Blue Laguna

4-​26-​2012 Laguna Beach’s Blue Laguna, a happening nightspot and tapas bar, closed its doors this week.
Guests of the Holiday Inn (where the Blue Laguna was housed) might feel a bit relieved. While this popular tapas bar was known for its no-​cover, live DJ nights, the scene really only got thrumming after 11:00 p.m., and the line outside the door was … energetic … to say the least. It was a great landing place for 20 somethings, particularly after Mosun’s closed its doors down the block.
The former Blue Laguna, yet to be re-​named, is undergoing renovations for a planned opening date the first week of May. More details:

suuper funn i stayed there at the hotel so it was chill… major plus the photographer posted the pics of my friends ASAP wich is a PLUS moss deff coming back!!! Goooood fuckin music too

MKDJ’s throw great parties at this place… great Dj’s, full bar and always a fun time! Couple parties coming up that you can RSVP to!
Sat Dec. 3^rd come join the party!

One time I went early (~8) on a Sat night. There was only like 5 ppl at the bar. We left a little disappointed bc a friend had recommended it.
Then we went the Sat before Halloween… at normal going out time. The place was packed w ppl in costumes and they had a live DJ (Laguna Beats). They were rocking it.
Only diss was the bouncer. I heard they had to pay a bunch of fines for getting caught w underagers, so this guy would NOT let my bf in (who’s 31 an def has some gray hairs on both his head and beard) w out his ID, which we forgot at home in Laguna Niguel. We would’ve had to drive all the way back and forth… it’s okay, we snuck him in anyway: P

Happy hour = Kamikaze shots $ 4!!! LOVE!!!

Is it skeezy to visit a hotel bar when you’re not a guest? Not here. What a gem. After coming to Laguna for a few years, I’ve always seen this place but never stopped in. Glad I did!
After a day at the beach and some grub at Taco Loco, a friend and I were in the mood for music and drinks. The Blue Laguna hooked us up on both. I like to sit at the bar on a first visit when I can. Here, there was an empty bar on a Monday night so we hopped on a couple stools to try the place out.
When I asked our bartender, Zack, if they carried Malibu (they do, woo hoo) he said a party Saturday night wiped them out. Boo, but hey, my kinda people. So he teased us with a margarita and made them fresh just the way we like them. Mine with lotsa salt, my friend’s with no salt.
When you’re with a bartender and they like the competition’s drink, I’d say that’s a place to be. Zack was super friendly and made sure our drinks were full while we were there.
The live band was good, and with no cover, I was surprised the place wasn’t hopping. But alas, it was a Monday and some people do work for a living. Quelle dommage. They would get lots of attention here and loose pours.
I was just waiting for the band to start singing…
«Margaritas at the Holiday Inn
Lord have mercy, my only thought
Was Tequila makes her clothes fall off…»
Beware, Blue Laguna, I shall return!

This place is a great, chill hang out. It does tend to get busy MUCH later in the evening, so it’s a great place to hang with friends (I love the patio) without getting too mesed-​with by other people (until it gets later… but at that point, that’s when most responsible adults are going to bed, anyway, lol). I always have a lot of fun here when I go.

This is my favorite place to hang out when I come home to visit. I tend to see a lot of people I know, and I always have a good time.
Some of my friends prefer the Sandpiper, but, in my opinion, the Sandpiper is called «The Dirty Bird» for a reason… it’s gross. Blue Laguna is much cleaner, the crowd is almost always better, and, best of all, there is NO COVER!
Overall, if you want to get your drinks quickly, go early because it will fill up with a bunch of Laguna Beach High School graduates after 10 PM.

Nice spot, just south of the main strip, but make sure you stroll down and check out the friendly vibes. Stacy always bartends and makes a stiff drink with a huge smile. And, there’s a great selection of house and groovy electronic music Wednesday nights that anybody who likes a side of tunes with their drink shouldn’t miss.
The atmosphere is great and food isn’t bad either. Definitely a step up from other Laguna Beach bars!

My friend had her wedding reception here. They closed the place to the public (until 9), which was nice. The food was pretty tasty, but the service at the bar was only ok. Up until 9, it was pretty nice, though. After 9, the local flora and fauna joined the party. That was an interesting bunch. Apparently the regulars were friends of the bartenders, and the service proceeded to go downhill. Instead of serving drinks, they were dancing with the gyrating cougars in attendance. At that point I was annoyed, and left.
The drink prices were too high.

I just recently moved into the area and a good friend of mine suggested we check out Blue Laguna, seeing as how she is a «regular». We went on a friday night, which seems to be one of the best ones in my opinion. We got there rather early, which didn’t seem to be an issue. The bartenders were really nice and Fridays are Ladies night so well drinks are half price. Around 10:30 everyone had started showing up and by 11 the whole place was dancing, drinking, and being merry! The crowd was from young to older, everyone there just to have a good time. The only issue i feel might become an issue is the patio scene, EVERYONE is smoking. All in all a great time and i will definitely be back!

