Sign of the Whale

Don’t bother… Rude dude. This was not our first time. It has gotten really bad. To Bad.

alright, we love dive bars, we love pool, we love friendly people. check, check and check. bartenders were great, food from the adjacent restaurant was great, 2 pool tables, no waiting. unique, friendly local characters that treated us like regulars. and after a couple visits you’ll know all the real regulars. there are few options in town, but then, you really don’t need any. enjoy!

India… Scotty and I were in Point Arena over Thanksgiving and stopped in the night before. It is a old dive bar. I have no problem with dives, at 63 I have been in my share of dives, even prefer them. We had had a meal at The Pacific Plate café, connected to the bar. That is another bad story. There were only 5 people in the bar. The bartender, a character with a black beard and black horn rimmed glasses, was chatting with a lady a few seats away. He ignored us and continued to chat with her, making no drinks, for at least 15 min. I figured it was we both had on sweat shirts from San Francisco. Mine USF and my hubby The Riptide, a bar in SF. Finally after staring at him and waving, he came 4 feet away to us, curtly asked what we wanted. We replied, a couple of drinks, please. I asked for a Tangueray (gin) and water with a lime, Hubby a N/​A beer. He told me he didn’t have Tangueray because it is a rock gut gin, badly distilled. I asked what gin he did have, he replied Bombay. I said fine. Next he asked what kind of glass I wanted, I said a regular, to which he replied «I usual make it in a soda glass». I said okay what ever you choose. He made the drink, BUT then he used the stir spoon to pour a small amount on the back of his hand and lick it off for a taste. I have seen bartenders taste mixed drinks before, but with a straw, not lick their hand. As I drank my drink I watched him make several other drinks, he tasted all of them the same way. As he served me I asked if they would be open the next day… Thanksgiving. he said he didn’t know. ??? I finished my first drink and wanted a second. This time I asked for a «Dirty Martini, no vermouth please». For those that don’t know, that would be gin, olive juice, and a olive. He told me it wasn’t a martini without the vermouth and I was being silly as it wouldn’t taste good. I politely replied that I do not like vermouth so please don’t use any. He walked away grumbling and made a rude remark about my knowledge of drinks. Again he had to taste my drink. By now I just wanted him to wash his hands. He put so many olives in the small martini glass, it was more like olives with gin over them. Then he came over with a bottle of gin that he claimed was distilled locally. I said we were from Mendocino, (30 miles away) and had no idea there was a distillery in the area. He said «Oh, Mendocino, thats too bad.» Then he told me the distillery was in Redwood Valley near Willits, and they made many different sprites, not just gin. He put out two shot glasses and wanted to «school me» in gin. He poured some of the gin through a cloth into the glass. He went on about the equipment they use, the systems, on and on. I tasted the gin, it was gin. When I told him why I like Tangueray, he got huffy and rude, and walked away, and ignored us. We finished our drinks and were ready to pay up and leave. We sat for 20 min while he ignored us and chatted with a man down the other end of the bar. I tried to wave at him, the man he was talking to even pointed me to him. He continued to talk. Finally I rapped on the bar. This time he came over and rudely asked what I wanted. I said I wanted to pay up as I needed to leave. He rudely said he would figure it up. How hard was that, I had 2 cocktails and my husband had a beer. As we paid, we again asked if they would be open the next day, he RUDLY replied… «Not for You!» At this point I didn’t even want to leave a tip. Needly to say we won’t be going back, even though it is the ONLY bar in town. Husband was pretty upset about our treatment. He felt the guy was a tweakier and was spun. Later we were told this man is the owner. Too Bad… he is rude. I guess when you have the only bar in town you can be as rude as you want. If you are traveling, don’t expect a warm welcome here. I suggest going 15 miles down the road to Gualala.

Hoolis C. Nation is an amazing Bartender!!!

You are in the middle of nowhere. Really it will take 20 minutes to get to the next town and more than an hour to a town with a stoplight (hello Fort Bragg) so when you find a bar that would fit in in Downtown Los Angeles it is enough to make you take notice.
Craft Cocktails in a funky hole in wall with bonus points added for the pool tables. Tried the House Manhattan (my tester drink, and it was as good as my wife makes at home, which is very high praise). Quality ingredients. Their Sazerac uses absinthe, the original way it is suppose to be done. Came back the next day and mixologist was not there. The apprentice bartender was smart enough to warn us not to order any of the complex items. He seemed a little lost. Ordered the Sausalito which has Local Clear Wheat Whiskey, Antica and Campari. As he was pouring the whiskey ran out of one bottle and poured in another wheat whiskey. I think it was stronger than it was suppose to be, but no complaints.
A fantastic place and right next to a great restaurant Pacific Plate.

Some of the other reviewers give this place pretty high marks. I mean it is a dive bar in the middle of no where California coast which I guess gives it a little bit of street cred. I of course found myself here after reading Unilocal reviews and had high hopes. Its not a bad place at all but not a huge stand out for the type looking for unique road side taverns.
All the locals inside are friendly and make up 99 percent of the patrons on the weeknight I visited. There is a restaurant that is adjoining the bar that serves food. The menu ranges from $ 6 dollar order of fries to an $ 18 dollar sandwich with fries. The fries did look good but I needed about six more $ 3.50 Coors originals to convince me to order them.
My only complaints are: they only take cash and dont have ANYTHING on draft.
If you have the time I suggest you stop in… hell you are only out a few bucks for a beer. What do you have to lose?

