Parking is a good size but if you come here on the weekend, it'll get packed quick. I've seen a few hip hop show here. The last show was when Suga Free was performing. I was back recently to film a few interview in wine room. Two stage area with bars on both side. Also tons of tvs and a giant 360 projector screen too!
(3)
Edmen M.
Food really good tasty Hardy lots of it... Drink are good, anytime they any kind of music event it's always amazing
(3)
B M.
Cholos and cholas and ghetto ass ppl...if ur into tex mex fatties and losers who think theyre thug, then u found the hot spot! Food is decent for what it is...the place is basically a large burger joint with tasty selections on the menu..food is good and beer is cold... My only cmplaint is the kitchen staff. Most of them are spanish speaking and I think they forget that a lot of their clients speak spanish as well. As I'm sitting in the main hall I can hear them cussing & saying all types of other things about their weekend and just a whole lot of inappropriate words in spanish. Chinga this...pinche that..puta madre...seriously?? Do these ignorant assholes think nobody can hear them??? Its really annoying when I'm sitting in the Hall and the " chef" is sitting there cussing up a storm as if he was in a drunken sailor bar. Management really needs to take care of that and check their staff..it's pretty damn ghetto and unprofessional. I realize people don't come here for fancy dining, but a little bit of common courtesy is definitely expected. Oh well take it for what it is. Just an old run down burger joint with so so food and cheesy music.
(2)
Stephen C.
Food was cold and service was unacceptable . Overpriced food an wasn't that great either... Must be a place for older folks who don't care what they get
(1)
Sam S.
Great service great food - nic looking clean room
(5)
Angel C.
My old workplace held almost all of their bigger functions here at Original Mike's. There's an outdoor seating area, a bar counter and tables in the front with a good sized dance floor, and there's also more seating in the back and a large stage/events area. Great for large parties and events. There's also almost always something going on here and lots of live music, it actually gets super loud and poppin by 8-9pm, but this is definitely for a more mature crowd. They have a Happy Hour menu that goes on till 7 or so, it includes well drinks/margaritas/beers and various snacks and appetizer platters. Not a place for specialty cocktails and craft beers, very basic and straightforward options that you'd find at any normal bar. Food is also very average, typical American food and nothing really stands out. But I love the gigantic parking lot for this place, free and plentiful parking automatically bumps this place up for me!
(3)
Ana D.
They have such a great happy hour here! I usually stop by after work with my co-workers. We usually get the sampler appetizer that comes with wings, chicken poppers--yum! onion rings and taquitos. We usually share that and a pitcher and it's all very cheap at the end. They have a very spacious dining area with booths too, bar seating, and plenty of outdoor patio seating. The menu looks like there is something for everyone here. They also have special music nights each day of the week.
(4)
Michael L.
My first trip to Original Mike's was a lot of fun. The people were friendly and so was the staff. Both sides of the joint had good music . The atmosphere was a combination of old school and modern. Very nice and worth a visit if you're in Santa Ana. The drinks were good and not over-priced..... And the outside area is spacious and well kept. Check it out.
(5)
Iris B.
The owners need to change a lot at this place! 1 bartender for 1 event. Then 2 bartenders at the other event when theeres atleast 200 ppl.. Horrible place im never coming bak! Came to see the meteors play they had another event going on which was good but they only have one bathroom took me 30 min to use it every time. Then took me another 30min to get a drink at the bar. Then i was trying to take a pic of the band when the security snatches my fone and says no recordings.. Fuck this place!! Paid 24$ for this shit when i could have just chilled at a bar and played the meteors on the jukebox bcuz i literally sat at the bar and listened to the band. it was so over crowded i couldnt watch the band.
(1)
Brad M.
WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE overall I've ever experienced. The staff was either rude, or knew nothing about their menu and drinks. (No breakfast is served, even on NFL Sunday mornings) Only two of the staff members were decent looking, my server especially. The hostess talked on her cell the whole time, even when I tried to speak with her. Not one of them ever smiled. Turkey burger was decent, but sweet potato fries were too salty. They left the patio door open, so the sweet aroma of cig smoke permeated throughout. Disgusting. Ghetto music was played during commercial breaks while nfl game was shown, and they allowed a podunk karaoke band to bang just outside detracting from game. 2 words...Unbelievably bad. One star for decent tasting food.
(1)
Kristen L.
My friends and I came on a Saturday night, wanting to get some well made drinks but the service was terrible, and the drinks were watered down; not worth $6+tip, and the long wait to be served. The bartenders were assholes. I never leave a bad review but this place deserves it.
(1)
Corina A.
The place was cool, two times I ordered captain and coke. And both times it was plain rum but they charged me for the higher prices alcohol. I can tell the difference since that is the only drink like. The bartenders need to be retrained. That's why I specifically say captain not rum. I will be on alert next time I come.
(1)
Melissa W.
Hamburger was huge, and tasty. The service was good. It was a little on the expensive side I felt, but overall a good experience.
(4)
Lizeth C.
the service in this place sucks! my partner and i got there and they gave us a table near the bar area, we ordered our drinks and while we were enjoying our first drink the waiter came over to ask us to move due to a bigger party coming in and they needed that area! like seriously for a place who makes reservations ahead of time this place is unorganized! once at the new table we ordered our food..some ribs and carne tampiqueña and to say the least food is bland..no taste whatsoever! while eating this "food" manager is having the cooks rearrange the bar area for the party coming in...honestly?? doesnt this place have enough waiters/servers to do all this stuff? the manager was super rude and unprofessional screaming at the cooks for not arranging the place correctly! im sorry but the last thing i want to do while im eating is having to listen to someone scream at others! later on we "finished" our food and our plates just sat there along with our empty drinks while the waiter was on his phone and walking around the restaurant! well one of the cooks that walked by saw our table and offered to take our plates. we honestly believed that this place had more to offer...unfortunately we were wrong! definitely not coming back ever again!
(1)
Vanessa G.
This place has good music a variety of music and crowd. All in all good place, good food, and drinks are okay also!
(5)
Veronica H.
The service gets two stars but the price of their Happy Hour gets three stars. I went with Jimi H., Alison M. and Tim T. to have some appetizers and drinks at Original Mike's. We ordered the nachos and another sampler plate. The quantity of one appetizer is a good amount for a party of two and the price is right on, $10. A 60oz. Margarita pitcher is $12 and 60oz of beer is $10. Their Happy Hour is from 2-6pm Tuesday through Saturday. They will not budge on giving you their Happy Hour prices until 2pm. We got there at 1:45 and the waitress said no way Jose, you gotta wait until 2pm. We patiently waited while we drank our water and watched the Mexico vs. New Zealand soccer game (SI SE PUEDE!). I would give OG Mike's another try because of their Happy Hour prices and the amount of TV's they have in their first dinning room. Years ago I would frequent this place on a Friday night with my girlfriends but the crowd was a little seedy, OKAY... VERY SEEDY! I don't know how their weekend crowd is now.
(3)
Drew M.
Bomb! My burger was cooked to perfection. Great service too! Araceli was the coolest and cutest bartender ever and she created a great experience for me. I'd definitely come back here.
(5)
Crystal M.
I eat here once in a while My only complaint was the short haired blonde waitress She looked upset the whole time even when she smiled it looked fake I wasn't done eating and she put the to go box over my food as if she was kicking me out But the manager made up for it he's always so amazing and deals with what needs to be dealt with I never had a problem here before and hopefully she was just having a bad day and when I come back there's not a repeat of today
(4)
Alfredo G.
Place is roomy, Live entertainment varies from night to night. Food is Good Variety Pulled pork Sandwich is good. Cobb salad is good and filling.
(4)
Edward E.
Based on the "club experience" I went on a Friday night for a friend's celebration. The place has potential to be a great place to be at, but there are a couple of problems: 1.) The bartenders are extremely rude and wouldn't let my friend close tab. 2.) It gets musty and starts stinking in there (main dance floor) and I know for sure they don't clean the carpet. (Whys there carpet at the bar?) 3.) The drinks were "well drinks" (bad quality) I had rum and coke and I know they gave me some 99 cent rum with flat soda. That drink got me sick 4.) I'm not into the whole cholo/Chola scene, if your idea is to spend your Fridays with shaved head, Pendletons, dickie wearing homies that wear joop or curve. Or with middle age cholas with crusty hair, and lonjas hanging out of their jeans that they fit in back in 95, by all means go for it. Overall my experience was bad, they had a dope salsa session earlier of the night but it didn't last long. I heard the food is good but as a club scene it's not worth the $10 at the door!! We salvage the night by going to Chapter One across the street, 100 times better.
(1)
Ethel M.
Original Mikes had a chill and cool vibe during the daytime. I've been here on several weekends and always have a blast with friends. I had a great waitress named Daisy who was attentive and friendly. The Hookah patio is off the hook! Great location and every night is different and fun.
(5)
Dean D.
Wow, had a great office Christmas party there. Plenty to drink, food was hot, fresh, and tasty. Atmosphere was awesome! Live band and fun people! I'm going back.
(4)
Linda F.
I know there is huge debate about which hamburger is truly the best. But in my mind, the blue cheeseburger here is it! I never thought I would pay that much for a hamburger and feel it was worth it.
(4)
Fabian M.
Good music, but the food.. Let's just say, don't order the wings, unless you want to chip a tooth, and for the record, let's make sure there is food available to serve your customers. Not good when you are offered, a potato after your told there are no more mashed potatoes and then told.. Oh sorry, we are out of potatoes to.. Duh.. Anyways, the dancing and motown music was great.. But other then that.. Eat at McDonald's before you come over..
(3)
Francisco G.
I loved this place! Bistro 400 was closed so my sisters and I went to PLAN B which was driving to this place. This building is historic! It's been around since I was a kid, for years it was an abandoned auto shop but they revamped it into a restaurant/bar/club. The DJ and live band were awesome! Old school hits, cumbias, merengues, salsas, reggaeton, you name it! I danced danced and danced! I had the "Bikini burger" :D even the waitress laughed when I ordered it, it's a veggie burger, no meat! THE BOMB! I eat less meat :) Very friendly staff, the place is clean, the security makes you feel safe, everyone minded their own business. :)
(5)
Michelle W.
The food is great but the service is absolutely terrible! Expect to be there awhile and good luck getting your drinks/milk shakes.
(1)
Steve O.
Listen to the reviews on this place and stay away from it. Me and a couple of friends were coming home from Legoland and got into a little car trouble and ended up being near the Pep Boys in Santa Ana, the starving kids that we are, we decided to get original mikes because it was across the street! We were seated right away and then our waitress came and took our drink orders. Which were waters... lol. We ordered, I got the BYO Flatbread Pizza, With Bacon bits, Mozzarella Cheese, Sun-dried Tomatoes and Mushrooms. It was decent. But the food is not I'm yelping about, its the Service here. The customer service has to be the worst here, not only did my waitress "DAISY" forget about my water, she forgot who got what order, when clearly SHE was the one that took the order? The fuck, dont be dumb Daisy. she was really rude and shoved the To-go bins in me and my friends face, then proceeded to roll her eyes. Excuse me? First off, how do you forget someones water when you specifically asked them "Is there anything else I can do for you?" Yes Daisy, I would love more water. Thanks. 2 mins... 5 mins... 10 mins... Oh look my meal is finished, and you still haven't arrived with my water. What the fuck. Lastly, when she came in the end, she asked us "Are we almost... done here?" 3/4 of us were finished while my other friend was still eating... Clearly we are done with your attitude. Thanks. I've encountered some bad customer service, but if you're like Daisy who forgets your order, your water, and gives you a really stank face, I suggest you quit your job and just work behind the doors as suppose to front. Sorry for putting you on blast, Daisy. But no water, no tip. :) 1 Star for such a crappy service job. Have Fun and Good Luck!
(1)
Marie E.
Catalina was our server and she was great. Very attentive and sweet. The male host was awesome, played with my son and was so funny. Everyone had the team spirit. Food was good. Basically bar food kicked up a notch. Very likely to return. Surprised at the 3 stars.
(4)
Chris S.
The Broadway Burger here with Kobe beef is delicious and looks like the picture. I've read a few reviews on here, if u want good service, order and ask for Catalina, she has service with a smile.
(4)
Clea S.
I had a really delicious macaroni and cheese dish with chicken and bacon. I would have given Mike's another star if the waitress had told me that the iced tea was "tropical". I hate flavored tea. When I suggested she should add the word tropical in her description she said "well it says it on the menu". Who looks the menu before they order tea? Anyway, she took it off my bill.
(3)
Oscar P.
I was in the neighborhood and I was pretty hungry so I decided to check out Original Mike's. I sat in the dinning room, which was really nice and quiet. My waitress was Daisy, she was very quick at asking me what I wanted to drink and brought it right away. Everyone there was very nice and attentive. The food was great! Great service Daisy. Thanks!
(5)
Julie H.
I've pretty much been here enough times to see this place at every time of day and performing all its multiple functions. It's a decent spot for a business lunch in the afternoon, a bar for a sports game in the early evening, a quinceanera on Saturdays, a night out dancing on weekend nights, a karaoke bar or jazz club on weekday nights and Banda Sunday afternoons. Yea.. They do it all. They have two dining areas, two dance floors (one of them also doubles as a ballroom), two bars and a stage for a band. I really like their jazz night. The band is great and they play covers of Maxwell which I really appreciate and the atmosphere and vibes are relaxing so I'd definitely recommend heading over on a Wednesday night. As for the food, my top three favorite plates are the cobb salad, the chicken tomato basil soup and the salmon wrap. The salmon wrap is absolutely delicious and I always order it in a lettuce wrap with some fruit on the side instead of fries. The cobb salad is really filling and you're given your money's worth of food. Plates are around $10-$15 for a sandwich/wrap with fries combo or a salad. Everything I've tried is tasty. It's not going to blow you away but you're going to be satisfied, especially if you get any of the three plates I just mentioned. If you're wondering about the weekend club scene ... this place generally attracts a more grown crowd (late thirties to early fifties) so they tend to play music that caters to that crowd. If you're in your twenties, head to downtown Santa Ana instead. Overall, it's a multipurpose place that can be a bit overwhelming but worth trying at least once.
(3)
paula m.
I'm so sorry to do this! This place could be so cool! Great seating spaces and decor. TV's a plenty. We eat here nearly every Friday during football season because of location and we dread it! The service is deplorable! It is never the same waitress and they are all awful! They could be making a killing pushing for and more drinks but they ignore us! The food is marginal at best. Menu is weird and salty! Drinks are barely cold. It's really to bad.
(1)
Cynthia C.
Loved it i have a blast everytine I'm here security guys super chill,friendly drinks great there's hookah.. music awesome three dance floors ones funk and all that good stuff and the other mixed music and outside more mixed music + throwback hiphop nice patio to smoke and hangout definatly a five star!
(5)
teresa n.
Based on my experiences... Staff: always super nice and friendly with me. Drinks: strong enough for me to only need ONE. Food: never ordered on the menu, BUT the taco guy at night is delicious. Couldn't give a fourth star because the music inside is wayyyyyyy too loud.
(3)
Devin A.
Original Mike's is not so original. Their 'homemade fries' are bought frozen and served burnt. Their service was polite, but sub par. Though the pulled pork was edible, the burger my girlfriend ordered was still mooing. They also have a high-school party's selection of beer. I wouldn't complain if they had not presented themselves as a nicer restaurant. There is a niche for what they do, and they should advertise themselves as such.
(2)
Shanda H.
This is not a review for the food but just the ambiance outside. We watched a band play and had some drinks. Not sure if this is expensive or average for the cost of drinks, but the bill came to $32 for only four drinks. Was happy the bartender knew what a Colorado Bulldog was though and made two of them good. It was just a nice place to sit and watch a band play. It wasn't so loud that you couldn't hear your conversation, and I appreciated the older crowd, vs. a room full of kids on the prowl. Cool place, but bathroom lady - I'm not paying you for a paper towel just because you grabbed the entire stack out of the machine and are telling me there are no paper towels in there, as you hand me one, hoping for a tip.
(4)
Queenb B.
Never had their food so I can't comment on that. I have been here on numerous occasions for some Friday and Saturday night dance and drinks with my girls. Drinks are good. They sure have the perfect selection of music if your into old-school funk, and older rap and hip hop and even new age music. 3 different dance floors make it better. Although the 3rd is my personal fav! Can't get tired of this place, I'll definitely be back ;)
(4)
Miranda V.
One of my pet peeves is bad customer service. If I'm paying money to dine at your establishment and you're working for my tip, I expect to be treated well. We were not acknowledged for a good half hour by the waitress after we were seated and we had to wave her down just to get her attention. When she did finally approach our table she didn't greet us or welcome us just asked us what we wanted. That's not the level of customer service I anticipated. She had no sincerity or excitement that made me want to dine there. When we got the check, she didn't even thank us for eating there. Instead she just said, "Here you go." I ordered the spinach dip with chips which was more just like cheese dip. It was overly watered down and there was barely any spinach in the dip. The dip was just very disappointing on top of the bad experience with the service.
(1)
Miguel C.
This place is unwelcoming to any outsider. And I live 5 min away. The reason I say this is because this place is infested with gangsters. People will give you the nastiest look once you get there. Now I'm not hang affiliated but on club nights if you want to dance go somewhere else apartly all the women there are someone's property. After they say no a guy will call you out on why you hit up on their GF. Lotta bullshit I say. FUCK THIS PLACE
(1)
Chris D.
This place is whack, plenty of better bars and clubs in DTSA I wouldn't ever come back. The last time I went some lady as old as my grandmother tried grinding in my 22 year old friend. This is a place for old people who never outgrew their partying days to go.
(2)
Paul P.
EDIT: I've updated this from a one star to two stars only because the 2 bartenders who waited on me when I first got there (in the other room where all the booths are) were awesome. After I left that bar it was all downhill from there. --------------------------------------------------Â---------------------------------- Rod Serling may be long dead, but somehow, intermittently, I still entered the Twilight Zone. And last night I definitely entered it to my dismay. I was meeting up with some friends for a birthday bash and I had been to OM's in the past so I knew how to get there, where to park, etc. The night started off auspiciously when I went to the bar in the other room (with the booths and the restrooms) and asked for a cocktail. The bartender was friendly, she was amicably talkative, and made my drink to perfection. I went back to that bar and a young man made me my second drink, he was friendly as well. I give these two bartenders a 5/5 stars for being professional and courteous. Too bad their counterparts in the other room couldn't do the same. When the band came on they were good, though their song selections weren't reaching the crowd (please note that different bands play here on the weekends). When the DJ came on and played some old school, some old LA disco, etc. the place came to life. It was a bit odd to watch. Bear in mind this is side that has the live band, not the dining side that has the permanent DJ. And then, I started hearing the theme song to the Twilight Zone in my head, not realizing what it meant. We were ready to order some drinks and some food, but the servers weren't coming to our table, in fact, they weren't coming to ANY of the tables around us, yet they were walking back and forth between both rooms. So about ten minutes go by and still not a single server asking us if we needed anything. Then I noticed two of them standing by the cashier station by the bar, looking around and talking with one another. Finally, one of the tables next to us waived one of them over as she tried to make her way to the other side of the room. Twenty minutes go by and still no one came by to ask us if we needed anything. Sure, I could have gotten off my duff and flagged one of them down, but at this point I was going to see how long it would take someone to swing by and ask us if we needed anything. It was glaringly apparent to me that management was absent that night. I didn't spot a single person who appeared to be a manger, going around to make sure things were running smoothly. The servers on this side of the restaurant / bar weren't doing much of anything and it was obvious that they didn't care because they were standing idlely by and talking to one another. I hit my breaking point at 35 minutes and walked up to one of the servers and asked her to come by our table when she was ready to take our order. Totally unacceptable, but it was my friend's birthday and I didn't want to make a scene. Rod Serling's spirit whispered in my ear, "Don't order any food! Just DON'T do it!!" But I didn't listen and order some of their famous Nachos (it's massive) and some soft carne asada tacos. The food came out quickly so I thought this was probably the turnaround point of the evening (for the better). So we began to dig in. I've had some pretty bad bar food before and what we ordered ranked with some of the worst food I've ever tasted. The meat tasted funny, the cook went crazy with the salt and Gosh knows what other spices they went crazy with. The meat's flavoring was over-powering for all our palettes. We couldn't finish the food. It was that bad. Another obvious sign to me that there was no head chef or manager running things in the kitchen. Food served to the public should not be this bad. If this place continues like this they are going to lose a lot of business. There is no excuse for any place like this to have people wait that long to be asked if they need anything. I still had a good time with my friends as we salvaged the night by hitting the dance floor. There was no way OM could eff that up for us, right Rod? Tip #1: Parking is free on their private lot, just get there early if you want a spot. I'd say if you come before 10 pm you're probably ok. If not, there's more parking on the street. Tip #2: Though I'm never coming back here for a weekend night, they do have Phil Shane on Tuesday nights and that's worth it to me. Tip #3: Whatever you do, do NOT order their carne asada here, it's way too salty and they don't know how to marinade it. Tip #4: For you cheap ******ds out there, if you don't want to pay cover charge on weekends, get there before 8pm. Though bear in mind the place doesn't start hopping until around 10:30 - 11pm (like most places right?).
(2)
Jackie W.
I have to preface this review by saying the "Yay! I'm a fan" is largely due to the sheer ridiculousness and fabulous people watching this place offers. If you want to try to define Original MIke's, you will likely find yourself unable to do so. It's one of a kind...part karaoke bar, part bar, part dance floor/club and part restaurant. They have happy hour until 6 with $3 beer (not a huge draft selection, be warned), $4 well drinks and discounted appetizers. Their nachos are a fantastic size and quite tasty, as are the chicken poppers and fries. The rest of our table said their food was mediocre so I can't speak for the entire menu's quality. After 8pm, they start charging a $10 cover and it morphs into the "club." The pat downs out front start, as does the DJ and the smoke machine (yes they have a smoke machine). So if you're looking for some undefinable fun, cheap drinks and some monster nachos...then I suggest heading on down to Original Mike's.
(4)
Trin M.
I don't know what the other negative reviews are all about, but I've been coming here for years and Anna, the bartendress, has always treated us nicely. Our food is always ordered to taste, and they know how to pour our drinks! Sometimes they honor happy hour drinks even before happy hour time! The restaurant does have themed nightly events, so if you do not like certain crowds, just call and get the weekly schedule before-hand.
(4)
Angel-Lee W.
If I could give this place a zero star I would. This was by far the worst costumer service I have ever experienced. The waitress was extremely rude when we complained about not event being offered water or getting orders taken after being here for over 30mins she replied "I'm not just here scratching my back" then when I complained to the manager that it had been over 45mins and we still didn't have our food he replied "I'm busy making your food, do you want to stay or do you want to go?" I had never had a horrible experience like this anywhere I have gone to eat lunch at. I definitely do not recommend that anyone ever come here and me and my friends will never come back.
(1)
Justin C.
Bomb food, great venue, great parking. The only problem is the DJs, and the reason is they play the SAME MUSIC EVERY SINGLE NIGHT even in the same mix format. They need a more creative DJ in my opinion. Try the baby back ribs they are BOMB!
(3)
Allyson W.
Don't care about their food once I heard this: my parents went here for lunch. My dad left his favorite ball cap, UCSC Banana Slug Dad or something, at the restaurant. He was crushed. My mom called the place a few hours later, explained the situation (they live in LA) and offered to give Mike's her credit card number to pay for shipping. The employee replied, "oh, we don't do that" and hung up. So my poor dad's ball cap remains at Mike's and they refuse to pop it in the mail. Worst customer service ever. I can't even comprehend this. My parents don't Yelp, but luckily their child does.
(1)
Jesse T.
My first 1 star review. This was the most horrible experience I have had in years. This was supposed to be a night of celebrating with my coworkers before leaving to go home to our families for Christmas. At first glance it was awe inspiring seeing a 360 degree TV. But that was the highlight of the night. we were seated between where your food is cooked and the bar. IT WAS LOUDER THEN POLICE SIRENS IN THERE!!! The appearance was gross, with stains on the walls, carpeting coming up off the floor, bathrooms disgusting. All of us had to yell, if not scream for the waiter to hear us to take our order. He may have also been prejudice against my coworker who is black. The fact that he ignored him when he was trying to get the waiters attention. The fact that he refused to get him a refill. Also the fact that he managed to get his food order wrong 2 times. I'm just saying it appeared that way. Oh and the reason it was so loud, There was a Zuma class going on the entire time we were there. We were here for an hour and a half. We ordered nachos and egg rolls for our appetizers. Both were sub par and we were really expecting the entrees to hit it home. Meatloaf was burnt, steaks were no where near the rare and medium rare that we ordered. One member of our group ordered a burrito, to his surprise it was deconstructed. Lol being from TX myself this was just what I thought was going to be icing on the cake as far as things going wrong for the night. Unfortunately it wasn't. After everybody had eaten we waited 30 minutes for our bill trying various times to get the waiters attention. Only problem was he was stuffing his face with food in the kitchen. It's open so you can see what the cooks are doing back there. Eventually one of had to walk up to where he was eating and ask for our bill so we could go. Not being able to hear anything all he would do is hold up his finger, as if saying one minute please. While he continued to eat. With all the Zuma dancers it smelt like BO. Words can not describe how bad this place truly was. If my co-workers and I are ever back in town, we will stay very far away from this place.
(1)
Lily V.
Great place for happy hour. Good drink specials. Nice service and the staff treats you like family.
(5)
Yareli M.
Alright so I came here on Friday night, my cousin decided to start her bar hoping here for her birthday. Of course it was crowded by the time my friend and I got there. After searching through a crowd, I finally found her and was already well on her way to getting hammered. The DJ was playing decent music and the dance floor was a decent size. My friend and I went up to the bar and it took us 20 minutes to get our drinks, expected it was a Friday night. However my drink seemed watered down. My friend didn't like his drink either. I'm surprised their happy hour is so popular. We decided to go out to the patio, I needed some air since it was so crowded in there. It also took us about 10 mins to get out of there since it was so crowded. Any who don't plan on coming back. Oh there will be cops waiting outside to check up on you. Wouldn't recommend this place to my friends.
(2)
Brizylla A.
Original Mike's was my first clubbing experience and I was not impressed but I was also not too disappointed. This place gets pretty packed on Thursday and Friday nights. I believe it's because their happy hour is pretty popular. Parking is easy to find because the lot is quite big. It's also not too expensive so I do recommend going for food. They have a mini restaurant, a bar, and a dance floor so you're getting a decent deal. The food here is great! The drinks aren't bad either. I feel like they're watered down though and the bartender takes forever. But the dance floor can be upsetting. It may get too crowded and the DJ doesn't play good music. And also, most of the songs are repetitive so it gets annoying. I prefer the atmosphere outside because it gets "too much" inside. The bad part is leaving, it gets clustered and can take up to 10 minutes just to leave the door. Then there's the police checking everyone and walking people to their cars and checking the DVs. Overall this place is not the best club ever and I would not go back. I would not recommend this place to my friends. It'll leave you on the disappointment side rather than on the impressed side. One star for food and another for price.
(2)
Maria S.
Dinner and drinks! Dinner was Delish! Waiting to see Brenton Wood in concert. Those oldies but goodies!
(5)
Flaviano A.
Not bad the times I've been. I guess it depends on your taste and the crowd. Rockabilly nights, Goth nights, etc. Have been awesome with no problems. Can't say much for the other scenes though.
(5)
Sean C.
Burgers are good. Dig the entire place. Would be the type of place I would want to own.
(5)
Jess G.
I really enjoy coming here with my girlfriends . They have a great happy hour menu, can't complain on the prices. What I love the most is that if we get there a few minutes before happy hour starts the blonde bartender will honor the prices which says a lot about good customer service, she's always making sure we are taken care of The food is excellent and we always feel welcomed.
(4)
Dave C.
Great food, but loud, loud, LOUD!!! One very loud band playing. Bar music, booming. As long as you're not in the mood for a nice, romantic dinner, this is the place for you.
(3)
Jessica P.
I enjoyed the food and entertainment but the service was terrible. We waited too long to be served and our waitress never came to our table. We had to flag down other waiters when we needed something.
(3)
Sherese H.
I Got **Food Poisoning *** & Had Horrible Service!!! Do No Go Here
(1)
Harley C.
Been working with them for the last 3 1/2 years on Wednesday night's!! Come out see what u have been missing. And the food is great!!!
(4)
Randi B.
Came here with some friends to see a band who were playing outside on the patio. The patio is really big, yet really cozy and nice. The sound from the band was good. I would come back again to see a band. I would also come back to sit on the patio and people watch. Get a seat by the entrance to the patio and enjoy the "classy" ladies and their inappropriate attire. Inside they have three different areas - a dance floor/bar with live music, a restaurant, and a club. I went in twice to use the restroom and the music being played in both the club and live areas were pretty good. I'm not a club or a dance person, but I could see myself drinking here and listening to the jams. So why three stars? Cause we ate dinner here. First off, for the large patio they only have one waitress. What kind of bullshit is that? Poor girl couldn't keep up. So, service sucked, but I can't blame her 100%. There should have been at least two, maybe even three servers out there. The food sucked. I ordered Albondigas soup and a pasta, Penne al Fresca. My soup was brought out after the pasta. The soup was scalding hot and pretty bland. I was not impressed. My pasta was hot in some places, cold in others. Also, very bland, I have never had to use so much salt and pepper at a restaurant before. The pieces of garlic bread served with the pasta were pretty good. One of my friends got a veggie burger, he said it was lukewarm. His sweet potato fries were good. My other friend got a cheese quesadilla and she said it was okay. Final verdict? Don't eat here, but do come to see a band, hoochie watch, or shake your ass to some good music inside.
(3)
Kevin T.
Service was fairly decent. parking is awesome. Need to call them for refills though.
(3)
Stephanie R.
Two stars for inside not patio. Saturday 5:30pm. Main bar area closed. 2nd bar packed with families. Hostess says "there are two seats at the bar-saddle seats". Bartender not having a good day. Gave my date a chipped beer glass and hardly an apology when he showed her. Charged for the beer he did not finish because if this. Shown to a table for dinner. Other people seated after us got orders taken. Waitress was not having a good day too. Over cooked ribs, no seasoning on slaw, Rib Eye half the stated size. Frozen or canned veggies WHAT? You can't stay in business like this when there are at least 10 better restaurants within walking distance. Go there you say? I want OM to step up. We like the patio on the weekend and want the rest if the place to be as good.
(2)
Kathy M.
the food was ok but not memorable, I am not in a hurry to return. Ambiance was nice, food was good.
(3)
Karen D.
Great American place have been coming for five years here, the food is outstanding and nice delicious for loving fact of me that's why being the best comer of the place, nice decorated and easy coming place, most of the time ordered beef as I like much. Will be back.....
(4)
Maria L.
I haven't tried their food but the drinks are pretty good. They're pretty expensive though! I ordered a margarita and it was strong! I'm not usually one to say drinks are strong, I'm great at handling my liquor. I ordered an adios and an LA Water. The LA Water did disappoint me because it's supposed to taste loaded with alcohol and instead it tasted too sweet. I also ordered a red apple martini and that was pretty delish. The music is okay, there's a pretty good selection of music actually. They mostly play funk and old school in one room. You will come across a lot of older people hence on the OG part. There's quite a few gang members. Well, I don't know if they're in a gang or used to be but they look like it. Everyone was pretty respectful and chill. No one came across us or tried to start any fights. My bartender was a girl, we went on a Saturday night. She was amazing! I wish I would have gotten her name. They have an outside patio where you can smoke and relax. I think they have outside heaters? There's also a second room with Spanish music. I give them 4 stars overall because we had a great time. I will definitely go back.
