Sophie is the best bartender! She is so kind and attentive! I love her will be coming back just for her. thank you so much for your service and your time. as a server/bartender/ fine dining service, she gave me the best drinks and the best service and quick delivery with a full bar. immaculate service. will come back just for her. read more

Jury room- came here because of the history IYKYK.. the serial killer in the 1970's... anyways stopped in with a buncha girls during a bachelorette weekend in Santa Cruz! Your typical dive bar! The cocktail was disgusting, the woman working was pissed 10 beautiful women walked in, not clean bathrooms. Good music. The vibes! read more

Jury Room - Dive Bars Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

Showed up to this bar on a cold, Friday night. It's the kind of dive bar that you just instantly fall in love with: gregarious bartenders, welcoming regulars, and a space that cultivates a real community for musicians. I overheard just how passionate the bartender was about taking care of the bands who come in to play. And it really showed. I caught a line up with Supernaut, Peace Pipe, and Dead Engine. All of them were amazing live, and the crowd was super supportive, too. So, between the heavy pours, friendly folx, and a great venue for live music...I found a new watering hole in Santa Cruz. It's been around forever, so I'm happy that some live music could put it on my radar. Next time, I'll bring a $1 bill to put on the ceiling. read more

See all

One of the better gay bars in Santa Cruz! Love the ambiance and location are amazing!

My husband and I come to Santa Cruz often from Sacramento. This was our first time at The Jury Room and we were so impressed!! Friendly bartenders as well as patrons, and strong drinks!! That's actually an understatement!! Great touch tunes juke box as well. Great, local vibes. We felt like family! Will and Mark made our time there exceptional! We will be making this a part of every trip from here on out!! What a great way to spend our first wedding anniversary!! Thank you, Jury Room!! read more

Jury Room - Dive Bars Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

See all

Came here with a local friend who told me about the history of this place. I found it interesting so I said why not, let's go! It was a Thursday night in Santa Cruz with nothing else to do. This sleepy town doesn't have many options either. When we drove up there weren't many cars parked in the parking lot so I knew not too many people were inside. There were two men outside the door smoking who looked at us as we approached (clearly we looked lost, or as if we didn't belong) "ever been here before?" One asked... my friend said, "yeah, I have..." and I quickly said "nope, I'm from out of town..." and we walked in. The Bar it self looks like a typical dive bar with that "locals only" feel. They were playing Ozzy (RIP) music for the 4 men that were enjoying their beers and watching the food network channel on the TV while on mute. We ordered our drinks and sat at a booth. I looked around but didn't see much of what I was expecting to see. I had heard rumors of Kemper items being posted on the walls but didn't see any. Some people say the vibe of this place is creepy because of the history but I think this old skool Punk Dive Bar is just a super chill place to have a beer and listen to some great music. The service was quick and great, the people were kind, and it was easy enough to find. For a Thursday with nothing else to do for an out of towner I would definitely recommend going! Not to mention, it does have some historical factors to talk about! read more

Jury Room - Dive Bars Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

Came down from LA to visit my bestfriend and i love coming down here for whiskey sours and being on touch tunes! its such a vibe, im in the alt/goth scene so its nice to have a place you can come down too and unwind(: read more

Jury Room - Dive Bars Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

See all

The jury room is still the same just as I expected a great dive bar slow the ambience is nice cause it's not very crowded and loud. The service was good too. However, my friend got his phone stolen from someone loitering outside. read more

The place has a cozy atmosphere, friendly staff and if you get hungry there's a jack in the box across the street. Went last night for a misfits tribute band and there was a guy starting a moshpit. Some other gentlemen didnt seem to like it and just pushed him to the ground and was holding him down by force. Never in my life have I've seen such disgusting moshing etiquette. Considering this was an older crowd in a freaking punk show. The guy acting like a jerk was wearing a pentagram shirt. With how uptight he had his panties he should have worn a Jesus Saves shirt. The guy who tried to open up the pit got kicked out mistaken for the one starting a fight. Guy had the right energy . The Jury Room didnt give him Justice. Don't recommend if you like moshing. read more

The drinks weren't bad. But the female bartender with a triangle hair cut was rude, disrespectful, & when me & my boyfriend were leaving she made a comment about us being losers. We went two nights in a row to try to have a good time, tipped averagely, no issues, why the rude comment? We didn't disturb her while servicing or make her job hard, tipped even with multiple bad attitudes(working class deserves tips) & she was as still disrespectful when we left. Would never, ever, go again. read more

