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    The Lost Inferno

    4.4 (394 reviews)
    Closed 5:00 pm - 11:00 PM
    Updated 2 months ago

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    Great fun mugs!
    Emmanuel T.

    We tried this place over the weekend while in San Clemente & we loved the ambiance which was fun making you feel like you were part of The Goonies! We had just gone for drinks & ordered the One Eye Willy which was soo good & refreshing! Also comes in a big awesome mug! The service was good & friendly. I would totally come back when in the area!

    Menu
    Marisa T.

    Made reservations way in advance since we were coming from Palm Springs area. We arrived about 8 minutes early & waited outside. I requested to sit in the grotto area but unfortunately we didn't get to. The slightly moldy smell in the air hits you as soon as you walk in. Is it intentional? Not sure. Maybe it's just coming from the waterfall area. Service was friendly & fast. We didn't try the food as we had just eaten. We came for a drink & both got the One Eyed Willy. It was deliciously light & refreshing. Couldn't hear the music playing as it was quite loud with people talking. I'd return when in the area.

    Inside
    MinHee Y.

    Good prices and small bites! I enjoyed their fruity drinks and super hot onion rings. Partner liked the soft shell crab. Shu mai wasn't worth. Definitely a wait on weekends but ambiance was great

    Bahama Mama and Mustang something
    Peter H.

    Had a hardy har har good time at The Lost Inferno. The theme is an awesome transformation from pirate's galley to a cave complete with skull and bones water fountain and pirates treasure. Loved it and the drinks were delicious. It is located in an unassuming Japanese restaurant lobby which was so cool. Like a portal to another time and place in the South seas. San Clemente has a true treasure here and I'll be back for more. Service was excellent.

    S'mores margarita if I remember correctly.  I just wished it had a bit more marshmallows.
    Betty F.

    What a pleasant surprise to end up in this speakeasy. The Goonies decor took me back to my childhood. The drinks are no child's play. They were delicious and the food was finger licking great!!! Staff was so friendly and efficient. Such a fun place to come and unwind after a week of work. We will definitely stop by the next time we're in town.

    Decorated door
    Doug B.

    The Lost Inferno is a tiki bar in San Clemente that is themed around the classic 1980s movie "The Goonies". It is a drinks-only bar for now, so eat before coming. Their website teases that food is coming soon. It is a fairly small place and I would definitely recommend making a reservation on Yelp. If there are no reservations available when you want to visit, they also have a Yelp live waitlist. The building has its own parking lot with about ten spaces and is shared with the sushi speakeasy upstairs. We arrived around 6:30pm on a Sunday night, and luckily there were still quite a few spaces available. A half hour later, the place was packed. The outside of the building is not marked. Enter through the red double doors in front, walk to the right, and the entrance will be easy to spot. Seating options include eight seats at the bar, four high-top tables in the main area that seat four people each, and a slightly raised grotto area with one four-seat table and two two-seat tables. We often like to sit at the bar, but I reserved a table in the grotto so we could get the full experience and I'm glad I did. The interior has great décor with a mix of tiki and pirate ship elements. The walls are wooden plank, with cargo netting, ropes, and tiki lights above. The walls have portraits of Goonies movie characters. Take two steps up to the grotto area, and you are inside of a cave with skulls, shells, and treasures embedded in the cave walls. There is also a small waterfall in the corner. Scan the QR code on the table for the cocktail menu. It is colorful and many of the drinks have names tied to The Goonies. Each drink also has zero, one, or two skulls next to it to indicate the booziness factor. They have quite a few original cocktails as well as classic tiki drinks, a few mocktails, spirits, beer, and wine. I started out with the Ash Landing (Hamilton Pot Still Blonde Rum, Hamilton 86 Demerara Rum, Hamilton Pimento Dram, Angostura Bitters, Pineapple, Lime, Ginger, One Skull booziness, $14). This was definitely a little on the boozy side, with good ginger flavor and the pineapple and lime in the background. She started out with the One-Eyed Willy (Pou Vodka, Lychee, Guava, Coconut, Sweet & Sour, $15, keep the mug for $65). It is rare that a vodka drink is my favorite of the night, but this was both of our favorites. It was very balanced and juicy, and not boozy at all. The guava, coconut, and citrus from the sweet and sour were all there. We bought the mug, and they bring you a new one in original packaging. The purchased mug is colored a little differently (blue instead of black) than the mug the drink is served it, but it still looks great. While walking around taking pictures, I ran into our server and mentioned that it was my girlfriend's birthday. He kindly brought us some shots on the house. He said it was a recipe they had for shots during Halloween, and it tasted like a spin on a kamikaze. It was very good and much appreciated. I have a hard time resisting a cool mug, so for my second drink I ordered the Slick Shoes (Planteray Pineapple Rum, Worthy Park Rum, Bounty Dark Rum, Strawberry, Papaya, Lime Juice, $17). It is served in a cool sneaker mug with a flaming lime half on top. It was nicely balanced and just a tiny bit boozy. It had a nice light fruit flavor, not overly sweet at all. I think it is sometimes served in a regular glass, so if you order it, be sure to ask for the sneaker mug. Her second cocktail was the Never Say Die (Producer Mezcal, Kiwi, Lemon, Mango, Grilled Pineapple, $14). The smokiness of the mezcal was on the hairy edge of being too smoky for me, but she loved it. She could taste the kiwi and mango. We shared one last drink, the Garden of Eden (Papa's Pilar Blonde Rum, Lavender, Lemon, Elderflower, Cucumber Bitters, One Skull booziness, $17). It had an interesting (good) floral flavor profile, and didn't strike me as boozy at all. I could definitely taste the cucumber notes from the bitters. There was good 80s music playing in the background. It's a Goonies themed bar, I get it, but we would have enjoyed a few tiki songs in the mix too. There is one unisex restroom out in the lobby area. It is nice that they also themed it with wooden plank on the walls and ceiling, and some nautical décor. Daniel was our server and was very friendly and provided great service. Thanks again Daniel for the birthday shots! Bartender Felipe also delivered one round of our drinks and was also very friendly. All of the drinks were good and there are definitely more on the menu that we would like to return and try. We had a real fun time, thanks Lost Inferno!

