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Orange County Nightclubs, Bars & Events

Surf City, USA, the scene at the famous Huntington Beach Pier.

There's something about those Southern California beach towns. Orange County, much like the South Bay to the north, is a youthful party paradise.

Located south of Los Angeles (the dividing line is roughly the 91 Freeway), it encompasses world-famous Huntington Beach, ritzy Newport Beach and up and coming Irvine, as well as being the home to the Angels baseball team, Mighty Ducks hockey team and Mickey Mouse. For some, Orange County is the happiest place on Earth.

The PubClubbing Scene

Orange County is comprised of three main types of PubClubbers. Each has their own group of bars and rarely do they intermingle.

They do have one thing in common, however. Orange County is a largely well-heeled area and its residents are known to flaunt their wealth. Girls often check a man's car keys – Mercedes, BMW or better impress the most –before engaging in conversation. The men are usually so happy to oblige that they often dangle their goods well in advance of an inquiry.

Because of their wealth, Orange County residents can afford the finer fashion labels and they certainly know how to wear them. They are a good-looking crowd and Orange County runs a close second to Beverly Hills in cosmetic surgery. So what you see may not always be what you get.

Here is the Orange County bar crowd breakdown. For a complete guide to Newport Beach and the Balboa Peninsula, Click Here.

• Early 20s to early 30s. Looking more for fun than a good set of car keys. Goes out mainly in Newport Beach and Irvine.

• Mid-30s to mid-40s. Dresses to impress and enjoys flaunting success. Some married at least once. Goes almost exclusively to bars in Corona del Mar.

• Casual beach crowd. Doesn't care to get dressed up. Age generally ranges from mid-20s to early 40s. Lives and plays on the Balboa Peninsula and the lineup of bars on Main Street in Surf City, USA.

To find out what's happening on any given day or week, sign up for Al Freeman's OC party newsletter. It has details on parties, events and promotions. Use PubClub.com as your reference. Click here to Sign Up!

Funky attitudes and freewheeling fun abound in Orange County.

Taco Tuesday and Sunday Afternoons

There are a pair of places where all three groups can be spotted.

One is El Torito restaurant in Fashion Island for its famous "Taco Tuesday." A mingler's delight, the place is packed from dinner time until 9 or 10 every Tuesday with people far more interested in talking than eating tacos. This has been an Orange County ritual since almost the last orange grove was replaced by an upscale shopping mall.
MAP. (949) 640-2875

The second is farther down the coast in Laguna Beach. Each Sunday afternoon, as the sun begins its slow decent into the Pacific Ocean, Las Brisas restaurant comes alive. People of all ages gather on the cliff-side patio and the sunsets here are spectacular. It's fairly quite early but turns raucous as the afternoon wears on. People that barely gave a nod to others earlier are toasting shots together a little later. Those who don't have to work the next morning complete the evening by walking down the beach a couple of blocks to The White House, which features jazz as a backdrop to an obviously energized crowd.

While in Laguna, check out the Royal Hawaiian, which has good rum drinks any day of the week. The Lapu Lapu is enough to make you act like you're on Gilligan's Island.

• Las Brisas: 361 Cliff Dr. (949) 497-5434
• Royal Hawaiian: 331 N. Coast Highway. (949) 494-9001
• White House: 340 South Coast Highway. (949) 494-8088
MAP

In Newport Beach on Balboa Peninsula, Sharkeez, Woody's Wharf, Sharkeez, Baja Cantina and Balboa Inn (when Little Jimmy is playing he brings down the roof) are popular places. For those whose ship has come in, left a couple of times, and has returned, , Billy's on the Beach is an interesting hangout.

PubClubbing (early 20s to early 30s)

The OC girls like to let their hair down and have fun.

This is crowd on the move, so finding the young and beautiful of Orange County is keeping up with them on different nights of the week.

On Wednesdays, it's away from the beach at The Boogie in Anaheim. Formerly a C&W place that packed in the crowd, it's now packs 'em in to hear today's hip young tunes.

One of Orange County's busiest bar nights is Thursday. The Yard House at Triangle Square (the Nike shopping center where the 55 freeway ends and Newport Blvd. begins in Costa Mesa) and Chimayo at the Huntington Beach Pier. These are can't miss places.

