Since the pub was renewed on campus (my junior year), I really didn't go much until after I graduated. To be honest, food-wise, this pub has pretty decent food. In addition, happy hour offers great great prices. Nowadays I mostly go during Monday Nights for Comedy Night! They usually have a great lineup, managing to get people who have been on Comedy Central, or just average Joes that can pack a tickle in their punch lines. I also knew a few staff and bartenders that worked there, and sometimes I was able to sneak a free drink, or get a something special with my orders. Shhhhh.... By the way, I usually never rave about garden burgers, but the UCI pub has a great way of making so that it's not dry and goes great with the soft bun and real potato chips. Yummers. They also have a good variety of beer, although I usually only have their less-popped, light beer (with the exception of my occasional snake-bite). The bartenders and staff can offer you a nice recommendation as most of the people I know that work there really really like beer of all types. Don't forget to tip! I was sitting at the bar last time chilling out with a friend and I guess these girls who were at a table always seem to hog the table, order pitches, but never tip the bartender? The owner was bartender that night and he kinda gave them a little lip warning them that the next time they don't tip he won't service them. Eep. Ever since then, when I buy a pitcher (for me and 2-3 other people), a coke for my friend, I spend [during normal hours] $20 ($6+ tip). A little overdo? Perhaps, but hey, I like the pub so I'm not gonna jeopardize these good relations. If you're also into drinking beer every day during the school year, the Pub offers this "Quarter Club". As long as you come in 5 days a week for 10 weeks straight, you will have your own "Anthill Pub Quarter Club" pint glass as well as your name engraved on their wall of fame for those who have completed this challenge. read more

This place is way legit, I can't tell you how many times i've been here and for numerous occasions, whether it be Spring Quarter every thursday afternoon, or during finals week when you don't want to resort to wendy's for a late dinner or even going on breaks during work for a quick pint of some damn good beer (and yes, this coming from a girl). Not to mention Monday Comedy Nights, Thank you Robbie Pickard! The place gets packed! but I don't think i'd like it any other way. It's just too bad I never had the chance to join the infamous quarter club before I graduated.. More highlights: -The food is great! Pretty good selection for a pub; if you want to go healthy they have salads or try the salmon BLT (SOO GOOD). If you don't give a crap about health then I highly recommend the Stoner Fries! (not on the menu) - My favorite beers would have to be Longboard or Purple Haze. - No big deal that it's cash only, there are ATM's right outside and you'll want to burn off some of those beer calories somehow! read more

Great selection of microbrews- CHECK Great bar food- CHECK (get the stoner fries! its not on the menu, but you can order it. its basically carne asda fries, with some other stuff, you will not regret) Great prices - CHECK TVs with the latest sporting events- CHECK Everything a stellar drinking establishment should have and more. and its on campus. Don't worry, you won't leave here sober. Also, if you are part of UCI, try the quarter club- one pint a day for the entire quarter. read more

I am feeling really nostalgic right now so I was compelled to write this review. I miss this place so much! I was part of quarter club during my last glorious semester at UCI so I made some very fond memories here. I always stuck to the ciders but now that I am getting more into beers, I now finally realize what a GREAT selection the Pub had! I'm now thousands of miles away from the Pub, but the pub will always be in my heart. read more

Okay so there is two ways to review this. A=compare it to that mythical place where you once had beers with your friends and it was so awesome because you were in a real city or something and not behind the Orange Curtain. B=cut it some slack! Let us look over the variables here: A. Other walking options from campus (Steelhead, gross) B. Price C. Selection D. Convenience Seriously, this place is great. It got me through my first two years of grad school, then it shut down, which made me really sad. Also, the food is seriously cheap and weirdly delicious (maybe it is the beer I always have). Seating can get a little wonky especially on a hot night, but I love this place. And cheap for Irvine. Thank god. read more

Go anteaters! This pub is pretty great for its happy hour. Pitchers are only 8 bux and you can get a few to share with all your friends. I loved the Woodchuck Amber apple cider until they switched brands recently (i'm so sadT_T) but they have some other beers here that are pretty good also. I didn't think the food would be that great here, but it actually pretty good! I love the french fries and sweet potato fries and you gotta ask for the chipotle ranch sauce!! That sauce is so awesome! The sandwiches and burgers and decent as well! Overall it is a great place to hang out with your friends after class or meetings (for all you juniors turning 21) Just make sure to make it in time for happy hour!! read more

