Divey location + divey bathrooms + divey patrons + random karaoke = perfect neighborhood dive.

Utah is the bartender I remember. A riot with the regulars and small town feel of a charm. Jute box and karaoke every night don't remember what time it starts. They have gentlemen jack which is always my first go to and fireball (I was sold on that). Two pool tables and a n odd 2 door one stall female bathroom. Spacious but yet always by the bar. Smoking bench is nice right outside. And parking lot for safety breaks. read more

Not a "scene" bar which I love. Did my first live karaoke in front of strangers here and I am a pretty timid person. The best dive bar I have been to and can't wait to go back. read more

What a shit hole. I felt like I was going to get sick using the restroom. I was wearing sandals and that made it worse. Barstaff is entitled and rude. I would buy the place just to shut it down if I cared enough. Puts a new meaning to dive bar read more

Get a new DJ and this place would be great! It takes him forever to prepare for the next performer. It's ridiculous and then he wastes even more time by poorly performing himself! I get that he's allowed to sing once per night or whatever but do it when you first open! Not when it's busy and there's a long wait. Also the "dance break" was unbelievable. If I wanted to dance, guess what? I would have gone to a club. If he needed a break there should have been someone else to cover him, they probably could have a done a better job. read more

Bring cash and a tetanus shot. But the people here are down to earth and they have a good vibe going. However, pee somewhere else before you come. The bathrooms are one stall rooms so if someone pukes you cant avoid it. What is also nice is that there was no door fee when we went. We got there about 9pm on a Friday, which is prime time so I expected them to have a fee, I was pleasently surprised! read more

Dive of all dives in vista. Decent prices and 3 pool tables. Karaoke every night it seems which is wonderful. Super friendly bartenders. My 3 stars comes from the locals or regulars. Whenever I bring my female friends there they often feel uncomfortable over the unwelcome advances. It seems to be the same 10 or so guys every time and security does nothing. On another occasion the regulars picked a fight with my friend for childish reasons and the doorman told my friend that he should go or those guys might not let him walk out of there. That's safe. Thanks for the tip. I get that regulars are good business but when they scare off new business it kills your bottom line. Sucks to 86 patrons that have payed the rent for so many years but as a business I believe safety should come first and this behavior not looked past. read more

What can I say? Im a sucker for a good dive bar. The bar selection itself is not that great. Its the only thing I could say I dislike about this bar. I wish they had more beer on tap and a better spirits selection but I can deal. The crowd is always excellent consisting of the all star regulars and the people who are far to drunk to even comprehend who let them take the stage. The stage itself is excellent and makes the atmosphere even more fun. I love the regular staff and DJs who you can tell have been working there for quite some time. This bar has surely worked its way into my heart. read more

Four stars may be a bit much, but I have to defend this place. Maybe I just have really awesome friends, but I have always had a blast here. I love dive bars, but I still like dressing up. My friend and I got teased for looking too pretty to be at the place. It is very easy to be the center attraction here, but dress down if you don't want to be noticed. The drinks are a steal and very strong. They play some good music here and even though it isn't really a place you dance, we turn it into one. And the best part of course, is the karaoke. I LOVE karaoke. The song selection is out of control, but man do those music books reek...just adding to the charm IMO. I can probably sing aobut 4 songs in 2hours. You hardly have to wait to go up and the DJs are really laid back. Don't go here if you want to pick up girls or bust out your best dance moves. Come if you want a night of drunken debauchery filled with singing, laughing (sometimes at the people who go there), and billiards. read more

Interesting crowd. If you've never been, go in a big group for your first time on a night with karaoke.

21-m-Fun bar to chill with friends. Cheap pitchers, crisna the bartender is way cool. Nice pool tables and fooseball table. Crowd is different everynight. Little too much karaoke but still fun place to hang out. Every once in awhile you get a vato that thinks hes tough but other than that it's a great bar, more and more kids starting to go there. Could use more tv's and less karaoke, maybe one more pool table up front instead of dining tables. Smittys is awesome! read more

Smittys is what it is and if you ever go there is a 20% chance you won't leave alive...I love this place. Some of the most unusual and interesting people you will meet in Vista frequent this fine establishment. Cheap beer and bad karaoke every night. read more

This place reeks of urine and cigarettes. Stopped in on a Sunday morning to watch football and the bartender was hungover and had an attitude. I asked if he made his Bloody Mary's with horseradish and he said no, and said if I didn't like it that my friend and I could get one down the street. The bartender then abruptly stopped making the Bloody Mary's and asked us to leave, which we did. There were other people in the bar whose jaws dropped, judging by the look on their faces. Needless to say, I won't be returning to this place anytime soon . read more