    This giant pirate themed tiki mug is available for purchase.
    Amanda M.

    The Lost Inferno is so much fun! As a tiki bar enthusiast, I've visited this spot many times over the years and they never disappoint. Tucked back in an unassuming tiny strip mall in San Clemente, you wouldn't even know it's there. There's not much parking except a few spots in the lot out front and on the street. I highly recommend reservations if you're planning to visit. This Goonies themed spot transports you to a dark pirate ship with photos of characters from the 80s movie adorning the walls. The drinks are always top notch and the service quick and friendly. No food available so plan accordingly. So much fun to bathe in nostalgia while sipping on a drink that they light on fire right in front of you!

    Felina V.

    Goonies never say die! The Lost Inferno is such a rad spot, perfect for tiki nerds and Goonies-lovers alike. Go for the perfect theming, stay for some seriously well-crafted cocktails. Service was great, even on a busy weekend. And of course the ambiance is like kicking it with One-Eyed Willie himself.

    The bar
    Brett L.

    Love this place! It's a fun tiki bar themed around The Goonies. It's so much fun and I really like that the started serving food. The sliders e had were FANTASTIC! Didn't even get pictures we ate them too fast. Love the drinks and mugs they're served in. Our friends from out of town were so happy we took them here. It was such a fun time!

    Chester Copperpot
    Leonardo W.

    Ambiance: 5/5 Service: 5/5 Food: n/a Drinks: 4/5 Price: 4/5 Parking: 4/5 Friendly, welcoming, and a team who went above and beyond! We visited on a Saturday evening with a reservation. The theming was nostalgic and incredibly on point for die hard "Goonie's" fans. Daniel was primarily who helped us, and he did fantastic. Ryan made us his own creation, and it was so personable for him to bring the drink over and talk about it with us. Only wish there were some small bites on the menu to compliment the strongly crafted cocktails. Loved the experience and can't wait to visit again down the road!

    Inside the tiki room.
    Bruce C.

    The Lost Inferno is a good neighborhood tiki bar. You have to look to find it. But once you do, it is a small establishment with servers who are happy to help you decide what drinks you might like. We came during a slow season and did not need a reservation at 5:00. My Navy Grog was a bit too citric for my preference, and the server graciously gave me some simple syrup upon my request. While they do not serve food, we were told we could bring in food from other places. Next time, we will probably bring something in from Sonny's which is almost next door. I was impressed with the large number of different rums which they have on site.

    Seven H.

    Loved the pirate goonies vibes! Drinks were great. Would recommend doing a reservation than a walk in!

    Goonies era fans
    Tom Z.

    We had a great time here. We scheduled this in advance (they are pretty booked), so it's not really a last-minute thing, but it was a great visit for some drinks after dinner. It's a little challenging to find it, it's located inside a sushi restaurant. But look for the tikis outside, and you'll know you're at the right place. The bar is creatively decorated in the tiki/goonies style. The QR code menu had plenty of drink choices. Drinks are a bit pricey, but it's kind of a destination rather than a place to go to drink a lot. It would have been nice if they had some dessert options like a slice of cake or something. We would definitely come back next time we are in San Clemente

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    27 days ago

    Excellent Vibe, Cocktails, Food and Service! Love the Goonies theme! We'll be back soon!