The instant I turned 21, this place became one of the most amazing parts of my college life at UCI. I'll get to the negatives right of the bat: They take cash only (not a problem since there are ATMs ten feet away from the place) and the food is slightly mediocre (except the sweet potato fries. these are freaking awesome). Neither of these are distracting enough to dock it away from a perfect score. If you come to the pub, you are most likely coming here to drink. It's amazing an establishment like this can be found in a nexus like the student center. It ensures people are here all the time, and the environment is what makes this place great. Beer is VERY inexpensive here. I'd argue that these are definitely the best prices Orange County has to offer. And they're all high quality from roughly 25-30 unique brews on tap, none of them being BMC. It really has a beer for everyone, ranging from strong to not, light to dark. Average pitcher is 11 dollars NOT happy hour and 8 during. An amazing price. Scott has TVs around for the patrons to watch, airing casts of various sport events or the news. Events are held regularly, ranging from comedy nights, trivia, band performances, ect. For sure, home to one of the greatest parts of my life. Respect to the pub forever read more

Not being Phd student will likely make you stand out like you're starring in Good Will Hunting. But, if you're looking for great beer, at great prices, and conversation that's either truly insightful, or completely trivial and waste of intellectual talent, this is the place. Cash only. read more

Came here after classes once with some other grad students during the summer in the afternoon. Really chill ambiance, not a lot of people around at that time, and just had a good time pushing tables together and chatting. different people got different drinks, but yeah, positive comments all around (I'm sure you can just figure things out when you get there)... the stoner fries were great .. i mean, guacamole's just awesome... and it was enough for five of us to munch on.. it was really cool, just people coming in and out, and so yeah.. Came here with my friend CJ later for dinner and she got the burger with guac and cheese and sweet potato fries, i got a burger with curly fries. Okay, fries were awesome and I loved the flavor of the burger, but honestly, my burger was a little lacking... I thought a simple burger would be fine, but when it's a limp little piece of lettuce, it makes you kind of sad.. I guess I should've gotten all the other add ons. Oh welllz The people who work there are really chill too. so yeah, relaxing place especially in the summers.. but TAKE NOTE of summer hours: I came by for lunch on a Monday and it was closed! read more

FOOD: The food here is pretty legit for bar food. The bratwurst is good. The hummus and nachos are alright. BEER: The beer selection is decent, I guess. Mostly I'm into the pear cider. Seriously though. Lol ;) AMBIANCE: Nice, fun ambiance. It's low key, but noisy, lighting is dim. SERVICE: They don't really do table service here, but the staff is usually pretty nice. read more

First off, the Pub definitely did beer justice for a noob like me. I went during happy hour and it was about $8 for a pitcher of beer. Add a side of sweet potato fries and good company, and you're set. Plus, you can mosey on over to Zot Zone to shoot some pool or play Time Crisis. Doesn't get better than that! read more

I came here with my friend and boyfriend for dinner. My friend and I both got the salmon BLT (lovelovelooooove salmon) and I thought it was quite good although this was the first time I've had salmon in a BLT sandwich. My boyfriend made his own burger and he was satisfied with it. We all shared some stoner fries among us - so good, especially with the guac. (Memo to self: next time, more guacamole!) The prices were decent, the service was relatively quick. I was impressed by how many different types of beer they had on tap. But I'm not 21 yet, so I'll write another review on this place when I am. read more

Back when I was in undergrad in the late 90s, I ate here all the time (right above the food court). I almost always had the personal pizza. Anyhow, as far as I know, UC Irvine is the only UC that has a pub on campus (selling any type of booze). read more

One of my favorite places in Irvine. Even when I am off-campus, I love visiting our beloved pub with friends for Happy hour. Oh, hell, I love the pub even when it isn't happy hour! The food is good, but if you're not a fan, there are also places right next door. The pub is cash only, though...but luckily, the ATMs are just footsteps away :) read more

The best pubs are those on campus. Completing quarter club, drinking a beer every day for a quarter, is something I would highly recommend. Not only do you get your name on their wall and your personalized quarter club pint glass, but you also learn a lot about beers in general. This makes navigating huge beer selections a little bit easier. I've never ordered something at the pub I didn't like. Stoner tots/fries and fire ants are my favorite, although you may feel compelled to hit the ARC afterwards. read more

The cheapest place to get interesting craft brews on this earth. If you are a beer fanatic, snob, enthusiast, liker, or simply just questioning, you should visit. Because it's a college pub, it's priced for college students. And because it's a college pub, brewers are happy to test run their experimental stuff. Like last night, they had Pizza Port's Dusk til Dawn on tap. For those unfamiliar with Alesmith's Speedway Stout or Mission's Dark Seas, it's basically like one of those Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate covered espresso beans in coffee form. Intense. Not unlike Morning Becomes Eclectic, this place is heaven for the adventurous enthusiast. Anthill isn't everything to everyone, but for me, it feels like home. read more