(4)
Yesenia G.
I am sitting down at this location as I am writing this review. I got here around 8:30p because my friend suggested this location. She mentioned it was 80s Thursday night, which really caught my attention. As soon as I entered I got seated with great customer service in the room with a full bar. However I've been sitting down for an hour and 27 minuets and I have NOT been served, offered nor asked if my partner and I need anything. I can see them going around seating customers and taking there orders. The 80s music is really great, really great vibes. Pretty disappointed how they didn't have Pabst! Boo!! I thought they'd have it, since the bar looks big! Overall if you're looking for a place to hang and catch up with friends on a Thursday, this is an ok place.
(2)
Jerry M.
Nope not for me, really poor food. Tasteless and dripping with grease. Like everything is cooked in the same fat bowl. My glass was dirty. Gave me heartburn. Not worth the price. slow service. Move along nothing for you to see here... Nothing but regrets. Avert your eyes when you walk past...
(1)
Sarai C.
I love the music the band's are always great!! Drink specials are not very special. If your here on a non club night service is great, but on a Friday ir Saturday this place gets packed. I love there huge patio to sit have a drink get some air and listen to the dj or band.
(3)
Scott A.
Very unique place. You could throw 3 weddings in here at the same time. I have only been during happy hour so I am assuming that on Friday and Saturday night they find a way to pack them in. This is a happy hour review. Great prices and ok service, it is a little scary that on the 3 times I've been there was almost no one there. Service is friendly, but a bit slow at times. I think one guy is covering every 10,000 sq ft. The 1/2 price apps are of good quality, my son loves the quesadilla and the wings are pretty decent for a non-wing place. They also go all out on the Nachos and the beers are $3, even premiums. Not sure why this place isn't generating a little more weekend traffic, but I like it! Oh, I almost forgot...the homemade shakes. My son swears that the peanut butter shake is one of the best in the OC.
(4)
The V.
The staff here are awful at customer service! Ordered a cranberry and vodka and had three people taste test it and it just straight taste like cranberry juice!!! I was not satisfied because I waited so long to get my drink and paid $6 for it. Bartender ***wouldn't make me another or just give me a beer instead! Had to make my way to another bar located inside and tell the bartender my situation and she gave me a beer instead. NOTE the customer is always RIGHT. P.S the girl that made my drink didn't even acknowledge me while I was waiting for a drink. She just stood there, she didn't even say ill be right with you or anything. I thought she was a bar back or something until one of the workers said she was the bartender. Lame place never again after this experience! I should have just got my money back ! Wasn't even worth it!
(1)
Morgan M.
The perfect spot for after work cocktails with some coworkers. They have 3 stages, one outside and two located inside at different bars. All of the cocktails were great, and I only tried a small bite of the food which was so-so. Tip: Go to the back bar, they have a few barstools that are saddle chairs.
(3)
Bruce B.
I recommend that this restaurant go through "bar rescue". The atmosphere is great, the entertainment fantastic , bar drinks above average, but the food needs help. Bar Rescue would turn this place into a great business.
(2)
Jamie R.
I'm ONLY giving two stars bc dj vertigo is here, or it would be a one! The bartenders have no idea what they're doing past wearing shorts short enough to be underwear. I had to go back to the bar bc my tonic and vodka tasted like tonic, then my next one tasted like some blueberry sugary headache... If that wasn't annoying enough they GAVE my friends debit card to another girl with black hair bc she "looked like her" and also had a "weird last name". When I expressed concern and shock to my friend the bartender then responded with "ohhhhh it was your card??" and a dumb as rocks look on her face. All the mgr did was give my friend a free drink and took down her info in case they "found" the card. Luckily my friend called and blocked her card, but not before she had a gas and jack in the box charge on it! Great job not doing your job bartenders! Go for vertigo, and bring CASH!
(2)
Victor C.
Came here for lunch with my family and it was pretty dope. Upon parking the outside of the building just jumps out at you with its old fashioned text and signage. A large brick wall from the old dealership still stands displaying an awesome "original Mikes" logo with the deer in the middle. The inside is pretty awesome as well. It was an eclectic mix of like the 1950's meets steam punk, meets the taxidermist. A fire burns in the fireplace flickering adding to the unique ambiance. Our waitress was a tall blonde girl and i dont remember her name she was attractive and provided quick and decent service. The girl at the entrance was really nice too. We started off with some carne asada nachos and they were so good, on par with any authentic mexican restaurant some of the best i've ever had. I then ordered a black chicken sandwich or something like that it had apples, tomato, sprouts and a garlic mayo really unique and tasty flavor combo that will leave you craving it later. The string fries were good. The water and lemonade i had were good. Really no complaints.
(4)
Robert S.
This place gets 4 STARS from me because of the atmosphere and entertainment value they offer. I've gone to Original Mike's on 3 different Wednesday nights during the last 6 weeks or so, to enjoy their Old School R&B night. The place is pretty large, and has a unique (meaning not "cookie cutter" floor plan). The property sits on a very large, corner lot, and has a huge parking lot with plenty of space. They have a very large, outdoor patio where they have a karaoke DJ and a well-lit state, for people to go up and sing. Inside, the resident performer in weekly rotation is a guy named DEREK BORDEAUX. This man sang backup for Luther Vandross in the early 1990's, and his voice is on many R&B radio singles from that time period as a studio singer. He's bald and kinda fat now, but his voice is still as amazing as ever. I will give the in-house sound system that they have about a 9.0 out of 10.0. They have a really good sound man who also works as the DJ on nights when live bands aren't performing. The experience is great, and is well-worth the drive to get there, if you like live, Old School R&B. The average age of the crowd is 45+, but they were friendly, and I didn't feel uncomfortable in a room full of people that age. The food was average, meaning not great, but still okay. Similar to what you would get at Hooters, but you don't go to Hooters just for the food, either, do you? Worth checking out...
(4)
Dave H.
Ate here for the first time the other night, had the Chorizo burger it was awesome and it was paid for by someone else. Can't beat free.
(4)
Jessica M.
BAR ONLY -- NOT FOOD-- If you are looking for a FUN time with an eclectic crowd, this is the place you need to be. We weren't a huge fan of the food, actually we probably would not eat their again, but we went on a Wednesday night and HAD A BLAST. There was everything from dancing, a live band, a hip hop room on the opposite side of the restaurant, to karaoke on the patio. Everyone was in a great mood and got along with one another. I would definitely visit again if I was in Santa Ana. =)
(4)
Barbara C.
So-so. We stopped here on Sunday after the Patchwork Show. My veggie burger was ok but my friend's burger was nothing but a big slab of fat (yuck). Sitting on the patio listening to the band was nice and they allowed my dog on the patio. I honestly think Original Mike's is more of a bar than a restaurant but I'm new to CA so I'm just making an assumption.
(2)
Michelle F.
Don't go on a Sunday evening and expect a fun time. A large group of friends and I went to have drinks and fun, but didn't experience that! Main bar was off limits for a ticketed event that was not starting for another 4 hours and side bar was closed for a Zumba class. Tried to make best of afternoon but bartender ignored us and charged our DD $4 for bottled water, even though she requested a glass of water!
(2)
Brandi M.
My boyfriend and I went to original mikes last night for my best friend's birthday and karaoke night. Ariana was our "server." And I say it like that because I saw her twice that night. Once when she took my order and then I had to flag her down for my check (which I NEVER do at a restaurant being that I'm a server and I hate that). She never asked or brought drinks for us (I had to ask a busser for 2 waters and go to the bar for a beer. I don't know if she thought she was just going to get a great big tip because of the big party I was in or if she just didn't give a crap about her job. But I tip based on service and how polite you are and she was a terrible waitress. Oh, I would also like to add that she did not know what tables ordered what because she came to our table twice with drinks that weren't ours and because she couldn't find the person that ordered a whiskey and coke, so she handed it to an UNDERAGED girl in our party after she joked around about taking it. (No she didn't drink any of it, but that waitress should've lost her job on the spot for serving someone that was underage and not asking for ID). She came back with another beer and kept telling this guy that he ordered it and was asking where he had gotten the beer that was in front of him and he told her "I didn't order from you, I went to the bar and got this beer myself" and she kept interrogating him like he wasn't telling the truth. CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT! Regardless, if they aren't being honest (which he was), you should never waste your time arguing with a customer about where and how he got his drink! Maybe if you were actually checking on your tables and asking if they need anything he would've ordered with you!! Never again do I want to come to a place with such terrible service. I hope the management sees this review and takes this matter into their own hands. I would never treat any guest like they don't matter and I would hope that they want the same for their company.
(1)
Ingrid V.
This place is the epitome of "Just OK" Was it bad? No! It most certainly was not bad... Was it good? Well, it tasted alright... but nothing fantastic. Worth the price? Nope, I don't think so. Went here with two wonderful friends and this is our experience: Me: Santa Fe Burger 10.95 "Topped with a chili relleno, special salsa verde, pepper jack cheese, grilled white onions, and tomatoes, on a toasted sesame bun. EXCELLENT!" --No.... not "EXCELLENT". Burger was on the dry side, pepper jack cheese wasn't very peppery. Chili relleno was kinda good. I got it with onion rings. Now those were delicious. My friend Kevin: Texas Style BBQ Bacon Burger 10.95 "Our famous! With, BBQ sauce, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles, bacon, on a toasted, sesame seed bun and garnished with an onion ring" --Well, he ate it. I asked if it was good. He replied, "I was hungry." Hmmm. My friend Hana: Grilled Rib Eye Steak with Garlic Butter 20.95 "A 14oz. steak grilled to order, and complimented with garlic mashed potatoes in a wild Mushroom demi glaze and steamed veggies" --She actually loved this. Mentioned that the steak was actually quite good. I ate her veggies. :) Final thoughts? Cute place, fun decor, nice outdoor patio, good service. Food quality is ok, but not for the prices they charge.
(3)
Kasey F.
I went to Original Mike's for my sister Graduation, It was on a late night, and we all wanted to celebrate my sister senior Graduation, so we went out to eat at OG Mike's. When we got there I already felt welcomed, and everybody smiling having a goodtime. We were seated in the back area, where the bar was next to a window where you can see people dancing and enjoying singing time. After we were done eating, We went to go see the jazz singer and man it was incredible, people dancing, I call myself an old soul so what I did is started dancing with people and they were so welcoming and my sister was having fun for graduation. Thank you for making Original Mike's a special night for my sister.
(5)
Richard W.
I enjoy bringing friends to Original Mike's for the food and the atmosphere. My favorite dish is the meatloaf dinner.
(5)
Victor G.
I'm not a hamburger guy, but the burgers here all really good! I had the California burger, finished about half the meal, definitely worth it!
(4)
Candace M.
I attempted to meet my friends at original mikes right now and as I walked up to security to present my id, the security guard asked for me to grab the two guys that walked in behind me. After explaining I wasn't with them he grabbed my id and said he was keeping it. I finally got it back after asking nicely and being respectful. Usually I am such a fan, however the security guard was extremely rude, aggressive and made me feel uncomfortable. I am so sad to leave this on Original Mikes yelp because an actual employee told me later that he doesn't work for original mikes and that he was extreme and apologized on his behalf. I asked for his name and he said "none of your business get out". I then asked for the security company he works for and he refused that information as well. I will be calling in the morning to follow up :(
(1)
Viktamon P.
I had one bad experience here,but I'm over it.I love the live band and I love the old school jams. This place is great to just go chill, personally for me I don't see it as a hook up type of place.But that's just me.... Live Band / second room plays hip hop... 2 Bars / big outside patio A good place to just chill...
(3)
Nicole G.
This past Saturday we celebrated my moms 50th birthday here. Let me begin by saying our service was horrible & our party was very unorganized! When we arrived we asked for the food to be served at a certain time & it wasn't, I had to ask the hostess who had no idea what was going on.. In a contract which I never signed said we had to pay a certain percentage for the hostess but we never had a specific hostess we had to keep flagging random waiters down to ask for stuff.. We were also told we would have our own private section but random people kept coming taking our chairs sitting in our area at one point people were even grabbing our food.. I let a waitress know what was going on but nothing was done! My mom was very disappointed I think the only thing she enjoyed was the live band which she couldn't really enjoy because she was worried about her guest wondering if they got their drinks if they ate something usually what a hostess worries about not the guest of honor!! This is by far the worst place to celebrate a birthday! I do not recommend it at all!
(1)
Autumn L.
First off, the food is good enough for five stars.... But the service got it two stars. We were 2 of 6 people at the bar, it took about 15 minutes before we saw any menus and that's only because I had to go get them from the restaurant side. Took a total of 25 minutes to get drinks and are order taken. They weren't that busy inside, but had a group of people out side, everyone was working the outside area and not the bar area. Once the food was ordered it took another 35-45 minutes before we even saw are food. Great food(even though it was Luke warm from sitting at the waiting station for 20mins.) had to borrow condiments from the person next to me, had to get up walk to the other end of the bar to get water and they tried to put it in a dirty glass. Then they sat it Down and didn't even bring it to me were I was siting. Maybe they opened and forgot to staff more than 3 people for the group the had outside. The best service I got there was when it was cash out time, The security went to the computer, rang us up and stood there while I signed the receipt.( why was he working behind there don't ask me), he cashed us out and served drinks. He went from being the bar back to being the main bartender. This was the second time in a year I had crappy service here, last time it was me and my brother, we were the only ones there and the seemed mad because the had to work.....been here only two times and it's been 10 months apart! All in all, if you have 5-8 hours to kill for a hamburger and 1beer(they never came back to see if we wanted anymore to drink or how the food was) then this is the best place is southern California for you, put it at the top of your list. Everywhere else will disappoint you By running the place right and serving you... Nick
(2)
Rick R.
Place is clean and nice. Went for lunch on a Sunday, made reservations as well and service was crap. Took 15 mins just to get sodas and water. Took 40 mins for them to take our order. When the food arrived it was hit and miss. The nachos were burnt. Steak was good, but the burger was under cooked. They never came back to see if we needed anything or even refill our drinks... Definitely won't come back, unless its to the bar only.
(1)
Marian L.
This place is nice to go to for drinks after work. I don't like going there too late. I had dinner there too late on a Saturday and it became a nightclub while we're eating which was really annoying. It was really dark and the fog machines were churning while we were trying to eat. The club seemed okay, but not really my type of music and environment. The food is okay but I don't understand why it is very overpriced. The venue itself is pretty nice. It is fairly large and they have different events there almost every day.
(2)
Marc D.
Went to Original Mike's on a Sunday afternoon a few weeks ago to chill with a small group of friends. Weather was perfect to sit out on the patio, sip a few cool brews, chow down on decent bar food, and listen to a really good band, Alter Ego. The group of four guys seemed like they were really into putting on a good show for everyone, as well as having a good time themselves. The drummer was pounding the skins like he was sending signals to some other planet-- really awesome,. reminded me of Neil Peart, the Rush drummer. Some of the food we had: chicken nachos, sliders, taquitos, and burgers were all much better than ordinary bar food. Check out the calendar on OM's website and go when Alter Ego is on stage. You won't be disappointed.
(4)
Serena P.
I went here last Friday for my 21st Birthday & I had an Aamazing time it was so much fun !! Definately a night to remember :)Its a $10 cover charge but totally worth it , dress to impress , its a mixed crowd older & younger , the music is good I was up & down the dancefloor . .in one room its funk & hip hop (mixed) in the other its spanish & they have an outside patio which is nice cause frm dancing all night long you get hot & its nice to get some air they also have a band playing in the outside patio . .umm they make the drinks pretty strong there and not very expensive it was $9 for an la water & AMF but very worth it :) I had a very FUN experience :) Definately will be goin back :)
(5)
Michael A.
This was my place I went to back in the day with my friends around five years ago. I liked this place because it had my name on it, and I'm original. Ok maybe not. Otherwise the drinks were cheap along with a patio, live music in one room and a DJ in the other, so I thought to myself "hey this is a great place." Well since then after my last visit a few years ago, it's falling off fast. DJ still plays old music and drinks are not strong and cheap. At least the good thing was that there were attractive women that wanted to dance and have a great time in the end.
(3)
Gstar K.
Last Thurs. establishment treated mixed social time-killers to this: OC Film Fiesta: Latino Short Film Program, September 16, 5:00pm A selection of short films by up & coming US Mexican filmmakers screened during Original Mike's Happy Hour "Movies & Margaritas" night along w/signature "Independence Day" cocktails {such as The El Guapo, The Plethora (my choice definitely!), Little Kneddy & of course 3Amigos--to highlight movie themes--todo que bueno!!!} Celebrate the next generation of Latino filmmakers. And also... ¡Three Amigos! (...Huge Personal Fave!!! ;-)... This classic 1986 John Landis comedy starring OC's own Steve Martin, Chevy Chase & Martin short follows the misadventures of a trio of silent movie stars who are mistaken for actual revolutionary heroes by villagers threatened by the menacing El Guapo, played to the hilt by Alfonso Arau. Was actually my 2nd time here. 1st time didn't even make it pass entrance b/c for some arbitrary over-hyped club nite, was charging an obscene $20/person. After having a great time volunteering as event host for MS Benefit @Yost Theatre around the corner, for OC Good Life main organizer Roberto [ meetup.com/OC-Good-Life/… ...was up to chill more than clubbing. So skipped it. But thankfully, good/nice/super cool NO COVER opportunity to return/check it out again presents itself thru awesome OCWeekly [ ocweekly.com/events/andi… Scouring for fun things to do, found the event above, alerted my Latino buds, & the 3of us, on almost short notice re-discovered how major cool O.M. really is! Greeted by large outdoor patio, Spacious 2part ornate/kitschy, complete giant deer head decorative dining rooms/bars/dancefloor/live bands, high fanned ceilings, wide stage for the movie screenings & other performances. Best: the service was not as slow nor unfriendly as reported. Even one host, a round sweet guy kept making sure friends & I were kindly helped all throughout the eve. Perhaps they read other Yelpers posts & adjusted their M.O. for O.M. ;-) Btw, coincided w/their constant bikers convention nite was an added fun bonus to their classic auto collection decor.
(4)
Jacqueline F.
This liked theplace, i thought it was awesome how they have vintage cars and all the decorations. So i went there because my friend wanted to go, when we got there; there was a lot of bikers, they were having a gathering. They played really good music, after that they had like a race in their bikes in front of Original Mikes. My friend and I got there a little after 7pm, so we did not catch the happy hour special & i am always down for happy hour because Martinis are always half off. However we still bought margaritas and martinis, the service was awesome. After that we ordered there mother load with beef, and that was delicious. Its one of the appetizers. I really recomend people to show up before 7pm to get the specials.
(5)
Eric B.
I think this place gets a bad rap. A roadhouse is a unique concept for the OC - especially in Santa Ana, and Mike's really pulls it off. Once you wlka inside, you realize this place is really a lobaor of love for the owners. Eclectic decor dominates and each piece is a little conversation piece. the menu is vast, and every dish I've had is very good and ample. Surprisingly good Ahi salad, and thick grilled burgers. At night it is party central, with tons of every walk of life, Karaoke and saddle bar seats - worth a shot just for the experience. Out of respect for my girl, I won't even mention the hot hostesses.
(4)
Emily L.
The food is good and the service is wonderful. I'm not too sure why fellow Yelpers disagree. I've only been here once and I thought the food was really good. It's a bit on the pricey side but it was worth it. I had a clam chowder soup with a caeser salad. The chowder was nice and thick and it didn't have that excess starch(y) taste. Salad was eh but the chicken that came with it was nicely grilled. My friend had the swordfish sandwich (special of the day) and it was excellent! I've never had swordfish sandwich before so maybe my review of this could be a little bias? Anyway, I definitely recommend it. Burgers looked very hearty and appetizing. The fries that come with it are SO good! Crispy and not too oily. I think what really made me give this place 4 stars and not 3 is because the food comes out HOT, not lukewarm but HOT and that's the way I like it. At other restaurants I've been to, they usually have the heated plates but the food isn't necessarily hot. This place is worth a try, really!
(4)
Keisha V.
Happy HOUR 3-6 Monday thru Saturday! The best margarita pitchers for $15 and Nachos (best happy hour menu item!). Cool atmosphere. As for the nightly events held at this place, I cannot comment on. I don't mess with this place after 9 pm LOL.
(4)
Matthew C.
So, against my better judgment I allowed the kids into talking me into going here. I like to refer to places like these as charging a 'stupidity tax.' You have to pay it if you are dumb enough to eat at a place whose chief draw is the cool decor and as a result, the mediocre food costs 2-3x (read Hard Rock Cafe). So we sit down and I see platters of fried crap flying by. And we wait. And wait. Not a waitress says, "I'm sorry, we'll be with you in a moment." Mind you, I am not at the bar watching the game, I have 3 hungry kids. After 15 minutes of this stupidity, we walk out and no one seems to notice. To be avoided.
(1)
Rick B.
For me its all about the food and the service and Original Mikes delivered. We were greeted right away & our Ice Tea glass was always full. The buffalo wIngs were big and a great deal at happy hour pricing and I wasn't drinking. I also had a Chicken club with onion rings it hit the spot. The sandwich had an option to come with gorgonzola cheese which may be exotic for some but a nice touch. Gorgonzola is just Italian Blue cheese but more creamy. Killer breading on the onion rings. This place is a large facility and can hold quite large events with plenty of parking.The dining area is nice and open and not loud like so many other places. They have a few classic cars and fake sharks and other fish to look at. They have the dining area away from the bar. The patio is really nice with huge Canary Island and other palm trees. They use to hold big events like Rose Royce on the weekend a few years ago but I am unsure if they still do.
(5)
Robert M.
The use of space here (this used to be a Buick Dealership and is huge) is genius. The decoration is interesting. Service is always slow (it seems), and the food is nothing to write home about. But this is a fun place to listen to live music, karaoke, or to get a beer.
(3)
Karina C.
My cousins and I go to OG Mike's to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, job promotions, and everything in between. The staff is friendly, and the waiters are wonderful. The food is decent (have only eaten there once), but they have a fully stocked bar and have been able to make everything we have requested in the times we've been there. If the don't know how to make it, just google it on your SmartPhone, and they'll hook you up! The nightclub has two dance floors and the music is pumping on Friday and Saturday nights. I appreciate the fact that there is a DJ spinning on the patio, which is nice for when you want to get a breath of fresh air and rest from dancing and just chill.
(4)
Brad H.
Good. Poor beer selection. Just the basics. Very Raider Nation, but a great place to watch Football if you dare.
(3)
Mark M.
Really not a lot to say. Was in town for work. Drove by the place. The rest--not great service, pretty terrible food, etc--is history.
(2)
jonathan s.
the food is average but what grossed me out was we sat by the kitchen, saw a waitress bring food back to the station like it was sent back for something. she then handpicked some chicken and other stuff off the top of the salad (in plain sight of several tables) and then brought it back to the table in the other room. this happened before i got my meal. i wanted to leave. so gross. i dont even remember what i got but never going back.
(1)
Nathan H.
Original Mike's is a great place to go with all the family. My God children and I just had visited the Santa Ana Zoo and we had hearty lunch at Original Mike's. Our server recommended the great burgers and kids loved them! I had the turkey burger and it was tasteful! The atmosphere was great and the kids loved it! The service was great and the outdoor patio is awesome!
(5)
Jason P.
I'm surprised by the low rating for this place. I have only ever been here for lunch, but I have been here a lot. It is convenient to the OC Courthouse, and is a great place to head before or after your business there. I was on a two-month long trial, and came here at least 2 or three times per week during that time. We grabbed a couple tables on the patio and were able to spread out with our papers and work through lunch. The food is simple yet tasty, and the fries are great. I recently switched firms and introduced some of my colleagues to Original Mike's after a seminar at the Bankruptcy Courthouse, and they all loved it (and there are definitely some food snobs in that group). I finally stopped by here on a weekend for lunch, with my wife and baby daughter before a trip to the Santa Ana Zoo... and the experience was just as good as it was when I was a "regular." Also, this place is a ghost town on the weekend... or maybe we just hit it at a weird hour (noon?) on a Saturday... we were one of only two occupied tables in the entire joint. Another plus for this place, is that I hear it is popular with judges, so you may be able to rub elbows with the people who will be deciding your case someday... never hurts to get familiar with the powers that be!
(4)
Angelica A.
Brandon, the bartender, is awesome!
(5)
Trevor T.
We hosted a motorcycle night here on Wed. The staff was great (although we could have used another server on the patio) and everyone had a fun time. We had about 50 motorcycles show up. O. Mike's gave us the patio, set up special parking and let us show movies on a big screen using their audio. This time around I tried the Wet Burrito with green sauce. Stuffed with chicken, onions and green peppers, topped with cheese and a slightly spicy green sauce. Served with rice and beans and 3 (!) chips.
(4)
Sean P.
Ok, it's not in the best area and the decor is something out of a Joe's Crab Shack, but the Turkey Burger is the BOMB! A great place for lunch.
(3)
Momo M.
I don't know if this place is as bad as everyone is saying it is. They don't have THE BEST food, but it's nowhere near awful. Besides, the ambience is really cute. The building is a converted 1930's horse buggy dealership! The service was quick and friendly. I'd consider going back. True, the food is a little bit pricey for what you get, but it wasn't any more pricey than a Red Robin or Chili's. I had a barbecue burger with fries. The fries were skinny cut and a bit overcooked. Unfortunately, they weren't so much crispy as kind of hard. The burger was your everyday prefab patty. Nothing special, but nothing horrible either.
(3)
Scott M.
We started out on a bad note with our order getting lost, but Juan (the manager) made it all good and I'll definitely be back...
(4)
J C.
OG Mike's needs to have it's menu updated. The food was not good nor were the drinks. I had a Cosmo martini that had more water than martini. I also ate the pesto chicken sandwich which was surprisingly bland in flavor. The sweet potato fries tasted like old french fries. The only positive thing was the hamburger which was delicious! (hence the 2 stars). Overall a place was not great and we so not be coming back. Well only to see the car show.
(2)
Katherine F.
If I could give this place zero stars, I would. Awful food, poorly prepared, completely lacking in taste and highly overpriced. I had to ask for my enchiladas to be prepared with corn tortillas instead of flour tortillas, and they were still inedible. I was with my 17 year old son, and he ordered a hamburger and didn't even finish it. That should give you an idea of the quality. Even the staff must know it's terrible because our server didn't even both to ask if we wanted take-out containers for our barely touched food. That's 90 minutes and $50.00 I will never get back.
(1)
Emmie S.
Service is slow. Waiter came to my table & stood with a blank stare. My utensils were dirty. Once served, the waiter never came back to check on our table. The cook from the open kitchen actually tended to us when he saw we needed something. I ordered a pulled pork sandwich and I ended up with loads of BBQ sauce on white bread. Enough said. The decor is awesome however the food was awful.
(1)
Shemp H.
What a dump. They must be carbonating the beer with sneezes, or using the cola tanks - s'posed to be using CO2, gents. Beer was harshly fizzy, like angry Shasta cola. Two Stellas and you'll have a headache. That's just not right. Another thing - strategy of beer taps. What? When I ordered a shot and a beer the shot came from one bar and the beer came from a different bar. Bartender pours me the shot & sez, I'll be right back, sir. And he disappears! Where did he go? Across to the other bar. Comes back with the beer. The food was warmed over munchies. No effort or thought put in. The band was fine, the help was more or less fine. The place was CRAWLING with police, inside and out. Not a bad thing, but why all the ociffers? Two cops chatting with customers inside when we arrived, and three cop cars in the parking lot when we left.
(1)
Genesis L.
I had been dying to come here for some time but never had the chance to. I finally came with my boyfriend a couple weeks ago(: So we arrived and they asked us if we wanted to sit inside or outside- we decided inside. It was dark but not too dark with a lot of people. The waitress gave us the menu and we ordered- good thing it didn't take long for our food to be ready considering there was quite a lot of people. I ordered Big Mike's Special Cajun Pasta (Amazing!!) and it was delicious!! We had a good time there: great food, drinks, and music! I will mos def be back.
(4)
Jamie M.
Rotten service both times I've been here. Also the food is so average its completely forgettable.
(1)
Brett C.
Bar 6 of 8 on our Santa Ana pub crawl trek. And I wasn't too impressed. After walking allllll the way around the building to find the entrance, we were greeted to a 10 dollar cover. Luckily, they waived this fee for us for the pub crawl. When we entered, we thought it might have been karaoke night. Nope. Just a really awful band. After finding that the bartender on that side of the establishment wasn't aware of the pub crawl, we moved to the other side. Bar number 2 was a little bit more tolerable, with a DJ spinning mostly rap beats. After learning the pub crawl special was $2 Stella, I was bought a shot. It was tough to converse in the environment, so after the beer was done and the pictures of the saddles at the bar, we moved on. As we left, bar 1, it hit me. The band was playing what I would identify as very traditional Mexican music. I might have been one of the whitest patrons in the establishment (Robert C. can probably claim that title). The nightlife probably caters more to a Mexican crowd. All in all, a little too loud and a music genre mismatch for me. I can't say anything too bad about anything but the cover, this place just wasn't for me.
(2)
N L.
Everything about this place should be cool... but it's not. I've been craving a pulled pork sandwich and got shredded meat drenched in grocery store bbq sauce, swiss cheese, on white bread. The fries were thin, overly crunchy, and bland. And I didn't bother tasting the coleslaw, or at least that's what I thought it was.
(1)
Desi Z.
I just celebrated my 25th birthday here I loved the place! The music was good the food was good services was good I would defiantly recommend this place if your having a party or gathering.
(4)
Melody R.
I came here for an event. We had the outside patio which was pleasantly big n cozy w heaters. There was a few appetizers through the tables n it was surprisingly very good. The chicken nuggets were the best (very addicting). The dj n Banda kept the dancing going the whole time. Downside- the bartender was slow, even though there wasn't many ppl inside at all n she didn't know how to make a few drinks. To give her some credit, I did overhear she was new. They also ran out of Crown early in the day. For being a Sunday, yes the place was pretty empty bt we didn't care cause our party was outside.
(3)
Kevin F.
I have never been any where with worse service. The food was just okay and certainly not worth the wait. Original Mike's took up so much of our time that I have no time to write anything else about the place except: horrible, horrible, horrible.
(1)
Erica W.
We went there for lunch yesterday. As we were being seated we noticed a waitress hiding out in a corner texting. Turned out she was our waitress. Took our order, food was so-so. She came back and asked my b/f if he would like another beer, he said yes. She promptly turned around and sat in a back booth and started texting again. Never brought his second beer. Another waitress cleared our table and brought me a box for leftovers (that I didn't end up eating). Place has potential to be cool, but fails miserably. Won't be going back.