Chimayo is current the place to go Thursdays nights – a DJ spins tunes after 10 p.m. The Yard House has been THE place for the past couple of years and was known to have the largest collection of fine-looking people in one place on the West Coast. Girls that could be models if they didn't party so much and guys that look as if they just stepped out of a Gap ad gather here by the hundreds. The Yard accommodates them by serving beers by the yard (thus the name; smaller portions available), having a full bar and lively music supplied by a hip deejay.

The Fusion style food is quite exquisite, so it's highly recommended to arrive before 8 for dinner. This will also eliminate any problems with having waiting in the long line, which starts around 8:30.

The OC pubs and clubs are fun because of the atmosphere and people.

As the Yard's dance floor space is limited, those looking for more dancing head to Buzz or the swanky Sultra. The latter is Vegas in Orange County with not one but two velvet ropes to pass. While this can be a challenge, once inside it's evident the place sweats with sexiness.

The Shark Club (Baker and Bear) is an upscale pool bar that turns into upscale pool club on weekends. Fridays are 90% Asian while Saturdays are a more mixed scene.

For live music, the Detroit Bar in Costa Mesa has everything from punk to rock to garage to jazz. Beach sandals are okay in the relaxed club.

Pierce St. Annex, a relaxed bar on 17th Street (despite its name), is packed on Fridays. It's also a good spot for a drink any night of the week.

Then there's the Goat Hill Tavern. This is a sawdust-on-the-floor beer joint with video and sports games such as pop-a-shot, making it a true casual hangout. It can, however, get quite lively, especially after midnight. It's located across from The Yard on Newport Blvd.

The Yard House has a sister location in the Irvine Spectrum (405 at Irvine Center Drive), a huge entertainment complex that also includes restaurants and theaters. The hot spot is the Fox Sports Grill, an upscale sports bar with tons of TVs, a mini bowling alley and golf course and club-type crowd, mostly male. For the most part, the Spectrum crowd is abundant in ethnic diversity; going there is like visiting the United Nations.

• Boogie: 1721 S. Manchester Ave., Anaheim. (714) 956-1410
• Buzz: 3450 Via Oporto. (949) 673-4700
• Chimayo, HB Pier. (714) 374-7273
• Detroit Bar: 843 W. 19th. St., Costa Mesa (949) 642-0600
• Fox Sports Grill, Irvine Spectrum (949) 753-1369
• Goat Hill Tavern: 1830 Newport Blvd. (714) 548-8428
• Pierce S. Annex: 330 E 17th St, Costa Mesa (714) 646-8500
• Shark Club: 841 Baker St., Costa Mesa. (714) 751-6428
• Sultra Lounge, 1870 Harbor Blvd., Costa Mesa (949) 722-7103
• Yard House: 1875 Newport Boulevard, (949) 642-0090

PubClubbing (mid-30s to late 40s) MAP

One of Orange County's finest restaurants in a premier location right on the water, The Rusty Pelican, is an ideal spot to start an evening. Or, perhaps even toss out the anchor and stay a while. It features a Happy Hour Monday-Friday, from 4-7 p.m., in its upstairs lounge which overlooks Newport Harbor. On Friday and Saturday nights,, a live band plays top hits from 8:30-12:30 p.m. And they love to take take requests.

Just South of Fashion Island on Pacific Coast Highway is the boutique community of Corona del Mar. This is the place to break out the best threads and polish off the platinum credit card. The bars, located within a few blocks of one another although most people motor up to the valet, are mostly for mingling (and dangling the keys to the Jag). There are only modest dance floors for the most part. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays are always busy.

It's an ever-changing scene and CDM seems to want to chase out bar-goers, but they refuse to go away. Here's the latest:

The Quiet Woman is a small bar with live music that always has a crowd. Everyone makes a stop here if they are out. It's across the street from Bandera's, an upscale bar/restaurant that is active but rarely elbow-room crowded. Carmello's is a Mexican restaurant by day and bar by night. It's a bit more relaxed and low-key than the other places.