Cool college pub for when I'm on campus. Doing the quarter club here so I have to drink a beer M-F for the whole quarter T___T..... Their food is pretty good ! Its too bad they only take cash that kind of annoys me. The sweet potato fries here are nice. There are items like Stoner tots, stoner fries, stoner nachos I think that aren't on the menu! Give that a try. The selection of beer...is pretty hipster I think..but they got some interesting ones. I like the Purple Haze, Ciders (Angry Orchard), Deschutes Black Butte Porter, Cotton Candy (Mix of Raspberry and hef). All in all nice place to chillll at school. Plus they have happy hour 4-7 which is dope for getting pitchers. read more

Great place to end the night after class at 10 pm. Trivia night! Chips and Salsa! Good beers on tap! conveniently located right next to some ATMS. read more

Awesome spot!! Bartender was a total sex bomb to yeeow! Had a ton of fun visiting and makin new friends Beer and wine only, makes sense since it's on a school campus. read more

Anthill Pub & Grille - Taking a pic with bae and getting a surprise spiderman kiss #priceless lol - American Near Me - Irvine, California

Came here last night because a friend turned 21 and wanted to grab a beer. I didn't know this before but if you come here on your BIRTHDAY they will give you a BEER for FREE! A 34 oz glass of any beer (except probably the strong ales) on your 21st birthday and a pint for every birthday after that. Great deal. Also the sweet potato fries here are bomb! Probably the best I've ever had. I'd still like to try some of the other food here some time. The beer here is very reasonably priced too. My 10 oz Speedway Stout was $3 ($1 off for happy hour) and very tasty. My one disappointment is that when I asked the bartender if Brother David's Triple was a Belgian Abbey style ale (I had never seen it before and wanted to try it if it was) she told me it wasn't. I later found out on Beer Advocate that it was. That's ok though because my Speedway Stout didn't disappoint and I'll just come back again to try the Triple. read more

really convenient for UCI students. Right on campus that doubles as student center. tap beers are cheap, and happy hour specials makes it even cheaper. their food is relatively good for bar appetizers. They sometimes get local musicians or comedians performing here on weekends. read more

I would give this place 5 stars but I dislike how it's a ca$h only establishment, so 1 star off for that. When I was an undergrad at UCI back in the day (2009-2011), I would come here not only for comedy night, but for study breaks and 'end-of-quarter' celebrations as well. The craft beer selection is impeccable and diverse; the pub grub is delicious and made to order. Like other patrons have mentioned, eat the stoner fries! I'm not one for sweet potato fries, but theirs are really good. So all in all, bring ca$h money, friends, and an appetite. This is a real good campus pub to go to. read more

Irvine isn't a great place to find an affordable pub. Anthill is such a place which makes it a gem. Beer selection is great! Food is not so great. Basicly the same as other places on campus. If they could just make that menu actually taste good, then this place would get that fifth star. read more

Best place to go after a tough midterm or final. I periodically started going here after taking Econ 122b (with Brownstone) and this place seems to get crowded a lot after midterms and finals (I wonder why...). The insides of the pub are very charming, it's dimly lit and usually very lively. Expect this place to get crowded during happy hour which starts at 4PM. It's great if you have a class that starts at 5 or 7, just drink a few Great Whites and you'll have a much more enjoyable time in class ;). The beer selection is great and you won't find any major commercial brands here. They even have Craftsman which hails from my home town of Pasadena! A few beers to try here are the Craftsman Ale, Wheat Ale, Hefenweiser, and the cider. Be warned though, the cider can get really sweet if you drink too much, it made my stomach go crazy later on in the night. The prices on the beer are great during happy hour, but the pitchers are significantly smaller than your average one. They probably hold about 3 cups worth each. Good thing most cost around 8 bucks each! The food here also is SURPRISINGLY not bad, I expected them to crank out food only fit for drunks but their fries are fresh and hot and their burgers juicy and flavorful. But then again, I usually have a cup or two of beer downed by the time the food is ready. Some notable items to try here are the salmon burger and my personal favorite: sweet potato fries! Cons: You have to pay in cold hard cash. I may be a little biased because I hate carrying cash, but if you are like me there are ATMs right outside of the pub. It's just a hassle to go and withdraw some $$ just to grab a beer... Parking here also sucks if you don't have a permit at UCI (thankfully I do) but it is expensive to park in the UCI lots. Lastly, I find the pitchers a weee bit too small, but they are affordable during happy hour so that's the prime time to come. I give this place 4.5 stars. Great place to come to catch up with friends, have a few beers and fries, and in between classes. read more

