Visited mid week and had an amazing Bloody Mary and Tacos Looking forward to Monday night football at the Quill read more

The Quill - Asada Tacos - Dive Bars Near Me - Santa Ana, California

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I have genuinely never encountered a bartender who neither owned nor could locate a lighter. That's roughly the hospitality equivalent of a pilot forgetting where the airplane is parked. The search lasted long enough that I realized the real reason she couldn't find one: there was nobody in the bar to borrow one from. Which, in fairness, tells you absolutely everything you need to know about this establishment. If you're new in town, I would strongly recommend conducting literally any other social experiment before coming here. The place feels like someone launched a bar using a business model built entirely around "whatever cash was left after buying neon beer signs." Hiring standards appear to have been based less on competence and more on finding people capable of maintaining maximum attitude with minimum personality. And the bartenders? Fascinating dynamic. When the jukebox played *their* music, the volume was perfectly acceptable. The second I paid for music, suddenly we were preserving the quiet dignity of the room for all seven invisible customers. People say employees make or break a bar. In this case, they broke it, buried it, and held a memorial service for it. Also, the smell when you walk in deserves its own Yelp account. At first I thought the bathroom had exploded, but no -- that aroma is apparently the bar itself. It smells like moisture, regret, and unresolved health code violations. I'm honestly amazed the staff has adapted to it like cave organisms evolving around toxic gas leaks. At this point they don't need a bartender. They need a fire marshal and possibly a hazmat team. I do not know how this bar stays open due to lack of business, judgemental bartenders, and the retched bad odor that hits you like your walking into hot pea soup as soon as you walk through the door. Not exaggerating! read more

Had a blast! Street tacos out front and then a great hang with Danny and Nikki. Trivia night was awesome. Thanks for the incredible service and fun. read more

Hubby n I stopped by for a quick drink but after being ignored we had no choice but to walk out. please explain how there's only 10 people (max) at the bar, and a female bartender that clearly doesn't know her role as a bartender. Oh well off to the next bar.... read more

Cool little Dave bar. Very cozy and they have a reasonable prices on Beer. Came here looking for Karaoke, unfortunately I came on the wrong day but they do offer karaoke. I'll have to review this place again after I do karaoke, but I say just as a bar I will definitely be back at this location. Everyone seems super cool. read more

I came here after work last Thursday hoping to watch some football and grab a bite to eat. The beers were solid and the game visible from every corner of the bar. I tried placing a food order for some buffalo wings and fries. I was told by the chef that they are unable to make fries or wings (anything baked) because of kitchen equipment not working. I really wanted fries but chef Josh recommended something else and it saved the evening. I hope they get their oven fixed soon. Especially with football season in full swing, post season baseball, and the World Cup next summer. I really want to support my local dive bar and food always helps. read more

The Quill - The bar table is pretty legit. - Dive Bars Near Me - Santa Ana, California

I went on a Tuesday night for karaoke and drinks. I had a great time. The bartender was super attentive, and the karaoke guy was fun. I know it's a dive bar, but I'm shocked it wasn't more packed. I'd highly recommend coming to this spot for drinks and karaoke with friends! You will definitely catch me there again. Also LGBTQ+ friendly...and I like that. read more

The Quill is definitely worth writing home about. This venue certainly went through an appreciable remodel because the vinyl on the booths in this old fashioned dive still twinkle. All of the decor fit the old fashioned or old school theme of the Quill. The Red Breast whiskey mirror/sign looked especially elegant on the back wall, and the surrounding signage enhanced the overall throwback motif. The staff impressed me. Erica took my order almost immediately. (I usually just try the fries at a new place.) I noticed she made the extra effort to touch base with the other patrons at the bar. Checked to see if everyone was all right, or wanted a refill. I don't know how long Erica has been on staff at The Quill, but she certainly seemed to have a pre-existing rapport with every customer seated at the bar. I got the opportunity to speak a bit with Josh, the manager. He conducted himself professionally, and he shared that the karaoke events that started recently at The Quill are very worthwhile. The fries were tasty. I normally do not try the food at dives because it can be very hit or miss. These fries did not disappoint. Not too salty or dry either. This bar looks cool; the staff values the business from the customers; and the food is surprisingly good. What's not to spill ink about. read more

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If you like small dive bars and all the quarks that come with them this is the spot for you. They have a great little kitchen that serves really good variety of burgers, hot dogs, tacos and a Thai Mex fusion. I very much recommend giving this bar a try if you're in the area. read more

Love coming here and seeing my favorite bartender Sabine and getting the Thai Fried Rice. Honestly so bomb!! Josh makes the best food.

