Stag Bar + Kitchen

Wow! The first– class service I received from Joey the bartender here was so amazing I’m coming back every weekend cuz of that! Joey not only was super friendly and personable, but he is an artist when it comes to making drinks– not just a bartender! I have very specific tastebuds when it comes to drinks and he really hit the nail on the head with a drink called «The LJ»!!! Thanks Joey for making Stag Bar so awesome!!!

They have the best Stag Balls here. Meatballs and pizza are their specialty. Decent prices and a super long happy hour. 11 hours. Stop in a few times when we visit Newport Beach

Great pizza, good crust, fresh toppings — all of it cooked well! $ 16 for a large with a TON of meat is a deal.

Sitting here with my fiancé having a few really good drinks before we hit up the beach. The service is great and the mixed drinks are exceptional. Highly recommend.

The bars on the peninsula generally have the benefit of not needing to provide good quality customer service because the people are thirsty and they pour the drinks. Although Steve is a staple of the Newport scene and one of the best bartenders on the peninsula, stag (and the district before it) had generally left customer service as an afterthought in my opinion. The bartender I had today (Joe) managed to singlehandedly change my opinion. He’s friendly, courteous, personable, and reminds me of the type of bartenders you come across at 5star resort hotels. Stag, hold on to Joe. Joe, keep up the good work. People, go drink at stag. Good food, good vibes, pool & darts, and now great service from Joe!

Wow! Bre was so amazing. She’s really kind and helpful and makes great Mai tais. Hey manager-​she needs a raise.

Went for lunch today (Saturday) and it was pretty busy. Crowd was decent, although we mainly sat in the restaurant side. Service was prompt and friendly, pizza decent (although slightly greasy), antipasto delicious, wings hot, beer cold.
Would I go back again? Sure.
Should you go here? Without kids? Yes. With? No.
Enjoy

Pretty cool bar. Just came in for drinks & snacks. The food menu is okay. If you like meat, you’d probably like what they have to offer. Right by the beach, that’s always nice.

Was in the area and came by for lunch with my dad after walking the beach. Solely picked this spot because it was close by and it had good Unilocal reviews. I should have known to go elsewhere when we walked in and it was pitch black on a sunny afternoon. Who wants to sit in an environment like that when you are steps away from the beach on a gorgeous day? Definitely our bad not leaving upon seeing the atmosphere.
Interior aside the food was your basic greasy bar food. We both ordered personal pizzas (Margherita and white pizza with artichoke) and it was drowned in cheese and honestly felt like freezer pizza.
I guess Stag is okay if you are coming in on a night out and solely for drinks but I think at any other time of day you are probably better off going elsewhere.

A lot of the reviews for this bar are very misleading. First of all, a small margarita costs $ 10. I wouldn’t exactly call that a $$-type bargain. Second of all, the food was DISGUSTING. The garlic Parmesan french fries were pre-​frozen and then re-​heated and they were freezer burned. I couldn’t eat five before they made me sick. The «buffalo» wings did not come with buffalo sauce, but rather some type of rancid tasting chipotle sauce. The wings were also pre-​frozen and completely overcooked. Finally, the chicken meatballs were also not fresh. They were soggy and the exact consistency and taste of meatballs you would get in a frozen tv dinner. I have a soy allergy and the «chicken» meatballs were so filled with soy ingredients that I was unable to eat a single one before my throat started itching. No chance in hell are these meatballs being made fresh with real chicken.
On the plus side, our drinks were pretty good, the waitress was hot and this place is pretty cool on the inside. But you couldn’t pay me to eat that nasty food again.

A bar named Stag but out of George T. Stagg. You only get 4 stars b/​c no one tried to mess w/​me and you had some good whiskey in spite of what comes hereafter. This place has a good Buffalo Trace + Pappy collection but it might be considered a skeletal effort since the Stagg was out (forgiveable b/​c it’s always out) but they didn’t have Taylor (yes, rare too but… keep reading) — if you’re going to carry BTD then try to carry as much as you can, regardless if it gets sucked up dry real quick; otherwise, i might subtly convince me that you’re trying to play me with being something you aren’t. i don’t know — mayhaps i need to try you out for another round or two but this was just your first impression. At least the stag at your door looks just like BTD’s stag.

I was in town visiting. I stopped by on a Tuesday during happy hour. It wasn’t too busy. I ordered the Rogue hazelnut brown nectar and a chicken meatball slider. I enjoyed both! I think the meatball sliders are $ 2 all day on Tuesday. The staff behind the bar was also very nice and friendly. I bet this is a fun place on the weekends!

Fun place! Not too crowded, clean, and a good mix of people. Its also not so loud you can’t hear the person next to you, which is really nice. Some girlfriends and I played darts for a while (we kept winning against our challengers) … They have food that looked good, but we didn’t eat here this trip. I would definitely be in to revisit this place next time I’m in the area.