Happy hour from 4-7 ($1 off pints and $3 off pitchers)! Quarter club ftw! read more

Yay for the pub!!! As everyone knows, college students are poor but they also LOVE beer! I come here during happy hours (4-7 pm) and always always get the Great White Wheat! That is the best selection!!! I love white beer and I think that great white is my second favorite white beer, right after Hoegaarden of course :) Overall, the environment is great. It's been a little packed these days because of the game but even then its a nice campus friendly environment! Definitely recommend those who graduated in 2007 to come back since it wasn't around until my class first started here! :) read more

Pretty good happy hour: $1 off pints and $3 off pitchers My friends and I did the quarter club in the spring and omg that was hard, but it was fun in the end ahahah Always came in for the happy hour because and got the pitcher to split between the 3 of us or the 10oz which saved us a lot of money, especially when we have to come in everyday. Beer selections are pretty good and random, which allowed me to try a good amount that I probably wouldn't have tried otherwise. Foods okay, its typical bar food. If you're not a UCI student with a permit, parking might be a problem - either pay at the structure or park across the street at UTC and walk over. CASH ONLY! - but wells fargo, octfu and BoA ATM's are a few steps away :] read more

This place is awesome. Who doesn't love a bar on campus? They only serve beer but they have plenty of it for great prices and that's without happy hour! Their staff is friendly too! I had their fries with carne asada, they're almost as good as the carne asada fries you get at the mexican joints. Well, not that great but they're good! Music is good too. read more

Anthill Pub & Grille - yummy carne asada fries! - American Near Me - Irvine, California

This little dive on campus is a great place to socialize and catch the game on big screens but it gets really crowded especially as happy hour gets close where it becomes IMPOSSIBLE to get seats unless you swoop on someone else that is leaving. Definitely a wide variety of beers to choose from. Don't think they have any type of HARD alcochol here at all.. Food is not that bad but very limited.. sandwiches.. fries.. etc. Definitely check out STONER FRIES though which are on the secret menu (they are basically carne asada fries..kind of.. but I think they got smaller! but cheaper too) HAPPY HOUR 4-7 every day! $1 off pints $3 off pitchers =drunk kids on campus for cheap (relatively) NOICE read more

Ciders are amazing here. Atmosphere is awesome. Super relaxing and chill. Lots of seating. Not too hard to get a drink at the bar. It makes me feel like I'm at a Sports Bar (which sort of makes sense since they play games on the TV screens). I haven't ordered any kind of the food yet but I'm sure it'll happen sometime soon. lol Huge selection of beer on tap but I'm sold on the ciders. Hehe. There are ATMs located outside the bar so the whole CASH ONLY policy isn't too bad. read more

Cash Only! Yes Cash Only! Ok now that we have that place out of the way I was REALLY surprised to find a pub on campus. What a cool little spot that is really dedicated to getting in the good beers for the thirsty students. Their motto is if the beer is on TV chances are we don't have it. And I couldn't ask for anything more. Food here is a pub style menu with burgers and sandwiches. Me and co-workers went here. I grabbed the burger and it was pretty darn tasty, my other buddy got the Salmon BLT. I took a bite of it and that thing was pretty darn good. Not what you would expect from this place. We also got the Fire Ants which are habenero tossed chicken bites. Prices here are reasonable. But back to the beer! The bartender here was so cool, we chatted about our favorite beers and some of the stuff they get coming through here. I will for sure be back and keep an eye on what beers they have on tap. You can check them out on Facebook. See thirsty students on campus! CHEERS! read more

Best Pub in the world? I'll drink to that. Came here over the weekend with some old friends of mine from UCI. Decided to go back to the pub and relish on good memories. When we got to the pub it was just as we remembered it. People everywhere, plenty of open seating, dim lights, great beers, and most importantly great prices. After graduating from UCI, I didn't realize the pub had spoiled me with such cheap prices for beer. After drinking in the real world I realized how much I took the pub for granted haha but seriously this place has great beer. We got pitchers of craft beer, like ritual and deshuttes ballast point etc for just $12 (I think for happy hour it would've been $9 for a pitcher). Overall this place always has a great vibe and its just an awesome place to hang out. If your in irvine, and wanna hang out and drink some great beer definitely drop by uci. If you don't mind paying for parking theres a parking structure right across the pub. But if your looking for free parking it'll take a little bit more work and searching. But other than that you will not regret coming here. Cheers! read more