In the quaint fishing town of Point Arena, CA, there was mysterious bar which looked tattooed & dive in stature, but when we gave it a chance, and entered. We were transported. (All dates should be like this.)
Hmmm…or maybe I should start like this: three Indians walk into a bar.
Nah…I know: «THE DEVOLVED MARGARITA»
Yes. Those words were scribbled on the mirror behind the bar (along with a cartoon face which had a cool twisty moustache, which was soon replaced by a REAL face, with an even MORE REAL (& cooler) twisty moustache).
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So on a windy April coastal night in Northern California, my brother, one of my sisters, and I were camping at Manchester Beach (
). We just finished eating s’mores. The stars sparkled down on us. A lighthouse pulsed at us. For some reason, we should be blowing up Thermarests and tuckering in for the night. Instead we jumped in my brother’s pony, listened to 80s music from space, and walked up to the bar at Sign Of The Whale.
We assumed it was a simple dive bar, but when we sat at the bar, we could tell there was magic… and chemistry.
I had to know what a «devolved margarita» was.
The barkeep twisted his moustache with his fingers. «Are you ready? OK. Give me a sec to set you up.» Before I knew it, I had a pint glass in front of me. Twisty Moustache then put an aqueous solution of some type in the glass (he mentioned a chemical compound, but I can’t remember). Then a strainer was placed on top of the glass. Then a pink gooey glob was dropped on the strainer. «Ok, give this a few minutes and watch.»
Whaaaat???
The gooey glob slowly & literally dripped through the strainer. Each drip splashed into the clear liquid and maintained it’s spherical form. The drips looked ever the starring role of Alien. Over minutes a pile of these little spheres piled in the bottom of this glass. What were we witnessing?
!! The birth of Cointreau Caviar !!
After we had enough Caviar, they were taken away. And then I was presented with a plate which contained:
o Small sake carafe of tequila (& shot glass)
o Dehydrated orange slices
o Saucer of Cointreau Caviar
If I am recalling this right, I believe the procedure was one would take an orange slice, spoon a few caviar onto it, eat it, and then drink some tequila (and then probably pray to some sort of god).
I was blown away by the entire experience. It all seemed like a dream. We were supposed to be sleeping on the beach. Instead we were having some of the most interesting drinks we’ve ever had. There was another notable drink which involved burning something in a glass skull and a liquor was then placed in the skull and then the skull was shaken to infuse the smoke into the liquor. Everything we had sent us to some molecular chemistry lab.
Totally unforgettable. We drove back to our tents on the beach mesmerized and pleased. Our evening was just capital (
).
.
.
.
Or maybe it was all a dream.

The place has character. Brian the bartender is a good as you would find anywhere. Very friendly. Good service. Restaurant had the best food in Point Arena. Restaurant is called Area51 located in the rear of the bar.

HORRIBLE SERVICE !! Man behind the bar would not serve us as we were from out of town and told us so to our faces! We sunk 30 bucks into the juke box only for him to promptly turn it off and tell us it was now broken! We were staying at the INN in town and only went up to play some pool and have a few drinks but quickly left after such a horrible experience! It was also dirty the restrooms were disgusting.
Though I will say the peopl inside were sympathetic and friendly and were flabbergasted by the bartenders attitude with us. They tried to explain that he was grupmy due to a divorce but WOW to treat paying customers in such a way was un called for and just plain rude. I believe the bartenders name was John but he could have been lying for all we know!
DONT BOTHER WASTING YOUR MONEY HERE GO ACROSS THE STREET!

After an adventurous day on Hwy 1 between Mendocino & Santa Rosa we stopped here for a couple of drinks.
Pretty sure we were the only non locals, and were greeted with open arms. Granted those with open arms were loaded, but still somewhat charming.
Drinks were good, cheap, and it was a lively bunch. I’m sure I’ll stop the next time I’m passing through.

Love this place good bar good people always have a good time.

A truly outstanding dive bar. Tall shots, good jukebox, weirdness on the muted TV, colorful locals, eccentric employees, occasional violence.

When Hughless is bartending, and the place is not very busy, easily 5 stars. When the other dude is, 3. When the other dude is, and its busy, maybe 2. Think like 20 minutes to get a drink, an unfriendly and not very well made drink. While being constantly cut in «line» by whatever hideous creature is wearing the shortest skirt.
The bar itself is cool. weird décor in the back, but its got pooltables and the bar is pretty. Hughless likes to hone his mixology expertise by putting drink suggestions from antique drink recipe books up on the mirror — ask him about them sometime. Great place for pregaming a movie nextdoor…

Local hangout with some class.
Hung out here one afternoon in July ’06 with some people we just met. Had a fun time with the 5 people there.
Cool thing they do (or at least did): you can buy a drink for someone who is not there. They write who it is for, what you bought them, and who it’s from on the mirror behind the bar. Then when they come in, they get what you bought them.
We met a cool guy who gave us a tour of the theater next door. So later we decided to come back and buy him a drink. Then as we were buying it for him, he walked in. So we hung out for a while longer and met some more of the locals there.
Fun time had by all.
Good drinks at local town prices.

When there was more than one bar in Point Arena, the owners would call each other every night, and they’d coordinate which place would close. The owners and their patrons would then saunter over to the place designated to stay open, and gather with the rest of the crowd to finish off the evening with friends.
While there’s only one place in town left, The Whale keeps that old school charm and hosts loads of locals. I’d suggest forgoing the standard beer and well drinks, and asking for one of the special cocktails. Must double that the barman is fantastic. They’re also serving fabulous fusion tapas a few nights a week, now.
Full disclosure: this place has been in my family for decades.

Pool tables, some weird bowling thing, and bottles and bottles of beer. The barman is a good fellow.