Scotland Yard

Best bar in Vista!

This placeis amazing! Amazing atmosphere and customer service and satisfying people… I would recommend this place to my friends!!!

Arly is gnarly great hostess. Fun local pub, easy prices. Fun place in the hood
Very comfortable. and great music

Yes, this bar isn’t meant to be all nice and yes it’s in the old part of Vista, but I was expecting something a little better. A friend of mine and I went here a couple weeks ago just to see how it is, and it was completely empty besides the 5 regulars. It was awkwardly quiet and almost too dark. The bar tender wasn’t attentive at all and lacked a friendly personality. I asked for a whiskey coke, and she gave me a weak whiskey sour. It was quiet… how couldn’t she hear my order? The price was fine. Cheaper than the average bar, but I definitely won’t be coming back

It was a dive bar. Nothing more, nothing less. People there won’t get in your business and the bartender is a nice friendly lady.

Had a great time with out of town friends that came to visit. I told them this bar was awesome and Samantha the bartender made the greatest drinks. We had a great time some of the patrons were a little moody come on its a bar don’t be such sour pusses!

I’m really surprised with all of the good reviews this place has! Our experience here was not everything these folks are talking about. I searched Unilocal for a place near by. My husband and I wanted to check out a new place we’d never been before. He loves playing pool and the name sounded cool so we went to see about all the good things I read about. Upon reaching the bar, we were told «I need to see your ID’s. No greeting. No friendliness – all business. Then it was «what do you want». My husband ordered his drink. She made it. Then said the price, not even asking if I wanted something. Once I got my drink we tried to pay and the lady said, over her shoulder as she walked away «we don’t take cards, ATM is over there». Didn’t ask if we had cash. And again, was not friendly in the slightest. Since we didn’t feel like being around her, we went to the back of the bar by the pool tables and sat on a couple stools. A guy asked my husband to play pool, and they played a couple rounds. Unfortunately this was the only good part of our experience and the only reason I’m even giving them 2 stars. Seems like the patrons were friendly enough, a lot of die hard pool players. But the staff, at least the one lady we met, left a lot to be desired.

This is a great hole in the wall dive bar! I just wish the stools were more comfortable! I give it 3.5 stars. I love dives bars & I liked it here but didn’t totally fall in love.
I just moved back to Vista & I knew this bar was here but I had completely forgotten about it.
It’s in an obscure location, off a side street in the middle of a strip mall. The only reason why I stopped by was because I looked up bars close to home to see if there was anywhere else to go besides the places downtown.
I was surprised at the brightness of the place. It was a Saturday night & there was a decent crowd. Whoever was playing the jukebox was picking great music: The Cure, Oingo Boingo, Johnny Cash, The Clash.
The bartender & bar back were attentive. The crowd was eclectic. Can’t beat the prices: my vodka tonics + the BF’s Coors Light= $ 5.75. The prices switched when he ordered Coronas & I had a gin so we weren’t sure of the breakdown.
Women’s bathroom was clean & the BF said the men’s was as well. No funky smell in the place. Pretty random chairs around the tables but goes with the dive ambiance. The place was nicer than I expected. I will be back again because it’s so close to home.

Wow… awesome dive bar! Bartender is exceptionally friendly, pours a stiff drink and treats non-​regulars as well as the customers that look like they are there every day.
People watching is so good, beer is cheap, not scary.
Go!