I honestly came here for the Ed Kemper story! Ended up meeting some really cool people and they had some awesome punk bands! Drinks had me on a different level SHOUT OUT THE BARTENDER! sorry for the heavy drinking! But what do you expect with a few punk rock bands like Blunt Force Trauma & Fire Drill to name a few. If you're not afraid to get yourself into some wild music and enjoy yourself this is definitely a place you don't want to miss out on!! read more

See all

Great dive bar. Good beer selection full bar. Lots of great conversation here. Bartender attentive service was quick. read more

Jury Room - Pint of Discretion Blonde - Dive Bars Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

Terrible Service - Ruined Our Plans I've never felt so disregarded as a customer. I walked into this bar on New Year's Day 2025 and went straight to the bar counter, while a group of five people headed to the pool tables and hung out for a few minutes. I sat at the bar for five minutes, completely ignored by the bartender--a tall, skinny guy with red hair and a red beard, around 6'2"--who was apparently waiting for the other group to approach him. When they finally did, he took his time serving them martinis, which seemed to take forever to make. Meanwhile, I waited for an additional five minutes--ten minutes in total--and the bartender never once acknowledged me or asked for my drink order. This was supposed to be the starting point for a bachelor party with a group of ten people, and we planned on spending the evening there. However, the bartender's lack of attention and poor service ruined the experience before it even started. Frustrated, I got up and left, and I made sure to let everyone else know we'd be taking our business to a different bar up the street. If you value good service, don't waste your time here. If I could give it -0 stars, that's what I would do. read more

Decent prices for decent drinks, and paired with some good service - will be back next time in town!

A neat dive bar in Santa Cruz. There are dollar bills on the ceiling and string lights. Also a pool table. It's cash only but worth it when a beer is $6. It's basically always open too, 6am - 2am. read more

Jury Room - inside - Dive Bars Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

Great service Great drinks Great history Will definitely go back Enjoyed the company read more

Best gay bar ever.. cheap booze and promiscuous staff. Good times for the whole family

Good bartender I went on a Saturday and it was kinda dead in there , definitely more of punk rock scene but it was cool not really my vibe tho read more

Best bar in town. Great service. Really loved my bartender. Great drinks. Two garnishes per garnish. Have a bloody here! read more

Jury Room - Best bloody in town! Great service. - Dive Bars Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

Def a locals only feel at first but if you have a personality, they'll warm up quick to see you. Enjoy pool for .50 cents a game (i believe it is still). Funny dive with a charm its own. Low key, chill and interesting times afoot. read more

It's very very small. It's very dark. Nice people. Good almost great service. Exactly how to not be in a loud expensive place filled with loud ridiculous people in Santa Cruz. read more

Every time I am back in Cali , I am visiting this place.. it so cool. It has horrid and cool history, that I know they don't want to associate with anymore. Big Ed was a daily folk there. Love the atmosphere, no fake customer care, you rip what you saw. If you are light hearted, I do not recommend. Leave the place to us. I miss Jack, great drinks and chill. See you soon Guys.. read more

Super chill dive. Dingy and lowbrow but still friendly and cozy. -Cheap drinks. -Smoking allowed. -Friendly people, including bartender and regulars (and I don't mean friendly in a creepy way, everyone was just genuinely nice). -Cool history: this used to be a cop bar and serial killer Ed Kemper hung out here to listen to the police officers talk about the investigation. -Pool table. If you enjoy dive bars, this is your joint. read more

Excellent!!!! ONE STAR - because dive bars shouldn't be 5 stars yelpers!! We were visiting from out of town (always looking for the best dive bars when traveling) and called on a Sunday morning to check if they were showing the 49er game. The bartender replied "Yes, we're showing the Vikings game". I thought it was an odd answer but we drove over anyway. Bartender was a Super nice gentleman in a Vikings shirt - we got it! Made an excellent and elaborate Bloody Mary!! ct They were showing 3 different NFL games with different locals all cheering their teams and no drama. Exactly what we wanted and got more! Super clean ladies room, excellent staff and drinks and the locals were perfect! Thank you and we will be back!!! read more

I've been waiting quite some time to come have a drink here. Great little bar! Makes me think of bowls of serial read more

Jury Room - Oh. Yeah. IYKyK - Dive Bars Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

Wow what a waste of premium property. The bartender is so rude and drunk. She must own the place because there was a total of three people at the bar while she was to busy doing her shots. Heads up cash only which is no problem read more