(1)
Rene B.
i have been going here for 5 yrs the waitresses are great, the fat lazy security guy just likes to give his pals free drinks, I know 3 of the waitresses and they are great !!! most the time it's been ok, but over the years I do get burnt out on watching that same fat bouncer comp drinks to his pals, I don't think it's right ! Now the last time I was there about 4 months ago I was with my gal pal, we pulled up to the bar as usual. New bartender I hadn't seen prior, seamed nice enough. Was not to busy, wasn't dead. We ordered drinks ( I normally do mixed, but I drover her suv so I limit to 1 beer an hour) so were at our second round of drinks.. and were out, I ask for the bill, the guy puts the glass with the receipt in front of me, off the bat I notice it's pretty long for 4 drinks.. so I tell him hey I think you gave us the wrong tab. He yells at me, NO IT YOUR TAB. I grab it and I say, well we didn't have 8 vodka's and apps.. he says yes it's your tab.. I yell louder Dude your giving us the wrong tab.. he says don't yell at me or I'll kick you out.. I laugh he says what are you laughing at.. I said, go ahead kick me out I'm happy to have free drinks since your wrong.. he walks over looks at me I say I ordered 4 F*CK^N coronas for me and her. He looks at the tab, goes back brings me the correct one. Doesn't say, O sorry I screwed up nothing... So I leave him 1 cent tip and never go back again. Mind you last year I had my client get married and I did the video for them, she wanted a spot for the rehersal dinner so I sent her here, and the other countless people I will NEVER send back to this place, as that's not the first time I've seen bartenders give someone crap. They forget that you give crappy service you don't make money. Not to mention I get tired of seeing the security dude toss drinks to his pals and act like he owns the joint. Sad as the place is a great place, food is decent and the decor is great, the outside patio rocks too. But the bartender and security guy blew it for me. Simple, stay AWAY !
(1)
chris j.
THIS PLACE REALLY REALLY SUCKS!!!!! Someone had to say it!! It might as well be me. This review is mainly about the restaurant. Dinner tonight was my fourth visit,someone is always talking me into giving it one more try. I give up! I have never enjoyed a single item at this place,service really sucks,and they charge way to much for frozen dinner type food. Actually,a Boston Market frozen meatloaf is what i picked up on the way home since i sent my plate back over at Mikes Un-original,at least it will be ready in 8 minutes,not 30,i can also get a glass of water in under 20 minutes at home....avoid the restaurant.
(1)
Todd G.
My two daughters go to OC School for the Arts down the block. We decided to get a quick dinner after school (5pm). The restaurant was empty. We waited 1hour and 20 minutes for our simple food-burgers and a salad. I asked the manager to come over. Manager said that we could come back later for the entertainment and sit at the bar for free. My daughters are 13 & 14 years old. I just asked him where our food was-maybe he ate it-he must of been over 400lbs. NEVER GOING BACK AGAIN. IF YOU HAVE KIDS GOING TO OCHSA DONT GO HERE AND WAIST YOUR $$$$$$$$$$
(1)
Richard U.
Quick summary (for the tweeting generation) - Just about the worst service I think I have ever had. Food was average once we were served. With my wife and another couple, we ventured over to Santa Ana to partake in the DÃa de los Muertos event (I highly recommend this event). We wandered over to Mike's because we were hungry and this looked like the only place that had available seating due to the crowds. Who knew being with the dead would make us so hungry? But it did and we were! Mike's has the look and feel of a good, big sports bar/restaurant and my expectations of the food quality were adjusted accordingly. Also seems to have events like live music going on. We were seated almost immediately and then ignored by what looked like our waitress for 45 minutes. Does spending time with the dead make you invisible to the living? We finally caught a waiter walking by and complained. He immediately apologized and offered a free round of drinks because of our wait. Ok, not a bad recovery. So we ordered our drinks and then waited. You see where this is going? Drinks finally came and then we ordered our food...and...here it comes...we waited and waited. The original waitress that was supposed to serve us came up to me and asked if anyone had taken our order. I started to laugh. Over an hour later and she asks this question. Amazing. Food came. It was reasonable sports bar food. The bill came and guess what? Yep, the promised free drinks were on the bill! Ugh! So why did we wait all that time? Every other place in the area was packed. No place left to go within walking distance. It looked like people at the bar were being served immediately. If I ever have to go back to Mike's, I will sit at the bar.
(1)
jess s.
the worst service i ever got anywhere I'll never go back every server completely ignored me and my group and when you finely get some attention to get some service they are completely rude they acted as if we were bothering them i only wish i could put less than one star
(1)
Khalid N.
Service seemed to all be high. Friendly enough, but we had to walk to them to get their attention. Bad with refills and follow up. Food was ok. Turkey cranberry was the best choice. The old decor was the only really good thing about the place.
(2)
Ken M.
Best burger joint in OC. The food is fantastic, I've never had anything I didn't enjoy. Juan the manager is a really nice, attentive guy and the main serever - Marsha is also great. Big place, nice outdoor area. They even sell cigars there and have an upstairs cigar bar. Overall - I totally love this place.
(4)
Phil T.
Planned to go to Lola Gaspar on a Sunday and when I got there it was closed. My fault for not checking. Anyways, walked over to Original Mikes for some eats and a drink. The place was pretty dead inside. Not many customers. Took a seat at a table in the bar and waited as the waitress passed our table numerous times without even acknowledging that we were there. After about 10 mins of this just got up and left. I give 2 stars just because I didn't get to try the food. The service totally sucked and is worthy of 1 star. Why is service so crappy at so many places? Is this the new norm?
(2)
Jessica B.
I came here for lunch on a Sunday. The place was pretty empty but it looks like more of a night life kind of place. The restaurant is in an old Oldsmobile dealership, and the decor is of old Santa Ana. I though it was a pretty neat looking place. I had the meatloaf sandwhich for lunch, it was very flavorful. They have lots to choose from on the menu, I want to go back to try more items!
(4)
Rosa P.
Had lunch on a Saturday afternoon, the place was a ghost town. The prices were average and the food was good, but not great. I will not be returning again... there is better food out there.
(1)
Andrea B.
Great live music on Sundays. 30 - 60 crowd. Saturday nights is a club crowd.
(4)
Francis S.
CIGAR FRIENDLY beautiful outdoor patio with a decent small humidor, wifi and drinks....great place to work in the afternoon while your 11 year daughter is off at OCHSA summer camp....Food is basic Americana but having a place to work and smoke cigars 3 blocks from OCHSA is a winner...
(3)
Austin T.
This place is a great place to come and watch a game at. There's is plenty of TVs and two huge screens to watch on. The screen that goes in a circle on the ceiling is my favorite. They had Sunday deal today that was buckets of beers(6) was 13.50 which I didn't mind and they had delicious nachos, probably some of the best but I mean how can you mess up nachos? They Also had a live band playing outside on there patios area which really added to the great atmosphere. The thing I found weird was it was not crowded at all so i don't know if that was a fluke or what but I definitely recommend going here for a game sometime and check it out I am sure you will enjoy it.
(3)
DESERIE F.
What a joke this place is! We are part of the entertainment that plays at this place.!! If you only knew how they treated and paid their entertainment. Go in and negotiate pricing with them... then after you play - they try to change up the pricing. They have shorted me every time!!! OVER IT! **** ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY*** DO NOT PLAY AT ORIGINAL MIKES THEY TRY TO RIP YOU OFF!!!! RALPH AND JUAN - DONT RUN BUSINESS RIGHT! TOLD ME I COULD COME BACK IN TO PICK UP A CHECK - AND IF HE FELT LIKE WRITING ONE THEN HE WOULD AND IF HE FELT LIKE HE DIDNT HE WOULDNT!!! SO 2 CAN PLAY THAT GAME! MAYBE I DONT FEEL LIKE PLAYING ANYMORE WHEN YOU EXPECT ME TO... OR MAYBE I DONT WANT TO PLAY THE ENTIRE NIGHT? WE WILL SEE!! TOP IT OFF CHECK WASNT EVEN GOOD WHEN WE TRIED TO CASH IT... - SAID HE WOULD PUT MONEY IN ACCOUNT TO COVER IT!! - EVERY TIME I EAT AT THIS PLACE - I GET THE CRAPS TOO.. PROBABLY ALL THE ROACHES IN SANTA ANA COMING OUT!!!! - UPDATE THEY PAID ME THE ADDITIONAL MONEY FINALLY - BUT TOOK OUT THE BAR TAB THEY GAVE ME!! O NICE JUAN... U WILL GET THE SAME SERVICE FROM ME!! OVER IT!!! FOLLOW ME ON FACEBOOK: WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/DEZIEDEZ24.7
(1)
Corina S.
If you are a sports nut and want to see the game right, go here, The patio was nice and spacious and they play live music, cool. Went here for lunch, we sat in the bar area so service wasn't that great, next time I will definitely suggest the dining room. The menu was better than a typical bar menu.
(4)
William R.
I've rarely been to a place that looked so nice yet served such mediocre food. The outside's nothing to write home about (I suppose the parking's more than adequate), but the interior impressed me with the saloon/bistro/romantic bar (is there such a thing?) vibe it had going on. The atmosphere made me want to eat there. That's impressive. The food, however, wasn't. Everything (the taquito appetizer, my girlfriend's meatloaf, my steak fajitas, the Coke), tasted as if it'd been pulled from the freezer and heated in the microwave. In fact, I don't think I should even compliment it that much--I'd be insulting microwaves. Everything cost over $10, and that's way too much for food I could have bought at Costco myself for half the price. Even if the service had been spectacular--and it wasn't, probably because my lady and I weren't drinking--the food would still have convinced me to never return and waste my money. Which is what it did. I've only been once; I won't be back. Of course, if I had sat at the bar and, with an already full stomach, gotten hammered instead, well, then, maybe I would tack on another star.
(1)
Barbara E.
I give this restaurant one star for the decor. Loved it. Everything else, forget about it, unless of course you like super greasy food. First I ordered meatloaf and it was so salty it would have killed anyone's gum infection in a minute. I sent it back and asked for a hamburger well done. The waiter returned with the hamburger so bloody, I though I heard it MOO. The grease was dripping off onto the bun so that the bun was soaked like a wet sponge. UGH. SO not worth it!!!!
(1)
Tim R.
For OC, it's rare to find a place with character and good food...I love what they've done with this place, and it's one of the only places with consistent live music. The patio in summer time is awesome.
(5)
Tam D.
Meh- came here for the OC Happy Hour and the waitress didn't know what the specials were and the food wasn't that good. The place is HUGE, though I found it odd that you can only get draft from one side and mixed drinks from the other. Even at 8 PM the place was still dead. I'll pass...
(2)
Danielle B.
The food is expensive and Sat nights aren't too crowded... but Fri nights are great! The place gets full around 10:30-11. Drinks are pricey but good.They usually play hip hop on Fri nights so it's a good time on the dance floor. My friend and I always have Original Mike's in mind as a back up when plans fall through. Oh! only thing is, it's $10 to get in the door on Fri. :/ Also, because it gets crowded, you may have to park on the street, or down the block and walk to the place.
(4)
Kat N.
Was excited way back when this joint first opened, maybe two years or so ago? It's right down by the office and we thought, "Cool, new lunch and after work drinks spot!" Sadly, it's a waste of an otherwise great venue and there's nothing original about the food or the ambience. The food is barely a notch above Denny's and the prices are way too much for the fare served. Paid $35 for lunch for two, one was a burger, the other a sandwich with a side salad and two sodas. With Memphis/Gypsy Den/Pangea down the street, it's not like I'll ever be desperate enough to go back here.
(2)
Maria R.
This place is mostly hispanic, I love my people, but enjoy diversity! This place had a lot of bald guys that looked scary to even look at. It was $10 to get in which was totally not worth it. I came here for the late night at the dance floor, but I have more fun at other places.
(1)
Brian S.
part bar, part restaurant, part club/venue pretty good after work spot - think of it as "the usual" place. most evenings it's crowded and some of the clientele is not my style but it's hard to find anything else comparable nearby that can compete. the good news, if the main bar is full or you can't find enough seats the 2nd (overflow) bar can usually handle it, if you get there early enough. part of the reason is they have a bad habit of reserving a whole lot of tables, like close to half, for people who feel like showing up way after the majority of the work crowd has arrived. also the service outside of lunch hours is normally terrible or nonexistant but occassionally decent. don't be surprised or shocked, we've had huge tables full of regulars that can't even get someone to come by and take another drink order and especially not with a 'tude. easier just to get up and walk 20 feet to the bar, as sad as it sounds. the patio seating is also another good option, but first-come-first-served. there is usually live music playing outside after work hours near the end of the week which is a plus. this place also prides themselves as a small venue for various bands and different acts (rock, blues, jazz) so be aware this is part of the reason it can be really hard to find a seat in the main bar after 5pm, since the live acts that are not really my thing, tend to start setting up around 7-8. it also brings mass hordes of people making popping in for a drink difficult (not to mention parking impossible), but I usually try and get out of there by that time. but don't be dismayed, it's great for lunch... really good food and very generous portions (I usually get the chicken fajitas). the happy hour (4-6?) appetizers/bar food will get the job done, but nowhere near as good. beer selection is small but reasonable. but that makes it good for a $3.50 beer and a bite, and a great place to meet up with work friends so I'm not really swayed away as much as my warnings sound. decor is neat, this used to be an old car dealership and the back bar usually has some fine examples of old automobiles. it's also a historic location, right in the middle town at 1st/Main across from Santa Ana Fire Dept #1 the back room is also available to reserve for catered events and parties (on certain nights) in advance, for which the service is actually pretty good.
(4)
kelli d.
We went here last night for a bike night event. The event area was very nice. However slow service-not enough staff. My drink ( cosmo) was half water so I ordered an extra shot. So far everything was OK. For such a large place very limited on beers on tap, not much in the way of Microbrews. The cheese toast was standard but fine. The clam chowder was great. We stood up and took a few steps away from our table to see and hear some of the event and came back to have our table cleared, however our jackets were still in our seats so it was easy to tell we were still there. No big deal, stuff happens. When our bill came we were over charged , the waitress had no problem correcting. BUT she never came back to get our card. I took it to the bar and compained to the bartender who only made excuses about how busy it was. When I didn't put the tip on the card he made a very rude comment about "stiffing her" "thats no cool". At that point I told him that I give a cash tip on the table so the server doen't have to claim all the tips and that it was her business how she wanted to handle that. He just made another rude comment and I walked away. I was soo upset that I let the manager know and he said he would talk to him. I don't think we will be going back and I'll also let the event staff know of what service we hade.
(2)
Melody K.
I met up with some friends after work here on a Thursday night (No cover if you get there early). We got here pretty early so the place was really empty. I waited for 15 min before the waitress even came by to ask her for menus. After we received the menus we waited another 20 min to even order. As it was we had to flag someone down. They walked over to our waitress (who was at the other side of the restaurant talking with some friends) to let her know we were ready to order. She turned around to look at us and went back to her conversation. Maybe it was a sign we should not have eaten here. When the food arrived it looked like frozen food they had bought from Costco. Our appetizer mixed platter was $15 and barely even cooked/warm. Since the waitress was no where to be found we ended up ordering drinks at the bar. I had a strawberry margarita, which they royally messed up but corrected. The waitress FINALLY came by and asked us if we wanted another drink, so we ordered thru her. Another BIG mistake, 5 min later and still no drink. I walked up to the bar to get it myself and noticed my drink just sitting there waiting for the waitress to deliver it. As you can imagine she did not get a good tip. A band came on around 8ish, they were not bad just a bit loud. So we moved outside to the patio. I still had fun here because I was with a good group of friends. So unless you are meeting up with friends and don't mind bad service go, otherwise don't waste your time.
(1)
Leahman p.
The food is pretty good but the service sucks. Don't expect to see your server after you place your order. The kitchen staff will bring your order and then you're on your own. No follow up, no drink refills, nothing until your bill hits the table. Our server Marcia was less than stellar. I practically had to tackle her just to ask for a refill on my soda. I love good food, but I hate bad service. This place won't be high on my list for a repeat.
(2)
Kelly C.
I have only been here one other time and from what I recalled from many years ago is that I wanted to come back; however, I was sadly disappointed with the place and after reading the reviews on Yelp and Yahoo - I can see that I am not the only one who was appalled by some of the lack of customer service, as well as some of the customers they allow in there. I went to dinner on Saturday night & met some friends there. I mentioned to the hostess who we were expecting and even though I gave her specific details, she disregarded what I had said. Luckily I checked & I was able to meet up with my friends with no thanks to the hostess. I didn't expect her to entirely cater to me but it wasn't busy at all at the time, and not only did she not put forth any effort in helping but she lacked any remorse for forgetting - she attitude definitely reflected that if she didn't have work, then she wasn't going to. Not the kind of attitude an establishment would want for a hostess I would think ??? The waiter was very nice but incredibly overwhelmed even with help from others. A couple days later I realized I might have left my camera there and when I called the phone number, I wasn't able to reach anyone but left a message that was never returned. Then attempted to email but no reply was ever made so I went there today only to encounter the same hostess who was still just as rude as she was on Saturday night. When I inquired about my camera once again, she quickly said they had a lost & found but it wasn't in there. When I requested her to double check, she acted like I was imposing on her when there weren't any other customer to tend to. Since I did not feel confident with her since both Saturday night and today, she didn't seem like a very nice person, I called the General Manager Juan Orozco. He was very nice to take my call and assured me that my camera wasn't there. I appreciated him double checking for me and I informed him of his hostess's behavior. It's truly unfortunate that a hostess like that still has a job when there are so many good hardworking people looking for employment. I doubt I will be back there anytime soon!
(1)
Kate T.
I was on jury duty in Santa Ana court house, and I didn't know what's around in the area within the walking distance. So I pick this place (I think at least I heard of the name before) on the restaurant map information desk gave to us. It was the furthest one on the map so it took me awhile getting there on my feet. When I arrived, I couldn't find the entrance...great.. more walking...and when I got in.. it was dark and empty.. creeeeeeeeppppyyy.. then when I walk inside, I see more people and more light (relief), the decor is very interesting, and the waitress gave me bunch of flyers since it was my first time. I look at the flyers, it's all about different events in the restaurant and schedule of the band playing. It took me awhile on the menu, so I ask waitress what's good and what's popular @ this place.. she told me every thing's good... great.. one of those, so she recommended the daily special. Okay, I'm good with that.. it come w/ a salad and the entree. I think the entree was some kindda chicken wrap and rice. After about 10 mins, the salad came out.. looks old and saggy.. ughh... I ate a few bite then stop, hopping the entree is better. After another 10 mins, the entree came out.. my jaw was about dropping.. the mix rice is those type you seem in the market, just add water.. there's only a little bit of rice.. watery and gross.. and the chicken wrap.. I don't think they use tortilla for the wrap, it's more like the middle eastern wrap, dry and heavy...........and few strips of chicken.. when I pick up the wrap and start eating.. the wrap start to deteriorate and falling apart. Instead of eating the wrap, I just eat the chicken inside... I called the waitress for my bill, it came out freaking close to $15 with tips... I don't think I even make that much per day w/ my jury duty's pay check!!! Disappointed.. and swear will never return again..
(1)
Annie P.
Went here last week and the food had improved since my last visit in 2007 I believe, however the service was still really kind of slow even though we were sitting on the patio. We went on the first Friday of month, which just about 1/3 to 1/2 of Santa Ana's working population wasn't there because of State of CA furloughs, but still I thought the service could've been a little more attentive. I am really tempted to give this place 3 stars, but I'll have to go again and see if they improve again.
(2)
Rachel Z.
I would never wish this service on my worst enemy! First of all, I was only going to this restaurant to meet a birthday party for dinner. Our reservation was for 7:30 but I got there at 8:30 because I had too work late... Big mistake!! Apparently they charge a $10 cover after 8:00. That would be fine if I wasn't going there strictly to have dinner. Instead of letting us go in and eat dinner with our friends, the snarky door girl said said that if we didn't pay the cover, then we could only go in and say "hi" to our friends. So, she took our ID's as collateral, and we went inside long enough to say hi to everyone and watch our friend open her gift. Then when we came back out to leave, the girl at the door decided to cause all sorts of drama and wasn't going to give our ID's back unless we paid the cover. I asked for someone over the age of 18 to speak to, and she brings over some meathead security guard. He starts barking at us to just pay the cover.. I wasn't about to pay ten whole dollars so I could walk in to a place and walk right back out. After dealing with those degenerate mutants working at the front door, I asked to speak to someone who spoke English and was higher up in the hierarchy. As soon as the head guard walked over and heard what his mentally challenged front door people were doing, he waived them away and gave us our ID's back. This place is not worth the prices. Older crowd, no one speaks English, slow service, overly priced/hyped food, too high of a cover charge, and anyone else who wrote a review here probably works there and wants people to come in so they can get more business.
(1)
heather n.
the service in the restaurant pretty much blows and the food is good but nothing to write home about. general menu of burgers, salads and various entrees not sure what the weekend is like but if you have to go to original mike's, wednesday night is the day to go... 2 words: PHIL SHANE! phil shane is fantabulous. he is a lil guy with elvis hair and swingin hips and sounds like a cross between elvis, neil diamond and tom jones. the crowd is mixed between: the old guys with terrible toupees that try to dance with all the ladies, young or old; the older ladies that look like they belong in either palm springs or vegas; and the 20-30 somethings in a group getting their drink on and giggling at how good and terrible phil shane is.
(3)
Helen N.
Original Mike's is okay. Their fries are really good, if you like them thin. And I usually get sandwiches here. Meatloaf, blt, patty melt, etc. The sandwiches are decent. The restaurant has a really cool atmosphere.
(3)
Susan S.
Today was my first visit to Original Mikes, and what a place, I was so impressed I couldn't believe what a "cool" place". We were greeted by a friendly blond waitress, when we told her it was our first time, she went over the menu and directed us towards the burgers and boy excellent is all I got to say, I had the Turkey burger because the waitress raved about it and my sister got the Santa Fe, both were outstanding. I will definitely go back again.
(5)
Genevieve L.
My hubs and I met up with friends here for my birthday and the place was totally dead on a Saturday night. The dance/hip hop band that was supposed to be playing-which was the main reason why we went there had been replaced by a salsa band. Don't get me wrong, I love salsa music, but it wasn't what we had in mind for that evening. It took forever to get service even though there was hardly anyone there. My dinner was ok, but so overpriced. I think had the halibut or the salmon and the filet was tiny. After the band played, our group was trying to get tipsy and they told us they were closing. It was about 10:30 on a Saturday. What the heck? Truely disappointing, I had heard good things about that place.
(1)
Scott B.
This place was fricke'en huge. Too bad the enchiladas weren't spectacular. I'd recommend this place for a large business lunch meeting and that's about it.
(2)
Arnold W.
We consider this place the "farewell" restaurant. Whenever someone quits from our company, we always come here for the "last" meal. I've been there 1.5 times. The first time I came here, we sat down and waited for like 10 minutes and wasn't even served, so we ended up leaving and going to Pangea! Horrible service, or lack there of! Deserved -1 star rating. Recently one of the members of the SWU quit, so we decided to go there. It's a huge restaurant, a little too big for the number of servers, but you have many places to sit. The decoration is pretty good, there's a large shark hung on the restaurant and with a few antique cars and fire truck. Not sure how the shark fits in. I ordered the burger here. It's just whatevers, nothing special about the burger. It's big, and will definitely over-fill you up for lunch. However, it's a bit too pricey. It'll run you about $12 for lunch, as to if you were to eat at Pangea or Gypsy Den, it'd be around $9-10. Services sucks! Nothing special about over-priced food. There's a reason why I've been working down the street for 1.8/12 years down the street and have only gone there once!
(1)
Beth M.
I went late, so just for the dancin. I had a great night but i can't attribute it to the location. two rooms, one has a latin band and the other a dj... the music was all over the place and kinda sucked... the crowd was NOT diverse. i was the ONLY white girl there and two of my friends were the ONLY black ppl there. It's all mexican. 10 bucks to get in and not worth it. One cool thing is at the bar, you sit on saddles, it's pretty tight!!!
(2)
Laura W.
Don't come here unless you are very hungry. The portions are HUGE. My bf & I shared the side salad that you can get with your dinner for $2.99 extra. Large enough for 2... pretty basic. My bf had the meatloaf. It is dense and rich and has the fennely flavor of sausage. Came with a pile o' green beans and mashed potatos. I ordered the rotisserie chicken. It came with a bunch of mixed veggies, mashed potatos and salsa. Tortillas were also to come with but my waitress didn't bring them and with all the food we didn't need them. The chicken was dry and unless you dipped in some salsa, I thought it was bland, to boot. The veggies were awesome. We saw a plate go by with onion rings so we threw in an appetizer order for some. We expected a small plate of 10 and instead got a mammoth plate neither of us could make a dent in. They were crispy and yummy. With a coke for my bf, the bill came to about $40. We both had plenty of leftovers and no room for desert. If you are in to it, they have a huge bar and tons of TVs for sports. Front courtyard with plenty of room for those of you who smoke.
(3)
Christa N.
this is another one of my "i liked the atmosphere, but the food is questionable" reviews. it's a bit unfortunate that this place has such horrible reviews. i came here for the first time today at lunch with my mom for her birthday. i was really impressed with the restaurant....okay...more with the decor and the setup than the food served in the restaurant itself. haha the place is really clean (despite the tacky carpet) since Mike owns half of Santa Ana and caters to lawyers and OC public health personal. (gotta keep up with the health codes if you wanna keep your clientele). it's pretty much official though...if i ever open up my own restaurant...and have enough money to buy such stuff, i'd want it to be something like Mike's. Open floor for displaying cars, two separate bars, and open kitchen (so you can see them make your food), and one themed decor. if you've ever been to this place, you know what i'm talking about...it's amazing. so we ordered the appetizer platter and its like everyone said, you could pretty much buy this at Costco for half the price (it was $15 bucks.) Dont get me wrong, it was A LOT of food. no way in hell could one person finish this plate. we didnt realize how big the platter was so we also ordered the soup and salad special and the penne a la fresa with chicken too...yea...LOTS of food. the soup and salad was really small for being $10 bucks. the clam chowder was good...but i think you could have gotten the same quality out of a Progresso can. and the pasta? not that great...Joe's Crab Shack makes a tastier pasta and i dont even think its THAT great there. 4 stars for the vibe/decor. 1.5 stars for the food.(it was edible) i think im being a bit generous with the stars...oh well. oh...and the service? our waitress was alright, not spectacular, not even good, just alright. and when we walked in the door, there was a server sitting on the stairs and another female one sitting in front of him...they looked at us...and not even a hello. i dont know...kinda sketchy isnt it?
(3)
Wayne C.
food is very average, not much to rave about. good happy hours prices though.
(3)
Monica M.
This place is great for office get together's and large groups. If you're one of the people reserving the section of tables. The food and drinks have been wonderful and The entertainment fun. I've been a number of times but for some reason the times I've gone I've only seem Phil Shane and funny and talented "Elvis" mini look a like who does a great many cover songs not too badly and a dance band "jump drive" both our groups like quite a lot. Whenever I've been there it's been comfortable being in my late 40's i can feel silly going to a bar but a far amount of the patrons here are my age or older. What the other reviewer said about the decor is true. You want to take a walk around and look at the whole place and yet every time I go back i see something else I didn't see before. The same is also true for the wait help. as the other reviewer said there is nowhere near the amount of help they need. You wait a long time for a drink if you don't walk up to the bar. One time a man with another group grabbed a tray the waitress left and started to serve drinks himself. but the place has always been a great place to go with 15-30 of our closest friends.
(4)
Anita J.
i was on jury duty and decided to check this place out for lunch.. not what i expected at all not very much to choose from and the food wasnt the greatest. they had flyers for their concerts they hold and i had been there before for a santa ana police party even the police officers were ghetto these chola girls were fighting and there was no security to stop it this night because it was a pd party. how sad how law enforcement cant control their own department. well aside from all of this the bartenders are only two for a big crowd with shitty attitudes they need to get more bartenders because theres no way they could provide good service with no bartenders to take your order i think i only had two drinks and that was within a 3 hour period because it took too long so my friend just ordered two drinks at once so she wouldnt have to wait over 20 minutes standing by the bar to get her second drink. how sad is this??? the dj however is the greatest on friday nights they need to be more selective of the people they let in this place.
(2)
Nancy M.
We definitely had good expectations on coming here; however, we waited at least 30 minutes and never got served. We were presented with menus but that was about it. I would say that this was a place with one of the worst customer service ever.
(1)
D D.
The food and service was 2 stars the cool cars and motorcycles bumped it up to 3 stars. I had the blackened chicken sandwich that was extremely bland. The apples on it tasted like they weren't fresh at all. Their was no hint of spice or seasoning at all. The bread was soggy. The only good thing was that the onion rings were hot. The service was really bad unless we ordered from the bar otherwise we never saw our server. I had to refill my own coffee twice. It's definitely not a place for kids on weekends.
(3)
Kenny G.
Service was great, I had the ribeye steak with a plain baked potato and sauteed veggies. Best cooked steak I've had in a long time. When I return tio Santa Ana I will be coming back.
(5)
Fatima B.
The food here is great...and so is the music! I came here on a Friday not so long ago after hearing about it for years. There is two dance floors...one plays Spanish and the other Funk/Hip-hop. Lots of rare funk and disco cuts, and the crowd was dancing the. entire. time. This is also the only spot I've been to where the DJ has Young & Company in their deck, so extra star for that. Get your head out of your butt, this is a bar, not a Hollywood club. lol Oh and as for the "cholas" and "cholos" who cares. They were all extremely cool with my party and I, and just danced the entire time.
(5)
Kristen T.
Ok here it goes!!!! Cons...... Came here on 5/09/15 I felt like I went in a time machine back to the early 90s ...cholos and cholas all over this place ..it was weird the ppl were so outdated ..I felt like I needed a bulletproof vest ..Just saying .. PROS..... Even though everyone in this place looked like trouble making cholos they were all cool .. No trouble .. No stupid drunk lil kids ..THIS WAS A PLUS The drinks were strong .. Two dance floors .. Old Skool on one dance floor The other dance floor played Spanish music.. So if this is your type of place by all means go on over to OG MIKES .. If u want today's music and non gang affiliated guys and girls .. Don't come here!! Keep it moving .. Go to proof ..
(3)
J. S.
They seated us right away in the bar area. We waited at the bar area as there was a man putting away straws, napkins, cups, etc.. After some time he decided to acknowledge we were there and let us know that the bar was not open and we had to wait on the bartender from outside to come in to take our orders. Once we started getting our drink orders made an entire motorcycle club comes in with their cuts on and starts to order drinks as well. That was fine but when we wanted to order food we learned that the one bartender was also the waitress. We stayed because she was trying and doing her best. Nearly a 3 hour event for some drinks and a salad. The issue I really had was the motorcycle club walking in with their cuts on. What if a rival came in or what if it is just allow anyone can fly their colors and drink alcohol and get loud. It is a business and shouldn't be allowed.
(2)
Yasmeen A.
When my friend asked me to go out here for her birthday I was kind of skeptical. She said that they played funk music which is not really my thing. However when I got there there were two rooms, in one room they played oldies and the other room actually had some good music. Well music that I like, such as rap and R&B. The DJ in the room where they played rap was decent. I requested to hear some Drake and he played it for me, which made my night. I don't know if this'll be my first choice to go out, but overall I had a fun time.
