfect for a fun, laid-back celebration with great drinks, great people, and a vibe that’s uniquely Mugs. Our guests had a blast, and many of them are still talking about how much fun they had.

If you're looking for a spot to throw a memorable party with good energy and even better people, I highly recommend Mugs Away. Thank you again for making my 60th so special—we’ll...