I went in cause I needed to go to the bathroom, and would've bought something if I had to. I didn't see anyone at the bar, so I went straight to the bathroom. If I got out and they told me to buy something, I would've. Instead, some large white dude with a big brown beard called me a fuckface and pushed me out, even when I asked if I could buy something. Smelled bad in the bar, and the bathroom had no lock. If you want a fun bar, try Monty's Log Cabin, Bay Bar & Grille, or Surf City Billiards (surf city is right downtown). read more

Cannot even give this place one star, however, this site won't allow you to post a review without one star at least. This place had the most rude workers. I was going to have a drink and wait for a friend to meet me but just left beach and wanted to change out of my swimsuit. (Btw I am not from Santa Cruz, i just came here for the day) He told me absolutely not and I also needed to order food. His attitude was truly rude and obnoxious. He was trying to deter me from even wanting to get a table. Why is he assuming that I wouldn't even order food? It was just unbelievably rude. Shortly after that he got into it with another individual. Apparently their job is to drive customers away instead of welcoming them. read more

The bartender was hilarious. We had a great time here with strong drinks - always the best ;-). And had a great time playing pool!

World class dive bar. I recommend getting some delicious jack in the box breakfast and getting in as soon as possible. The locals will snag all the good stools if you don't come in early. The drinks are top notch and at a working class price. I recommend the "PB&J". Make sure you let everyone know it's your first time, the locals will take you in as one of their own. read more

Dive bar with history with great bartenders. If you're looking for seats that aren't trashed, a floor that's not sticky and good wine... this place isn't for you. They only offer one white wine and one red wine and both come in a box. This is a place where you get heavy pours, so expect quantity not quality. read more

DO NOT GO HERE!!! I dont know who your bartender was, she was the white old lady with bangs and she was absolutely the rudest person I ever have encountered in customer service. My boyfriend and I came in there and we got a few drinks, we started to play pool and I accidentally dropped the pool stick picking it up off of the way and she whistled at me to pay 50 cents. I saw the sign and respected it; so I went up to her to get change for a $20 and she gave me attitude the whole time, I then proceeded to give her the 50 cents and she still was acting disrespectful towards me. We ended up playing half a round of pool. I walked up to get a water and she specified that if I'm going to keep asking her for request that I should tip her? I was confused and asked my boyfriend to close out with her if she wanted to start issues. She claimed we never tipped her but we had never closed out with her? He told her that then asked $12, we didn't tip her then since she was so disrespectful. I'm a bartender myself and I have never treated a customer in such a way because they "didn't tip me" but I wouldn't claim that if I I wasn't sure if I charged them or not. It's absolutely ridiculous, she was so rude for no reason. We are such fans of your bar and loved going there, we will no longer be going there because of her. read more

If a dive bar with history is what you are after in Santa Cruz. Look no further. Stiff pours and concrete floors.

Man I LOVE this place, I wish it were closer!! My dad used to frequent this bar back in the 80s. I remember sitting out on the curb one time after being at the Boardwalk all day, waiting for him as him and his buddy stopped in for one last beer for the drive home. Oh those were the days!! lol How we made it home alive I'll never know! I'd been in this place once when I was about 23 and I lost my ID so they wouldn't pour me a drink but let my friend buy drinks and slide them over to me. Well Dad died in 2002 and I'm finally starting to let him go....his ashes that is. So on the anniversary of his passing, just a couple weeks ago my bf and I decided to go and spread some ashes in the places he liked. Headed into the Jury Room, had a drink in his honor, dropped some ashes on the floor, watched the Raiders game (they won! and Dad LOVED the Raiders), met a super cool 70 yr old named George who offered to buy my bf a drink, if he could take me home! The bf told him, no need to buy him a drink, just take me. Nice!! haha This place is totally divey, there were a few older folks but mostly younger people. Rockabillies, bikers, punks. Very friendly and alotta fun. They have a pool table, microwave, tv screen where they had a movie playing, music, tvs with sports and the bartender pours a stiff drink at a cheap price! We loved it there. If this place were in SJ it'd be my new regular hangout. read more

Jury Room - Oh yes, here it is in all its lovliness! - Dive Bars Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