(4)
Criselda R.
I just wanted you to know that every time ive been to Original Mike's, its been nothing but great fun. However, I was there this past weekend celebrating a birthday of a family member and im sad to say that My neice who was also there had $100.00 stolen out of her purse. Weve been here plenty of times and never had a problem like this and we always felt safe leaving our purses and things at our table when dancing and so forth. But, unfortunately this last time the money was taken and it was a very sad thing to have happen. What makes it even sadder is that in these types of situations there is no way to get the money back and thats really sad because this was all the money my neice had. I just want you to know that we dont hold it against the club at all, its just too bad that there are people amongst us who do such a terrible thing not thinking that their actions also reflects the club. So to whoever the sorry person was that did this, just remember that paybacks a b---- and what goes around comes around. Otherwise, we love Original MIkes and plan to go back again only we will be more catious next time.Thankyou
(4)
Stephanie G.
If I could give this place negative stars I would. Bartenders and servers don't know basic math. The music is total crap can't even understand the singers due to poor acoustic set up. Security employees are egotistical jokes. The food isn't worth it. Did I mention the fact they charge a $10 cover? Not worth your money or time go to proof, velvet lounge, chapter one, or any of the other bars that don't suck.
(1)
Michael T.
Everything was great about this place but the service. I feel bad giving it three stars, but like so many other reviewers, the wait staff just didn't cut it. I came here for lunch on a Monday; the place was practically empty. There were three servers that I saw on duty for about eight tables. In the 75 minutes we were there, the blonde, heavy-lidded server only refilled my iced tea once, right at the end of the meal - meaning it was empty most of the time. That said, the steak sandwiches were great, and so was the location. Don't come here if you have a time constraint of any kind.
(3)
Zoe C.
Original Mike's restaurant is located in down town Santa Ana. Last night was our office Christmas party at Original Mike's. Original Mike's is spacious, great for group events, especially if the gang is ready to drink up and party the night away. The restaurant features 3 huge bars, 3 separate live entertainment stages & 3 dance floors. An abundance of space for everyone to join the party. Our event was held in the "car room" which was roomy, large bar with saddles on the bar, and several rare antique cars, including the Original Santa Ana Fire Truck No 1! Our event coordinator, Ana, did a great job arranging the set up. The room was nicely decorated in a Christmas theme with a beautiful large Christmas tree, and poinsettias throughout our banquet room. Rachael, one of our bartenders, is super cool and I never had to wait for a drink. Dinner was buffet style featuring Original Mike's Salad, Vegetable Platter, Rotisserie Chicken, Penny al Fresca with Fresh Vegetables, garlic bread, Salmon with Lemon Dill Sauce served with rice, and Roast Beef. Desert, a three tiered chocolate fountain. Served with mini cheesecake, chocolate cake, carrot cake, and fresh fruit drippings. Overall the food was good. The veggies were cooked just right! The chicken and salmon were tender and moist, just the way I like it. Way to go team! In general, it's a multipurpose place and I was quite pleased with the service and food. Most likely we will be back to plan next years Christmas party at Original Mike's
(5)
Julie L.
I've come here twice with co-workers. It's right down the street from work and the venue is huge. They have restaurant seating in one area, bar and high table seating, and outdoor seating. We've sat at the bar for some pitchers of beer at happy hour with super cheap prices. We got appetizers too and it came to $20 for 4 of us! Another time, I did dinner with a friend and I was actually surprised their cobb salad was substantial and delicious. The only thing is it's extremely dark.
(4)
Jackie G.
If your looking to dance your ass off to Good bomb ass music like Funk, old school , rap, Spanish this is the place! I've went on Fridays and Saturdays and they both crack! I don't sit down for nothing b/c the music is that Good! Dj's and the bands get down! They always have something going on! They got a 10.00 cover charge and a big outside patio to cool down when you need a dancing break ! what I say I love getting my Boogie on!
(5)
Jodi P.
I want to thank the bouncers on Sunday for the Brenton Wood show- my sister is in a wheelchair and those guys were very accomodating to our group. Especially the big guy, didn't get his name but he was awesome! He made sure my sister got a good view! (He knows who he is) We had a great time - the food was insanely yummy. Great music , fun time. Meant to tip him but couldn't find him so I hope his boss knows he's a good dude.
(5)
Frankie F.
Probably my favorite bar/club in Santa Ana. Two dance floors (one usually plays Spanish music and the other funk/hip hop). Would give it 5 stars but they cover and the drinks can be a little pricey...
(4)
YAHEEZY H.
Fun times! I was searching for a band for my bday bash & I came across this place, seen a band I wanted to check out and I'm glad I did! This place has a nice atmosphere inside, in regards to the crowd~ well you'll catch a few "vatos" & "hynas" there lol but it's all good! They ALWAYS have great bands playing all your ol'skool, funk hits! I'd deff go back! :)
(5)
Robert B.
This place is huge so for a quick lunch they have plenty of seating and can quickly accommodate a large group. Service is good, atmosphere is fun. The food is good and the prices are decent. I really like the shoe string fries, they went well with the "griddle burger". Overall I would recommend this place. I saw "Adult Shakes" or something like that, it looks like milkshakes made with liquor. Im going to have to come in and try one of these.
(4)
Andree W.
Hello, I finally got my hubby to make another shot with Mike's. We'd not been here in over 3 years. The last time was a combo of both bad food and service, I may be a little picky but sometimes Jon(hubby) makes me look like an saint. Jon had a One Plaza burger and I had the prime rib sandwich. Both sandwiches were quite good. We had lunch on Saturday so no music but that was Ok with us.
(4)
Chris H.
Service sucks, point blank!
(1)
Thao V.
I go here every month or so for lunch. It's usually busy mainly because of how close it is to the courthouse, federal, and city buildings. The food is pretty decent, but not spectacular. Crispy chicken poppers - This is a good snack while drinking a nice cold beer and watching the Lakers game. Downtown platter - This could easily feed two people. The taquitos are not good-tasteless and dry. The onions rings and buffalo wings are so-so. It also comes with chicken poppers. Caesar Salad - I always add chicken to mine to get my protein. I suggest you ask for the dressing on the side. If not, the salad always (IMO) comes out with too much dressing. Big Mama's meatloaf - I think I'm just so used to eating my homemade meatloaf that this isn't good at all. It's very dry and has a very "heavy" taste to it. BBQ Burger - I love BBQ anything. Need I say more? I came to their bar/lounge area to watch a football game once. They have a huge projection screen so no one really can cover your view. Drinks are stiff. Service is ALWAYS good. They're quick and there's never a wait. Overall, it's a good place for lunch since it's close by, but I wouldn't come here on an ordinary day.
(3)
Jennifer M.
Original Mike's is a fun place to hang out especially if you have a large group of people. It is a HUGE place. Every time I have been there, they have had an extremely eclectic live music selection to listen to and enjoy. This last Saturday I was there, outside there was a really great classic rock cover band and inside was an awesome live old school, oldies, funk band with horns that were great!! Both bands were equally fun to watch and it was cool to go inside and then out for both ambiances. I have never had the food there but I have heard it is decent. The drink prices are fair but I do recommend going to the bar to order, the service especially on the patio is not great. The service was my main reason for the 3 stars.
(3)
Justain C.
Ok, I haven't been here in a while, but they have really good food here. My favorite is the Big Mike's Special Cajun Pasta. Shrimp, chicken, sausage, bell peppers, with a really good spicy tomato creme sauce. The burgers are also solid here. I had the California Burger and the Texas Style BBQ Bacon burger. Think Western Bacon Cheese burger at Carl's Jr but bigger, juicier, and just good. This place is comparable to Father's Office but with OC charm. Great place to eat before you barhop in Santa Ana Artist district. They also have a lot of events and things going on here like Harley Davidson club meetings, live music, etc. I just love the food here. I would rate this place a 4.5 so it gets the rounding up to 5 estimate. I don't know why this place is rated at around 3 stars. 4.5 Stars!
(5)
Cyrus A.
How can anyone not like this place it's like 4 restaurant serves in one. I have never been let down by this place. First off its always open. The food is great. It's so big you do get list in the shuffle some times. Great atmosphere, it's like stepping into the 30s. Thanks Mike for your original establishment.
(5)
Treysea T.
I can't believe I haven't written a review for this place yet!! I've eaten here and partied here and basically the food is meh - about as interesting as TGIFridays - like food with freezer burn. The happy hour is great if you just want to get hammered - again, the food is meh. Now, the club...oh the club, the club, the club...there's live music and there's DJ's; the bands typically play covers and once in awhile there's an original act - but I've never been for any of that original music mess. I have, however, been there a few times for the DJ and cover bands and boy, lemme tell ya: + If you wanna dance to a cover band playing R &B hits from the 70's, 80's and 90's hits you can do that! + If you wanna dance to old school funk jams - and I mean OLD SCHOOL FUNK JAMS - none of that watered down crap they play on 92.3 or the Art Laboe show (I love Art Laboe, too) BUT that pop-lockin', low-ridin', stank-on-ya funk from ye olde days - you can do that! + If you wanna twerk outside on the patio to the nastiest gangsta' rap ever recorded - you can do that. + If you wanna get drunk as f*ck and still get served, oh, yeah, you can do that. + If you wanna sweat your perm out, your make-up off and the crease out of your collar like you were partying in an equatorial jungle, yep, you can do that, as well! + If you want to see a random mix of hood rats, OG's, gentrifying neighbors of various races and ethnicities, girls-gone-wild with straight A & T hangin' out after the over-pour, women dressed and made up like a discarded episode of Ru-Paul's Drag Race and men dressed like they smooth just got off the bus from upstate - oh, yes, you can fo' sho do that all night! - BUT if you're not careful and you get the over-pour and you DROVE to the spot, you can also get a DUI from the local SAPD who show up and shadow the lot from about 11 pm until close, yes, you can do that, too. Considering I am a neighbor to this joint, suffice it to say that Original Mike's is a crappy neighbor at best - we live two blocks away and during the summer this place is loud like the party is at my house - and the fucked up part is they have a permit to make all that racket up to 2:00 a.m; other than that mess, it's a great place to go with friends to get hammered and people watch - with either a designated driver or a cab handy. **they have car and bike shows/gatherings every single Sunday and if you're a Police or Fire groupie, they have functions there, too.
(2)
Monte S.
Wow, what horrible service. Have been waiting 20 minutes for my lunch. Its not that busy in here. Can't wait to try the food....sometime today
(2)
San Clemente Local H.
Entertainment is good, menu is amazing.....but the service leaves lots to be desired. The group I was with would have ordered lots more food and beverages had we been able to find the server.
(4)
Laura M.
Original Mike's doesn't deserve to be called a restaurant. The food tastes like something you can pick up in the frozen food section at your local grocery store. The service was horrible. Hostess and waiters were rude and lack any knowledge of proper etiquette. I definitely won't be returning.
(1)
Mario G.
I really enjoy coming to original mikes, the place is huge and they have great prices especially for happy hour. The place gets really packed sometimes and the waitresses seem to know how to handle the stress. They're really nice and friendly. Parking is huge so there's no issue in finding parking.
(5)
Eric L.
How the hell did I wake up in Orange County on a Wednesday morning with a pounding headache, a picture of Kenny Loggins on my web browser and a fried chicken nugget in my pocket? Damn you, Phil Shane!!! The service is bad. The food is bad for you. The margaritas... don't even get me started. And then there's this: philshane.com/1TestPhilN… You have been warned.
(2)
Mike K.
I came here for a Thursday bike night and was pleasantly surprised. Appetizers were half off so I ordered the carne asada nachos...HOW the EFF is this an appetizer?!? I couldn't finish it...I left behind about 1/8 of it. Downfall for us, after a certain hour they didn't serve any free tap water so we had to walk into the bar and purchase a bottle water...It was cheap $2 or less but still...the principle! I would still come back here again to give it another shot.
(4)
Jennie N.
This place is way shady at night. Parking lot is big and decently lit, thank God. The appetizers are not bad, buffalo wings, onion rings and pot stickers were all ok. The salmon was rather plain and boring. I went one time for a company social event and the waiter went around and took everybody's drink order. I was at the end, and the ONLY person he carded was me. Was that necessary dude? I'm not someone's kid that they brought along. He just had to embarrass me in front of my colleagues. Hmphh. *cross arms*
(3)
Adrian G.
worst place I've ever been to. dirty cups. seen the waitress once. place has the worst decor NEVER going back
(1)
Val C.
This place is really cool. Has so many things to look at. It's very eclectic. The food is pretty good. The waiters are slow. But we had a good time regardless.
(3)
Lloyd M.
So here was my conundrum. What do you do when your birthday falls on a Tuesday and you want some drinks, entertainment, and more drinks? (Disclaimer: all consumed in a responsible manner) I had to scramble a bit on this one, Tuesdays pretty much suck. I don't think anything good ever happens on a Tuesday. The only bar oriented entertainment in the area was Original Mike's. And, the Tuesday headliner was the one and only vintage crooner, Phil Shane. I hadn't been to Original Mike's before, but there's always room for a first, especially if someone else is picking up the birthday tab. Original Mike's is freeway close, just off the 5. Even though it is in Santa Ana, the surrounding area is primarily a business district. It isn't sketchy, if you go from point A to point B. The parking lot is large and well lit. The O.M. building is huge. It has several venues with a dining room, large indoor bar (stage & dance floor) and outdoor patio (with Karaoke at night). We put our feet up at the counter bar near the stage where Phil Shane was performing. Because it was a Tuesday, there was plenty of room. The patrons in the bar were mainly Phil Shane regulars in the 50-60 year-old demographic. Some people might bag on Phil's one-man lounge act, but I dig it. So do the regulars who sling martinis and kick their heels up to the likes Elvis and Neil Diamond. Some Yelpers had bitched about their food at O.M's. On a slow night, my food came out fast, which is what you'd expect. The food was good for a bar. The bartender who served us was on top of her game and personable. For me, the combo of Original Mike's and Phil Shane made for a decent Tuesday. Hell, Phil is supposedly there every Tuesday, so I'm might even be back to get my Elvis swerve on.
(4)
June Y.
Original Mike's hosts a weekly bike night on Thursdays. Needless to say, those Thursdays are when I'm present at Original Mike's. Based on my experiences on Thursday night bike nights, this place gets a 4-star rating. One cannot beat a rather large basket of fried chicken poppers for $5.95. I have two bottles of Corona with it over the course of two hours or so I spend there, and the bill comes out to about $14.00. That's good money spent for a load of finger food and a couple of beers in great company. The bike night is held outside on the patio, which is surrounded by palm trees and patio heaters. If you own a motorcycle, particularly a sportbike, come on out one night. There's a huge number of bikes that show up, all from OCmoto.com . Come and say hi - I'm on the Black/Yellow CBR600F4i with the yellow windscreen. :0)
(4)
Corey S.
Good food with different options. I enjoy the seared ahi and meatloaf.
(4)
ReBecki P.
$3 shot called HOT DAMN (cinnamon schnapps) plus you get to keep the glass which has Phil Shane's name printed on it! Phil Shane - we didn't know who he was or even that he was singing like every Tuesday night. At first, you're not sure what's going on and the older crowd dancing makes you giggle. Then the songs get better and more random and Phil's pelvic area doesn't stop! Definitely go back with some friends and drink! And maybe have enough guts to do the electric slide! HOT DAMN! ~Phil Shane
(4)
LJ L.
Remember I'm a Mom, so I'm tough! It's a three star with enthusiasm for a decent meal, great dessert (The carrot cake served as dessert for two days for three people!) A fun place for the kids if you get there before 7 p.m. After 7 p.m. this restaurant becomes much more of a club than dining establishment. But I have to say; brilliant idea!! This place was a former car dealership and they have a HUGE place with lots of parking. I think I counted three dance floors, a wonderful band playing outside, saddles dotted here and there as seats at bar and a couple of antique cars for the kids to check out. The food, it felt very much like Cheese Cake Factory menu, lots of food, big food and average prices. We could of shared a meal for sure. Had the mushroom burger , tasty, but nothing special. The nice part was that we could get cottage cheese instead of fries! For kiddos under 6 I'd say they can also share one of the kids meals. During the "happy hours", you can have a drink in the dining area at happy hour prices, $3 well drinks! Nice for mamas and papas. A note to Open Table users; they offer 1,000 points for weekday dining before 6:30. My kids had a blast sitting on the saddles, checking out the cars and playing in the patio area with the antique cars and fountains. Go, because we had excellent service! And that's why they are getting three enthusiastic stars instead of two stars.
(3)
Kayla M.
I'm kinda weirded out, and don't really know hoe to review this bar... Outside looked like a run down bar in Reno or something- flashing lights everywhere- most of them saying that it's a good place to watch football- so naturally I had to check it out... Supposedly they have different themed nights every night ranging from live bands to karaoke to comedy to bike night. I walked in happy hour time- ordered a pale ale- (it wasn't any good) and was just trying to take the place in... Christmas lights everywhere, still kinda dark (really makes me wonder how dark it is usually...) and random people standing up in groups with drinks instead of sitting at the several open tables... Weird. There was a giant screen up front with a couch right in front- (maybe for special customers during football or something- and above was this awesome round screen with projectors inside and out (I added the picture)- each projector was showing the laker game, I'm super curious if the can show a different game per projector... There's also a restaurant attached to the bar- but it seemed kinda old, like a dark Denny's or something... Not sure if I'll be back, but a few things intrigued me, so you never know!!
(3)
Nick H.
I frequent this place about twice a month. Cool place to hangout and there always seems to be something interesting going on. Thursday nights are bike nights. If you have a motorcycle I suggest you come to the biggest bike night in OC. Order the clam chowder...
(4)
Robert G.
So I'm sure everyone has heard of this place, it has been around forever and is HUGE. We went to see Derek Bordeaux and he was outstanding!!! We had just come from dinner, so we didn't help. Sorry, can't help you there. The service was great, drinks were good. But if you want to go to a great, free, live show, go here on a wednesday night to see Derek!
(3)
Alana C.
First time I went on a Friday night and I will never go back or dare even mention original mikes to anyone. First of all, I've been to plenty of different restaurants and bars and this is the first place that denied REMAKING a drink. The bartender obviously cannot handle positive criticism. I could of been a bitch, but I am nice to servers/bartenders bc let's face it, I don't want to be in their shoes. I rather buy the drink then serve it. It is UNHEARD of to have a bar tender simply say NO. Maybe if I was asking for a different drink or more liquor in my drink I could understand, but I simply said can I have this remade please, I don't like it. No snotty attitude not even a snobby face such as the one the bartender made. She kept saying that they do not remake drinks. I already paid and bought 5 drinks that round. After repeating herself for 5 mins rather than providing customer service she then went on to deny bringing the manager out. What kind of establishment is this?! You deny to remake my drink, the first LA water I have ever had to send back. Then you deny to bring the manager out. Then you give nothing but attitude the entire time you are serving us. The finishing remark from the bartender. "Don't order a LA Water, because everyone makes it different." What a cop-out. Trust me, go to Chapter One. Amazing customer service, food, and they know how to make drinks. Oh, and the LA Water is made differently there, it is made right with a dash of good customer service. Nutshell: extremely horrible customer service & the manager title is thrown around by all the bartenders as if they treat customers bad every night No structure in this establishment. Stay far away from the bar in the far back corner.
(1)
Dan H.
Happened by here yesterday after the 12:30 Angel game after hearing about it for years. Was not impressed on my 1st visit. The bartender was unfriendly in that bored-just-another-day-of-the grind kinda way. We were buzzed from drinking beer all day and were full of energy but it was not contagious to this guy. Waitress cheerily greeted us and joked on our way through to the bar though. Should have sat at a table instead? Seems that would be the ticket to a more pleasant experience. I passed by someone who looked to be the manager or owner and he was most cordial too, he needs to observe this particular btender and offer some customer service tips. Everyone seems to get it here but him. Although he did came back to us to give his sincere thanks for the 20% tip we still gave him. He probably doesn't get that very often from other miffed patrons. The food took on his personality. Just kind of there, not great not bad. Ordered the $10 griddle burger. Meat was overly done, but the bun was great and the veggies fresh. It came with onion rings that were almost as good as My Place in Huntington Beach. For two hungry sunburned, pissed off Angel fans (they lost again) it did what we needed it to do: filled and sobered us up. Doubt if I'll ever return for the food but would give it another shot for a live band some night, but it definitely ain't a priority.
(2)
Kim C.
I am giving the business 2 stars because over the years the experience was ok and the food was always good (3 stars). I have gone almost every Tuesday for dinner and to see Phil Shane over the years, I've been there for 3 of my birthdays, and several other special occasions. Phil is great, the crowd is older but nice, the service used to be great but has gone down hill a little but the food is good for what it is...bar food and entertainment is great. BUT my good thoughts all changed recently, this experience that I am writing about deserves 0 stars. May 12, 2013 Mother's Day. So a couple of weeks ago I was at OM watching Phil and he announced that he'd be doing a special performance on Mother's Day...brunch on the patio 12-4. So I made reservations right away for 8 people including my mother and 93 year old grandmother and my 2 year old. I thought we usually go to Newport Landing or Spark for brunch which are good but maybe we should try something different with entertainment. We showed up at 11:30 for our reservation and were shown to our table, not given any menus, not greeted with a server, asked about drinks or anything. 15 minutes later (I swear I am not exaggerating) we finally tracked down staff because we were sitting in the sun thirsty and still hadn't been greeted. The hostess replied "they are swamped today so I'll take your drink orders" We said OK but there was no apology and that already didn't feel right. We went along anyway, mostly because Phil came around and greeted us and he's so nice we felt bad leaving. PLUS I dragged my whole family here to Santa Ana and there weren't other options really at that point. So we ordered a bottle of champagne (realizing service would suck so better get a bottle), a lemonade, three juices for mimosas, and a coffee. 20 minutes later we received...a glass of champagne, 2 lemonades, 2 waters, and 1 juice with ice. So while they were trying to fix the order we started calling around to find a place to escape to. 25 minutes in and STILL NO WAITER, NO MENUS, no one greeted us, they came 3 times to fix the drinks but that's it. And not one apology. Then we asked about the brunch, is it a buffet or order off the menu? My grandmother wanted an omelet. They simply said no brunch order off menu. So now our nice mother's day brunch turns into burgers and fries? Come on, you can't call it brunch without the BR! We never asked when making reservations but every other brunch I have been to in my entire life included Breakfast and Lunch. We almost accepted it though because as I said the food is good. But the service was so atrocious we couldn't handle it. Anyway, we drank our drinks and called Yves Bistro in Anaheim and begged for a last minute reservation. I packed up my hungry family (no easy feat) and drove 20 minutes to go to a very nice lunch. So glad we did. That is the first time I can recall ever leaving a restaurant because the service was beyond bad. BTW there were about 30-40 customers on the patio, none inside, all reserved so they knew how many to expect. So there is no excuse, hire enough servers, train them to deliver drinks, be apologetic, not rude and dismissive don't advertise brunch when you mean same old bar food and don't know what a mimosa is. Disappointed. So much so I have a hard time returning but will for Phil Shane.
(2)
Julie V.
I like the decor of the restaurant, and the happy hour's awesome. Tuesday-Friday, 2-7 p.m.; Sunday, 11-5. There's a separate happy hour for bikers--they have bike night every Thursday night. Also, there's college collegiate nights too where college kids get awesome happy hour as well--just show school ID. Recommendations: Get buffalo wings... they're good...and for the happy hour price...they're worth it... 8 big wings for $4.50. My friends have a tendency to get the sliders + fries/fruits...they like them. I don't recommend the clam chowder so much, especially if you are used to thick, hot/very warm chowder. Theirs come out luke warm and very creammmmmmmy...too creamy i'd say. It costs about $5-6 for it too. Service is VERY slow, but they're all very nice and very cool with having bike nights/seminars. I've gone here a few times, and I like the atmosphere so much, and the food's okay. +1 star: atmosphere...beautiful, fun place for anyone! +1 star: happy hour--awesome! and reservations on OpenTable! +1 star: nice workers...very down to earth workers + restroom service +1 star: supporting bike nights/seminars + students! -1 star: cold food, slow service
(4)
Wendy H.
We were invited to Original Mike's because they were having a little car show. I figured downtown Santa Ana, car show, parking would be a mess. I was wrong, it was plentiful.That should have been the first clue. This is a beautiful bar and restaurant. Like I said, they had good parking in the lot right next to the business and the restrooms were very clean. The breakfast was just this side of dreadful. The toast, sausage and bacon were fine. The eggs, potatoes and french toast were not. The eggs were a little runny, then a little overcooked. Hard to do with scrambled eggs. The potatoes looked (and tasted) like they were frozen then dumped in a vat of boiling oil. The french toast looked like it had just come out of a toaster. Also, order the Jr Breakfast, it is more food than you'll ever want to eat....at Original Mike's. We sat on the patio and the service was sullen and slow. When I went to the restroom I was amazed at how big the place was, and how empty it was on a Sunday morning. Not the worst place I've ever been to, just highly overrated.
(2)
Karla P.
Basically echoing the other reviews in saying come and enjoy a drink here but stay far away from the food. I shoulda yelped it first! Poor service too.
(2)
Kristerfer L.
Original Mike's is too over priced for what you get. The food is just alright and the mixed drinks lack personality. We ordered a margarita, not a lemonade! Let's not forget about the couple outside on the couch making out at 8pm on a Thursday. We had one drink and was over this place. Original Mike's seems like it has the potential to be a decent place due to the location and decor but overall it appears to be very poorly managed.
(2)
Chris J.
Service sucks here but the food is good. I was here for lunch and had the Santiago Chicken Sandwich with chipotle mayo, delish! I ate the whole thing. I heard this place was once an old fire station. There is a fire truck in the main bar area.
(3)
Matthew L.
Do not come to this place. Very dishonest and horrible customer service. Went to an event there, bought two drinks for $15.00. Didn't leave a tip because the bartender (inside bar) was rude. Looked at my statement at it came out to $19.00 added $4.00 on tip. Dishonest, so please be aware and think twice before coming here.
(1)
Brandon M.
Service here absolutely sucks, though a lot of the chicks that work here are pretty cute. The food is ok, but the prices are kind of steep. Their appetizer list contains a nacho plate that is real good though - and quite large/ But basically, don't come here for the service. Come for the loud music and retarded drunk people. Or to look at pretty latin girls that hold their heads high up in the clouds...
(2)
Ressie C.
This review is for my experience on Mar. 29, 2013. This was the last straw. The last couple of times I was here, my experience had not been good. Used to love this place. We've been coming here for at least 3 years. We're what you can call "regulars" on Fridays or Saturdays or sometimes both days. Even though it's in Santa Ana and the clientele are a bit scary, we felt safe here because of the security. We have our favorite live bands, so we tend to check who's on the night that we're coming in. Others were hit and miss so it's a good thing that they have 3 DJs, used to be just 2 inside. So, if you don't like the music in one dance floor, you can go to the other ones. The DJ's in the main floor used to be awesome. They really keep the place hopping. But not lately. In fact, I believe the place is taking a nosedive. The DJ blows. I don't know how to mix songs, but I know what sounds good. The transition of the songs were very abrupt and out of timing. I couldn't remember who the DJ was before DJ Rico, but they're both good compared to this amateur they have now. Also, I don't know if it's because we're not heavy alcohol drinkers, but the service had gone down, too. No servers stay there too long. We've seen them come and go. Last night was the worst night I've ever experienced there. I always order the Salmon with Lemon Dill Sauce. But this time, I wanted something different and heavier since I hadn't eaten a good lunch. I had a 7-hour drive down from NorCal earlier that day. I ordered the roasted half chicken with streamed veggies, mango salsa and tortillas. The tortillas were rubbery, and worst of all, the salsa smelled like it had been out of the refrigerator for 3 days. It tasted like it, too. Good thing I spit it out, which I don't normally do. I didn't really want to make a fuss, but I did tell the server that the salsa was bad when she was taking the plates away. She just said, "Oh, sorry." and that was it. The server we had was attentive, checking in on us from time to time, but the place wasn't busy either, so it should be expected. And NO LIVE BAND that night!!! There was one supposed to be scheduled that night, but either they cancelled or they were cancelled since there weren't that many people. It's probably because it was Good Friday, too. Nevertheless, they should not have been in the website events calendar. So we were stuck with this new DJ's music. Needless to say, we didn't stay long. We used to stay until closing. We found out later that OM's cut down on a lot of stuff. To OM management: You get what you pay for. And if you keep doing this, you're going to lose a lot of customers. We've told so many of our friends about this place and they have come in. My friends still go there, I think, once in a while or if I'm in town. I don't know if I want to come back, either. Maybe just for old times and when they have our favorite live bands.
(3)
Donny S.
Went on a saturday night while bar hopping, they had a $10 cover charge outside(not worth it) The locationlocation had a good amount of ppl dancing, from what i realized after taking in the environment, its def a place of questionable characters with certain "affiliations" per say. Drinks where meh, nuthing really getting happy over. I got my buzz on elsewhere after a short time
(2)
Nermeen M.
This place is charming on the inside, totally rock and roll. And both times I've been, the burgers have been freakin' amazing. Haven't had anything else yet...maybe next time :)
(4)
Linda M.
Great burgers and fries!! They also have a selection of lower fat foods like wraps. Nice atmosphere. Best waitress in town is Marsha!!
(5)
Tamara J.
The only reason I will set foot, or drop cash, at OM is because Rufus Tanksley and the Eargasms improv and comedy troop play there on Tuesdays. Praying for the day they get booked ANYWHERE else. Used to go when it first opened, but then my friends and I discovered that the servers were giving themselves a little extra tip after we closed out. Apparently, they have replaced the thieving staff with the living dead. Issues: I'm at a table. I should have waitstaff. I should not have to go to the bar for a drink. I should not have to wait 20 minutes for a menu. I should not have that menu snatched off my table and given to another table before I have placed my order. I should be asked if I would like anything else before you sling a bill on my table. When I reject said bill and ask for another beer, you should not give me attitude and NEVER return with either the beer nor the bill. On the rare occasion you do choose to grace me with a replacement drink, you should take the empty away with you. I should not have to stare at my empty plates, napkin on top to indicate done-ness to any idiot, for 45 minutes. I should not have to get so sick of looking at them that I BUS MY OWN TABLE. One benefit of OM: The service sucks out loud so bad you can't possibly get served enough to get a DUI. I'll leave you with this little mathematical equation to sum up my feelings: The first Tuesday I took my 2 teenagers to see the show. 3 people + 3 burgers + 2 bathroom condo = someone's barfing in the sink. Enough said. Oh yeah, it's also overpriced.
(1)
Chris C.
This review is for lunch only. I've come here several times for lunch and I always get solid, if unremarkable food, be it a sandwich, salad, or something else. My food review is for today's orders. Rancho Santiago Chicken Sandwich: Pretty good sandwich, huge portion. The meat seemed to have been pounded, which gave it an even size throughout while still being moist inside. I opted for onion rings, which were very good - better than most restaurants. Original Mike's King Cobb Salad: RO had the cobb salad. Only thing wrong with it was that it was way overdressed. Atmosphere: There was a huge tarp between the bar and the area where all the classic cars usually are. Looked like they were undergoing a renovation, but obviously for the moment it takes away from the atmosphere in a serious way.