Read about the opening of a new restaurant in Newport Beach. decided to check it out.
SERVICE IS AWESOME!!!
And if you are a whiskey fan… THIS IS YOUR PLACE… The GM is Nicole… She helped along with our selections… Say hello to her as she is can advise you on their selections…
now onto the food… The Pizza is really good as we had the Meat Lovers… but what im coming back for is the MEATBALLS!!!
If you dont drink… and hate pizza. YOU STILL HAVE TO COME FOR THE MEATBALLS…

Second time was even better. We came here during lunch on a Saturday and it was pretty busy. I was so impressed with the quality of food and the high standards the manager, Jim, has for the food they serve. We had the spicy chicken wings– lots of chili powder and they were so delicious! Also had the sliders and salad. Perfect. Will definitely be returning!
My first review:
First time here on a Saturday night and I’m not disappointed. The music is great, mid of 80s and top 40. I had the chicken meatballs with marinara and mozzarella, my fiancé had the Meat Coma pizza. And OMG, both were so delicious! The garlic fries were good too. Fast and friendly service with a great Mai Tai. Definitely recommend this place!

The recently opened Stag Bar + Kitchen has wowed the Newport Beach college student community. The former District was run down and last on the list of places to go for me and my friends. When Stag opened, we all checked it out and can’t stop coming.
They have a really nice selection of draft beer at a good price. My go to is the Belching Beaver PB Stout (6.75 for a pint– not bad!). The bartenders are always awesome and friendly. Plenty of room to hang around with friends and play pool. Sometimes the music is a little too mainstream (I heard about 3 Justin Bieber songs the other night, but no big deal)
I came in here on a monday afternoon around 4pm and it was surprisingly ‘busy’ for a weekday afternoon (no apparent Happy Hour going on but not sure) Anyways I was just passing through to show my friend (who is new to Newport Beach) all my favorite peninsula bars. We weren’t staying for a drink or anything. But, right as we entered a really nice blonde lady named Susanna greeted us and talked to us for a few minutes. She offered their new Watermelon beer to us to try and even though we didn’t like the beer, we really liked how kind she was even though we weren’t there to spend money.
Only giving this place 4 stars because I haven’t been to try their food. Will update once thats done, surely it will be a solid 5 stars.

The girlfriend and I spent a late Valentines down in Newport. Stayed at the Hyatt and decided to hit balboa for the evening. After a few drinks at the loud and we’ll known sharkeez we wanted something different and hopefully a little grub. Next stop? Stag bar and kitchen.
Walked in to a not so crowded bar and was quickly greeted and found a seat at the very spacious bar. Looked over the drink menu and decided on a peach mule. The lady eventually settled on the balboa. Drinks came quickly and we’re both delicious and a nice change from the boring rum and cokes across the street.
Now I hate being the guy who orders food from a kitchen 10 minutes before they close especially since I am nightly on the other side of the equation, but we needed some grub! Luckily they were still taking orders and we settled on the meat coma pizza. 2 of us split the larger size and it was way too much! But that’s fine we love leftovers. Pizza flavor was awesome. So much meat. Hard to find this quality at this late of an hour.
Shoutout to John the bearded bartender for an awesome conversation about Keane reaves, ryan Reynolds and for the white rose.

Some friends and I decided to check out this new bar and had a fab time. It’s been completely renovated from what was there before, and it’s got that classy retro look going on. It’s also huge, with a long-​ass bar that goes the full length of one side, lots of seating, and pool tables and other games. We happened to visit maybe a few months after they’d opened and that very day their kitchen had opened, so we were able to sample some of their food. We ordered some beers (decent draft selection), garlic fries and a few of their pizzas: margherita, quattro formaggio, and Genovese – they were all really good, with a good crispy crust and fresh toppings. Service was a little slow but friendly; I imagine they’re still getting their bearings. I think this is a great addition to the area and I’m sure it’ll be a mob scene come summer time.
STEPH JUDGEMENT: A great new bar by the Newport Beach pier area that’s not too bro-​y (yet).

I want to love this place but I don’t completely. The bar cocktail I had was the juice cleanse and it was actually amazing. It was a great balance of heat and savory.
The pizza is hit or miss for me. I’ve had the meat pizza and the crudo pizza. The crudo was pretty good although the tomatoes were hard and didn’t taste ripe. The meat coma was pretty sparse on toppings, definitely didn’t live up to its name, pretty disappointed there.

A pretty new spot in the Newport pier area. The bar is rather large and has lots of space. There are lots of booths and even some tables for anyone to grab a small bite to eat. They serve small pizzas and meatballs. So it ls like elevated bar food. Totally something I would have on a night I’ve been partying hard! Haha.
We arrived to stag at a decent hour and to my surprise the bar was not overcrowded. We got into the bar pretty easily. We were even able to order our drink quickly at the bar. I’m so used to the bars around here being so over crowded and it taking 30 mins to get a bartenders attention… I was kinda surprised. All factored into us having a good night here.
At first when we entered stag the music was a bit too country for my taste. As the night went on, it went more top 40s, which is easier to listen to. Also as the night went on, it got crowded. By the time I left (midnight) there was a a good amount of people dancing an hanging by the bar. It wasn’t so bad though.
The cocktail drink menu has a good variety of drinks, sure enough to please most tastes. I tried the spicy margarita and it was tart and spicy! I loved it! The tequila wasn’t a cheap one because it didn’t have a bite to it! Just smooth! I could go for another one night now!
We all had a great time and I would recommend this bar over the one across the way any day!