I think Dive Bar has been said enough in the reviews, and explains it in every way. Extraordinarily limited beer selection, decent mix drinks, okay prices, but poor service. Some of the staff seem nice enough, but the bartender I dealt with certainly had their problems that night and were in no mood to treat a humble customer with anything less than a mouth full of attitude. The place looks horrible, and had more people outside smoking than inside enjoying the bar (with good reason). When hennessy's is right across the street (though it's no more than a 3-star itself), I see absolutely no reason to hit up this bar. Better left avoided unless you're just looking to be avoided and drink hard spirits or piss beer. read more

Ultimate dive bar. The staff and customers are all pretty friendly. Karokee is always fun to watch...My gripe about this place is that the bar is cash only. Added to the ultimate dive barness but I almost never carry cash with me. read more

Great spot for some fun kareoke! No cover, you can't beat that! A very large selection of songs (larger than I've ever seen at a kareoke place). Friendly bartenders and reasonably clean for a dive place. They have kareoke every night too! read more

The Bar Manager is professional and cares very much for Smittys. Thanks for everything!

Only coming here to play pool. Bathroom is always gross, bartenders are rude swear that there job is glamours attitude. This place is deff a last resort. read more

Hello everyone!Just giving a heads up.Smitty's is the coolest bar in vista.We have a great staff.Great prices on beer and cocktails.Fun times!A sonic burger is going in across the street so come in after your burger!Come watch football huge screens!Make smitty's your cool local bar!Peace and love your new bartender Aly! read more

I didn't even get in this dive bar due to the high strung security guard they have at the door. As I was walking up to the bar there was a group of people in front of me. As we waited at the door for the security guard to check IDs the security guard had a friend there with a skateboard. One of the guys in line asked to use it. He did some tricks and gave the board back. When it was time for his ID to be checked security handed it back and dropped it. Security claimed the guy was too drunk bc security handed his id back like a jackass on purpose so the guy dropped it. I guess if someone drops their ID that person and the next 5 people in line can't enter, because he claimed the guy that had just been skateboarding around the parking lot doing tricks was too drunk hahaha. Makes sense right. He claimed we were all together and didn't let any of us in. Disputed this with the manager on duty. She said "what her security says goes". Didn't matter to me. This bar is a waist of time. A lot of better bars in the area......if you absolutely have to go to vista. read more

Wow! This place has a bad rep as it is. I am a pessimism, so I had come here many times untill tonight. Yes the decore is all over the place and out of date and the restrooms smell like piss. Tonigh though, was a deal braker for me. A certen bartender had beef with one of my boys which I didnt know about. I was just trying to be an intermediate and she just blow me of disrespectfully saying. " this is beetween me and him and its none of your business, there is nothing you can say that will change my mind" Sounds to me like she is taking things to peronal. I shouldnt have gotten that treatment. If she is mad at him she shount have gone off on me. This place is a sinking ship and this bartender is bringing the few loyal customers down with her because she is take thing too personal. I WOULD'NT BE SUPRICE IF THIS PLACE TURN UP ON BAR RESCUE SOON. I am a local Vista resident and it make me sad to see this happening in my town we need the local business. read more

Crisna is the best! She brought my entire party of 8's drinks out so quickly and gave great suggestions on cocktails to order. Also, she was always there when anyone needed a refill. Go to Smitty's and ask for Crisna!!! read more

Fun place to stop by for some cheap drinks, pool, karaoke, and some great friendly bartenders. A bit outdated and dirty (especially the bathrooms without stall doors) but it's a dive bar. With a bit more attention to bussing tables, keeping bathrooms clean and sprucing the place up, it'd be a great bar. read more