Cash only is annoying and the bartenders tend to be a bit rude until they know you're 21 and allowed to be drinking there. After that, they're nice! And generally attentive. I like that you have to go up to the bar to order beer and food. They serve pitchers all night and have a great selection of beer that they sometimes alternate. I've only tried the appetizers for food, but they are pretty good drunchies. Always love curly fries, but the zot balls are just like jalapeno poppers, bleh. Also simply love the fact that there is a pub on a uc campus! read more

Great spot on campus to grab a drink. They are open late and have an awesome happy hour from 4-7. My favorite is the snakebite drink which is a mix of beer and cider. Great for those who enjoy both! Can get crowded during the tail end of happy hour and a little difficult to find a table. They also serve food! read more

Love the vibe here and bonding with the anteater community. Heard the beer was good, but the food is eh and quite pricey!

The Anthill Pub used to be cool [in the 90s]. But now that the corporate turds at Aramark have taken over its management, it is just another shitty, soulless dive bar. The prices have gone up, the food quality has gone down, the beer selection is about half what it once was, and the management abuses the employees. Aramark can F themselves. read more

Should have frequented this place A LOT more during my 4th year at UCI. Nestled in between the two abominations of food courts at the Student Center you have the Anthill Pub. After being inside for an hour you almost forget that your are on campus, let alone in the suburban utopia that is the city of Irvine. You feel like you are at a busy local bar in some small college town, and not inside a drab yellow bricked atrocity of a building. (To say I wasn't the biggest fan of the Student Center would be an understatement.) Beer selection is excellent. No mainstream BS, just solid craft beers. Happy hour prices are great, and so are the regular prices. The food isn't bad either, with the Salmon Sandwich easily being my favorite. While I truly love the place, it isn't perfect. No liquor. The size of the establishment could have been bigger. Seating at the bar itself is relatively limited, and there are only so many tables. Also, there is a serious lack of TVs. From what I remember there were 2 small TVs at the bar, and a larger one at the dining area. This created problems for when you wanted to watch a game, as certain tables had very poor sight lines of the TVs. Add to the lack of seating, and you have some issues with being able to find a place to watch the game if you didn't show up significantly early. Also, as has been said, there are no pool tables or anything of that nature. I know Zot-Zone is right across from it, but I'm pretty sure the only beer you can drink in there is of the root variety. All that said, this was one of my favorite things about UCI. PLEASE take advantage of the benefits of having an excellent pub that is right on campus. read more

Ive actually never tried anything here other than their sweet potato fries by far, i would have to say that they have the BEST sweet potato fries. They beat boiling crab, Lucilles and any other restaurant ive ever been to. ill miss you when i graduate this year ): read more

What else is left to be said about the pub? Nowhere else in Irvine can you get nice and silly for negligible amounts of funding and still make it to class on time. And nowhere else can the bartenders get to know you by face on a student budget OR by recognizing you from a class. Shout out to Pam and Adam and Kevin! The pub has a ridiculously excellent selection for a campus whose beers of choice tend to consist of CMB. That's Coor's/Miller/Budweiser for all you non-pompous asses out there. Scott, the man responsible for choosing the selection, is a graduate of UCI, and while I do not know if he learned much in the classroom, he acquired a plethora of knowledge on the finer points of hops and malt from somewhere. The stoner fries STILL bear mention for the twentieth time in Yelp reviews. This place has been a haunt of mine since my pre-legal (drinking, not law) days, but now it's a four or five times a week ordeal. Between the selection, the bar food, and quarters club,there is little to be desired. Also, if you are a poli sci major or otherwise regularly watch CNN, come out to trivia night. You will easily be a serious contender. The Anthill pub is a serious contender in my personal decision on whether or not to stay a fifth year. Prices are the same as mentioned in every other review ever, Happy Hour 4-7 is packed more often then it's not, and that's understandable. I've made more than one friend by table crashing, though. Just don't try it with those still Asian wanksters who come in every once in a while. They like to pretend to pick fights. Which I guess could be entertaining if you're in the right mood. read more

We used to go to this place every monday for comedy show. The place is packed every monday night and sometimes you may have to stand or sit at the back. The atmosphere is good although some people keep talking at the back of the room and it gets a little annoying. It is a hit or a miss. Not all comedian are funny sometimes but usually their headliners are pretty good. Food and drinks are at moderate price. Their sweat potato fries are great and they give you so much for about $4. I also love their beer but they always run out of pitcher because they are so popular. There are no drinks minimum and no waiter hovering around you so if you don't feel like anything if hop in and have fun with the crowd. cash only btw but there are ATM machine outside. They should serve nachos again, my husband keep saying that. no shows during summer. I strong recommend that they should have it at least every month. read more