(3)
Jason S.
Good food!!! Good beer!!!! And good ppl!!!! This place is always fun to go to and hang out with friends!!!!
(5)
Nhi Thao N.
So I've driven by Original Mike's plenty of times but have never actually eaten there. I decided to give it a try today for lunch. After running a quick errand, I arrived there shortly before noon, and it seemed like a pretty nice-looking restaurant (the inside is a bit dark, but the outside seating area is very nice, and I like the music that is played in the background - it seems from the posters I saw that this place is a venue for live musicians at nighttime). I first walked inside and said hello to the hosttess (I guess that is what I should refer to her as, anyway). I said it was just me eating. She seemed friendly and asked if I preferred to sit inside or outside, and due to the inside being rather dark, I said I'd prefer to sit outside. She said to have a seat and that she would be bringing me a menu. It was a good five minutes before she finally brought out the menu. At that point, that wasn't a big deal to me. But the service just got progressively worse from there. A waiter came to take my order, and he seemed friendly, too. I ordered the beef taquitos appetizer and a Coke. The Coke never came. I got water with lemon instead. Several times, I saw the waiter carrying a tray with several Cokes on it, but apparently none of them were for me. To make matters worse, the beef taquitos took half an hour to come out (I know, I probably should have got up and left by then but I was really hungry and didn't have time to go somewhere else). The waiter kept telling me my food would be right out, but I just waited as other people seemed to be getting their food. I had ordered my food at about 11:55, and by the time it reached 12:25 and the waiter had come by again to tell me my food is coming right out, I just asked him if I could just please get the food in a to-go box and the check. He seemed a bit frustrated, and said something to a busboy that happened to be walking by (I think he was telling the busboy to help me with the to-go - in my opinion, he essentially was passing me on to someone else to deal with). The busboy came and asked me how he can help me, and I repeated that I would like my food in a to-go box and the check. Eventually, the waiter himself returned with my taquitos in a to-go box, the check, and apologized to me about five times, saying he didn't know my order would take so long. He gave me another lemon water to-go (still no Coke - I think it just never registered that I had ordered one). I wasn't charged for a Coke on the check; I guess he just either didn't hear me or forgot - by that time I didn't want one anymore. After rushing to get back to work on time, I was in the elevator with two co-workers. Seeing my to-go box, they asked me where I had gone for lunch. I said I haven't even eaten my food because it had taken so long to make and that I had gone to Original Mike's. One of them said "Oh no, you shouldn't have gone there. They take forever to make the food there. That place is only good for drinks." I came back to the office and my co-worker in my unit agreed that this place takes forever to prepare the food. I mean, come on, how long does it take to make 6 small taquitos? I guess longer than I thought. I wonder how long it would have taken had I ordered a full entree. My co-worker said I should have gotten my meal for free, or at least the Coke that I ordered and never got. In the end, I ate my taquitos at my desk at work. If I was just rating the food, I'd probably give this place 4 stars - because the taquitos were very good (great guacamole dip). However, the service was very disappointing. I don't think I'll be returning there any time soon.
(2)
Vic V.
Well I went here because I knew the music was awesome. I didn't check the calendar so the 2nd room played the same music all night, Funk, which I like in doses not all night. The Band though was great in the first room. The food is pretty good, have tried a variety of things from flat bread to wraps, to pasta and sandwiches. Not spectacular but not bad at all. The reason I gave 2 stars: I reserved a table on my bday. I called 2 weeks before to ask when the cover charge started and was told 9pm. Well for whatever reason on that Friday, they started charging at 8pm! Half my dinner guests that ran late (dinner at 730) had to pay a cover TO EAT DINNER. It was family and friends and most of my family did not stay for the club part of it so that was very irritating. Beside that, later on in the night, it's a horrible bottleneck type of situation going through that narrow hallway from one room to the other. To make it worse, the security was rude, shoved my cousins and ended up kicking them out because they were objecting and yelling at them to stop pushing them. Not sure what happened outside but my cousin's husband ended getting punched by a security as 3 cousins were pepper sprayed, 2 of which were women. Really? With what 6 security outside, you needed two spray people just to get them to leave? Aside from this during dinner, the server was very flaky. She'd come once in awhile and only attend to one side of the large table and we had to continue flagging her down all night just to get her to come to the other side. I know it's Santa Ana but it's personnel like this that give the city a bad name, not the clients that spend $$$$ on drinks and food.
(2)
Carrie R.
I just have 2 words for this location ... Phil Shane! He performs on Tuesday nights ... songs from Elvis, Tom Jones, Roy Orbison, Neil Diamond ... it's definitely a show to check out. He has quite a following (the over 50 crowd) so you usually can't get a table right up front, but that's ok ... it's probably better to sit at the outer tables so you can chat with other people in your group. The music gets pretty loud. I'm not sure if Tuesdays is still Taco Tuesday night ... but that was always a good deal. But usually, we will just order an appetizer platter to share and enjoy the music. And if you are a "people watcher" ... this is a great place for YOU! Check it out sometime! You won't be disappointed!!
(4)
Mico C.
"Hippies use Side Entrance --" this sign greets you at the front door of Original Mike's Diner Nightclub. What balls! or stupidity...- you decide. Seems to draw the Harley Davidson handle bar moustache element. as well as enthusiasts of classic American cars. OM's was once an auto dealership and they've preserved vintage Model Ts for display on the Main Street side. Joint gets an A for decoration, model sharks and marlins hang over head along with spinning propellers rotating straw fans. Over the bar dozens of blue crystal goblets dangle upside down. Standard diner fare of burger and sandwiches- but huuge fat a#$ portions. The wait staff and chefs are all Latinos. Walking distance to fourth street Santa Ana, which conjures up Downtown LA minus the graffiti, garbage, and bums. You might say OC's Olvera street. near Lola Gaspar.
(3)
Everett J.
I went over last night... Good music and decent Dj's.... They should not charge any over after 9 pm. Maybe 10 pm.... Anyhow, the food is awful. Its bland and frozen. My Gf ordered the salmon. It was hard and bland... Frozen.... My clam chowder... Frozen and bland.... My wedge salad... was covered with blue cheese... it was not good... Also the menu is too big, so, I can see why they cut corners to save money and make more for themselves..... Management... Please change the menu... add fresh, simple bar food all of us can be proud of.... And if you want to keep the restaurant menu... Then keep all of your food fresh.... not frozen... Finally the service is not great at all... Its time to save your online rep...
(2)
Nicola B.
This is a good place to host an event. That's the nicest comment I can give. The service sucks!!!!!!in our section we had 1 waiter for about 80 people. At the bar there was only 1 bartender and if you wanted water the bar help wouldn't give you a bottle of water. Ridiculous! I waited on the bartender to serve me and when it was my turn and shipped me. Other people told her that I was next an she still went and served people who were after me. Since all I wanted was a bottle p water I just left the bar and subsequently the venue. I will no longer attend anything there.
(1)
Celina L.
I forgot what night I came but they played all kinds of Rock en espanol, and Old school. I had so much with my mom and her cousins. The DJ had the crowd going for the whole night. They had 2 stages. The main stage was playing rock en espanol and old school, while the back stage was playing modern day hip hop and rap. The crowd can get a little rowdy when you accidently bump in to someone, but that's not the clubs fault at all, so I'm not gonna let that effect the rating. Cops like to sit outside the club to get future drunk drivers so beware.
(4)
A H.
This review is for the security staff. Was here on 10/16 for a birthday. They let a fight go on for 2 mins, and after that still couldn't control it. I saw them kick a girl, just not professional at all. Will never come back here again.
(1)
Marla S.
Absolute worst over the phone order I have ever had to suffer through. The girls (hosts I assume) who take phone orders are complete idiots. Wish there was a zero star option.
(1)
Daniel K.
We just had our company Christmas party here last weekend. We had made our reservation for 40 people for outside on the patio. We arrived to find out that our table was inside by the main stage and the table was set up for 26 people. There was one server helping all of us that were squeezed in. We were told the band would start at 9pm and they started at 8:15pm. We wouldn't have cared, but they were extremely loud so we couldn't hear each other during our dinner. We decided to take all of our gifts for the gift exchange outside to the patio ourselves since it was such a tight squeeze and so loud. The food was okay. Some of the entrees were served cold and they ran out of bread so we couldn't order any flat breads. Definitely won't be coming back here and definitely won't be recommending this place.
(1)
Nam B.
A nice,fun hang out. There are 3 simultaneous main dance/eating area (2 indoors & 1 outside) with different type of music and settings, so whatever you feel like, you can mix it up. One is a club like scene, complete with a dj, lazer lights, and a fog machine. The other indoor one is a live band / singer providing you with the music. The outside scene makes you feel like you're in a happening place in Mexico with a more traditional Mexican band, smoking allowed (they also sell nice cigars here, but sorry still not allowed Cubans'), nice patio furnitures, a tiki bar, and complete with a taco stand. We rented out a private lounge inside for one of my friend's birthday celebration and it was a very comfortable place to relax with the nice cushiony couches, a fireplace, a remote to control your own private ac, 3 walls covered with wine bottles, and a glass cabinet of cigars. You can do whatever you want in there and party it up. Way better than those Asian lounges and their vip areas (surprisingly cheaper / cost effective too with just a $300 min spending requirement and not jacking up the price of food and drinks). The food here is just ok, but what people come here for is the entertainment.
(3)
Just M.
Not sure what 'mama's famous meatloaf' is famous for?!?
(1)
Nicole S.
BAILA!!!!! Join us Sunday, October 23rd, as we host Zumba in da Club MICHAEL JACKSON TRIBUTE in the heart of Orange County at Original Mike's in Downtown Santa Ana! Enjoy a large dance floor, fantastic club lighting, incredible sound, fabulous instructors, and energetic choreography. This time we will perform your favorite Michael Jackson songs in a variety of genres! Don't wait to buy your tickets. This event will sell out quickly. Buy your tickets ASAP! Tickets are pre-sale $10 or $15 at the door. Only those participating need to buy tickets. Guests not participating are welcome to join us at the bar or restaurant area at no cost. Remember: Zumba Happy Hour Menu starts at 6:00 pm! Let's burn up the dance floor... and calories too! bodybymaria.com/zumba.ht…
(4)
Chris V.
I very recently visited Original Mike's for a lunch meeting and overall I must say the food was good! Remembering a scene out of Modern Family, I suddenly craved a Wedge Salad, but they didn't have it unfortunately. They let you substitute meats at Original Mikes, and the Cobb Salad sounded just as good so I opted for that with the Ahi Tuna. To be honest, this was one of the best salads I had in a while. The ingredients felt fresh and everything was well balanced. Would definitely recommend Original Mikes if you're looking for a quick spot to grab some lunch. If it's a nice day outside, the outdoor patio also made for a great eating location. Only downside was that on a slow afternoon our waiter forgot an order and took about 20 minutes to finally process our bill. Tip: Ask for the check early if you're in a rush!
(4)
Joe A.
Had a absolutely fantastic night out the Artist District in down town S.A, the areas around are historic, good place to hang out day or night although this place has a downfall so I put this out there...#1 the mixed drinks are WEAK (not much alcohol).#2 Depends on which night you go out to this place, sometimes live bands play here so its pretty cool but choice of music that is picked is not my cup of tea. #3 Not enough staff to accomodate customers.
(3)
Caledonia H.
I went with a friend and even though we got our seats right away, it took the waiters forever to take our order. And they wouldn't let us finish saying our order before they start leaving. The food was delicious but the waiting staff were rude and unfriendly. The atmosphere was fun and energetic and the food was fantastic but the waiting overall ruined my experience.
(3)
Stephanie W.
Awesome!
(5)
shishi s.
We ended up here after driving around in circles looking for Lola Gaspar but didn't have change for the meters. The good thing about Mike's is its big (free) parking lot. This place sure does attract a random crowd. Outside, there were a bunch of business men and women in suits, smoking cigars. Inside, it was definitely an older crowd who looked like they were from the 80s. This place has a dance floor with lots of lights and plenty of TVs. Stay away from the enchiladas. Tasted like ketchup with corn tortillas. I had a chicken wrap and which was decent, but pricey for the small portion. Too much tortilla and not enough chicken! Our server was very nice and responsive. One thing I would have liked to try was their alcoholic milkshakes! I wanted a milkshake and saw that they were like $9, but then I realized that they were alcoholic.... so I guess that makes it a better deal! :)
(2)
Dana T.
Came here on a Saturday night for the first time and the place wasn't busy at all. I like the vibe and the live band that was playing. I ordered the Downtown Platter which was good, but the service was honestly quite terrible. Everyone was nice and all but it shouldn't take 20-30 mins for the server to finally realize I've been waving my money around in order to get the bill.
(3)
Lauren J.
I can't believe I never knew about this place! It is way more than just a restaurant. They have 3 big rooms for dining, music, entertainment and sports. They recently put in this crazy 360 degree projection screen in the bar/dining area. There is no bad view in the entire room! I ate on the outside patio a few weeks ago when the weather was nice. They have palm trees, so the sun isn't overbearing. On Sunday's they have music outside - great classic rock. Since the surroundings were so cool, I wasn't expecting good food. I have been pleasantly surprised on all my visits. I've had the pulled pork sandwich, the fish tacos and the hamburger protein style. They come with amazing sweet potato fries. HUGE drinks. Good service. They are really involved in the community and revitalizing downtown Santa Ana. BOTTOM LINE: Good food and fun atmosphere
(5)
Eric S.
Had a Great Friday night!!!! Live band was really good, patron and grand marnier drinks put me OUT. Cant hang. Not ready. Lol
(4)
Jesse M.
I'm a sucker for restaurants with zany themes, and this one had a very interesting setup (sharks hanging overhead, saddles for bar stools, etc). They definitely have a unique style and presentation (it was fun to walk around and check out the decor), and for that I give them five stars. ...what doesn't get five stars is the service. My friend and I were mostly ignored by our waitress, and I had to grab another server to get the check and doggy bags. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and say it may have been that one particular waitress, and next time could be much better; but for now I'm left with this one bad experience. The food, however, was good and at a decent price; I got their tasty club sandwich and a creamy Caesar salad. If I was being really picky, I would say the chicken was slightly undercooked; then again, I didn't get sick, so I might just be paranoid.
(3)
Douglas D.
Best Bike nights, good food, good service, strong drinks.... Doesnt get any better than that for me
(5)
Anne M.
I was not expecting to find this place in downtown Santa Ana. It's really cool! We passed through a huge brick patio area and entered into a massive bar area then were greeted by live music and a huge crowd of 50 somethings line dancing. I suddenly felt like I had left Orange County. Luckily, a host promptly asked if we would rather sit in the dining room which I did. From the dining room we had the pleasure of overhearing the live music from the bar, a mix of country, classic rock and lounge music. As it turns out the performer was Phil Shane, who my friends have been following for years. Apparently he performs every Tuesday at 7pm. As for the food, I was happily surprised. The dining room was pretty empty which worried me at first but as we were led to our table I noticed that the food on other tables looked good. The menu is a mix of American and Mexican food with burritos, steaks, sandwiches and pasta dishes. I ordered the Roasted Turkey Sandwich which, if you read my other reviews, you'll notice I order this sandwich pretty frequently. I am a self proclaimed Turkey Sandwich enthusiast!!! What really excited me about the Original Mike's Turkey Sandwich is that it's smothered in a cranberry mayo. I could have eaten three of these sandwiches, they are so perfect. Soft onion roll, sprouts, good quality deli, sliced Turkey meat. Yum! Aside from a tasty sandwich if you're looking to have cocktails with the baby boomer generation, this is the place to go. Perhaps it draws a different crowd on other days but that's what Tuesday night brings. I noticed on the marquis that they have an 80's night and college night if hanging with grandma isn't your thing.
(4)
Kylie K.
So I guess this place is a restaurant? I went here one night because one of the frats at UCI were having a pirate themed event here and they pretty much turned it into a nightclub and put a dance floor in two of the rooms. Can't say much about the food cause naturally I didn't order anything, so I'm just going to review the drinks. The same bartender made two rounds of AMFs but it was inconsistent. First round was okay but it was a little too weak. Second round, one of the AMFs was a lot stronger, but you couldn't even taste any alcohol in the other one. Meh, you can find better overpriced drinks in so cal. Oh and there's a parking lot.
(2)
Porsche C.
I would label this place as interesting. From the sharks hanging from the ceiling to Elvis greeting you at the door, this place is long on personality. There are plenty of TVs and a well stocked bar to make this a great place to watch the game. As well, Thursday night is bike night. Be prepared for college kids and drink specials. I had the ribeye steak. It was absolutely delicious. The food is basically diner food with a little more class. I added a star for the stiff, cheap drinks.
(4)
Lisa D.
Came here for a friend's birthday and was incredibly impressed! I had the turkey burger with fries and coleslaw. The turkey was surprisingly really moist and good. They were incredibly generous with the avocado which made me really happy! lol My friend had the chicken fajita and said it was really good as well. Very generous with portions! Service was really fast and friendly. As we were leaving the dining area we could see the party was getting started in the other room. Wish we would've stayed. The music was really good (oldies) and they had a huge dance floor. Will definitely be coming bak for more more more!
(4)
Viking T.
Well I liked the place. I got nothing but a good memory. Then again I was also there with about 24 million dollars worth of Porsches along with their fanatical owners. We have a breakfast club meeting now and again, and that place does the hosting bit. Why they have this need to have a club meet at 7am on a Sunday is beyond me. That's fine. Mike's got all the coffee you can drink. The food was buffet style. Not bad, but not great either. To be fair, that event is not their real thing. And that's the food the club asks for. So I can't say about the menu food. But the service was fantastic. The place itself is pretty darn entertaining for a spot on 1st in Santa Ana. I give it three stars ONLY because I can't give a full accounting. But really, if the food winds up being only average to better, with the service so good and the place itself worth a try, I'm probably being too conservative with the stars.
(3)
Mj K.
Decided to try this restaurant for the first time last night to celebrate our Anniversary. Arrived shortly before 5:30 pm and the place was empty. Seated right away but then waited 10 minutes for a server. That was the beginning of poor service for the rest of our visit. We asked for advice since it was our first visit and was not even told it was Happy Hour. There does not seem to be any passion about working in what could be such a unique location. We will not be back;
(1)
Danny D.
The band sometimes plays here out in the patio its very nice and the brick wall makes for cool photos. I just always wondered who rents the places up stairs with all that noise we were loud. The service is great and fast. The beer glass is full. I have not had food here yet but soon I will and I will update. My only complaint is where in heck is the womans restroom........
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch, Dinner, Late Night Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : No Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Music : DJ Good For Dancing : Yes Alcohol : Full Bar Happy Hour : Yes Best Nights : Thu, Fri, Sat Coat Check : No Smoking : Outdoor Area/ Patio Only Outdoor Seating : Yes Wi-Fi : Free Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
Petey K.
Parking is a good size but if you come here on the weekend, it'll get packed quick. I've seen a few hip hop show here. The last show was when Suga Free was performing. I was back recently to film a few interview in wine room. Two stage area with bars on both side. Also tons of tvs and a giant 360 projector screen too!
(3)Edmen M.
Food really good tasty Hardy lots of it... Drink are good, anytime they any kind of music event it's always amazing
(3)B M.
Cholos and cholas and ghetto ass ppl...if ur into tex mex fatties and losers who think theyre thug, then u found the hot spot! Food is decent for what it is...the place is basically a large burger joint with tasty selections on the menu..food is good and beer is cold... My only cmplaint is the kitchen staff. Most of them are spanish speaking and I think they forget that a lot of their clients speak spanish as well. As I'm sitting in the main hall I can hear them cussing & saying all types of other things about their weekend and just a whole lot of inappropriate words in spanish. Chinga this...pinche that..puta madre...seriously?? Do these ignorant assholes think nobody can hear them??? Its really annoying when I'm sitting in the Hall and the " chef" is sitting there cussing up a storm as if he was in a drunken sailor bar. Management really needs to take care of that and check their staff..it's pretty damn ghetto and unprofessional. I realize people don't come here for fancy dining, but a little bit of common courtesy is definitely expected. Oh well take it for what it is. Just an old run down burger joint with so so food and cheesy music.
(2)Stephen C.
Food was cold and service was unacceptable . Overpriced food an wasn't that great either... Must be a place for older folks who don't care what they get
(1)Sam S.
Great service great food - nic looking clean room
(5)Angel C.
My old workplace held almost all of their bigger functions here at Original Mike's. There's an outdoor seating area, a bar counter and tables in the front with a good sized dance floor, and there's also more seating in the back and a large stage/events area. Great for large parties and events. There's also almost always something going on here and lots of live music, it actually gets super loud and poppin by 8-9pm, but this is definitely for a more mature crowd. They have a Happy Hour menu that goes on till 7 or so, it includes well drinks/margaritas/beers and various snacks and appetizer platters. Not a place for specialty cocktails and craft beers, very basic and straightforward options that you'd find at any normal bar. Food is also very average, typical American food and nothing really stands out. But I love the gigantic parking lot for this place, free and plentiful parking automatically bumps this place up for me!
(3)Ana D.
They have such a great happy hour here! I usually stop by after work with my co-workers. We usually get the sampler appetizer that comes with wings, chicken poppers--yum! onion rings and taquitos. We usually share that and a pitcher and it's all very cheap at the end. They have a very spacious dining area with booths too, bar seating, and plenty of outdoor patio seating. The menu looks like there is something for everyone here. They also have special music nights each day of the week.
(4)Michael L.
My first trip to Original Mike's was a lot of fun. The people were friendly and so was the staff. Both sides of the joint had good music . The atmosphere was a combination of old school and modern. Very nice and worth a visit if you're in Santa Ana. The drinks were good and not over-priced..... And the outside area is spacious and well kept. Check it out.
(5)Iris B.
The owners need to change a lot at this place! 1 bartender for 1 event. Then 2 bartenders at the other event when theeres atleast 200 ppl.. Horrible place im never coming bak! Came to see the meteors play they had another event going on which was good but they only have one bathroom took me 30 min to use it every time. Then took me another 30min to get a drink at the bar. Then i was trying to take a pic of the band when the security snatches my fone and says no recordings.. Fuck this place!! Paid 24$ for this shit when i could have just chilled at a bar and played the meteors on the jukebox bcuz i literally sat at the bar and listened to the band. it was so over crowded i couldnt watch the band.
(1)Brad M.
WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE overall I've ever experienced. The staff was either rude, or knew nothing about their menu and drinks. (No breakfast is served, even on NFL Sunday mornings) Only two of the staff members were decent looking, my server especially. The hostess talked on her cell the whole time, even when I tried to speak with her. Not one of them ever smiled. Turkey burger was decent, but sweet potato fries were too salty. They left the patio door open, so the sweet aroma of cig smoke permeated throughout. Disgusting. Ghetto music was played during commercial breaks while nfl game was shown, and they allowed a podunk karaoke band to bang just outside detracting from game. 2 words...Unbelievably bad. One star for decent tasting food.
(1)Kristen L.
My friends and I came on a Saturday night, wanting to get some well made drinks but the service was terrible, and the drinks were watered down; not worth $6+tip, and the long wait to be served. The bartenders were assholes. I never leave a bad review but this place deserves it.
(1)Corina A.
The place was cool, two times I ordered captain and coke. And both times it was plain rum but they charged me for the higher prices alcohol. I can tell the difference since that is the only drink like. The bartenders need to be retrained. That's why I specifically say captain not rum. I will be on alert next time I come.
(1)Melissa W.
Hamburger was huge, and tasty. The service was good. It was a little on the expensive side I felt, but overall a good experience.
(4)Lizeth C.
the service in this place sucks! my partner and i got there and they gave us a table near the bar area, we ordered our drinks and while we were enjoying our first drink the waiter came over to ask us to move due to a bigger party coming in and they needed that area! like seriously for a place who makes reservations ahead of time this place is unorganized! once at the new table we ordered our food..some ribs and carne tampiqueña and to say the least food is bland..no taste whatsoever! while eating this "food" manager is having the cooks rearrange the bar area for the party coming in...honestly?? doesnt this place have enough waiters/servers to do all this stuff? the manager was super rude and unprofessional screaming at the cooks for not arranging the place correctly! im sorry but the last thing i want to do while im eating is having to listen to someone scream at others! later on we "finished" our food and our plates just sat there along with our empty drinks while the waiter was on his phone and walking around the restaurant! well one of the cooks that walked by saw our table and offered to take our plates. we honestly believed that this place had more to offer...unfortunately we were wrong! definitely not coming back ever again!
(1)Vanessa G.
This place has good music a variety of music and crowd. All in all good place, good food, and drinks are okay also!
(5)Veronica H.
The service gets two stars but the price of their Happy Hour gets three stars. I went with Jimi H., Alison M. and Tim T. to have some appetizers and drinks at Original Mike's. We ordered the nachos and another sampler plate. The quantity of one appetizer is a good amount for a party of two and the price is right on, $10. A 60oz. Margarita pitcher is $12 and 60oz of beer is $10. Their Happy Hour is from 2-6pm Tuesday through Saturday. They will not budge on giving you their Happy Hour prices until 2pm. We got there at 1:45 and the waitress said no way Jose, you gotta wait until 2pm. We patiently waited while we drank our water and watched the Mexico vs. New Zealand soccer game (SI SE PUEDE!). I would give OG Mike's another try because of their Happy Hour prices and the amount of TV's they have in their first dinning room. Years ago I would frequent this place on a Friday night with my girlfriends but the crowd was a little seedy, OKAY... VERY SEEDY! I don't know how their weekend crowd is now.
(3)Drew M.
Bomb! My burger was cooked to perfection. Great service too! Araceli was the coolest and cutest bartender ever and she created a great experience for me. I'd definitely come back here.
(5)Crystal M.
I eat here once in a while My only complaint was the short haired blonde waitress She looked upset the whole time even when she smiled it looked fake I wasn't done eating and she put the to go box over my food as if she was kicking me out But the manager made up for it he's always so amazing and deals with what needs to be dealt with I never had a problem here before and hopefully she was just having a bad day and when I come back there's not a repeat of today
(4)Alfredo G.
Place is roomy, Live entertainment varies from night to night. Food is Good Variety Pulled pork Sandwich is good. Cobb salad is good and filling.
(4)Edward E.
Based on the "club experience" I went on a Friday night for a friend's celebration. The place has potential to be a great place to be at, but there are a couple of problems: 1.) The bartenders are extremely rude and wouldn't let my friend close tab. 2.) It gets musty and starts stinking in there (main dance floor) and I know for sure they don't clean the carpet. (Whys there carpet at the bar?) 3.) The drinks were "well drinks" (bad quality) I had rum and coke and I know they gave me some 99 cent rum with flat soda. That drink got me sick 4.) I'm not into the whole cholo/Chola scene, if your idea is to spend your Fridays with shaved head, Pendletons, dickie wearing homies that wear joop or curve. Or with middle age cholas with crusty hair, and lonjas hanging out of their jeans that they fit in back in 95, by all means go for it. Overall my experience was bad, they had a dope salsa session earlier of the night but it didn't last long. I heard the food is good but as a club scene it's not worth the $10 at the door!! We salvage the night by going to Chapter One across the street, 100 times better.
(1)Ethel M.
Original Mikes had a chill and cool vibe during the daytime. I've been here on several weekends and always have a blast with friends. I had a great waitress named Daisy who was attentive and friendly. The Hookah patio is off the hook! Great location and every night is different and fun.
(5)Dean D.
Wow, had a great office Christmas party there. Plenty to drink, food was hot, fresh, and tasty. Atmosphere was awesome! Live band and fun people! I'm going back.
(4)Linda F.
I know there is huge debate about which hamburger is truly the best. But in my mind, the blue cheeseburger here is it! I never thought I would pay that much for a hamburger and feel it was worth it.
(4)Fabian M.
Good music, but the food.. Let's just say, don't order the wings, unless you want to chip a tooth, and for the record, let's make sure there is food available to serve your customers. Not good when you are offered, a potato after your told there are no more mashed potatoes and then told.. Oh sorry, we are out of potatoes to.. Duh.. Anyways, the dancing and motown music was great.. But other then that.. Eat at McDonald's before you come over..
(3)Francisco G.
I loved this place! Bistro 400 was closed so my sisters and I went to PLAN B which was driving to this place. This building is historic! It's been around since I was a kid, for years it was an abandoned auto shop but they revamped it into a restaurant/bar/club. The DJ and live band were awesome! Old school hits, cumbias, merengues, salsas, reggaeton, you name it! I danced danced and danced! I had the "Bikini burger" :D even the waitress laughed when I ordered it, it's a veggie burger, no meat! THE BOMB! I eat less meat :) Very friendly staff, the place is clean, the security makes you feel safe, everyone minded their own business. :)
(5)Michelle W.
The food is great but the service is absolutely terrible! Expect to be there awhile and good luck getting your drinks/milk shakes.
(1)Steve O.
Listen to the reviews on this place and stay away from it. Me and a couple of friends were coming home from Legoland and got into a little car trouble and ended up being near the Pep Boys in Santa Ana, the starving kids that we are, we decided to get original mikes because it was across the street! We were seated right away and then our waitress came and took our drink orders. Which were waters... lol. We ordered, I got the BYO Flatbread Pizza, With Bacon bits, Mozzarella Cheese, Sun-dried Tomatoes and Mushrooms. It was decent. But the food is not I'm yelping about, its the Service here. The customer service has to be the worst here, not only did my waitress "DAISY" forget about my water, she forgot who got what order, when clearly SHE was the one that took the order? The fuck, dont be dumb Daisy. she was really rude and shoved the To-go bins in me and my friends face, then proceeded to roll her eyes. Excuse me? First off, how do you forget someones water when you specifically asked them "Is there anything else I can do for you?" Yes Daisy, I would love more water. Thanks. 2 mins... 5 mins... 10 mins... Oh look my meal is finished, and you still haven't arrived with my water. What the fuck. Lastly, when she came in the end, she asked us "Are we almost... done here?" 3/4 of us were finished while my other friend was still eating... Clearly we are done with your attitude. Thanks. I've encountered some bad customer service, but if you're like Daisy who forgets your order, your water, and gives you a really stank face, I suggest you quit your job and just work behind the doors as suppose to front. Sorry for putting you on blast, Daisy. But no water, no tip. :) 1 Star for such a crappy service job. Have Fun and Good Luck!
(1)Marie E.
Catalina was our server and she was great. Very attentive and sweet. The male host was awesome, played with my son and was so funny. Everyone had the team spirit. Food was good. Basically bar food kicked up a notch. Very likely to return. Surprised at the 3 stars.
(4)Chris S.
The Broadway Burger here with Kobe beef is delicious and looks like the picture. I've read a few reviews on here, if u want good service, order and ask for Catalina, she has service with a smile.
(4)Clea S.
I had a really delicious macaroni and cheese dish with chicken and bacon. I would have given Mike's another star if the waitress had told me that the iced tea was "tropical". I hate flavored tea. When I suggested she should add the word tropical in her description she said "well it says it on the menu". Who looks the menu before they order tea? Anyway, she took it off my bill.
(3)Oscar P.