Yes, Dive Bar... BUT, the karaoke'ers are definitely into the singing and that makes it fun... PROBLEMS... they play their music extremely loud. loud is great. but it's so loud that you CANNOT sit at ANY table or anywhere and have conversation with anyone.. they desperately need to re-think their sound... They also have a poor choice of background music and seem to cater to only a few or even favorite clientele.. the pool players can be really rude, so just be serious and don't mess around with "who's up.. or who's out"! but overall if you don't mind dive places it's not so bad... We used to go to Jim's Vista Lounge a stone's throw away from Smitty's.. when they had Hunter & his girlfriend doing the Karaoke but apparently Hunter had to subcontract out his show there and hired a dude that thinks its some sort of "American-Idol/Spencer" show.. it's too much of him & NO BACKGROUND MUSIC! He's too plastic and u can tell he is beginning to hate it there. Hunter and Star were always always fun. Always there.. never anything unexpected. They played excellent background music for us pool players and for anyone there just to hang out so it wasn't so painful when the karaoke singers were not very tolerable.. They ALWAYS checked on the sound throughout the place, asking everyone if it was ok.. and actually cared about everyone there! He needs to come back and bring REAL KARAOKE and the kickass Background music BACK to Jim's.. Come back Hunter!! read more

Love my local dive bar. Been going here since I turned 21 and have never lost interest in this place. Can't beat pool, tallcans and friends. May be a little rough around the edges for the yuppy crowd but that's how it should be. read more

Bartender is extremely oblivious to anyone who isn't a "local" and could care less about you. Shorter, blonde hair lady who has an extreme attitude if you aren't on a personal level with her. I was in with two of my girl friends and she knew them from them being regular customers. I was sitting RIGHT NEXT to them and she asked both of them what they wanted to drink and ignored me completely. Another night, I came in with some friends and I was the designated driver and let me say, they were not happy that I only asked for a soda. I even tipped with the soda! Come on now.. have a little respect for the customers who don't want to drink. Doubt I'll ever go back or ever recommend to anyone else. read more

I really wanted to like this place. I am a big fan of dive bars and since I live nearby and the joint has been around for years, I figured this might be perfect. The first time I went with a female coworker and we just ducked in for a quick drink. The place was near empty, save for a few really drunk regulars, and it was about what one would expect from a dive: friendly, casual and cheap. My second trip was very different. This time I went with a male coworker and the place was a little busier. The female bartender was downright rude to my buddy when he asked if they had any microbrews. She literally rolled her eyes and walked away. She didn't come back for my buddy's order until I had finished my drink and, when she did, her attitude hadn't changed. We finished our round and left. Chalking up that experience to her having a bad day, we returned recently on a moderately busy night. This time there were two bartenders who, instead of serving drinks, seemed more interested in putting on an un-funny comedy routine mixed with an overt lesbian theme for the retired plumbers, 30-something-tweekers and assorted perverts assembled around the bar. I guess if you are more into watching overweight women who have been around the block motorboat each other than getting a drink and minding your business, Smitty's is the place for you! Perhaps the obese barkeeps noticed we weren't interested in the show because the first words out of drunken grandma's mouth to us were "Sorry guys. I'm not into men, in case you couldn't tell." WTF? I just want a drink. Sorry we weren't into your show and aren't drooling. I'm just here for the booze. At any rate, I ordered a beer and a well shot of tequila. She gave me my beer and poured my shot into a regular shot glass. When I asked what brand of tequila it was she gave me a contemptuous look, emptied 1/4 of the glass into a tiny thimble, slid it toward me and said: "Here is your shot." She then proceeded to suck the remaining 3/4 of the shot down her herpes hole, grab the $5 I had on the bar and walk away. I left the thimble-shot on the bar and we left; they can have my $5 and lose my business. I have never been served by completely drunk bartenders before, but this is what you can expect at Smitty's. Dive bars may be defined by cheap booze, lack of sophistication and borderline clientele, but it should never include rude service or unfriendly behavior. There are plenty of other dives nearby that have great service and friendly people. I will never waste my time here again. Read my other posts to see what a good dive is all about. read more

As soon as I parked, I already felt like I was gonna get jumped. As I walked toward the bar everyone kept mad dogging me. The bouncer even told me I was dressed to nice for that place. It looked like a bunch of bikers were standing outside. I walked in and already saw a bar fight happening. Keep in mind it was barely 9pm. After that got sorted out, I asked for a margarita and the bartender said, "why are you being a little bi***?" as if I knew him. I never met this guy in my life. I got a beer and got over it. I looked around and it looked like it was triple OG night. Only come here if you're looking for a bar fight. read more

love this place, best dive bar ever, and crisna the bartender is the best

i give this place 5 stars because its the gem of vista and no one can live in vista without experiencing smittys. it serves as the taj mahal of dive bars in north county and especially in vista. no where else will you find washed up cougars dancing and singing karaoke to don't ya by the pussy cat dolls. such a unique place! read more