I went here on a Tuesday to watch my friend Kirsten sing with her cousin Krystle Tugadi. They pretty much tore it up singing the high notes on Alicia Keyes covers and some original songs too. This place has a decent taco Tuesday but the service was super slow. I recommend the chips and salso too, slightly spicier than you might expect. They were a little short staffed but that was my only complaint. Overall, a great place to drop into during the week after a long day if you want to have a beer, eat some tacos and listen to some live music

went on a tuesday night because a couple friends were performing. it’s actually pretty fun. live music, a bar, tacos!!!
it was taco tuesday, so 2 for $ 3 with ur choice of carne asada, chicken, or carnitas. they are a little on the small side but they were delicious. they also have chips and salsa for $ 1.50. they were awesome. i think they cut the tortillas they use for tacos into quarters fry em up and serve em with salsa. i was really enjoying the salsa. it did have a good kick to it.
i dunno if service sucks all the time but the bartender (who was also acting as a server as well, meaning she left the bar to take our order at the table) said a chef and another server had called in sick. took forever to get our food. still it didn’t ruin the experience. the live music was good and i really enjoyed a couple acts. there was even a white guy rapping, and he was pretty good, sounded a lil to much like eminem tho, but half his stuff wasn’t that bad. by the time we left, the place was packed.
i would like to go again but laguna beach doesn’t vibe with me. but i do crave good tacos every so often.

So, every time I drive by this place there are always tons of ppl outside. I have been curious to see what the big deal is and why it is so popular! Saturday night we decided to go check it out!
It was kind of odd going to a bar at the Holiday Inn! Ha. The bar was packed, the dance floor was too. Everybody there was on the younger side (lots of 21 year olds). Felt like a college bar. Nothing nice about the décor. Really smoky. I couldn’t really see what the draw was. Maybe I’d like it better if I was 21 and single? Not sure.
P. S. the one thing I liked about this place was the Bouncer, he was nice and pretty funny, cracking jokes as he checked our IDs

This place is definitely not a place I would think about going to on my own. However, my friend knows the owner so on a random night out he convinced our group that we should come here after we had started our night at Brussels. He also convinced us this was a short walk up from Brussels (It is not. Luckily I am an expert at walking far distances in high heels). Stepping in here was definitely not the Laguna scene I had expected, but I guess I didn’t really know what to expect in the first place.
Now, by the time we got here we were all pretty drunk so I can’t exactly tell you if it was crowded on the Friday night we came here, but I do know we had no problem finding a table/​booth to sit at. Here is what I do remember from the night:
–cute boys buying us drinks
–good music
–fun people
–they definitely do not mind people making out for most of the night. Whether it be at the bar, or at a table, they just don’t mind.
The reason I definitely liked this place so much was because of the company I was keeping, because I’ll admit that everything else was just a bit blurry. However beware of drunk, old cholo-​looking men here. Yes, you may just find your knight in shining armor to rescue you from him, but that doesn’t mean this drunken old man won’t attempt to retaliate.
Will I come back here again? Probably yes, I mean, how many places can deliver you an equally memorable AND unmemorable night all in one?
All I know is that I had an amazing time! :)

This place has a new chef and let me tell you — THE FOOD IS AMAZING!!! The Menu is new and it is sooooo not what you would expect from a Holiday Inn bar/​restaurant! The bartenders are so friendly and good looking! I have found a new home!!!

I’ve been here many times since it changed from bamboo bar and grill to Blue Laguna. I have met the managers and owner a handful of times and complimented them on their abilities to generate some good business. They have been doing something called magic wednesdays for a while now where they have open dj night and anyone that knows how to spin can have a turn at the turn tables. This is the first time i have ever seen an open dj night anywhere. I drive by on the weekends sometimes and the place always seems to be packed with people. I’m glad to see there is finally a business in that location that is doing well.

I went to a private party there last weekend and was so impressed with everything! Great food, great atmosphere, and reasonable prices. Even though it is located in the Holiday Inn, you would never think of this as a «hotel bar». It is just a fun hangout with live music and lots of fun people.

Most amazing date in I have no idea how long, Parts 1 and 3:
We met at Mosun and put our names on the list– they said 1 – 1.5 hours, so we came here to pass the time. It was 9 pm and I hadn’t eaten dinner b/​c I was too busy throwing clothes around my bedroom and being nervous. Her eyes were so sparkly they were impossible to look away from. We ordered wine– Rosenblum, my go-​to Zin, was their glass pour. She had cab. I assume it was fine, I doubt she noticed either way– I didn’t. We talked giddily and smiled and interrupted each other and talked about how great it was that we are both interrupters. The music was good– 80s, not too loud. An elderly lady in the bathroom thought maybe she was mistakenly in the men’s room when she saw my date in there, as this was Laguna Beach and obviously not Kansas anymore, Toto. We then went to dinner at Mosun (see Mosun review).
…We came back here afterwards b/​c there were few options in walking distance. The music had taken a loud, A.D.D. turn for the worse– I think they played snippets of about 6,000 songs in the 2 hours we were there. We sat in a corner and smiled and talked and kissed, and people left us surprisingly and delightfully alone; the clientele wasn’t nearly so obnoxious as one would anticipate. She asked me if this meant she could now say she was dating a model, and I said that would be my pleasure. No staff person even commented that we were taking up space and not drinking– maybe the kissing lesbians were good for business? Eventually the lights were turned up, and that meant that the most wonderful night I’d had in ages was drawing to a close.

Blue Laguna is a bar in the Holiday Inn. I know it sounds weird but it’s actually a fun bar. Spacious enough to grab a drink, with an outside sitting area. Also, you can sit in the courtyard of the hotel towards the back of the bar. The courtyard looks like Melrose Place but in New Orleans. There’s live music, friendly bartenders and the drinks are decently priced. Regular appetizer/​bar food.