I was in the neighborhood and I was pretty hungry so I decided to check out Original Mike's. I sat in the dinning room, which was really nice and quiet. My waitress was Daisy, she was very quick at asking me what I wanted to drink and brought it right away. Everyone there was very nice and attentive. The food was great! Great service Daisy. Thanks!
(5)Julie H.
I've pretty much been here enough times to see this place at every time of day and performing all its multiple functions. It's a decent spot for a business lunch in the afternoon, a bar for a sports game in the early evening, a quinceanera on Saturdays, a night out dancing on weekend nights, a karaoke bar or jazz club on weekday nights and Banda Sunday afternoons. Yea.. They do it all. They have two dining areas, two dance floors (one of them also doubles as a ballroom), two bars and a stage for a band. I really like their jazz night. The band is great and they play covers of Maxwell which I really appreciate and the atmosphere and vibes are relaxing so I'd definitely recommend heading over on a Wednesday night. As for the food, my top three favorite plates are the cobb salad, the chicken tomato basil soup and the salmon wrap. The salmon wrap is absolutely delicious and I always order it in a lettuce wrap with some fruit on the side instead of fries. The cobb salad is really filling and you're given your money's worth of food. Plates are around $10-$15 for a sandwich/wrap with fries combo or a salad. Everything I've tried is tasty. It's not going to blow you away but you're going to be satisfied, especially if you get any of the three plates I just mentioned. If you're wondering about the weekend club scene ... this place generally attracts a more grown crowd (late thirties to early fifties) so they tend to play music that caters to that crowd. If you're in your twenties, head to downtown Santa Ana instead. Overall, it's a multipurpose place that can be a bit overwhelming but worth trying at least once.
(3)paula m.
I'm so sorry to do this! This place could be so cool! Great seating spaces and decor. TV's a plenty. We eat here nearly every Friday during football season because of location and we dread it! The service is deplorable! It is never the same waitress and they are all awful! They could be making a killing pushing for and more drinks but they ignore us! The food is marginal at best. Menu is weird and salty! Drinks are barely cold. It's really to bad.
(1)Cynthia C.
Loved it i have a blast everytine I'm here security guys super chill,friendly drinks great there's hookah.. music awesome three dance floors ones funk and all that good stuff and the other mixed music and outside more mixed music + throwback hiphop nice patio to smoke and hangout definatly a five star!
(5)teresa n.
Based on my experiences... Staff: always super nice and friendly with me. Drinks: strong enough for me to only need ONE. Food: never ordered on the menu, BUT the taco guy at night is delicious. Couldn't give a fourth star because the music inside is wayyyyyyy too loud.
(3)Devin A.
Original Mike's is not so original. Their 'homemade fries' are bought frozen and served burnt. Their service was polite, but sub par. Though the pulled pork was edible, the burger my girlfriend ordered was still mooing. They also have a high-school party's selection of beer. I wouldn't complain if they had not presented themselves as a nicer restaurant. There is a niche for what they do, and they should advertise themselves as such.
(2)Shanda H.
This is not a review for the food but just the ambiance outside. We watched a band play and had some drinks. Not sure if this is expensive or average for the cost of drinks, but the bill came to $32 for only four drinks. Was happy the bartender knew what a Colorado Bulldog was though and made two of them good. It was just a nice place to sit and watch a band play. It wasn't so loud that you couldn't hear your conversation, and I appreciated the older crowd, vs. a room full of kids on the prowl. Cool place, but bathroom lady - I'm not paying you for a paper towel just because you grabbed the entire stack out of the machine and are telling me there are no paper towels in there, as you hand me one, hoping for a tip.
(4)Queenb B.
Never had their food so I can't comment on that. I have been here on numerous occasions for some Friday and Saturday night dance and drinks with my girls. Drinks are good. They sure have the perfect selection of music if your into old-school funk, and older rap and hip hop and even new age music. 3 different dance floors make it better. Although the 3rd is my personal fav! Can't get tired of this place, I'll definitely be back ;)
(4)Miranda V.
One of my pet peeves is bad customer service. If I'm paying money to dine at your establishment and you're working for my tip, I expect to be treated well. We were not acknowledged for a good half hour by the waitress after we were seated and we had to wave her down just to get her attention. When she did finally approach our table she didn't greet us or welcome us just asked us what we wanted. That's not the level of customer service I anticipated. She had no sincerity or excitement that made me want to dine there. When we got the check, she didn't even thank us for eating there. Instead she just said, "Here you go." I ordered the spinach dip with chips which was more just like cheese dip. It was overly watered down and there was barely any spinach in the dip. The dip was just very disappointing on top of the bad experience with the service.
(1)Miguel C.
This place is unwelcoming to any outsider. And I live 5 min away. The reason I say this is because this place is infested with gangsters. People will give you the nastiest look once you get there. Now I'm not hang affiliated but on club nights if you want to dance go somewhere else apartly all the women there are someone's property. After they say no a guy will call you out on why you hit up on their GF. Lotta bullshit I say. FUCK THIS PLACE
(1)Chris D.
This place is whack, plenty of better bars and clubs in DTSA I wouldn't ever come back. The last time I went some lady as old as my grandmother tried grinding in my 22 year old friend. This is a place for old people who never outgrew their partying days to go.
(2)Paul P.
EDIT: I've updated this from a one star to two stars only because the 2 bartenders who waited on me when I first got there (in the other room where all the booths are) were awesome. After I left that bar it was all downhill from there. --------------------------------------------------Â---------------------------------- Rod Serling may be long dead, but somehow, intermittently, I still entered the Twilight Zone. And last night I definitely entered it to my dismay. I was meeting up with some friends for a birthday bash and I had been to OM's in the past so I knew how to get there, where to park, etc. The night started off auspiciously when I went to the bar in the other room (with the booths and the restrooms) and asked for a cocktail. The bartender was friendly, she was amicably talkative, and made my drink to perfection. I went back to that bar and a young man made me my second drink, he was friendly as well. I give these two bartenders a 5/5 stars for being professional and courteous. Too bad their counterparts in the other room couldn't do the same. When the band came on they were good, though their song selections weren't reaching the crowd (please note that different bands play here on the weekends). When the DJ came on and played some old school, some old LA disco, etc. the place came to life. It was a bit odd to watch. Bear in mind this is side that has the live band, not the dining side that has the permanent DJ. And then, I started hearing the theme song to the Twilight Zone in my head, not realizing what it meant. We were ready to order some drinks and some food, but the servers weren't coming to our table, in fact, they weren't coming to ANY of the tables around us, yet they were walking back and forth between both rooms. So about ten minutes go by and still not a single server asking us if we needed anything. Then I noticed two of them standing by the cashier station by the bar, looking around and talking with one another. Finally, one of the tables next to us waived one of them over as she tried to make her way to the other side of the room. Twenty minutes go by and still no one came by to ask us if we needed anything. Sure, I could have gotten off my duff and flagged one of them down, but at this point I was going to see how long it would take someone to swing by and ask us if we needed anything. It was glaringly apparent to me that management was absent that night. I didn't spot a single person who appeared to be a manger, going around to make sure things were running smoothly. The servers on this side of the restaurant / bar weren't doing much of anything and it was obvious that they didn't care because they were standing idlely by and talking to one another. I hit my breaking point at 35 minutes and walked up to one of the servers and asked her to come by our table when she was ready to take our order. Totally unacceptable, but it was my friend's birthday and I didn't want to make a scene. Rod Serling's spirit whispered in my ear, "Don't order any food! Just DON'T do it!!" But I didn't listen and order some of their famous Nachos (it's massive) and some soft carne asada tacos. The food came out quickly so I thought this was probably the turnaround point of the evening (for the better). So we began to dig in. I've had some pretty bad bar food before and what we ordered ranked with some of the worst food I've ever tasted. The meat tasted funny, the cook went crazy with the salt and Gosh knows what other spices they went crazy with. The meat's flavoring was over-powering for all our palettes. We couldn't finish the food. It was that bad. Another obvious sign to me that there was no head chef or manager running things in the kitchen. Food served to the public should not be this bad. If this place continues like this they are going to lose a lot of business. There is no excuse for any place like this to have people wait that long to be asked if they need anything. I still had a good time with my friends as we salvaged the night by hitting the dance floor. There was no way OM could eff that up for us, right Rod? Tip #1: Parking is free on their private lot, just get there early if you want a spot. I'd say if you come before 10 pm you're probably ok. If not, there's more parking on the street. Tip #2: Though I'm never coming back here for a weekend night, they do have Phil Shane on Tuesday nights and that's worth it to me. Tip #3: Whatever you do, do NOT order their carne asada here, it's way too salty and they don't know how to marinade it. Tip #4: For you cheap ******ds out there, if you don't want to pay cover charge on weekends, get there before 8pm. Though bear in mind the place doesn't start hopping until around 10:30 - 11pm (like most places right?).
(2)Jackie W.
I have to preface this review by saying the "Yay! I'm a fan" is largely due to the sheer ridiculousness and fabulous people watching this place offers. If you want to try to define Original MIke's, you will likely find yourself unable to do so. It's one of a kind...part karaoke bar, part bar, part dance floor/club and part restaurant. They have happy hour until 6 with $3 beer (not a huge draft selection, be warned), $4 well drinks and discounted appetizers. Their nachos are a fantastic size and quite tasty, as are the chicken poppers and fries. The rest of our table said their food was mediocre so I can't speak for the entire menu's quality. After 8pm, they start charging a $10 cover and it morphs into the "club." The pat downs out front start, as does the DJ and the smoke machine (yes they have a smoke machine). So if you're looking for some undefinable fun, cheap drinks and some monster nachos...then I suggest heading on down to Original Mike's.
(4)Trin M.
I don't know what the other negative reviews are all about, but I've been coming here for years and Anna, the bartendress, has always treated us nicely. Our food is always ordered to taste, and they know how to pour our drinks! Sometimes they honor happy hour drinks even before happy hour time! The restaurant does have themed nightly events, so if you do not like certain crowds, just call and get the weekly schedule before-hand.
(4)Angel-Lee W.
If I could give this place a zero star I would. This was by far the worst costumer service I have ever experienced. The waitress was extremely rude when we complained about not event being offered water or getting orders taken after being here for over 30mins she replied "I'm not just here scratching my back" then when I complained to the manager that it had been over 45mins and we still didn't have our food he replied "I'm busy making your food, do you want to stay or do you want to go?" I had never had a horrible experience like this anywhere I have gone to eat lunch at. I definitely do not recommend that anyone ever come here and me and my friends will never come back.
(1)Justin C.
Bomb food, great venue, great parking. The only problem is the DJs, and the reason is they play the SAME MUSIC EVERY SINGLE NIGHT even in the same mix format. They need a more creative DJ in my opinion. Try the baby back ribs they are BOMB!
(3)Allyson W.
Don't care about their food once I heard this: my parents went here for lunch. My dad left his favorite ball cap, UCSC Banana Slug Dad or something, at the restaurant. He was crushed. My mom called the place a few hours later, explained the situation (they live in LA) and offered to give Mike's her credit card number to pay for shipping. The employee replied, "oh, we don't do that" and hung up. So my poor dad's ball cap remains at Mike's and they refuse to pop it in the mail. Worst customer service ever. I can't even comprehend this. My parents don't Yelp, but luckily their child does.
(1)Jesse T.
My first 1 star review. This was the most horrible experience I have had in years. This was supposed to be a night of celebrating with my coworkers before leaving to go home to our families for Christmas. At first glance it was awe inspiring seeing a 360 degree TV. But that was the highlight of the night. we were seated between where your food is cooked and the bar. IT WAS LOUDER THEN POLICE SIRENS IN THERE!!! The appearance was gross, with stains on the walls, carpeting coming up off the floor, bathrooms disgusting. All of us had to yell, if not scream for the waiter to hear us to take our order. He may have also been prejudice against my coworker who is black. The fact that he ignored him when he was trying to get the waiters attention. The fact that he refused to get him a refill. Also the fact that he managed to get his food order wrong 2 times. I'm just saying it appeared that way. Oh and the reason it was so loud, There was a Zuma class going on the entire time we were there. We were here for an hour and a half. We ordered nachos and egg rolls for our appetizers. Both were sub par and we were really expecting the entrees to hit it home. Meatloaf was burnt, steaks were no where near the rare and medium rare that we ordered. One member of our group ordered a burrito, to his surprise it was deconstructed. Lol being from TX myself this was just what I thought was going to be icing on the cake as far as things going wrong for the night. Unfortunately it wasn't. After everybody had eaten we waited 30 minutes for our bill trying various times to get the waiters attention. Only problem was he was stuffing his face with food in the kitchen. It's open so you can see what the cooks are doing back there. Eventually one of had to walk up to where he was eating and ask for our bill so we could go. Not being able to hear anything all he would do is hold up his finger, as if saying one minute please. While he continued to eat. With all the Zuma dancers it smelt like BO. Words can not describe how bad this place truly was. If my co-workers and I are ever back in town, we will stay very far away from this place.
(1)Lily V.
Great place for happy hour. Good drink specials. Nice service and the staff treats you like family.
(5)Yareli M.
Alright so I came here on Friday night, my cousin decided to start her bar hoping here for her birthday. Of course it was crowded by the time my friend and I got there. After searching through a crowd, I finally found her and was already well on her way to getting hammered. The DJ was playing decent music and the dance floor was a decent size. My friend and I went up to the bar and it took us 20 minutes to get our drinks, expected it was a Friday night. However my drink seemed watered down. My friend didn't like his drink either. I'm surprised their happy hour is so popular. We decided to go out to the patio, I needed some air since it was so crowded in there. It also took us about 10 mins to get out of there since it was so crowded. Any who don't plan on coming back. Oh there will be cops waiting outside to check up on you. Wouldn't recommend this place to my friends.
(2)Brizylla A.
Original Mike's was my first clubbing experience and I was not impressed but I was also not too disappointed. This place gets pretty packed on Thursday and Friday nights. I believe it's because their happy hour is pretty popular. Parking is easy to find because the lot is quite big. It's also not too expensive so I do recommend going for food. They have a mini restaurant, a bar, and a dance floor so you're getting a decent deal. The food here is great! The drinks aren't bad either. I feel like they're watered down though and the bartender takes forever. But the dance floor can be upsetting. It may get too crowded and the DJ doesn't play good music. And also, most of the songs are repetitive so it gets annoying. I prefer the atmosphere outside because it gets "too much" inside. The bad part is leaving, it gets clustered and can take up to 10 minutes just to leave the door. Then there's the police checking everyone and walking people to their cars and checking the DVs. Overall this place is not the best club ever and I would not go back. I would not recommend this place to my friends. It'll leave you on the disappointment side rather than on the impressed side. One star for food and another for price.
(2)Maria S.
Dinner and drinks! Dinner was Delish! Waiting to see Brenton Wood in concert. Those oldies but goodies!
(5)Flaviano A.
Not bad the times I've been. I guess it depends on your taste and the crowd. Rockabilly nights, Goth nights, etc. Have been awesome with no problems. Can't say much for the other scenes though.
(5)Sean C.
Burgers are good. Dig the entire place. Would be the type of place I would want to own.
(5)Jess G.
I really enjoy coming here with my girlfriends . They have a great happy hour menu, can't complain on the prices. What I love the most is that if we get there a few minutes before happy hour starts the blonde bartender will honor the prices which says a lot about good customer service, she's always making sure we are taken care of The food is excellent and we always feel welcomed.
(4)Dave C.
Great food, but loud, loud, LOUD!!! One very loud band playing. Bar music, booming. As long as you're not in the mood for a nice, romantic dinner, this is the place for you.
(3)Jessica P.
I enjoyed the food and entertainment but the service was terrible. We waited too long to be served and our waitress never came to our table. We had to flag down other waiters when we needed something.
(3)Sherese H.
I Got **Food Poisoning *** & Had Horrible Service!!! Do No Go Here
(1)Harley C.
Been working with them for the last 3 1/2 years on Wednesday night's!! Come out see what u have been missing. And the food is great!!!
(4)Randi B.
Came here with some friends to see a band who were playing outside on the patio. The patio is really big, yet really cozy and nice. The sound from the band was good. I would come back again to see a band. I would also come back to sit on the patio and people watch. Get a seat by the entrance to the patio and enjoy the "classy" ladies and their inappropriate attire. Inside they have three different areas - a dance floor/bar with live music, a restaurant, and a club. I went in twice to use the restroom and the music being played in both the club and live areas were pretty good. I'm not a club or a dance person, but I could see myself drinking here and listening to the jams. So why three stars? Cause we ate dinner here. First off, for the large patio they only have one waitress. What kind of bullshit is that? Poor girl couldn't keep up. So, service sucked, but I can't blame her 100%. There should have been at least two, maybe even three servers out there. The food sucked. I ordered Albondigas soup and a pasta, Penne al Fresca. My soup was brought out after the pasta. The soup was scalding hot and pretty bland. I was not impressed. My pasta was hot in some places, cold in others. Also, very bland, I have never had to use so much salt and pepper at a restaurant before. The pieces of garlic bread served with the pasta were pretty good. One of my friends got a veggie burger, he said it was lukewarm. His sweet potato fries were good. My other friend got a cheese quesadilla and she said it was okay. Final verdict? Don't eat here, but do come to see a band, hoochie watch, or shake your ass to some good music inside.
(3)Kevin T.
Service was fairly decent. parking is awesome. Need to call them for refills though.
(3)Stephanie R.
Two stars for inside not patio. Saturday 5:30pm. Main bar area closed. 2nd bar packed with families. Hostess says "there are two seats at the bar-saddle seats". Bartender not having a good day. Gave my date a chipped beer glass and hardly an apology when he showed her. Charged for the beer he did not finish because if this. Shown to a table for dinner. Other people seated after us got orders taken. Waitress was not having a good day too. Over cooked ribs, no seasoning on slaw, Rib Eye half the stated size. Frozen or canned veggies WHAT? You can't stay in business like this when there are at least 10 better restaurants within walking distance. Go there you say? I want OM to step up. We like the patio on the weekend and want the rest if the place to be as good.
(2)Kathy M.
the food was ok but not memorable, I am not in a hurry to return. Ambiance was nice, food was good.
(3)Karen D.
Great American place have been coming for five years here, the food is outstanding and nice delicious for loving fact of me that's why being the best comer of the place, nice decorated and easy coming place, most of the time ordered beef as I like much. Will be back.....
(4)Maria L.
I haven't tried their food but the drinks are pretty good. They're pretty expensive though! I ordered a margarita and it was strong! I'm not usually one to say drinks are strong, I'm great at handling my liquor. I ordered an adios and an LA Water. The LA Water did disappoint me because it's supposed to taste loaded with alcohol and instead it tasted too sweet. I also ordered a red apple martini and that was pretty delish. The music is okay, there's a pretty good selection of music actually. They mostly play funk and old school in one room. You will come across a lot of older people hence on the OG part. There's quite a few gang members. Well, I don't know if they're in a gang or used to be but they look like it. Everyone was pretty respectful and chill. No one came across us or tried to start any fights. My bartender was a girl, we went on a Saturday night. She was amazing! I wish I would have gotten her name. They have an outside patio where you can smoke and relax. I think they have outside heaters? There's also a second room with Spanish music. I give them 4 stars overall because we had a great time. I will definitely go back.
(4)Yesenia G.
I am sitting down at this location as I am writing this review. I got here around 8:30p because my friend suggested this location. She mentioned it was 80s Thursday night, which really caught my attention. As soon as I entered I got seated with great customer service in the room with a full bar. However I've been sitting down for an hour and 27 minuets and I have NOT been served, offered nor asked if my partner and I need anything. I can see them going around seating customers and taking there orders. The 80s music is really great, really great vibes. Pretty disappointed how they didn't have Pabst! Boo!! I thought they'd have it, since the bar looks big! Overall if you're looking for a place to hang and catch up with friends on a Thursday, this is an ok place.
(2)Jerry M.
Nope not for me, really poor food. Tasteless and dripping with grease. Like everything is cooked in the same fat bowl. My glass was dirty. Gave me heartburn. Not worth the price. slow service. Move along nothing for you to see here... Nothing but regrets. Avert your eyes when you walk past...
(1)Sarai C.
I love the music the band's are always great!! Drink specials are not very special. If your here on a non club night service is great, but on a Friday ir Saturday this place gets packed. I love there huge patio to sit have a drink get some air and listen to the dj or band.
(3)Scott A.
Very unique place. You could throw 3 weddings in here at the same time. I have only been during happy hour so I am assuming that on Friday and Saturday night they find a way to pack them in. This is a happy hour review. Great prices and ok service, it is a little scary that on the 3 times I've been there was almost no one there. Service is friendly, but a bit slow at times. I think one guy is covering every 10,000 sq ft. The 1/2 price apps are of good quality, my son loves the quesadilla and the wings are pretty decent for a non-wing place. They also go all out on the Nachos and the beers are $3, even premiums. Not sure why this place isn't generating a little more weekend traffic, but I like it! Oh, I almost forgot...the homemade shakes. My son swears that the peanut butter shake is one of the best in the OC.
(4)The V.
The staff here are awful at customer service! Ordered a cranberry and vodka and had three people taste test it and it just straight taste like cranberry juice!!! I was not satisfied because I waited so long to get my drink and paid $6 for it. Bartender ***wouldn't make me another or just give me a beer instead! Had to make my way to another bar located inside and tell the bartender my situation and she gave me a beer instead. NOTE the customer is always RIGHT. P.S the girl that made my drink didn't even acknowledge me while I was waiting for a drink. She just stood there, she didn't even say ill be right with you or anything. I thought she was a bar back or something until one of the workers said she was the bartender. Lame place never again after this experience! I should have just got my money back ! Wasn't even worth it!
(1)Morgan M.
The perfect spot for after work cocktails with some coworkers. They have 3 stages, one outside and two located inside at different bars. All of the cocktails were great, and I only tried a small bite of the food which was so-so. Tip: Go to the back bar, they have a few barstools that are saddle chairs.
(3)Bruce B.
I recommend that this restaurant go through "bar rescue". The atmosphere is great, the entertainment fantastic , bar drinks above average, but the food needs help. Bar Rescue would turn this place into a great business.
(2)Jamie R.
I'm ONLY giving two stars bc dj vertigo is here, or it would be a one! The bartenders have no idea what they're doing past wearing shorts short enough to be underwear. I had to go back to the bar bc my tonic and vodka tasted like tonic, then my next one tasted like some blueberry sugary headache... If that wasn't annoying enough they GAVE my friends debit card to another girl with black hair bc she "looked like her" and also had a "weird last name". When I expressed concern and shock to my friend the bartender then responded with "ohhhhh it was your card??" and a dumb as rocks look on her face. All the mgr did was give my friend a free drink and took down her info in case they "found" the card. Luckily my friend called and blocked her card, but not before she had a gas and jack in the box charge on it! Great job not doing your job bartenders! Go for vertigo, and bring CASH!
(2)Victor C.
Came here for lunch with my family and it was pretty dope. Upon parking the outside of the building just jumps out at you with its old fashioned text and signage. A large brick wall from the old dealership still stands displaying an awesome "original Mikes" logo with the deer in the middle. The inside is pretty awesome as well. It was an eclectic mix of like the 1950's meets steam punk, meets the taxidermist. A fire burns in the fireplace flickering adding to the unique ambiance. Our waitress was a tall blonde girl and i dont remember her name she was attractive and provided quick and decent service. The girl at the entrance was really nice too. We started off with some carne asada nachos and they were so good, on par with any authentic mexican restaurant some of the best i've ever had. I then ordered a black chicken sandwich or something like that it had apples, tomato, sprouts and a garlic mayo really unique and tasty flavor combo that will leave you craving it later. The string fries were good. The water and lemonade i had were good. Really no complaints.
(4)Robert S.
This place gets 4 STARS from me because of the atmosphere and entertainment value they offer. I've gone to Original Mike's on 3 different Wednesday nights during the last 6 weeks or so, to enjoy their Old School R&B night. The place is pretty large, and has a unique (meaning not "cookie cutter" floor plan). The property sits on a very large, corner lot, and has a huge parking lot with plenty of space. They have a very large, outdoor patio where they have a karaoke DJ and a well-lit state, for people to go up and sing. Inside, the resident performer in weekly rotation is a guy named DEREK BORDEAUX. This man sang backup for Luther Vandross in the early 1990's, and his voice is on many R&B radio singles from that time period as a studio singer. He's bald and kinda fat now, but his voice is still as amazing as ever. I will give the in-house sound system that they have about a 9.0 out of 10.0. They have a really good sound man who also works as the DJ on nights when live bands aren't performing. The experience is great, and is well-worth the drive to get there, if you like live, Old School R&B. The average age of the crowd is 45+, but they were friendly, and I didn't feel uncomfortable in a room full of people that age. The food was average, meaning not great, but still okay. Similar to what you would get at Hooters, but you don't go to Hooters just for the food, either, do you? Worth checking out...
(4)Dave H.
Ate here for the first time the other night, had the Chorizo burger it was awesome and it was paid for by someone else. Can't beat free.
(4)Jessica M.
BAR ONLY -- NOT FOOD-- If you are looking for a FUN time with an eclectic crowd, this is the place you need to be. We weren't a huge fan of the food, actually we probably would not eat their again, but we went on a Wednesday night and HAD A BLAST. There was everything from dancing, a live band, a hip hop room on the opposite side of the restaurant, to karaoke on the patio. Everyone was in a great mood and got along with one another. I would definitely visit again if I was in Santa Ana. =)
(4)Barbara C.
So-so. We stopped here on Sunday after the Patchwork Show. My veggie burger was ok but my friend's burger was nothing but a big slab of fat (yuck). Sitting on the patio listening to the band was nice and they allowed my dog on the patio. I honestly think Original Mike's is more of a bar than a restaurant but I'm new to CA so I'm just making an assumption.
(2)Michelle F.
Don't go on a Sunday evening and expect a fun time. A large group of friends and I went to have drinks and fun, but didn't experience that! Main bar was off limits for a ticketed event that was not starting for another 4 hours and side bar was closed for a Zumba class. Tried to make best of afternoon but bartender ignored us and charged our DD $4 for bottled water, even though she requested a glass of water!
(2)Brandi M.
My boyfriend and I went to original mikes last night for my best friend's birthday and karaoke night. Ariana was our "server." And I say it like that because I saw her twice that night. Once when she took my order and then I had to flag her down for my check (which I NEVER do at a restaurant being that I'm a server and I hate that). She never asked or brought drinks for us (I had to ask a busser for 2 waters and go to the bar for a beer. I don't know if she thought she was just going to get a great big tip because of the big party I was in or if she just didn't give a crap about her job. But I tip based on service and how polite you are and she was a terrible waitress. Oh, I would also like to add that she did not know what tables ordered what because she came to our table twice with drinks that weren't ours and because she couldn't find the person that ordered a whiskey and coke, so she handed it to an UNDERAGED girl in our party after she joked around about taking it. (No she didn't drink any of it, but that waitress should've lost her job on the spot for serving someone that was underage and not asking for ID). She came back with another beer and kept telling this guy that he ordered it and was asking where he had gotten the beer that was in front of him and he told her "I didn't order from you, I went to the bar and got this beer myself" and she kept interrogating him like he wasn't telling the truth. CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT! Regardless, if they aren't being honest (which he was), you should never waste your time arguing with a customer about where and how he got his drink! Maybe if you were actually checking on your tables and asking if they need anything he would've ordered with you!! Never again do I want to come to a place with such terrible service. I hope the management sees this review and takes this matter into their own hands. I would never treat any guest like they don't matter and I would hope that they want the same for their company.
(1)Ingrid V.
This place is the epitome of "Just OK" Was it bad? No! It most certainly was not bad... Was it good? Well, it tasted alright... but nothing fantastic. Worth the price? Nope, I don't think so. Went here with two wonderful friends and this is our experience: Me: Santa Fe Burger 10.95 "Topped with a chili relleno, special salsa verde, pepper jack cheese, grilled white onions, and tomatoes, on a toasted sesame bun. EXCELLENT!" --No.... not "EXCELLENT". Burger was on the dry side, pepper jack cheese wasn't very peppery. Chili relleno was kinda good. I got it with onion rings. Now those were delicious. My friend Kevin: Texas Style BBQ Bacon Burger 10.95 "Our famous! With, BBQ sauce, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles, bacon, on a toasted, sesame seed bun and garnished with an onion ring" --Well, he ate it. I asked if it was good. He replied, "I was hungry." Hmmm. My friend Hana: Grilled Rib Eye Steak with Garlic Butter 20.95 "A 14oz. steak grilled to order, and complimented with garlic mashed potatoes in a wild Mushroom demi glaze and steamed veggies" --She actually loved this. Mentioned that the steak was actually quite good. I ate her veggies. :) Final thoughts? Cute place, fun decor, nice outdoor patio, good service. Food quality is ok, but not for the prices they charge.
(3)Kasey F.
I went to Original Mike's for my sister Graduation, It was on a late night, and we all wanted to celebrate my sister senior Graduation, so we went out to eat at OG Mike's. When we got there I already felt welcomed, and everybody smiling having a goodtime. We were seated in the back area, where the bar was next to a window where you can see people dancing and enjoying singing time. After we were done eating, We went to go see the jazz singer and man it was incredible, people dancing, I call myself an old soul so what I did is started dancing with people and they were so welcoming and my sister was having fun for graduation. Thank you for making Original Mike's a special night for my sister.
(5)Richard W.
I enjoy bringing friends to Original Mike's for the food and the atmosphere. My favorite dish is the meatloaf dinner.
(5)Victor G.
I'm not a hamburger guy, but the burgers here all really good! I had the California burger, finished about half the meal, definitely worth it!
(4)Candace M.
I attempted to meet my friends at original mikes right now and as I walked up to security to present my id, the security guard asked for me to grab the two guys that walked in behind me. After explaining I wasn't with them he grabbed my id and said he was keeping it. I finally got it back after asking nicely and being respectful. Usually I am such a fan, however the security guard was extremely rude, aggressive and made me feel uncomfortable. I am so sad to leave this on Original Mikes yelp because an actual employee told me later that he doesn't work for original mikes and that he was extreme and apologized on his behalf. I asked for his name and he said "none of your business get out". I then asked for the security company he works for and he refused that information as well. I will be calling in the morning to follow up :(
(1)Viktamon P.
I had one bad experience here,but I'm over it.I love the live band and I love the old school jams. This place is great to just go chill, personally for me I don't see it as a hook up type of place.But that's just me.... Live Band / second room plays hip hop... 2 Bars / big outside patio A good place to just chill...
(3)Nicole G.
This past Saturday we celebrated my moms 50th birthday here. Let me begin by saying our service was horrible & our party was very unorganized! When we arrived we asked for the food to be served at a certain time & it wasn't, I had to ask the hostess who had no idea what was going on.. In a contract which I never signed said we had to pay a certain percentage for the hostess but we never had a specific hostess we had to keep flagging random waiters down to ask for stuff.. We were also told we would have our own private section but random people kept coming taking our chairs sitting in our area at one point people were even grabbing our food.. I let a waitress know what was going on but nothing was done! My mom was very disappointed I think the only thing she enjoyed was the live band which she couldn't really enjoy because she was worried about her guest wondering if they got their drinks if they ate something usually what a hostess worries about not the guest of honor!! This is by far the worst place to celebrate a birthday! I do not recommend it at all!