I can not say I was impressed by the layout of the bar or the visaul settings. It was a hole in the wall with decent prices on drinks and casual entertainment. It definetly had its locals in high attendance with a laid back vibe. Will not make this my regular spot cause was just not my vibe. overall may visit again if another friend wants to check it out. read more

This hole in the wall place. The beer is really cheap and cold. You can get a mini pitcher for like 5.50. The bartenders are prompt. And the old biker dudes working the door are awesome. Hope you like karaoke, though. read more

Dive bar for sure. No cover. Karaoke 7 nights a week. Cheap drinks. Fun crowd. Pool tables and darts if I recall. There is a decadent size dance floor. Friendly bartenders. No kitchen though. Open late. read more

very nice persons who work at smittys in vista ca..from the doorman, to the bartenders to the security guards very nice persons.."however" the woman running the "karaoke" for some reason "duped me"..and with such "apathy" , "maybe playing favorites?" i dont know what i did ..as i arrived in good spirits.11pm .greeted her and signed up to sing a song...i asked her if would be a long wait?..i asked her would it be within 30 minutes..she shook her head..yes...1 hour 15 minutes goes by..i go up and ask her if she might have "skipped me"..this old limping man...(me) apathetically she said no...then shortly after that she said we are starting at the top.!.or beginning..i thought well..i should be up..i was dancing some..and waiting ..so now almost 2 hours..12:50 or so, im so tired of waiting ..so i went up and told her to "take my name out..as i have waited almost 2 hours..and i got that "apathetic' stare! most millenians are respectful to we old folks.."apathy" is a very bad word..no feelings..not even a "oh sorry ..just a 'huh" look..so thats my story and im sticken to it this saturday night june 23rd!..maybe she was not feeling well..but no excuse for showing a little respect to your elders! i limped out ..all great except for the 'karoake woman"!!! read more

cool dive bar karokie to bad they don't get more singers up faster would be more fun !!

Where to even begin.. The city of Vista is a shithole as you probably already knew. That's why Smitty's is located where it is and locally nicknamed "Shitty's". This place is awesome because of how amazingly shitty it is, but some things about it are really just shitty without being amazing.. For example drink prices unless you are getting a well drink which will be under $5. There are a lot of regulars here but also a lot of tourists (and a lot of really drunk people). I guess me and my friends have gone here enough times and often enough to be recognized as regulars, we go once or twice a month. Last time I was here the bouncer said, "The hand stamp goes on the other wrist, don't you know by now?" I said, "We're not here *that* often" and he just gave me a dirty look like, "Really? Don't kid yourself". This place is only really good for karaoke and nothing else. You have to show up early and put your name in if you want to sing, otherwise you will be buried within 30 other people's songs and probably won't make it on. One thing I can't stand is that no matter how many people have put a song in, whether that be 30 people or 5 people, the karaoke dj will go up herself and sing at least two songs per night.. Like what the hell? It's always later in the night when it's busy too instead of when no one is there during those few mins after 9 pm: the only time this would really be acceptable. I prefer Pounders in Escondido aside from the crowd of people that I've met at Smitty's, they make it worth while. read more

smittys more like shitt*es, its a dive bar, expect everything that comes with a dive bar, been comin here for a while, at times i feel out of place, too many old people read more

Thank you Smitty's! This has become my ol' watering hole for the past two years, All the staff has been always wounderfull to me, my freinds and family. This is not a night club. I found here all neighborhood freinds, family and perfect strangers. This lil' old horseshoe bar is nothing less than rainbows and good stuff. To my bartenders I have more gratitude than I can show you. XXoxOooXox! read more

dive bar w kareoke. maybe youll get stabbed by a parolee! maybe youll just chill and sing some mark morison songs to your friends and throw up in the bathroom. its all good!! lotta good and bad memories here but all are entertaining for stories at other dive bars read more

Well if you're not hungry and you want to hear a lot of annoying karaoke, then go here at night. I have been known to enjoy karaoke here and there until it gets annoying and repetitive, which usually happens pretty fast anywhere you go. I'm a wannabe musician who falls back on karaoke when I think I'm losing the musicianship that I havem which is quite small i have to admit. But aside, from that, no they don't serve food, the place would be much more enjoyable if they had live bands at night instead of karaoke e-v-e-r-y s-i-n-g-l-e night, and lastly, their men's restroom is never clean. Every time I went there there was a puddle of who-knows-what right in front of the urinal, where I'd have to step around it just to take a wee. If this is a construction problem, take care of it please! If it's the patrons just missing the target, find out who they are and deny them service, geez, how hard is that? read more