See all

My daughter and I were in Santa Cruz yesterday and on our way out of town she saw this bar and pulled in. It's definitely divey but those are the best kind. Anyway we wandered in and it's dark, divey and has its regular patrons. My kind of bar. They have a pool table, smoking is allowed here, we don't smoke but it was all good. There were a couple of cute doggies just hanging out chillin. There are bumper stickers all over the walls, cool skeletal models all over the ceiling. Speaking of ceilings make sure to look up while you're there. They have signed dollar bills all over the ceiling. They are donated to a good cause once a year. We asked the bartender about them, he told us they collect them all once a year and donate to the local SPCA. How awesome is that? Ok so onto the drinks woo strong. Definitely good pour. People are super friendly and make you feel right at home. Since it was mother's day the bartender and one of the patrons bought me a drink. So sweet. On my way out, my drunk butt did stop and pet one of the doggies. He was super friendly. I will definitely be back next time I'm in Santa Cruz. Oh and it's right across from the court house, you can't miss it. read more

See all

I love the HOT friendly guys here I feel so at home because being a BEAR I find the bartenders to be especially cute not to mention the ultimate BEAR bartender Jack. He hits on me constantly and that's nice after a couple of his famous strawberry dairies which are divine btw.. I highly recommend this bar on the weekend nights! Please CUM! read more

Wow, what a difference this time! From the moment I stepped in, I got a bad vibe. The old bartender just looked at us with a funny expression and didn't say anything at first. I fully expected he'd make a lousy drink for me, but it was okay. Nothing like the drinks at the Asti though. The room was just filled with cigarette smoke and at a casual glance saw and counted no less than six people smoking inside the bar (I thought there was a law?). I have good friends that smoke, but wow, I haven't seen a bar this smoky in years! Even out of state. Guess I'm just not used to it anymore. Still managed to get on the table and shot some fun pool, but the overall vibe in there last night was really bad and the mood was sour, especially one obnoxious jerk. What's that old bar joke? How do you make an Instant A-hole? Just add alcohol!!! :) Defnitely a true dive, you never know what you're going to get until you go in there. Meh, this place left a bad taste in my mouth. I love dive bars sometimes, but this was too much. I should have stayed at Callahan's or one of the other bars. Won't be back in here for a while. read more

We came here to grab a drink before going to our YEE across the street. No, we are not alky, we were just 30mins early for the pool party. Anyhoo, The place definitely embodies what a dive bar really is....small, dark, cheap drinks, reek of smoke. The bartender is somewhat friendly. Bathroom can use a little more cleaning but it's not really as dirty as those of a public restrooms. NOT FOR: - People with Asthma or non smokers who doesn't want to be subjected to second hand smoking. *Cough cough* Yes sir because smoking is allowed here. - Date night. Well, d'oh? - People who carries designer purses or Preppies. - Snooty B*tches GOOD FOR: - People who don't give a sh*t and just want to be left alone (or with their friends) and have a drink or two or three or four... The Jury Room, where people will leave you alone. read more

There is a reason why when you search 'bar santa cruz' on yelp, that the jury room is on the 3rd page. this is because the jury room is something we colloquially refer to as 'in the cut'. the jury room is not a bar for everyone. it attracts a certain type of crowd and although it is welcoming to everyone, i would say if you're the type of person to wear popped collared shirts and frequent the red room, you should stay on pacific. This bar is off the beaten track because it is for those who don't follow the straight and narrow path. You want cheap beer? they got it. you want mad dog 20/20? they got it. don't know what mad dog is? gtfo. couple that with free pool and a free jukebox filled with all your favorite punk rock and you can't do much better. AND you can smoke inside? i don't think this place could get any better. hell, i've even seen someone bring a dog in here. best bar ever... ~ hicccupp~~ read more

I love a good dive. I don't mean love a good dive like "Yay, a good dive." I mean love a good dive like "I get excited, want to skip down the street to get there, feel giddy, slightly aroused, and cannot contain my joy as I order a well drink for $3.50 as people smoke in the bar around me and drunk couples play free pool against each other." Seriously, it fills me with jubilation, and I want to be able to do a leprechaun kick in mid-air. Sadly, I am white and drink too much, so I cannot do this kick, but in my mind, I do. The jury room fills all of this. It is laid back, it is SUPER cheap, the pool is free, the music is good, and the ambiance is that a truck stop diner, but in bar form. It is heavenly. Plus, any bar where drinks are comped for destroying this poor, illiterate sap who decided to argue with me that Twilight is not misogynist, terribly written, and expresses little to no understanding of the human condition is A-OK with me. That poor girl, she was fine until she decided to argue that I obviously don't like Twilight because "I have bad taste in literature." First, I am impressed she knows the word literature, as it is far above the vocab of a Twilight fan, and second, that was a mistake. Word to the wise, when arguing about bad books, the line "You obviously have poor judgment so I feel I should invite you home with me" does NOT work. Oops., read more