(1)Autumn L.
First off, the food is good enough for five stars.... But the service got it two stars. We were 2 of 6 people at the bar, it took about 15 minutes before we saw any menus and that's only because I had to go get them from the restaurant side. Took a total of 25 minutes to get drinks and are order taken. They weren't that busy inside, but had a group of people out side, everyone was working the outside area and not the bar area. Once the food was ordered it took another 35-45 minutes before we even saw are food. Great food(even though it was Luke warm from sitting at the waiting station for 20mins.) had to borrow condiments from the person next to me, had to get up walk to the other end of the bar to get water and they tried to put it in a dirty glass. Then they sat it Down and didn't even bring it to me were I was siting. Maybe they opened and forgot to staff more than 3 people for the group the had outside. The best service I got there was when it was cash out time, The security went to the computer, rang us up and stood there while I signed the receipt.( why was he working behind there don't ask me), he cashed us out and served drinks. He went from being the bar back to being the main bartender. This was the second time in a year I had crappy service here, last time it was me and my brother, we were the only ones there and the seemed mad because the had to work.....been here only two times and it's been 10 months apart! All in all, if you have 5-8 hours to kill for a hamburger and 1beer(they never came back to see if we wanted anymore to drink or how the food was) then this is the best place is southern California for you, put it at the top of your list. Everywhere else will disappoint you By running the place right and serving you... Nick
(2)Rick R.
Place is clean and nice. Went for lunch on a Sunday, made reservations as well and service was crap. Took 15 mins just to get sodas and water. Took 40 mins for them to take our order. When the food arrived it was hit and miss. The nachos were burnt. Steak was good, but the burger was under cooked. They never came back to see if we needed anything or even refill our drinks... Definitely won't come back, unless its to the bar only.
(1)Marian L.
This place is nice to go to for drinks after work. I don't like going there too late. I had dinner there too late on a Saturday and it became a nightclub while we're eating which was really annoying. It was really dark and the fog machines were churning while we were trying to eat. The club seemed okay, but not really my type of music and environment. The food is okay but I don't understand why it is very overpriced. The venue itself is pretty nice. It is fairly large and they have different events there almost every day.
(2)Marc D.
Went to Original Mike's on a Sunday afternoon a few weeks ago to chill with a small group of friends. Weather was perfect to sit out on the patio, sip a few cool brews, chow down on decent bar food, and listen to a really good band, Alter Ego. The group of four guys seemed like they were really into putting on a good show for everyone, as well as having a good time themselves. The drummer was pounding the skins like he was sending signals to some other planet-- really awesome,. reminded me of Neil Peart, the Rush drummer. Some of the food we had: chicken nachos, sliders, taquitos, and burgers were all much better than ordinary bar food. Check out the calendar on OM's website and go when Alter Ego is on stage. You won't be disappointed.
(4)Serena P.
I went here last Friday for my 21st Birthday & I had an Aamazing time it was so much fun !! Definately a night to remember :)Its a $10 cover charge but totally worth it , dress to impress , its a mixed crowd older & younger , the music is good I was up & down the dancefloor . .in one room its funk & hip hop (mixed) in the other its spanish & they have an outside patio which is nice cause frm dancing all night long you get hot & its nice to get some air they also have a band playing in the outside patio . .umm they make the drinks pretty strong there and not very expensive it was $9 for an la water & AMF but very worth it :) I had a very FUN experience :) Definately will be goin back :)
(5)Michael A.
This was my place I went to back in the day with my friends around five years ago. I liked this place because it had my name on it, and I'm original. Ok maybe not. Otherwise the drinks were cheap along with a patio, live music in one room and a DJ in the other, so I thought to myself "hey this is a great place." Well since then after my last visit a few years ago, it's falling off fast. DJ still plays old music and drinks are not strong and cheap. At least the good thing was that there were attractive women that wanted to dance and have a great time in the end.
(3)Gstar K.
Last Thurs. establishment treated mixed social time-killers to this: OC Film Fiesta: Latino Short Film Program, September 16, 5:00pm A selection of short films by up & coming US Mexican filmmakers screened during Original Mike's Happy Hour "Movies & Margaritas" night along w/signature "Independence Day" cocktails {such as The El Guapo, The Plethora (my choice definitely!), Little Kneddy & of course 3Amigos--to highlight movie themes--todo que bueno!!!} Celebrate the next generation of Latino filmmakers. And also... ¡Three Amigos! (...Huge Personal Fave!!! ;-)... This classic 1986 John Landis comedy starring OC's own Steve Martin, Chevy Chase & Martin short follows the misadventures of a trio of silent movie stars who are mistaken for actual revolutionary heroes by villagers threatened by the menacing El Guapo, played to the hilt by Alfonso Arau. Was actually my 2nd time here. 1st time didn't even make it pass entrance b/c for some arbitrary over-hyped club nite, was charging an obscene $20/person. After having a great time volunteering as event host for MS Benefit @Yost Theatre around the corner, for OC Good Life main organizer Roberto [ meetup.com/OC-Good-Life/… ...was up to chill more than clubbing. So skipped it. But thankfully, good/nice/super cool NO COVER opportunity to return/check it out again presents itself thru awesome OCWeekly [ ocweekly.com/events/andi… Scouring for fun things to do, found the event above, alerted my Latino buds, & the 3of us, on almost short notice re-discovered how major cool O.M. really is! Greeted by large outdoor patio, Spacious 2part ornate/kitschy, complete giant deer head decorative dining rooms/bars/dancefloor/live bands, high fanned ceilings, wide stage for the movie screenings & other performances. Best: the service was not as slow nor unfriendly as reported. Even one host, a round sweet guy kept making sure friends & I were kindly helped all throughout the eve. Perhaps they read other Yelpers posts & adjusted their M.O. for O.M. ;-) Btw, coincided w/their constant bikers convention nite was an added fun bonus to their classic auto collection decor.
(4)Jacqueline F.
This liked theplace, i thought it was awesome how they have vintage cars and all the decorations. So i went there because my friend wanted to go, when we got there; there was a lot of bikers, they were having a gathering. They played really good music, after that they had like a race in their bikes in front of Original Mikes. My friend and I got there a little after 7pm, so we did not catch the happy hour special & i am always down for happy hour because Martinis are always half off. However we still bought margaritas and martinis, the service was awesome. After that we ordered there mother load with beef, and that was delicious. Its one of the appetizers. I really recomend people to show up before 7pm to get the specials.
(5)Eric B.
I think this place gets a bad rap. A roadhouse is a unique concept for the OC - especially in Santa Ana, and Mike's really pulls it off. Once you wlka inside, you realize this place is really a lobaor of love for the owners. Eclectic decor dominates and each piece is a little conversation piece. the menu is vast, and every dish I've had is very good and ample. Surprisingly good Ahi salad, and thick grilled burgers. At night it is party central, with tons of every walk of life, Karaoke and saddle bar seats - worth a shot just for the experience. Out of respect for my girl, I won't even mention the hot hostesses.
(4)Emily L.
The food is good and the service is wonderful. I'm not too sure why fellow Yelpers disagree. I've only been here once and I thought the food was really good. It's a bit on the pricey side but it was worth it. I had a clam chowder soup with a caeser salad. The chowder was nice and thick and it didn't have that excess starch(y) taste. Salad was eh but the chicken that came with it was nicely grilled. My friend had the swordfish sandwich (special of the day) and it was excellent! I've never had swordfish sandwich before so maybe my review of this could be a little bias? Anyway, I definitely recommend it. Burgers looked very hearty and appetizing. The fries that come with it are SO good! Crispy and not too oily. I think what really made me give this place 4 stars and not 3 is because the food comes out HOT, not lukewarm but HOT and that's the way I like it. At other restaurants I've been to, they usually have the heated plates but the food isn't necessarily hot. This place is worth a try, really!
(4)Keisha V.
Happy HOUR 3-6 Monday thru Saturday! The best margarita pitchers for $15 and Nachos (best happy hour menu item!). Cool atmosphere. As for the nightly events held at this place, I cannot comment on. I don't mess with this place after 9 pm LOL.
(4)Matthew C.
So, against my better judgment I allowed the kids into talking me into going here. I like to refer to places like these as charging a 'stupidity tax.' You have to pay it if you are dumb enough to eat at a place whose chief draw is the cool decor and as a result, the mediocre food costs 2-3x (read Hard Rock Cafe). So we sit down and I see platters of fried crap flying by. And we wait. And wait. Not a waitress says, "I'm sorry, we'll be with you in a moment." Mind you, I am not at the bar watching the game, I have 3 hungry kids. After 15 minutes of this stupidity, we walk out and no one seems to notice. To be avoided.
(1)Rick B.
For me its all about the food and the service and Original Mikes delivered. We were greeted right away & our Ice Tea glass was always full. The buffalo wIngs were big and a great deal at happy hour pricing and I wasn't drinking. I also had a Chicken club with onion rings it hit the spot. The sandwich had an option to come with gorgonzola cheese which may be exotic for some but a nice touch. Gorgonzola is just Italian Blue cheese but more creamy. Killer breading on the onion rings. This place is a large facility and can hold quite large events with plenty of parking.The dining area is nice and open and not loud like so many other places. They have a few classic cars and fake sharks and other fish to look at. They have the dining area away from the bar. The patio is really nice with huge Canary Island and other palm trees. They use to hold big events like Rose Royce on the weekend a few years ago but I am unsure if they still do.
(5)Robert M.
The use of space here (this used to be a Buick Dealership and is huge) is genius. The decoration is interesting. Service is always slow (it seems), and the food is nothing to write home about. But this is a fun place to listen to live music, karaoke, or to get a beer.
(3)Karina C.
My cousins and I go to OG Mike's to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, job promotions, and everything in between. The staff is friendly, and the waiters are wonderful. The food is decent (have only eaten there once), but they have a fully stocked bar and have been able to make everything we have requested in the times we've been there. If the don't know how to make it, just google it on your SmartPhone, and they'll hook you up! The nightclub has two dance floors and the music is pumping on Friday and Saturday nights. I appreciate the fact that there is a DJ spinning on the patio, which is nice for when you want to get a breath of fresh air and rest from dancing and just chill.
(4)Brad H.
Good. Poor beer selection. Just the basics. Very Raider Nation, but a great place to watch Football if you dare.
(3)Mark M.
Really not a lot to say. Was in town for work. Drove by the place. The rest--not great service, pretty terrible food, etc--is history.
(2)jonathan s.
the food is average but what grossed me out was we sat by the kitchen, saw a waitress bring food back to the station like it was sent back for something. she then handpicked some chicken and other stuff off the top of the salad (in plain sight of several tables) and then brought it back to the table in the other room. this happened before i got my meal. i wanted to leave. so gross. i dont even remember what i got but never going back.
(1)Nathan H.
Original Mike's is a great place to go with all the family. My God children and I just had visited the Santa Ana Zoo and we had hearty lunch at Original Mike's. Our server recommended the great burgers and kids loved them! I had the turkey burger and it was tasteful! The atmosphere was great and the kids loved it! The service was great and the outdoor patio is awesome!
(5)Jason P.
I'm surprised by the low rating for this place. I have only ever been here for lunch, but I have been here a lot. It is convenient to the OC Courthouse, and is a great place to head before or after your business there. I was on a two-month long trial, and came here at least 2 or three times per week during that time. We grabbed a couple tables on the patio and were able to spread out with our papers and work through lunch. The food is simple yet tasty, and the fries are great. I recently switched firms and introduced some of my colleagues to Original Mike's after a seminar at the Bankruptcy Courthouse, and they all loved it (and there are definitely some food snobs in that group). I finally stopped by here on a weekend for lunch, with my wife and baby daughter before a trip to the Santa Ana Zoo... and the experience was just as good as it was when I was a "regular." Also, this place is a ghost town on the weekend... or maybe we just hit it at a weird hour (noon?) on a Saturday... we were one of only two occupied tables in the entire joint. Another plus for this place, is that I hear it is popular with judges, so you may be able to rub elbows with the people who will be deciding your case someday... never hurts to get familiar with the powers that be!
(4)Angelica A.
Brandon, the bartender, is awesome!
(5)Trevor T.
We hosted a motorcycle night here on Wed. The staff was great (although we could have used another server on the patio) and everyone had a fun time. We had about 50 motorcycles show up. O. Mike's gave us the patio, set up special parking and let us show movies on a big screen using their audio. This time around I tried the Wet Burrito with green sauce. Stuffed with chicken, onions and green peppers, topped with cheese and a slightly spicy green sauce. Served with rice and beans and 3 (!) chips.
(4)Sean P.
Ok, it's not in the best area and the decor is something out of a Joe's Crab Shack, but the Turkey Burger is the BOMB! A great place for lunch.
(3)Momo M.
I don't know if this place is as bad as everyone is saying it is. They don't have THE BEST food, but it's nowhere near awful. Besides, the ambience is really cute. The building is a converted 1930's horse buggy dealership! The service was quick and friendly. I'd consider going back. True, the food is a little bit pricey for what you get, but it wasn't any more pricey than a Red Robin or Chili's. I had a barbecue burger with fries. The fries were skinny cut and a bit overcooked. Unfortunately, they weren't so much crispy as kind of hard. The burger was your everyday prefab patty. Nothing special, but nothing horrible either.
(3)Scott M.
We started out on a bad note with our order getting lost, but Juan (the manager) made it all good and I'll definitely be back...
(4)J C.
OG Mike's needs to have it's menu updated. The food was not good nor were the drinks. I had a Cosmo martini that had more water than martini. I also ate the pesto chicken sandwich which was surprisingly bland in flavor. The sweet potato fries tasted like old french fries. The only positive thing was the hamburger which was delicious! (hence the 2 stars). Overall a place was not great and we so not be coming back. Well only to see the car show.
(2)Katherine F.
If I could give this place zero stars, I would. Awful food, poorly prepared, completely lacking in taste and highly overpriced. I had to ask for my enchiladas to be prepared with corn tortillas instead of flour tortillas, and they were still inedible. I was with my 17 year old son, and he ordered a hamburger and didn't even finish it. That should give you an idea of the quality. Even the staff must know it's terrible because our server didn't even both to ask if we wanted take-out containers for our barely touched food. That's 90 minutes and $50.00 I will never get back.
(1)Emmie S.
Service is slow. Waiter came to my table & stood with a blank stare. My utensils were dirty. Once served, the waiter never came back to check on our table. The cook from the open kitchen actually tended to us when he saw we needed something. I ordered a pulled pork sandwich and I ended up with loads of BBQ sauce on white bread. Enough said. The decor is awesome however the food was awful.
(1)Shemp H.
What a dump. They must be carbonating the beer with sneezes, or using the cola tanks - s'posed to be using CO2, gents. Beer was harshly fizzy, like angry Shasta cola. Two Stellas and you'll have a headache. That's just not right. Another thing - strategy of beer taps. What? When I ordered a shot and a beer the shot came from one bar and the beer came from a different bar. Bartender pours me the shot & sez, I'll be right back, sir. And he disappears! Where did he go? Across to the other bar. Comes back with the beer. The food was warmed over munchies. No effort or thought put in. The band was fine, the help was more or less fine. The place was CRAWLING with police, inside and out. Not a bad thing, but why all the ociffers? Two cops chatting with customers inside when we arrived, and three cop cars in the parking lot when we left.
(1)Genesis L.
I had been dying to come here for some time but never had the chance to. I finally came with my boyfriend a couple weeks ago(: So we arrived and they asked us if we wanted to sit inside or outside- we decided inside. It was dark but not too dark with a lot of people. The waitress gave us the menu and we ordered- good thing it didn't take long for our food to be ready considering there was quite a lot of people. I ordered Big Mike's Special Cajun Pasta (Amazing!!) and it was delicious!! We had a good time there: great food, drinks, and music! I will mos def be back.
(4)Jamie M.
Rotten service both times I've been here. Also the food is so average its completely forgettable.
(1)Brett C.
Bar 6 of 8 on our Santa Ana pub crawl trek. And I wasn't too impressed. After walking allllll the way around the building to find the entrance, we were greeted to a 10 dollar cover. Luckily, they waived this fee for us for the pub crawl. When we entered, we thought it might have been karaoke night. Nope. Just a really awful band. After finding that the bartender on that side of the establishment wasn't aware of the pub crawl, we moved to the other side. Bar number 2 was a little bit more tolerable, with a DJ spinning mostly rap beats. After learning the pub crawl special was $2 Stella, I was bought a shot. It was tough to converse in the environment, so after the beer was done and the pictures of the saddles at the bar, we moved on. As we left, bar 1, it hit me. The band was playing what I would identify as very traditional Mexican music. I might have been one of the whitest patrons in the establishment (Robert C. can probably claim that title). The nightlife probably caters more to a Mexican crowd. All in all, a little too loud and a music genre mismatch for me. I can't say anything too bad about anything but the cover, this place just wasn't for me.
(2)N L.
Everything about this place should be cool... but it's not. I've been craving a pulled pork sandwich and got shredded meat drenched in grocery store bbq sauce, swiss cheese, on white bread. The fries were thin, overly crunchy, and bland. And I didn't bother tasting the coleslaw, or at least that's what I thought it was.
(1)Desi Z.
I just celebrated my 25th birthday here I loved the place! The music was good the food was good services was good I would defiantly recommend this place if your having a party or gathering.
(4)Melody R.
I came here for an event. We had the outside patio which was pleasantly big n cozy w heaters. There was a few appetizers through the tables n it was surprisingly very good. The chicken nuggets were the best (very addicting). The dj n Banda kept the dancing going the whole time. Downside- the bartender was slow, even though there wasn't many ppl inside at all n she didn't know how to make a few drinks. To give her some credit, I did overhear she was new. They also ran out of Crown early in the day. For being a Sunday, yes the place was pretty empty bt we didn't care cause our party was outside.
(3)Kevin F.
I have never been any where with worse service. The food was just okay and certainly not worth the wait. Original Mike's took up so much of our time that I have no time to write anything else about the place except: horrible, horrible, horrible.
(1)Erica W.
We went there for lunch yesterday. As we were being seated we noticed a waitress hiding out in a corner texting. Turned out she was our waitress. Took our order, food was so-so. She came back and asked my b/f if he would like another beer, he said yes. She promptly turned around and sat in a back booth and started texting again. Never brought his second beer. Another waitress cleared our table and brought me a box for leftovers (that I didn't end up eating). Place has potential to be cool, but fails miserably. Won't be going back.
(1)Rene B.
i have been going here for 5 yrs the waitresses are great, the fat lazy security guy just likes to give his pals free drinks, I know 3 of the waitresses and they are great !!! most the time it's been ok, but over the years I do get burnt out on watching that same fat bouncer comp drinks to his pals, I don't think it's right ! Now the last time I was there about 4 months ago I was with my gal pal, we pulled up to the bar as usual. New bartender I hadn't seen prior, seamed nice enough. Was not to busy, wasn't dead. We ordered drinks ( I normally do mixed, but I drover her suv so I limit to 1 beer an hour) so were at our second round of drinks.. and were out, I ask for the bill, the guy puts the glass with the receipt in front of me, off the bat I notice it's pretty long for 4 drinks.. so I tell him hey I think you gave us the wrong tab. He yells at me, NO IT YOUR TAB. I grab it and I say, well we didn't have 8 vodka's and apps.. he says yes it's your tab.. I yell louder Dude your giving us the wrong tab.. he says don't yell at me or I'll kick you out.. I laugh he says what are you laughing at.. I said, go ahead kick me out I'm happy to have free drinks since your wrong.. he walks over looks at me I say I ordered 4 F*CK^N coronas for me and her. He looks at the tab, goes back brings me the correct one. Doesn't say, O sorry I screwed up nothing... So I leave him 1 cent tip and never go back again. Mind you last year I had my client get married and I did the video for them, she wanted a spot for the rehersal dinner so I sent her here, and the other countless people I will NEVER send back to this place, as that's not the first time I've seen bartenders give someone crap. They forget that you give crappy service you don't make money. Not to mention I get tired of seeing the security dude toss drinks to his pals and act like he owns the joint. Sad as the place is a great place, food is decent and the decor is great, the outside patio rocks too. But the bartender and security guy blew it for me. Simple, stay AWAY !
(1)chris j.
THIS PLACE REALLY REALLY SUCKS!!!!! Someone had to say it!! It might as well be me. This review is mainly about the restaurant. Dinner tonight was my fourth visit,someone is always talking me into giving it one more try. I give up! I have never enjoyed a single item at this place,service really sucks,and they charge way to much for frozen dinner type food. Actually,a Boston Market frozen meatloaf is what i picked up on the way home since i sent my plate back over at Mikes Un-original,at least it will be ready in 8 minutes,not 30,i can also get a glass of water in under 20 minutes at home....avoid the restaurant.
(1)Todd G.
My two daughters go to OC School for the Arts down the block. We decided to get a quick dinner after school (5pm). The restaurant was empty. We waited 1hour and 20 minutes for our simple food-burgers and a salad. I asked the manager to come over. Manager said that we could come back later for the entertainment and sit at the bar for free. My daughters are 13 & 14 years old. I just asked him where our food was-maybe he ate it-he must of been over 400lbs. NEVER GOING BACK AGAIN. IF YOU HAVE KIDS GOING TO OCHSA DONT GO HERE AND WAIST YOUR $$$$$$$$$$
(1)Richard U.
Quick summary (for the tweeting generation) - Just about the worst service I think I have ever had. Food was average once we were served. With my wife and another couple, we ventured over to Santa Ana to partake in the DÃa de los Muertos event (I highly recommend this event). We wandered over to Mike's because we were hungry and this looked like the only place that had available seating due to the crowds. Who knew being with the dead would make us so hungry? But it did and we were! Mike's has the look and feel of a good, big sports bar/restaurant and my expectations of the food quality were adjusted accordingly. Also seems to have events like live music going on. We were seated almost immediately and then ignored by what looked like our waitress for 45 minutes. Does spending time with the dead make you invisible to the living? We finally caught a waiter walking by and complained. He immediately apologized and offered a free round of drinks because of our wait. Ok, not a bad recovery. So we ordered our drinks and then waited. You see where this is going? Drinks finally came and then we ordered our food...and...here it comes...we waited and waited. The original waitress that was supposed to serve us came up to me and asked if anyone had taken our order. I started to laugh. Over an hour later and she asks this question. Amazing. Food came. It was reasonable sports bar food. The bill came and guess what? Yep, the promised free drinks were on the bill! Ugh! So why did we wait all that time? Every other place in the area was packed. No place left to go within walking distance. It looked like people at the bar were being served immediately. If I ever have to go back to Mike's, I will sit at the bar.
(1)jess s.
the worst service i ever got anywhere I'll never go back every server completely ignored me and my group and when you finely get some attention to get some service they are completely rude they acted as if we were bothering them i only wish i could put less than one star
(1)Khalid N.
Service seemed to all be high. Friendly enough, but we had to walk to them to get their attention. Bad with refills and follow up. Food was ok. Turkey cranberry was the best choice. The old decor was the only really good thing about the place.
(2)Ken M.
Best burger joint in OC. The food is fantastic, I've never had anything I didn't enjoy. Juan the manager is a really nice, attentive guy and the main serever - Marsha is also great. Big place, nice outdoor area. They even sell cigars there and have an upstairs cigar bar. Overall - I totally love this place.
(4)Phil T.
Planned to go to Lola Gaspar on a Sunday and when I got there it was closed. My fault for not checking. Anyways, walked over to Original Mikes for some eats and a drink. The place was pretty dead inside. Not many customers. Took a seat at a table in the bar and waited as the waitress passed our table numerous times without even acknowledging that we were there. After about 10 mins of this just got up and left. I give 2 stars just because I didn't get to try the food. The service totally sucked and is worthy of 1 star. Why is service so crappy at so many places? Is this the new norm?
(2)Jessica B.
I came here for lunch on a Sunday. The place was pretty empty but it looks like more of a night life kind of place. The restaurant is in an old Oldsmobile dealership, and the decor is of old Santa Ana. I though it was a pretty neat looking place. I had the meatloaf sandwhich for lunch, it was very flavorful. They have lots to choose from on the menu, I want to go back to try more items!
(4)Rosa P.
Had lunch on a Saturday afternoon, the place was a ghost town. The prices were average and the food was good, but not great. I will not be returning again... there is better food out there.
(1)Andrea B.
Great live music on Sundays. 30 - 60 crowd. Saturday nights is a club crowd.
(4)Francis S.
CIGAR FRIENDLY beautiful outdoor patio with a decent small humidor, wifi and drinks....great place to work in the afternoon while your 11 year daughter is off at OCHSA summer camp....Food is basic Americana but having a place to work and smoke cigars 3 blocks from OCHSA is a winner...
(3)Austin T.
This place is a great place to come and watch a game at. There's is plenty of TVs and two huge screens to watch on. The screen that goes in a circle on the ceiling is my favorite. They had Sunday deal today that was buckets of beers(6) was 13.50 which I didn't mind and they had delicious nachos, probably some of the best but I mean how can you mess up nachos? They Also had a live band playing outside on there patios area which really added to the great atmosphere. The thing I found weird was it was not crowded at all so i don't know if that was a fluke or what but I definitely recommend going here for a game sometime and check it out I am sure you will enjoy it.
(3)DESERIE F.
What a joke this place is! We are part of the entertainment that plays at this place.!! If you only knew how they treated and paid their entertainment. Go in and negotiate pricing with them... then after you play - they try to change up the pricing. They have shorted me every time!!! OVER IT! **** ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY*** DO NOT PLAY AT ORIGINAL MIKES THEY TRY TO RIP YOU OFF!!!! RALPH AND JUAN - DONT RUN BUSINESS RIGHT! TOLD ME I COULD COME BACK IN TO PICK UP A CHECK - AND IF HE FELT LIKE WRITING ONE THEN HE WOULD AND IF HE FELT LIKE HE DIDNT HE WOULDNT!!! SO 2 CAN PLAY THAT GAME! MAYBE I DONT FEEL LIKE PLAYING ANYMORE WHEN YOU EXPECT ME TO... OR MAYBE I DONT WANT TO PLAY THE ENTIRE NIGHT? WE WILL SEE!! TOP IT OFF CHECK WASNT EVEN GOOD WHEN WE TRIED TO CASH IT... - SAID HE WOULD PUT MONEY IN ACCOUNT TO COVER IT!! - EVERY TIME I EAT AT THIS PLACE - I GET THE CRAPS TOO.. PROBABLY ALL THE ROACHES IN SANTA ANA COMING OUT!!!! - UPDATE THEY PAID ME THE ADDITIONAL MONEY FINALLY - BUT TOOK OUT THE BAR TAB THEY GAVE ME!! O NICE JUAN... U WILL GET THE SAME SERVICE FROM ME!! OVER IT!!! FOLLOW ME ON FACEBOOK: WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/DEZIEDEZ24.7
(1)Corina S.
If you are a sports nut and want to see the game right, go here, The patio was nice and spacious and they play live music, cool. Went here for lunch, we sat in the bar area so service wasn't that great, next time I will definitely suggest the dining room. The menu was better than a typical bar menu.
(4)William R.
I've rarely been to a place that looked so nice yet served such mediocre food. The outside's nothing to write home about (I suppose the parking's more than adequate), but the interior impressed me with the saloon/bistro/romantic bar (is there such a thing?) vibe it had going on. The atmosphere made me want to eat there. That's impressive. The food, however, wasn't. Everything (the taquito appetizer, my girlfriend's meatloaf, my steak fajitas, the Coke), tasted as if it'd been pulled from the freezer and heated in the microwave. In fact, I don't think I should even compliment it that much--I'd be insulting microwaves. Everything cost over $10, and that's way too much for food I could have bought at Costco myself for half the price. Even if the service had been spectacular--and it wasn't, probably because my lady and I weren't drinking--the food would still have convinced me to never return and waste my money. Which is what it did. I've only been once; I won't be back. Of course, if I had sat at the bar and, with an already full stomach, gotten hammered instead, well, then, maybe I would tack on another star.
(1)Barbara E.
I give this restaurant one star for the decor. Loved it. Everything else, forget about it, unless of course you like super greasy food. First I ordered meatloaf and it was so salty it would have killed anyone's gum infection in a minute. I sent it back and asked for a hamburger well done. The waiter returned with the hamburger so bloody, I though I heard it MOO. The grease was dripping off onto the bun so that the bun was soaked like a wet sponge. UGH. SO not worth it!!!!
(1)Tim R.
For OC, it's rare to find a place with character and good food...I love what they've done with this place, and it's one of the only places with consistent live music. The patio in summer time is awesome.
(5)Tam D.
Meh- came here for the OC Happy Hour and the waitress didn't know what the specials were and the food wasn't that good. The place is HUGE, though I found it odd that you can only get draft from one side and mixed drinks from the other. Even at 8 PM the place was still dead. I'll pass...
(2)Danielle B.
The food is expensive and Sat nights aren't too crowded... but Fri nights are great! The place gets full around 10:30-11. Drinks are pricey but good.They usually play hip hop on Fri nights so it's a good time on the dance floor. My friend and I always have Original Mike's in mind as a back up when plans fall through. Oh! only thing is, it's $10 to get in the door on Fri. :/ Also, because it gets crowded, you may have to park on the street, or down the block and walk to the place.
(4)Kat N.
Was excited way back when this joint first opened, maybe two years or so ago? It's right down by the office and we thought, "Cool, new lunch and after work drinks spot!" Sadly, it's a waste of an otherwise great venue and there's nothing original about the food or the ambience. The food is barely a notch above Denny's and the prices are way too much for the fare served. Paid $35 for lunch for two, one was a burger, the other a sandwich with a side salad and two sodas. With Memphis/Gypsy Den/Pangea down the street, it's not like I'll ever be desperate enough to go back here.
(2)Maria R.
This place is mostly hispanic, I love my people, but enjoy diversity! This place had a lot of bald guys that looked scary to even look at. It was $10 to get in which was totally not worth it. I came here for the late night at the dance floor, but I have more fun at other places.
(1)Brian S.
part bar, part restaurant, part club/venue pretty good after work spot - think of it as "the usual" place. most evenings it's crowded and some of the clientele is not my style but it's hard to find anything else comparable nearby that can compete. the good news, if the main bar is full or you can't find enough seats the 2nd (overflow) bar can usually handle it, if you get there early enough. part of the reason is they have a bad habit of reserving a whole lot of tables, like close to half, for people who feel like showing up way after the majority of the work crowd has arrived. also the service outside of lunch hours is normally terrible or nonexistant but occassionally decent. don't be surprised or shocked, we've had huge tables full of regulars that can't even get someone to come by and take another drink order and especially not with a 'tude. easier just to get up and walk 20 feet to the bar, as sad as it sounds. the patio seating is also another good option, but first-come-first-served. there is usually live music playing outside after work hours near the end of the week which is a plus. this place also prides themselves as a small venue for various bands and different acts (rock, blues, jazz) so be aware this is part of the reason it can be really hard to find a seat in the main bar after 5pm, since the live acts that are not really my thing, tend to start setting up around 7-8. it also brings mass hordes of people making popping in for a drink difficult (not to mention parking impossible), but I usually try and get out of there by that time. but don't be dismayed, it's great for lunch... really good food and very generous portions (I usually get the chicken fajitas). the happy hour (4-6?) appetizers/bar food will get the job done, but nowhere near as good. beer selection is small but reasonable. but that makes it good for a $3.50 beer and a bite, and a great place to meet up with work friends so I'm not really swayed away as much as my warnings sound. decor is neat, this used to be an old car dealership and the back bar usually has some fine examples of old automobiles. it's also a historic location, right in the middle town at 1st/Main across from Santa Ana Fire Dept #1 the back room is also available to reserve for catered events and parties (on certain nights) in advance, for which the service is actually pretty good.