I’ve been going to Scotland Yard for a year or more and recently had a very disturbing experience:
On 1÷07÷12 I took my oldest friend to celebrate his birthday and the completion of his first book. We walked up smoking and discussed the possibilities for electronic book release, when suddenly I noticed a shaved headed bro guy with tattoos staring at us. I nodded at him to see if he knew me, but he didn’t. He said nothing and continued staring. A moment later one of the bar workers came out and stood with him. In my normal fashion, I walked through the bar looking for friends, and found one guy I had known for 20 years, and another regular. The guy kept staring and began whispering to people on his side of the bar. My friend who doesn’t really get out much was starting to feel very uncomfortable so we went outside to resume smoking. The bro guy came outside still staring. My friend offered him a cigarette in an attempt to be social, and it was at this point that we were approached by the worker and that same guy and were informed that we were being stared at because we looked like we were studying the place looking for cars to break into with that shaved headed, tattooed guy nodding and pretending like he was going to call some of his friends to come down there and have something to say. The worker added, «Don’t get caught slippin,» as if he were speaking in some sort of common language for me to understand. Since my friend (who happens to be half black) isn’t accustomed to many social situations, and it was pretty awkward we just ended up leaving because the night had been blown. I was kind of surprised so I didn’t say much, but I was pretty embarrassed that I told him Scotland Yard was a cool place to hang out. Especially because this friend is the one who got me more into playing music, which has greatly influenced my life. As a professional artist, I’ve traveled to many places in the States,(yes even the south) and have never been treated that way. When he was growing up in Fallbrook we had some very similar negative experiences that tend to stay with you for the rest of your life. The funniest part is that they don’t even realize that a few people have listened to my music on their Jukebox. Major disappointment.

One of the best dive bars around. The drinks are always strong and usually around three bucks. The bartenders are always friendly and they have two pools tables that are only 50 cents to play. It is also not very crowded most of the time, but can have too many «bros» from time to time. However, that is my only complaint, if you are into dive bars, it doesn’t get much better than this.

Considering there’s something like 3 bars in Vista outside of Chili’s or whatever other corporate nonsense is getting built this week, Scotland Yard kicks ass. Its local for locals. Its probably undesirable for anybody outside Vista, but that’s perfectly fine.
I’ve seen my best friend get accidentally punched in the face, old people groping one another, gay dudes hitting on straight dudes, and a woman who claimed to have «the best tits in Vista» all at this one little dive-​y place.
Go the the Yard to spend time with old friends and grab a pitcher of beer. Maybe play some pool.

i love this lil dive. dark dirty and filled with locals. perfect.

Drinks are cheap 1*
Bartender was awesome! 2*
Juke Box, & Pool Tables 3*
No «BRO’s» crowding up the place 4*
Close to home 5*
LOVE the YARD!!!

Love this place. Mellow, great service, good selection of draft beers and reasonably priced.

I am so impressed by the amount of appreciation and pride that goes into the advertisement, customer service, and entertainment at this bar!
On game days there is usually always food and snacks provided depending on who is working the shift. One of the bartenders is doing an amazing spread for Thanksgiving, offering a comforting and caring environment for those that have no where to go on the special day! KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK, IT’S APPRECIATED AND NEVER OVER LOOKED BY YOUR LOYAL CUSTOMERS: D

Average bar. The bartender prefers to try and hook-​up with other men instead of tending to people at the bar. It was very annoying to be ignored waiting for another beer!

This is the only bar I bother to go out to in North County. I even took my Australian friends here (they didn’t want to go home).
Its a dive. Its small. Its dark. They have pool. The bartenders are cool.
You can get a pint glass mixed drink with 70% liquor for $ 3 any night of the week. Any other details are pretty irrelevant.

I love this place. I started to come here after moving back home from college, and I hate going to carlsbad to drink. I’d much rather try to find someplace within biking distance to wet my whistle.
If you’re expecting some chic bar with a nice ambience and people… stay away lol. This place is very divey, but that is what I enjoy. It’s the perfect place to meet up with friends and throw back a few drinks. Love the digital jukebox, and the staff there are absurdly nice and fun to talk to.

It’s a neighborhood bar with character (s). It’s a bit worn around the edges and in between, but the essentials are there. Good people, great juke box, and friendly bar tenders (mostly). The pool tables (2) were just redone and are only 50 cents. The owners work at improving the place without breaking the bank and raising prices. A good place to go after the softball game.