The epitome of a dive bar. Was visiting the area and stopped in midday for a cocktail. Had a great time. I didn't know anyone there but carried a conversation with several regulars. The bartendress, Hope, was very accomodating! They have a kitchen and I saw several items as they were served....looked good. read more

Best fried rice I've had in a long time. Shrimp tacos & burger were great as well! Hidden gem for sure. read more

The Quill - Best fried rice I've had in a long time. Al Pastor and salsa was delicious - Dive Bars Near Me - Santa Ana, California

This bar is awesome!! It's quaint, divey. Definitely a locals spot, but I felt welcomed coming here. They have a extensive menu for bar foods and damn is it worth trying. The owner of the bar bought everyone a round of lemon drop shots (I believe there were at least 14 people inside). I went in on Monday night with one of my buddies and they had karaoke going on.. Totally welcoming patrons. No frills, no fancy butts. Just a nice relaxing spot. read more

The Quill - Menu @ the Quill as of 4/2023 - Dive Bars Near Me - Santa Ana, California

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Had a amazing experience with Nadia she's very talented mixologist and the customer service was even better! Food is amazing try the fried Rice to die for! Will be back! read more

The Quill - Mandarin cocktail - Dive Bars Near Me - Santa Ana, California

The bar tender Nicole is a wreck. The Saturday night I was there, I witnessed her kicking out 3 patrons. When I went to close out my tab, she charged my whole groups tab on my card after she had clearly gotten cards for every purchase. No one told her to put it on one tab. She was obviously drunk and didn't know what was going on. I think this girl thought it was cool to dance off the alcohol, or she might be quitting soon and didn't care about her actions read more

This place doesn't accept anything else but a CA ID. Came in with my niece who is in town visiting but this place didn't hesitate to kick us out. In response to the owners comment, we both had legal IDs. My niece had a federally acknowledged identification. It was surprising to me that the bartender stated the bar would not acknowledge anything that wasn't California registered or US passport. She didn't even bother looking at her ID. Not complaining here, just letting the public know that it's something to consider if you bring people from out of town. We ended up going to the Fling later that night and had a blast. read more

Good little dive bar. The review should be 3.5 stars. I have been coming here for many years intermittently. Not what you would call a "regular" but a few times a year anyway. I remember the dart board and when they had board games available to the patrons so you could have a drink and play backgammon or Scrabble with friends to hang out. I do know that ownership has changed (congratulations, BTW) so I have popped in a couple of different times now to check it out. A lot is still the same, a few things different. There are a couple of things that I do feel that could be improved upon to really help out. My wife, her female friend and my daughter have all had the same experience without me and I have noticed it myself when I have been there. It seems that if you are female, by yourself or with a female friend, it is hard to get good service from the female bartenders. If you are a female that is a VERY regular and recognized, friends with the bartender, you will get good service. If you are a female with a guy, you will get good service. This really shocks me as the bar is now female owned. It makes women NOT want to come because they are getting poor service. The bartenders are always flirting/serving the guys but literally ignoring and honestly, speaking poorly to the women. My daughter was there and getting poor service. She called me and I came over as we live less than 10 minutes away. As soon as I walked in, I was getting service, but my daughter had been ignored for 20 minutes. Please have a chat with the staff about this as it is just not right, and you are losing business because of this practice. As a female yourself, you should be appalled by this behavior, as I'm sure that you would not like to be treated this way at someone else's restaurant, bar or business. Also, sometimes the music is way too loud, it would be nice if they regulated it a bit when people are actually talking to each other. The food here is good and reasonably priced. I feel that the draft beers have gone up a bit, $7 for a draft Modelo on my last visit. Other dive bars in the area are about $5.50. I also did not appreciate the owners comment about inflation goes up under the Democrats. This is not a political playhouse, to be honest and factual, prices go up under both parties. I was there last on the day they got their new sign installed. It looks good. If they could fix the bartender problem, this would definitely go up in my ratings. read more

