Forget the ordinary bar crawl—discover theses clandestine cocktail lounges hiding in plain sight.
By Newport Beach Magazine Staff
Back in the 1920s, when Prohibition banned the production and sale of alcohol, speakeasies started popping up for those seeking to drink despite the law. These underground watering holes often required a secret password or a special knock on the door to enter. From illicit gin joints to hush-hush jazz clubs, there were plenty of ways for those in the know to get a boozy beverage.
Move forward about 100 years and speakeasy-inspired bars have been trending again, although for different reasons.
Some of the rising popularity of such hidden hangouts is that everyone likes to be in on a secret. Many speakeasies are in a basement or backroom with a hard-to-find entrance or advance reservations required due to the small space and limited capacity, adding to the feeling of exclusivity. Some have rotating drink themes that can only be uncovered once you step inside. While it may be a different century, perhaps we’re entering another wave of the Roaring ’20s. Here’s a look at some notable Speakeasy-style bars in Laguna and the surrounding areas. Try to keep them on the downlow.
Newport Beach
Reveal Bar (within Vea Newport Beach)
This late-night lounge tucked away within VEA Hotel offers upscale décor and with a moody speakeasy feel. The indoor-outdoor space features an extensive drink menu and an elevated bar menu with items such as petit lobster rolls, beef satay and truffle fries. Classic cocktails as well as a wide selection of original craft cocktails are popular, including several unique martini options. Try something completely different like the Saketini, which is made with Japanese vodka, sake and vermouth.
Costa Mesa
The Oak Room (within Oak & Coal)
Oak & Coal is a modern Japanese restaurant known as the go-to place for charcoal grilled yakitori skewers, the popular Japanese street food. For an unexpected experience, those in the know head to the backside bar, the Oak Room. The dimly lit bar serves up the same menu as the main restaurant but adds in the speakeasy ambiance and an inspired specialty cocktail menu.
Cowboys & Poodles
This one-of-a-kind, small but very cool, space is somewhat hidden in an unassuming lot near the Camp. It’s a mash up of retro cowboy meets disco (wrap your head around that) with a super unique vibe and an innovative craft cocktail menu. There’s an entrance before the entrance which enhances the speakeasy feel. The space features some very fun seats and seating areas as well as a small bar where you can watch the bartenders do their thing, if you’re lucky enough to saddle up and grab a seat. Try the popular, Gin Ne Sais Quoi with Uncle Val’s gin, Aperol, yellow chartreuse, grapefruit, orange and lime.
Pie Society
In perhaps the least likely place for a speakeasy, Pitfire Pizza is home to a secret drinking den, Pie Society. Once you find the door, indulge in an array of vibrant cocktails with the added benefit of artisanal pizza and more. There’s also beer, wine, sangria and boilermakers, which mix beer like Pabst or Modelo with liquor. Enjoy a casual, yet different, dinner experience or an intimate late night date at this unique cocktail bar with seating inside or on a small patio.
Laguna Beach
Helen’s Cocktails
Down in south Laguna, Nick Bennett, the chef and owner of AhbA restaurant, operates Helen’s Cocktails next door. Helen’s (named after the woman who owns the building) debuted in early 2021, feels like a speakeasy with an cabin office vibe. Helen’s features throwback furniture and decor as well as classic games for guests to play.
The menu includes traditional cocktails including a mai tai, martini, Old-Fashioned, Negroni and Moscow mule as well as specialty drinks like a Paper Plane, with bourbon, Aperol, amaro and lemon, and a rum-based Old Cuban, which also mixes mint, lime and prosecco. Food from Ahba may also be ordered and brought into Helen’s, which is a huge plus.
To reach the speakeasy, however, takes a little sleuthing, as the building’s interior doesn’t look like a bar when visitors first enter. “People, I think, are pretty surprised or confused at first,” Bennett says. “It really looks like an old office. You have to turn the corner to see the actual seating area and, once they turn the corner, it’s a big surprise.”
San Clemente
The Lost Inferno
Enter through the red door of the sushi restaurant to find yourself in this “Goonies-inspired” tiki bar (The Goonies is a 1985 movie about a group of young misfits who, upon finding an ancient treasure map, embark on an adventure to save their homes from foreclosure). Imagine meeting with the loan officer at the bank with that business plan. Joking aside, this San Clemente joint has been a can’t-miss hit since opening in 2022. With candle-lit chandeliers and pirate-themed décor, guests are transported to an underground cavern that happens to feature a slew of craft cocktails and an impressive rum menu. Take advantage of their happy hour as well as magic show on the first Sunday of each month.
Momoku No Usagi
A speakeasy sushi bar? Yes please. This unique watering hole is actually upstairs from Lost Inferno and perhaps has even more of a speakeasy feel with rules about phone usage, attire (don’t dress like a hobo) and a 90-minute time limit to sip and slurp cocktails and sushi. Get transported to Tokyo with colored umbrellas, lanterns and walls lined with vintage Japanese posters. With a focus on whiskeys, Momoku No Usagi crafts their our own house-made tinctures and bitters and has no less than eight different versions of Old Fashioneds and 12 different whiskey flights. A good selection of other spirits are offered as well as beer and wine and the menu of hand rolls are equally as crafted as the cocktails.
Roost 374
Roost 374 is an intimate prohibition-style speakeasy lounge with a seating capacity of only 38 thirsty guests. Patrons enter through an unmarked door in Flats & Irons Urban Kitchen and are transported back to the 1920’s and 1930’s aided by limited cell phone usage, a dress code that’s maybe a little adversarial to a beach town, throwback tunes and carefully crafted cocktails. The ultimate goal is for guests to have a good time while trying to be in the moment. Try a traditional gin martini, old fashioned or one of the craft cocktails like the Bee’s Knees with Barr Hill gin, raw honey and lemon.