The hottest place in the area is actually a few miles to the South. Club M is a combination dance club/sushi bar in Laguna Beach. Mosun Sush is filled with a lively crowd of all ages and the upstairs Club M has no cover charge and attracts a mingling bar crowd. This has spawned interest in a couple of other bars in the area. The Marine Room is a small bar with a live band while Hennessey's is larger, has an populated outdoor patio and live music. Hennessey's, with locations in virtually every beach town, is a Southern California coastal tradition and its patrons here are largely surfers from affluent families.

The place to be on Thursdays used to be Cowboy. Then it became too popular for its own good and started a $10 cover. Now it's a pretty good restaurant/bar called The Gulf Stream and the patio is still the place to hang.

Many people now go to Roy's for a drink or two and good food. The Bungalow still draws a pretty good Thursday crowd and has great steaks.

• Bandera's, 3201 E PCH, CDM. (949) 673-3524
• Bungalow, 2441 E PCH, CDM. (949) 673-6585
• Carmello's 3520 E. PCH, CDM. (949) 675-1922
• Club M: 680 S PCH, Laguna Beach. (949) 497-5646
• Gulfstream, 850 Avocado Ave., Newport. (949) 718-0187
• Hennessey's, 213 Ocean Ave., Laguna . (949) 494-2743
• Marine Room 214 Ocean Ave. Laguna. (949) 494-3027
• Quiet Woman, 3224 E PCH. (949) -640-7440
• Rusty Pelican, 2735 W. Coast Highway, Newport (714) 642-3431
• Roy's, 453 Newport Center Drive. (949) 640-7697

Huntington Beach MAP

Once a dusty trail of dive bars, Main Street at the pier has perked up considerably.

While most of the Orange County activity is located in and just South of Newport, there is action a little to the North in Huntington Beach. All the places included here are at the world-famous pier and across PCH on Main Street.

Originally a haven for surfers who hung out here to "shoot the pier," HB was forever lined with surf shops and ultra-dive bars centered around PCH and Main Street. Today, it's a clean and modern street featuring bars, restaurants, surf shops and the Surfing Walk of Fame.

The hot spot is Sharkeez, which has proven its worth in Manhattan and Hermosa beaches to the north wtih crazy happy hours, a gorgeous crowd and lively music. It has a nice patio for afternoon drinks and the tropical decor invites loose fun.

A few dives from Huntington's past still exist, none more popular than. Perq's Nightclub a few doors down on Main Street refuses to bow to it's modern surroundings and stands as tribute to Huntington's past. It's HB's Best Dive.

it's a short walk from the beach to the bars.

A bit more modern Huntington Beach can be found all along Main Street at Gallagher's Irish Pub, Fred's Cantina, Momo's Margarita & Taco Bar, Longboard's, Inka Grill and Hurricane's, which has an updstairs patio and is a popular off-the-beach and weekend Happy Hour hang place. On the first side street just south of Main are Arriba! Baja Cantina and a local's favorite, Crabby's Boat House, the kind of place where one harmless afternoon drink can possibly turn into many.

Locals claim the downtown scene in HB rivals its Newport neighbor to the south with a more laid back crowd with less attitude. The decor – and crowd – varies from longtime locals (Longboards, Crabby's) young and wild (Fred's, Momo's, Arriba, Hurricane) to upscale casual (Inka Grill).

The pier itself has gone upscale. Duke's, a sister of the original Hawaiian bar on Waikiki Beach, and the aforementioned Cymayo are hot Happy Hour spots on Fridays. Often, Happy Hour dives deep into the evening.

There's a pretty awesome old-time breakfast spot down the street, the Sugar Shack Cafe, where surfers fill up on omelets after a morning on the board.

Anaheim/Downtown Disney MAP

Anaheim is certainly not any great mecca of social activity but for those in the area, Downtown Disney offers some potential action.Since it's owned by Disney, it cleaner than an unused bar glass.

The focal point is the ESPN SportsZone, a sports bar, restaurant and high-tech arcade. The place is really spectacular, with TV screens everywhere showing sports, sports and more sports. As such, it's peak performance is during major sporting events – and nearly every Saturday and Sunday afternoon during football season; Mondays the place is packed well before MNF kickoff and the local ABC affiliate hots live a post-game show.

For those in Anaheim, home of the 2002 American League Champion Angels, the National Sports Grill is the place to watch sports – especially Angel games.