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This is such a nice little bar. I had so much fun recently watching an angel game and having more than a few drinks I was really pleased with the vibe and the other customers were also really pleasant. I am super stoked that I got to meet Bree (Baby Bree) as she gave amazing service read more

Had a great time here last Friday! Came with x4 friends and got a table by the bar. The bartender was super sweet and very attentive! Drinks were well made & cheap! And the food was great! Chef Josh has come up with a creative menu of snacks/food that are available till late. We had a bunch of their items...chips/salsa, shrimp taco, grilled cheese hot dog (yum!!!), quill burger (yummy!!!), BLT, and x2 different Fried Rice dishes. The Fried Rice was a "definitely order" dish. Recommend this place for a fun, casual, bar hangout. read more

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"Where everybody knows your name." The quill is unpretentious and delivers exactly what it needs to. Fast, cold drinks, and decent bar food. Service is quick and easy, with nice staff. It's dark inside, with sports on all of the TVs. read more

The only reason I put one star is because I don't have another option! My family went there for drinks and the bar tender was awful she cost the owner about 400 dollars for being so rude and fighting with my family. They didn't put up with her bs. She followed them out to fight with them for not leaving enough her enough of a tip. She had them close the tab before they were done. Like pretty women said BIG MISTAKE! read more

Revisit...politics of the new owner aside (I don't care)...I went back to this place. They put the Budweiser decoration back. A couple of the regulars returned. Well just Eric. The bartender was still new. Still not the place it once was. read more

I have been coming to the quill forever, it's an amazing bar with great bartenders. Never too packed! Even when it's busy the bartender will check on you, unlike other bars where you have to practically beg for more alcohol. I always feel at home at the quill, it was the bar that got me into bars! The cook is AMAZING. Thai fried rice and the quesadilla is BOMB. The asada is to die for! Did I mention modelo on tap! read more

The Quill - Asada quesadilla with red and green salsa. Spicy! - Dive Bars Near Me - Santa Ana, California

This place is a hole in the wall but I love it! The drinks are good and price is very reasonable. The food is good. The Asada mulitas are bomb, Quill fries and the buffalo fries. If your in the area, stop by and you won't regret it! read more

I've been to this bar a couple of times. I like to order the cheeseburger with the fries. It's always cooked to my liking and I've never had a bad meal here. The bartenders and drinks are always made to my liking. The prices are reasonable and they even sell clothing items, tee shirts, hoodies and I think hats. The restroom is clean! The crowd is a good mix of older and some younger people. The times I've been it's never been too crowded. Not that that is a bad thing I just don't like crowded bars. read more

Friendly people and cool Ambiance. Recently under new ownership and it shows. Bartenders are so friendly. read more

The Quill - Renovations are awesome !!! New favorite spot in Santa Ana. - Dive Bars Near Me - Santa Ana, California

Never thought I'd drive this far for food, but ThaiMex I will drive for their delicious ummies!! The bar was intimate and had great music. The staff was friendly. read more

The Quill - Alpastor Beer Cheese Fries - Dive Bars Near Me - Santa Ana, California

The hot dog with cheese here just flat out rules! I'm not a hot dog guy but this hot dog just left me in awwwww! Cool ass little bar with cold ass beer and great I mean awesome ass food!!! I was shocked at how good the food is and no one really knows this place ! read more

For the past 2 years of my husband and I living here we would always past by and say "one day we should check it out there" because we always see it packed. Finally we went on a Friday, twice, and both times Gabi has been so sweet, warm, inviting and fun! She is honestly the reason why we will be there on fridays. It's a chill, local dive bar, so don't expect people to be dressed up. It may seem sketch but inside you forget where you're at. The atmosphere is lively and chill, music is good. They have a juke box so everyone can play whatever music they want. Now for the food, we got wings and a burger, classic bar food. However, the burger was a bit too greasy for me, but it did have good flavor. The wings were dry, no sauce but it came with a side of ranch. I would like to try their Thai Mex fried rice though next time! All in all if you live in the area, you should definitely stop by! Oh and did I mention the drinks and food are VERY reasonably priced?! Edit::: we went again on a Friday (because of gabi ) and this time we got tacos, Thai mex fried rice and loaded asada fries. Wow everything is delicious! We will definitely be getting those again! read more

