Renegade Country Western — Restaurant in Lakeside

We were so thrilled to have discovered this bar in a rural setting with a live band. We made the 20 mile drive with no question. We got to the door and paid the $10 entry to get in. There was literally no place to sit. The bar was so crowded and understaffed it took 15 minutes to get a drink. The band started up and they were fabulous, but line dancers (I thought they went out with the dinosaurs) took up the small dance floor allowing no one who wanted to really dance in. I thought I was at a Jane Fonda Workout. When the line “dancers”, if you can really call them that, finally cleared the floor, we decided to dance, even though the dance pairs appeared to be out of the “ Stepford Wives” not really dancing but following some choreographed step where they made the exact twists turns and gestures synchronized to look like some 18th Century minuet. It was so creepy we thought we’d entered the “Twilight Zone”. Fortunately we were able to score a tiny table to set our drinks on while we danced. So we place our drinks, jackets and phones on the table until we returned. One dance. Upon our return, we discovered that one half full beer bottle was left there, our jackets were messed with and place elsewhere, and a half full glass of draft were gone!!!! An empty bottle was left on the table. We asked the gentleman sitting next to us if he saw the table cleared and our items messed with. He said yes and pointed to the woman who cleared the half full glass and moved our personal items. He then told us “she’s the owner”. The owner??!! She obviously hoped we had drunk enough not to notice that she took the drink and would buy another thinking we had finished it. Cha-ching!!! So we approached her and asked about the removed drink but instead of apologizing, she became indignant and claimed she only removed empty glasses and bottles then turned her back and stormed off. She clearly DID remove a half full glass and left an empty bottle. The man next to us saw it happen to then told us she did that often. Needless to say we left and will never return and we will warn others as well as look into the legalities of of absconding with people’s paid drinks in hopes they will reorder. One of us happens to be an attorney. So just beware when you go...

Guys, I was too busy dancing to take any photos! I went on a Saturday night. It was crowded but not too crowded. You could still get on the dance floor. The band was on point and super fun. The dance floor is decent sized, not too small but not extra large either. They do line dancing classes I think around 7:00 p.m. p.m. but I got there after and missed them. Getting drinks at the bar was easy. I loved that they had a $7 rail old fashioned drink! Of course you can upgrade to a nicer whiskey but the fact that you can get an old fashioned for only seven bucks in San Diego... Unheard of! And it tasted decent enough that I got 2! There's plenty of people who know how to dance really well, so I was able to follow along on some of the individual dances and got asked to dance a few of the couple's dances and felt super respected in doing so. It was really fun. I wish I could have stayed longer. It's so nice to have a place like this. We used to go to in cahoots in Mission Valley but it's been closed for so long now. I almost think renegade is worth a regular drive out to East County for. I think there's a small cover. Something like five bucks, but it was totally worth it for a great live band and a good ol' wholesome...

If you're looking for an old style honky tonk, playing old style honky tonk music this is a place to go. The band was a group of older fellows playing stuff you probably haven't heard in a long long while. Your daddy or grandfather might have heard this stuff regularly. The dance floor isn't huge, but it's adequate for the crowd. People aren't shy about dancing here! The very first note from the band and people are headed for the dance floor. This is the closest thing you'll find to being in Texas while you're in California. I can't write the food or the service because I didn't get either, so I can't accurately rate those. I paid the $5 cover, walked in and ended up dancing all night. Didn't even...