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    2 months ago

    Asked for my I.D twice to tell me it's fake. When it wasn't. Place was a 5 star but the guy made it a 1 star . Almost made me leave

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    Ask the Community - The Lost Inferno

    Do you have any Gluten Free food options or anything that can be modified for those with a Gluten allergy/Celiac?

    Absolutely! Just let your server know and they'll rundown the options for you. We can protein wrap our sliders, the musubi tacos can be made with different sauces, and you'll have options for the shareable as well!

    Where's the best place to sit? I have reservations for the grotto but is there a better place to sit?

    Depends on the experience you are looking for. I haven't sat in the grotto yet, but I imagine it's like sitting in the caves the Goonies went through. I think it's a nice experience no matter where you sit.

    Do you have mocktails?

    Yes and the menu is growing!

    Do you guys have happy hours?

    Yup! Wednesday to Friday from open until 6PM.

    Is it 21+? Or can a 20 yr old enter without drinking?

    Hi! We are currently 21+ only at this time.

    Are children allowed?

    Hi! Not at the moment, but once we have our kitchen up and running we are looking to allow children for the day time on weekends!

    Are dogs allowed?

    I don't know for absolute certain but I'm pretty sure the answer is no.

    We have reservations in the grotto, can we order food there also?

    I don't believe they have added food to their menu yet. Plan to eat somewhere else before or after.

    Is there any food here?

    We have food upstairs at our speakeasy - Momoku No Usagi. We are almost ready to serve food, but not quite yet. You're most welcome to bring food in. We recommend Sonny's or Pizza Port nearby.

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    Woah what a cool, hidden gem! My friend and I came on a Thursday for their live music/ soft jazz…read morenight and finding and entering the place is a whole experience. We loved the hostess who made the whole thing feel so lucrative and she even took some photos of us in the waiting room before we had to put our phones away for inside. We had made reservations ahead of time but they placed us at the bar which was a bummer because there were definitely still tables available. Inside is cool with eccentric decor. The overall vibe though tailored an older crowd and not so much people in their 20's. There were a lot of drink options but not a lot of of that sweet and fun that I prefer. It's more sophisticated cocktails. Some staff reminded me to not have my phone out when I was clearly taking a picture of the receipt for my friend and I and that was upsetting. How do you expect me to remember prices and what we ordered lol Also there is no snacks other than like nuts and cheeses.

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    I'd give it 3.5 stars, maybe on a different night it would have rounded up. Service was pretty…read moresparse so I rounded down. Every time a server came over we had to flag someone down. We sat for probably 10 minutes before anyone greeted us, it was 3:30pm so it wasn't very busy, maybe 3-4 other tables. Every time someone came after that we had to wave someone down for water refills, never asked anyone if we wanted more drinks from the bar, nothing. Had my father in law asked for more ice tea and they never even started a new pitcher in 15 minutes. It was not busy. The place had a to of gluten free options which is a reason I wanted to try it. My server had no idea what gluten was. For a place that had half the menu marked as gluten free I was really surprised she really had no knowledge of the menu, but she was nice enough to go ask some questions when i pressed a bit that I wasn't vegan, and it was like an allergy. The food was good, portions were large enough and everything was pretty good as far as the food. Not sure why the service was so incredibly patchy and absent when we ate at 3:30 and the place was 2/3 empty. It was pretty good, I may try again but for the price point I think the service can be a little better. Nice...but slow. Definitely need more training on the menu! Mid. Not bad. Not great.

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    Draft Cabernet Sauvignon and Espresso Martini
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    Probably the best bar in San Clemente at the moment. And I mean this wholeheartedly. Like, San…read moreClemente has a couple of places that are sophisticated, don't get me wrong, and that's saying something for San Clemente. I'm talking El Caminante, The Jane, Momoku No Usagi, Lost Inferno, etc... As a native, I'm proud. La Libreria, however, can win awards, much like Gema could have won a Michelin Star. The drinks are phenomenal, utilizing fruits, herbs, spices, and complex amaros to highlight the world of individual flavors different carefully chosen Mezcals, Tequilas, and Sotols have to offer. So the cocktails are no joke, but the "library" of rare Mezcals they have teasing you from behind the bar is absolutely world class. I won't spill, but ask Chef to give you a tour, you will not be disappointed There are things you just can't find anywhere else. Oh, and what a vibe too! It's a speakeasy, yeah, but it's not pretentious. The music is upbeat, it's comfy, you don't have to be on some secret list or make reservations for months to get in... Just walk on up and press the owl on the door!!! I'll leave you with this, Mirate in LA may have gotten the spot on the 50 Best Bars list, but La Libreria is right there, I'm telling y'all, get over here NOW!!!

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    Drink: Labios Rojos
    Drink: Labios Rojos
    "The yellow tiles"
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    La Libreria

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    The Lost Inferno - tikibars - Updated August 2026

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