The last bar I expected to truly enjoy myself. Ended up being the bar I've had one of the best times at in a long time. Super grateful for the service and the food would highly recommend to someone stopping by town. Thank you to Sabine for the drinks and for Josh for the awesome fusion food. Would definitely come by again. read more

This is a hidden gem! Small, cozy, relaxing and friendly bartenders (Nicole and KC). This was my first visit and if I lived nearby (live in a different state) this would be one of my favorite watering holes. read more

Katie was an EXCELLENT bartender. I came to town for vacation from Vegas and she showed the golden knights hockey game for me. Not only that, but she was super polite. Had a great time! read more

Solid spot Chill beers n drinks. Food is edible. Highly recommend this place to anyone read more

RIP to the original Quill. Did not know Bob & Dianne sold the place. Very disappointing. It doesn't have the same vibe at all. End of an era. Hipsters that listen to rap took over, nuff said. read more

This place is really cool. It's new generation meets old. The new owner has left a lot of the original decor in the place but added new stuff like large flat screen tv's, Touchyjuke box and coming soon a kitchen with good bar food. Check out the bar that has 9,599 pennies face up with one tails up. See if you can find it. On Mondays and Wednesdays days 11:30 - 6:30 the sexiest bartender, Laura, works. All the bartenders are super sexy and super nice. Come by and pick out your favorite. The original cash register is a cool touch as well. read more

The Quill - Old style cash register - Dive Bars Near Me - Santa Ana, California

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Old school dive bar. Drinks were great and made right. Tried some tacos and they were good bar food. Easy parking. Will come again!

Best bar you can find in this area. Dan and Trina are so enjoyable to interact with it turned my whole mood around. Trina is very special. Drinks are strong but taste delicious. I couldn't recommend this place highly enough. Near Xmas many places have been average at best. Trust me, this is the spot. So happy to finally want to be a regular again! Check this place out! read more

Great service, they always have karaoke on Tuesday and the people there is very kind and sweet, always a fun time for sure.

I rarely do reviews on yelp but I had to for this spot. This place is really awesome! New owner did an amazing job with the remodel. We love all the friendly bartenders! And the chef is ridiculous with the menu. One of the best smash burgers I've ever had, fried rice is stupid good with the Al pastor! Flat bread pizza . Tacos and jalapeño cheese hotdog . Seriously from the awesome bartenders to the chefs, you won't be disappointed. My wife and I really enjoy this place! Trust me, give the food a chance and drinks a chance & you won't be disappointed! read more

I have been coming to the Quill since I was of legal age to drink when Bob was the owner and bartender. Me and my friends practically grew up here it was THE DIVE BAR. I hate to even write this I never thought I'd be leaving a bad review for this place but there's a bartender working here with the worst attitude for a dive bar. I don't even know her name she's blonde long hair beautiful girl but has a terrible attitude I don't know if maybe she had too much to drink but the way this woman handles herself behind the bar is terrible. I came in from a smoke break and I asked her to close my tab she printed me out a receipt and she tells me this is how much I owe her and I told her ok you have my card and I don't know if that bothered her but she goes to get the cards and comes back and asks my name I tell her then she holds the credit cards in her hand like a deck of cards and tells me "I don't FEEL like looking for your card. Which one is it" in such derogatory tone and I told her my name again and then I said "I gave you my name and I don't FEEL like doing your job for you" because if it comes to feelings I really didn't feel like doing that. I came to the bar to have a drink enjoy the company of my friends I didn't come to have to stand the attitude of a bartender. Well I should never have said that to her because then she started yelling telling me off walking back and forth irate completely lost in her anger. I didn't engage her but I did stand my ground in that I didn't feel like doing her job I talked to her the way she talked to me and she didn't like that. Dan came in to try and remedy the situation because by this point she had just walked away from the bar screaming. He got my card closed my tab and did his best to defuse the situation and she went after him. She yelled at this man at the top of her lungs telling him he wasn't anybody he wasn't her boss and how many times has she told him not to tell her what to do. It's was disgusting to watch. I hope the cameras at the bar have sound and her manager can hear and see how horrible she told off her coworker. read more