Good Dive bar experience. Fantastic stiff drink prices. A lot to look at everywhere in the bar.
Kassandra M.
Rating des Ortes: 4 San Juan Capistrano, CA
The best dive bar around! They have great bands and Karaōke too. Bring cash, they don’t take credit. This is a country bar, biker bar, local hangout, and everything in between.
Devin D.
Rating des Ortes: 4 San Juan Capistrano, CA
Great little dive bar in the heart of San Juan Capistrano. I’ve been there quite a few times for drinks and they’re reasonably priced and their Mexican food is pretty good for a dive bar. Had my sister’s 21st here as well with a group of 15+ people and everyone seemed to enjoy it.
Brandon S.
Rating des Ortes: 2 Los Angeles, CA
This is quite a popular bar in the area. The place was packed already early in the afternoon. It certainly goes for the dive bar feel. It is not my thing, but I know many love it. They had a band playing music. The band played a good diverse mix of music. The drinks are reasonably affordable. The issue is they do not accept credit cards. It is not the end of the world, but it certainly is inconvenient. The crowd was an eclectic mix of people. Our bartender was not the nicest either. Overall while this is not for me I am sure people that love the dive bar concept will have a much better experience.
Ryan S.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Palm Springs, CA
Swallows!!! I love going to swallows I’ve been going for years now. I love it because it’s a place I can go with my friends and have fun and it’s also a place I can go with my family and have fun. They have an amazing dance floor and amazing food. Free delicious popcorn and always a great vibe. The employees are always friendly and outgoing! Swallows is a local Hotspot and I highly recommend it to everyone.
Christina D.
Rating des Ortes: 1 Los Angeles, CA
While the drinks are well priced and the staff is great, we literally had the scariest experience we have ever had at a bar. My husband and I were minding our own business on a Saturday night with two seats at the bar. We were dressed nicely as we had just seen a play at the Camino Playhouse with our family. My husband went to the bathroom and 3 men followed him in and proceeded to corner him in the bathroom with threats. Our guess is they were going to try and steal his wallet. Since I saw the men follow him in, I quickly opened the door to the restroom and he was able to escape. Thank goodness that happened or the night could have ended even worse. We have lived in LA for 7 years and never have experienced such a direct threat from any bar we went to. We really loved the live entertainment, drinks, and location. That being said, unless security increases, it is not worth putting ourselves in a dangerous situation again.
Jerome P.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Irvine, CA
Fun place to let your hair down and enjoy music and friends. Sunday’s are a must as the place is packed and the atmosphere is great. If you ride motorcycles, this is a great stop on your trip.
Paul H.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Laguna Niguel, CA
I consider myself an aficionado of the dive bar experience. I travel for a living and indulge in dives once a week in cities all over North America. The Swallows Inn is right up there. A great place on a weekend night to people watch. .. all walks of life and ages are represented and it’s a great place to stand back and watch the festivities. Nothing fancy — but that’s what the experience is all about. They’ve had live music on the weekends that I’ve been there and there’s also room for dancing. The only warning is that it is a cash only establishment. Don’t expect fancy accommodations — just a good«people» experience, good music and a reasonably priced night out. Don’t be squeamish, indulge and immerse yourself in the«dive» experience.
R L.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Huntington Beach, CA
We came for the Sunday live music. Great fun afternoon. The drinks are drinks but since their is no cover charge or minimum it’s a real bargain. I can’t comment on the food taste but it did not look like fine dining. We have stopped in on Sunday’s over the years and I’ll b back.
Jennifer H.
Rating des Ortes: 2 Laguna Beach, CA
This is NOT A REALHONKYTONK. I’ve experienced hunky tonks all over the country. This is 100% a dive bar. Do not be mislead
Aaron E.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Orange County, CA
Need a dive experience in in San Juan Capistrano? Swallows Inn has you covered. Swallows Inn is a pretty cool cowboy bar in SJC that transports you back to the 70’s and 80’s thanks to the rustic interior, friendly service and very reasonable prices. The walls are decked with interesting knickknacks and women’s used brassieres(???) plus on the weekends they routinely play live music. The crowd is largely weekend warrior bikers, old white men in boat shoes and a hodgepodge of women over 35. The drinks are poured stiffly and the beer is ice cold. You may start your Swallows Inn jokes right… now.
Kelly M.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Irvine, CA
Who doesn’t love The Swallow’s Inn? OC brats, maybe. Uptight straight-lacers, perhaps. People who want an outstanding cocktail, probably. But anyone who wants to kick back with a brew(but not a particularly good one) or a slightly(but not too) watered down drink and enjoy watching everyone from brides, to Cowboys, to bikers, to grandmas cut a rug to loud, live music. This is the place for you. You’ve got to go. At least once.
Paula R.
Rating des Ortes: 4 San Juan Capistrano, CA
Dive bar in my home town. Great people gather here music food drinks cowboys cant go wrong!
Catherine R.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Coronado, CA
Best place in town to relax — listen to music — dance enjoy the live band. I was completely comfortable and definitely recommend you try it out.
Stefanie C.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Dallas, TX
Awesome hole in the wall bar. But totally a place I could see a fight breaking out. It’s pretty small so there isn’t a lot of room to move. The locals that were there were very nice. We went on a Friday night and they had live country music. The bathrooms are risky. There’s only one women’s bathroom so there tends to be a line. The bathroom is tiny and pretty dirty. Pretty much what I expected. Overall a nice local place to grab a drink and hangout. Clothing wise, girls you can get away with jeans and a nice shirt.
Jim T.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Laguna Hills, CA
Okay, this may be a dive bar but its fun and very friendly! Had the taco combination and it was great! I especially love the bras hanging from the ceiling!
Michael L.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Billings, MT
This is a cool local bar. I’m from Montana and I’m a welder and I’ve been to bars like this from coast to coast. This is a good one. Cold beer, good music, the customers are cool and so is the staff. It’s a keeper.
Angel L.
Rating des Ortes: 4 San Diego, CA
This place kind of reminds me of the movie road house, but just with a bit more of an edge to it. The minute you walk in you’re honestly going to be telling yourself wtf?! Hahaha, in a good way though. The guys bathroom has some pretty interesting shit to look while your tinkling. The vibe, the crowd, and the atmosphere overall is a great place to drink the night away and have a blast. Even though I was just here briefly having a drink with my girlfriend, before we jumped on the Amtrak and went home. Its definitely a place I would come back and have another drink.
Warren C.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Gardena, CA
Great live music and vibe in this bar. People of all ages flock here it seems, and I’ll admit I didn’t expect to find a place like this so far south in OC. Cowboy gear is suggested to feel in place. Definitely not for line dancing, mostly couples dancing or Texas two-step. Do not try the Bernie here, it will not be well-received. Cash only for a non-Asian establishment was kind of strange. Plenty of parking in the lot, or on the street. Also be aware that the oft-troubled Ortega 74 Highway is usually closed, so plan your highway exits accordingly to facilitate travel.
Bryn H.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Aliso Viejo, CA
The BEST dive bar in south OC… Live country music Thurs-Sat with a old rock n roll band thrown in sometimes. Cheap and good drinks and some of the best dancers around! Hardly any line dancing, mostly two stepping. The dance floor is not huge but it works! Best night to go for dancing is Thursday. Best night to go for people watching is Saturday. Almost every week on a Saturday night a wedding party will wander in to party it up after drinking for hours. It’s quite entertaining. If you are not that adventurous, try a Sunday afternoon when the band starts at 2(usually) and the bikers and surfers roll in. Good times, good times…