(4)kelli d.
We went here last night for a bike night event. The event area was very nice. However slow service-not enough staff. My drink ( cosmo) was half water so I ordered an extra shot. So far everything was OK. For such a large place very limited on beers on tap, not much in the way of Microbrews. The cheese toast was standard but fine. The clam chowder was great. We stood up and took a few steps away from our table to see and hear some of the event and came back to have our table cleared, however our jackets were still in our seats so it was easy to tell we were still there. No big deal, stuff happens. When our bill came we were over charged , the waitress had no problem correcting. BUT she never came back to get our card. I took it to the bar and compained to the bartender who only made excuses about how busy it was. When I didn't put the tip on the card he made a very rude comment about "stiffing her" "thats no cool". At that point I told him that I give a cash tip on the table so the server doen't have to claim all the tips and that it was her business how she wanted to handle that. He just made another rude comment and I walked away. I was soo upset that I let the manager know and he said he would talk to him. I don't think we will be going back and I'll also let the event staff know of what service we hade.
(2)Melody K.
I met up with some friends after work here on a Thursday night (No cover if you get there early). We got here pretty early so the place was really empty. I waited for 15 min before the waitress even came by to ask her for menus. After we received the menus we waited another 20 min to even order. As it was we had to flag someone down. They walked over to our waitress (who was at the other side of the restaurant talking with some friends) to let her know we were ready to order. She turned around to look at us and went back to her conversation. Maybe it was a sign we should not have eaten here. When the food arrived it looked like frozen food they had bought from Costco. Our appetizer mixed platter was $15 and barely even cooked/warm. Since the waitress was no where to be found we ended up ordering drinks at the bar. I had a strawberry margarita, which they royally messed up but corrected. The waitress FINALLY came by and asked us if we wanted another drink, so we ordered thru her. Another BIG mistake, 5 min later and still no drink. I walked up to the bar to get it myself and noticed my drink just sitting there waiting for the waitress to deliver it. As you can imagine she did not get a good tip. A band came on around 8ish, they were not bad just a bit loud. So we moved outside to the patio. I still had fun here because I was with a good group of friends. So unless you are meeting up with friends and don't mind bad service go, otherwise don't waste your time.
(1)Leahman p.
The food is pretty good but the service sucks. Don't expect to see your server after you place your order. The kitchen staff will bring your order and then you're on your own. No follow up, no drink refills, nothing until your bill hits the table. Our server Marcia was less than stellar. I practically had to tackle her just to ask for a refill on my soda. I love good food, but I hate bad service. This place won't be high on my list for a repeat.
(2)Kelly C.
I have only been here one other time and from what I recalled from many years ago is that I wanted to come back; however, I was sadly disappointed with the place and after reading the reviews on Yelp and Yahoo - I can see that I am not the only one who was appalled by some of the lack of customer service, as well as some of the customers they allow in there. I went to dinner on Saturday night & met some friends there. I mentioned to the hostess who we were expecting and even though I gave her specific details, she disregarded what I had said. Luckily I checked & I was able to meet up with my friends with no thanks to the hostess. I didn't expect her to entirely cater to me but it wasn't busy at all at the time, and not only did she not put forth any effort in helping but she lacked any remorse for forgetting - she attitude definitely reflected that if she didn't have work, then she wasn't going to. Not the kind of attitude an establishment would want for a hostess I would think ??? The waiter was very nice but incredibly overwhelmed even with help from others. A couple days later I realized I might have left my camera there and when I called the phone number, I wasn't able to reach anyone but left a message that was never returned. Then attempted to email but no reply was ever made so I went there today only to encounter the same hostess who was still just as rude as she was on Saturday night. When I inquired about my camera once again, she quickly said they had a lost & found but it wasn't in there. When I requested her to double check, she acted like I was imposing on her when there weren't any other customer to tend to. Since I did not feel confident with her since both Saturday night and today, she didn't seem like a very nice person, I called the General Manager Juan Orozco. He was very nice to take my call and assured me that my camera wasn't there. I appreciated him double checking for me and I informed him of his hostess's behavior. It's truly unfortunate that a hostess like that still has a job when there are so many good hardworking people looking for employment. I doubt I will be back there anytime soon!
(1)Kate T.
I was on jury duty in Santa Ana court house, and I didn't know what's around in the area within the walking distance. So I pick this place (I think at least I heard of the name before) on the restaurant map information desk gave to us. It was the furthest one on the map so it took me awhile getting there on my feet. When I arrived, I couldn't find the entrance...great.. more walking...and when I got in.. it was dark and empty.. creeeeeeeeppppyyy.. then when I walk inside, I see more people and more light (relief), the decor is very interesting, and the waitress gave me bunch of flyers since it was my first time. I look at the flyers, it's all about different events in the restaurant and schedule of the band playing. It took me awhile on the menu, so I ask waitress what's good and what's popular @ this place.. she told me every thing's good... great.. one of those, so she recommended the daily special. Okay, I'm good with that.. it come w/ a salad and the entree. I think the entree was some kindda chicken wrap and rice. After about 10 mins, the salad came out.. looks old and saggy.. ughh... I ate a few bite then stop, hopping the entree is better. After another 10 mins, the entree came out.. my jaw was about dropping.. the mix rice is those type you seem in the market, just add water.. there's only a little bit of rice.. watery and gross.. and the chicken wrap.. I don't think they use tortilla for the wrap, it's more like the middle eastern wrap, dry and heavy...........and few strips of chicken.. when I pick up the wrap and start eating.. the wrap start to deteriorate and falling apart. Instead of eating the wrap, I just eat the chicken inside... I called the waitress for my bill, it came out freaking close to $15 with tips... I don't think I even make that much per day w/ my jury duty's pay check!!! Disappointed.. and swear will never return again..
(1)Annie P.
Went here last week and the food had improved since my last visit in 2007 I believe, however the service was still really kind of slow even though we were sitting on the patio. We went on the first Friday of month, which just about 1/3 to 1/2 of Santa Ana's working population wasn't there because of State of CA furloughs, but still I thought the service could've been a little more attentive. I am really tempted to give this place 3 stars, but I'll have to go again and see if they improve again.
(2)Rachel Z.
I would never wish this service on my worst enemy! First of all, I was only going to this restaurant to meet a birthday party for dinner. Our reservation was for 7:30 but I got there at 8:30 because I had too work late... Big mistake!! Apparently they charge a $10 cover after 8:00. That would be fine if I wasn't going there strictly to have dinner. Instead of letting us go in and eat dinner with our friends, the snarky door girl said said that if we didn't pay the cover, then we could only go in and say "hi" to our friends. So, she took our ID's as collateral, and we went inside long enough to say hi to everyone and watch our friend open her gift. Then when we came back out to leave, the girl at the door decided to cause all sorts of drama and wasn't going to give our ID's back unless we paid the cover. I asked for someone over the age of 18 to speak to, and she brings over some meathead security guard. He starts barking at us to just pay the cover.. I wasn't about to pay ten whole dollars so I could walk in to a place and walk right back out. After dealing with those degenerate mutants working at the front door, I asked to speak to someone who spoke English and was higher up in the hierarchy. As soon as the head guard walked over and heard what his mentally challenged front door people were doing, he waived them away and gave us our ID's back. This place is not worth the prices. Older crowd, no one speaks English, slow service, overly priced/hyped food, too high of a cover charge, and anyone else who wrote a review here probably works there and wants people to come in so they can get more business.
(1)heather n.
the service in the restaurant pretty much blows and the food is good but nothing to write home about. general menu of burgers, salads and various entrees not sure what the weekend is like but if you have to go to original mike's, wednesday night is the day to go... 2 words: PHIL SHANE! phil shane is fantabulous. he is a lil guy with elvis hair and swingin hips and sounds like a cross between elvis, neil diamond and tom jones. the crowd is mixed between: the old guys with terrible toupees that try to dance with all the ladies, young or old; the older ladies that look like they belong in either palm springs or vegas; and the 20-30 somethings in a group getting their drink on and giggling at how good and terrible phil shane is.
(3)Helen N.
Original Mike's is okay. Their fries are really good, if you like them thin. And I usually get sandwiches here. Meatloaf, blt, patty melt, etc. The sandwiches are decent. The restaurant has a really cool atmosphere.
(3)Susan S.
Today was my first visit to Original Mikes, and what a place, I was so impressed I couldn't believe what a "cool" place". We were greeted by a friendly blond waitress, when we told her it was our first time, she went over the menu and directed us towards the burgers and boy excellent is all I got to say, I had the Turkey burger because the waitress raved about it and my sister got the Santa Fe, both were outstanding. I will definitely go back again.
(5)Genevieve L.
My hubs and I met up with friends here for my birthday and the place was totally dead on a Saturday night. The dance/hip hop band that was supposed to be playing-which was the main reason why we went there had been replaced by a salsa band. Don't get me wrong, I love salsa music, but it wasn't what we had in mind for that evening. It took forever to get service even though there was hardly anyone there. My dinner was ok, but so overpriced. I think had the halibut or the salmon and the filet was tiny. After the band played, our group was trying to get tipsy and they told us they were closing. It was about 10:30 on a Saturday. What the heck? Truely disappointing, I had heard good things about that place.
(1)Scott B.
This place was fricke'en huge. Too bad the enchiladas weren't spectacular. I'd recommend this place for a large business lunch meeting and that's about it.
(2)Arnold W.
We consider this place the "farewell" restaurant. Whenever someone quits from our company, we always come here for the "last" meal. I've been there 1.5 times. The first time I came here, we sat down and waited for like 10 minutes and wasn't even served, so we ended up leaving and going to Pangea! Horrible service, or lack there of! Deserved -1 star rating. Recently one of the members of the SWU quit, so we decided to go there. It's a huge restaurant, a little too big for the number of servers, but you have many places to sit. The decoration is pretty good, there's a large shark hung on the restaurant and with a few antique cars and fire truck. Not sure how the shark fits in. I ordered the burger here. It's just whatevers, nothing special about the burger. It's big, and will definitely over-fill you up for lunch. However, it's a bit too pricey. It'll run you about $12 for lunch, as to if you were to eat at Pangea or Gypsy Den, it'd be around $9-10. Services sucks! Nothing special about over-priced food. There's a reason why I've been working down the street for 1.8/12 years down the street and have only gone there once!
(1)Beth M.
I went late, so just for the dancin. I had a great night but i can't attribute it to the location. two rooms, one has a latin band and the other a dj... the music was all over the place and kinda sucked... the crowd was NOT diverse. i was the ONLY white girl there and two of my friends were the ONLY black ppl there. It's all mexican. 10 bucks to get in and not worth it. One cool thing is at the bar, you sit on saddles, it's pretty tight!!!
(2)Laura W.
Don't come here unless you are very hungry. The portions are HUGE. My bf & I shared the side salad that you can get with your dinner for $2.99 extra. Large enough for 2... pretty basic. My bf had the meatloaf. It is dense and rich and has the fennely flavor of sausage. Came with a pile o' green beans and mashed potatos. I ordered the rotisserie chicken. It came with a bunch of mixed veggies, mashed potatos and salsa. Tortillas were also to come with but my waitress didn't bring them and with all the food we didn't need them. The chicken was dry and unless you dipped in some salsa, I thought it was bland, to boot. The veggies were awesome. We saw a plate go by with onion rings so we threw in an appetizer order for some. We expected a small plate of 10 and instead got a mammoth plate neither of us could make a dent in. They were crispy and yummy. With a coke for my bf, the bill came to about $40. We both had plenty of leftovers and no room for desert. If you are in to it, they have a huge bar and tons of TVs for sports. Front courtyard with plenty of room for those of you who smoke.
(3)Christa N.
this is another one of my "i liked the atmosphere, but the food is questionable" reviews. it's a bit unfortunate that this place has such horrible reviews. i came here for the first time today at lunch with my mom for her birthday. i was really impressed with the restaurant....okay...more with the decor and the setup than the food served in the restaurant itself. haha the place is really clean (despite the tacky carpet) since Mike owns half of Santa Ana and caters to lawyers and OC public health personal. (gotta keep up with the health codes if you wanna keep your clientele). it's pretty much official though...if i ever open up my own restaurant...and have enough money to buy such stuff, i'd want it to be something like Mike's. Open floor for displaying cars, two separate bars, and open kitchen (so you can see them make your food), and one themed decor. if you've ever been to this place, you know what i'm talking about...it's amazing. so we ordered the appetizer platter and its like everyone said, you could pretty much buy this at Costco for half the price (it was $15 bucks.) Dont get me wrong, it was A LOT of food. no way in hell could one person finish this plate. we didnt realize how big the platter was so we also ordered the soup and salad special and the penne a la fresa with chicken too...yea...LOTS of food. the soup and salad was really small for being $10 bucks. the clam chowder was good...but i think you could have gotten the same quality out of a Progresso can. and the pasta? not that great...Joe's Crab Shack makes a tastier pasta and i dont even think its THAT great there. 4 stars for the vibe/decor. 1.5 stars for the food.(it was edible) i think im being a bit generous with the stars...oh well. oh...and the service? our waitress was alright, not spectacular, not even good, just alright. and when we walked in the door, there was a server sitting on the stairs and another female one sitting in front of him...they looked at us...and not even a hello. i dont know...kinda sketchy isnt it?
(3)Wayne C.
food is very average, not much to rave about. good happy hours prices though.
(3)Monica M.
This place is great for office get together's and large groups. If you're one of the people reserving the section of tables. The food and drinks have been wonderful and The entertainment fun. I've been a number of times but for some reason the times I've gone I've only seem Phil Shane and funny and talented "Elvis" mini look a like who does a great many cover songs not too badly and a dance band "jump drive" both our groups like quite a lot. Whenever I've been there it's been comfortable being in my late 40's i can feel silly going to a bar but a far amount of the patrons here are my age or older. What the other reviewer said about the decor is true. You want to take a walk around and look at the whole place and yet every time I go back i see something else I didn't see before. The same is also true for the wait help. as the other reviewer said there is nowhere near the amount of help they need. You wait a long time for a drink if you don't walk up to the bar. One time a man with another group grabbed a tray the waitress left and started to serve drinks himself. but the place has always been a great place to go with 15-30 of our closest friends.
(4)Anita J.
i was on jury duty and decided to check this place out for lunch.. not what i expected at all not very much to choose from and the food wasnt the greatest. they had flyers for their concerts they hold and i had been there before for a santa ana police party even the police officers were ghetto these chola girls were fighting and there was no security to stop it this night because it was a pd party. how sad how law enforcement cant control their own department. well aside from all of this the bartenders are only two for a big crowd with shitty attitudes they need to get more bartenders because theres no way they could provide good service with no bartenders to take your order i think i only had two drinks and that was within a 3 hour period because it took too long so my friend just ordered two drinks at once so she wouldnt have to wait over 20 minutes standing by the bar to get her second drink. how sad is this??? the dj however is the greatest on friday nights they need to be more selective of the people they let in this place.
(2)Nancy M.
We definitely had good expectations on coming here; however, we waited at least 30 minutes and never got served. We were presented with menus but that was about it. I would say that this was a place with one of the worst customer service ever.
(1)D D.
The food and service was 2 stars the cool cars and motorcycles bumped it up to 3 stars. I had the blackened chicken sandwich that was extremely bland. The apples on it tasted like they weren't fresh at all. Their was no hint of spice or seasoning at all. The bread was soggy. The only good thing was that the onion rings were hot. The service was really bad unless we ordered from the bar otherwise we never saw our server. I had to refill my own coffee twice. It's definitely not a place for kids on weekends.
(3)Kenny G.
Service was great, I had the ribeye steak with a plain baked potato and sauteed veggies. Best cooked steak I've had in a long time. When I return tio Santa Ana I will be coming back.
(5)Fatima B.
The food here is great...and so is the music! I came here on a Friday not so long ago after hearing about it for years. There is two dance floors...one plays Spanish and the other Funk/Hip-hop. Lots of rare funk and disco cuts, and the crowd was dancing the. entire. time. This is also the only spot I've been to where the DJ has Young & Company in their deck, so extra star for that. Get your head out of your butt, this is a bar, not a Hollywood club. lol Oh and as for the "cholas" and "cholos" who cares. They were all extremely cool with my party and I, and just danced the entire time.
(5)Kristen T.
Ok here it goes!!!! Cons...... Came here on 5/09/15 I felt like I went in a time machine back to the early 90s ...cholos and cholas all over this place ..it was weird the ppl were so outdated ..I felt like I needed a bulletproof vest ..Just saying .. PROS..... Even though everyone in this place looked like trouble making cholos they were all cool .. No trouble .. No stupid drunk lil kids ..THIS WAS A PLUS The drinks were strong .. Two dance floors .. Old Skool on one dance floor The other dance floor played Spanish music.. So if this is your type of place by all means go on over to OG MIKES .. If u want today's music and non gang affiliated guys and girls .. Don't come here!! Keep it moving .. Go to proof ..
(3)J. S.
They seated us right away in the bar area. We waited at the bar area as there was a man putting away straws, napkins, cups, etc.. After some time he decided to acknowledge we were there and let us know that the bar was not open and we had to wait on the bartender from outside to come in to take our orders. Once we started getting our drink orders made an entire motorcycle club comes in with their cuts on and starts to order drinks as well. That was fine but when we wanted to order food we learned that the one bartender was also the waitress. We stayed because she was trying and doing her best. Nearly a 3 hour event for some drinks and a salad. The issue I really had was the motorcycle club walking in with their cuts on. What if a rival came in or what if it is just allow anyone can fly their colors and drink alcohol and get loud. It is a business and shouldn't be allowed.
(2)Yasmeen A.
When my friend asked me to go out here for her birthday I was kind of skeptical. She said that they played funk music which is not really my thing. However when I got there there were two rooms, in one room they played oldies and the other room actually had some good music. Well music that I like, such as rap and R&B. The DJ in the room where they played rap was decent. I requested to hear some Drake and he played it for me, which made my night. I don't know if this'll be my first choice to go out, but overall I had a fun time.
(4)Criselda R.
I just wanted you to know that every time ive been to Original Mike's, its been nothing but great fun. However, I was there this past weekend celebrating a birthday of a family member and im sad to say that My neice who was also there had $100.00 stolen out of her purse. Weve been here plenty of times and never had a problem like this and we always felt safe leaving our purses and things at our table when dancing and so forth. But, unfortunately this last time the money was taken and it was a very sad thing to have happen. What makes it even sadder is that in these types of situations there is no way to get the money back and thats really sad because this was all the money my neice had. I just want you to know that we dont hold it against the club at all, its just too bad that there are people amongst us who do such a terrible thing not thinking that their actions also reflects the club. So to whoever the sorry person was that did this, just remember that paybacks a b---- and what goes around comes around. Otherwise, we love Original MIkes and plan to go back again only we will be more catious next time.Thankyou
(4)Stephanie G.
If I could give this place negative stars I would. Bartenders and servers don't know basic math. The music is total crap can't even understand the singers due to poor acoustic set up. Security employees are egotistical jokes. The food isn't worth it. Did I mention the fact they charge a $10 cover? Not worth your money or time go to proof, velvet lounge, chapter one, or any of the other bars that don't suck.
(1)Michael T.
Everything was great about this place but the service. I feel bad giving it three stars, but like so many other reviewers, the wait staff just didn't cut it. I came here for lunch on a Monday; the place was practically empty. There were three servers that I saw on duty for about eight tables. In the 75 minutes we were there, the blonde, heavy-lidded server only refilled my iced tea once, right at the end of the meal - meaning it was empty most of the time. That said, the steak sandwiches were great, and so was the location. Don't come here if you have a time constraint of any kind.
(3)Zoe C.
Original Mike's restaurant is located in down town Santa Ana. Last night was our office Christmas party at Original Mike's. Original Mike's is spacious, great for group events, especially if the gang is ready to drink up and party the night away. The restaurant features 3 huge bars, 3 separate live entertainment stages & 3 dance floors. An abundance of space for everyone to join the party. Our event was held in the "car room" which was roomy, large bar with saddles on the bar, and several rare antique cars, including the Original Santa Ana Fire Truck No 1! Our event coordinator, Ana, did a great job arranging the set up. The room was nicely decorated in a Christmas theme with a beautiful large Christmas tree, and poinsettias throughout our banquet room. Rachael, one of our bartenders, is super cool and I never had to wait for a drink. Dinner was buffet style featuring Original Mike's Salad, Vegetable Platter, Rotisserie Chicken, Penny al Fresca with Fresh Vegetables, garlic bread, Salmon with Lemon Dill Sauce served with rice, and Roast Beef. Desert, a three tiered chocolate fountain. Served with mini cheesecake, chocolate cake, carrot cake, and fresh fruit drippings. Overall the food was good. The veggies were cooked just right! The chicken and salmon were tender and moist, just the way I like it. Way to go team! In general, it's a multipurpose place and I was quite pleased with the service and food. Most likely we will be back to plan next years Christmas party at Original Mike's
(5)Julie L.
I've come here twice with co-workers. It's right down the street from work and the venue is huge. They have restaurant seating in one area, bar and high table seating, and outdoor seating. We've sat at the bar for some pitchers of beer at happy hour with super cheap prices. We got appetizers too and it came to $20 for 4 of us! Another time, I did dinner with a friend and I was actually surprised their cobb salad was substantial and delicious. The only thing is it's extremely dark.
(4)Jackie G.
If your looking to dance your ass off to Good bomb ass music like Funk, old school , rap, Spanish this is the place! I've went on Fridays and Saturdays and they both crack! I don't sit down for nothing b/c the music is that Good! Dj's and the bands get down! They always have something going on! They got a 10.00 cover charge and a big outside patio to cool down when you need a dancing break ! what I say I love getting my Boogie on!
(5)Jodi P.
I want to thank the bouncers on Sunday for the Brenton Wood show- my sister is in a wheelchair and those guys were very accomodating to our group. Especially the big guy, didn't get his name but he was awesome! He made sure my sister got a good view! (He knows who he is) We had a great time - the food was insanely yummy. Great music , fun time. Meant to tip him but couldn't find him so I hope his boss knows he's a good dude.
(5)Frankie F.
Probably my favorite bar/club in Santa Ana. Two dance floors (one usually plays Spanish music and the other funk/hip hop). Would give it 5 stars but they cover and the drinks can be a little pricey...
(4)YAHEEZY H.
Fun times! I was searching for a band for my bday bash & I came across this place, seen a band I wanted to check out and I'm glad I did! This place has a nice atmosphere inside, in regards to the crowd~ well you'll catch a few "vatos" & "hynas" there lol but it's all good! They ALWAYS have great bands playing all your ol'skool, funk hits! I'd deff go back! :)
(5)Robert B.
This place is huge so for a quick lunch they have plenty of seating and can quickly accommodate a large group. Service is good, atmosphere is fun. The food is good and the prices are decent. I really like the shoe string fries, they went well with the "griddle burger". Overall I would recommend this place. I saw "Adult Shakes" or something like that, it looks like milkshakes made with liquor. Im going to have to come in and try one of these.
(4)Andree W.
Hello, I finally got my hubby to make another shot with Mike's. We'd not been here in over 3 years. The last time was a combo of both bad food and service, I may be a little picky but sometimes Jon(hubby) makes me look like an saint. Jon had a One Plaza burger and I had the prime rib sandwich. Both sandwiches were quite good. We had lunch on Saturday so no music but that was Ok with us.
(4)Chris H.
Service sucks, point blank!
(1)Thao V.
I go here every month or so for lunch. It's usually busy mainly because of how close it is to the courthouse, federal, and city buildings. The food is pretty decent, but not spectacular. Crispy chicken poppers - This is a good snack while drinking a nice cold beer and watching the Lakers game. Downtown platter - This could easily feed two people. The taquitos are not good-tasteless and dry. The onions rings and buffalo wings are so-so. It also comes with chicken poppers. Caesar Salad - I always add chicken to mine to get my protein. I suggest you ask for the dressing on the side. If not, the salad always (IMO) comes out with too much dressing. Big Mama's meatloaf - I think I'm just so used to eating my homemade meatloaf that this isn't good at all. It's very dry and has a very "heavy" taste to it. BBQ Burger - I love BBQ anything. Need I say more? I came to their bar/lounge area to watch a football game once. They have a huge projection screen so no one really can cover your view. Drinks are stiff. Service is ALWAYS good. They're quick and there's never a wait. Overall, it's a good place for lunch since it's close by, but I wouldn't come here on an ordinary day.
(3)Jennifer M.
Original Mike's is a fun place to hang out especially if you have a large group of people. It is a HUGE place. Every time I have been there, they have had an extremely eclectic live music selection to listen to and enjoy. This last Saturday I was there, outside there was a really great classic rock cover band and inside was an awesome live old school, oldies, funk band with horns that were great!! Both bands were equally fun to watch and it was cool to go inside and then out for both ambiances. I have never had the food there but I have heard it is decent. The drink prices are fair but I do recommend going to the bar to order, the service especially on the patio is not great. The service was my main reason for the 3 stars.
(3)Justain C.
Ok, I haven't been here in a while, but they have really good food here. My favorite is the Big Mike's Special Cajun Pasta. Shrimp, chicken, sausage, bell peppers, with a really good spicy tomato creme sauce. The burgers are also solid here. I had the California Burger and the Texas Style BBQ Bacon burger. Think Western Bacon Cheese burger at Carl's Jr but bigger, juicier, and just good. This place is comparable to Father's Office but with OC charm. Great place to eat before you barhop in Santa Ana Artist district. They also have a lot of events and things going on here like Harley Davidson club meetings, live music, etc. I just love the food here. I would rate this place a 4.5 so it gets the rounding up to 5 estimate. I don't know why this place is rated at around 3 stars. 4.5 Stars!
(5)Cyrus A.
How can anyone not like this place it's like 4 restaurant serves in one. I have never been let down by this place. First off its always open. The food is great. It's so big you do get list in the shuffle some times. Great atmosphere, it's like stepping into the 30s. Thanks Mike for your original establishment.
(5)Treysea T.
I can't believe I haven't written a review for this place yet!! I've eaten here and partied here and basically the food is meh - about as interesting as TGIFridays - like food with freezer burn. The happy hour is great if you just want to get hammered - again, the food is meh. Now, the club...oh the club, the club, the club...there's live music and there's DJ's; the bands typically play covers and once in awhile there's an original act - but I've never been for any of that original music mess. I have, however, been there a few times for the DJ and cover bands and boy, lemme tell ya: + If you wanna dance to a cover band playing R &B hits from the 70's, 80's and 90's hits you can do that! + If you wanna dance to old school funk jams - and I mean OLD SCHOOL FUNK JAMS - none of that watered down crap they play on 92.3 or the Art Laboe show (I love Art Laboe, too) BUT that pop-lockin', low-ridin', stank-on-ya funk from ye olde days - you can do that! + If you wanna twerk outside on the patio to the nastiest gangsta' rap ever recorded - you can do that. + If you wanna get drunk as f*ck and still get served, oh, yeah, you can do that. + If you wanna sweat your perm out, your make-up off and the crease out of your collar like you were partying in an equatorial jungle, yep, you can do that, as well! + If you want to see a random mix of hood rats, OG's, gentrifying neighbors of various races and ethnicities, girls-gone-wild with straight A & T hangin' out after the over-pour, women dressed and made up like a discarded episode of Ru-Paul's Drag Race and men dressed like they smooth just got off the bus from upstate - oh, yes, you can fo' sho do that all night! - BUT if you're not careful and you get the over-pour and you DROVE to the spot, you can also get a DUI from the local SAPD who show up and shadow the lot from about 11 pm until close, yes, you can do that, too. Considering I am a neighbor to this joint, suffice it to say that Original Mike's is a crappy neighbor at best - we live two blocks away and during the summer this place is loud like the party is at my house - and the fucked up part is they have a permit to make all that racket up to 2:00 a.m; other than that mess, it's a great place to go with friends to get hammered and people watch - with either a designated driver or a cab handy. **they have car and bike shows/gatherings every single Sunday and if you're a Police or Fire groupie, they have functions there, too.
(2)Monte S.
Wow, what horrible service. Have been waiting 20 minutes for my lunch. Its not that busy in here. Can't wait to try the food....sometime today
(2)San Clemente Local H.
Entertainment is good, menu is amazing.....but the service leaves lots to be desired. The group I was with would have ordered lots more food and beverages had we been able to find the server.
(4)Laura M.
Original Mike's doesn't deserve to be called a restaurant. The food tastes like something you can pick up in the frozen food section at your local grocery store. The service was horrible. Hostess and waiters were rude and lack any knowledge of proper etiquette. I definitely won't be returning.
(1)Mario G.
I really enjoy coming to original mikes, the place is huge and they have great prices especially for happy hour. The place gets really packed sometimes and the waitresses seem to know how to handle the stress. They're really nice and friendly. Parking is huge so there's no issue in finding parking.
(5)Eric L.
How the hell did I wake up in Orange County on a Wednesday morning with a pounding headache, a picture of Kenny Loggins on my web browser and a fried chicken nugget in my pocket? Damn you, Phil Shane!!! The service is bad. The food is bad for you. The margaritas... don't even get me started. And then there's this: philshane.com/1TestPhilN… You have been warned.
(2)Mike K.
I came here for a Thursday bike night and was pleasantly surprised. Appetizers were half off so I ordered the carne asada nachos...HOW the EFF is this an appetizer?!? I couldn't finish it...I left behind about 1/8 of it. Downfall for us, after a certain hour they didn't serve any free tap water so we had to walk into the bar and purchase a bottle water...It was cheap $2 or less but still...the principle! I would still come back here again to give it another shot.
(4)Jennie N.
This place is way shady at night. Parking lot is big and decently lit, thank God. The appetizers are not bad, buffalo wings, onion rings and pot stickers were all ok. The salmon was rather plain and boring. I went one time for a company social event and the waiter went around and took everybody's drink order. I was at the end, and the ONLY person he carded was me. Was that necessary dude? I'm not someone's kid that they brought along. He just had to embarrass me in front of my colleagues. Hmphh. *cross arms*
(3)Adrian G.
worst place I've ever been to. dirty cups. seen the waitress once. place has the worst decor NEVER going back
(1)Val C.
This place is really cool. Has so many things to look at. It's very eclectic. The food is pretty good. The waiters are slow. But we had a good time regardless.
(3)Lloyd M.
So here was my conundrum. What do you do when your birthday falls on a Tuesday and you want some drinks, entertainment, and more drinks? (Disclaimer: all consumed in a responsible manner) I had to scramble a bit on this one, Tuesdays pretty much suck. I don't think anything good ever happens on a Tuesday. The only bar oriented entertainment in the area was Original Mike's. And, the Tuesday headliner was the one and only vintage crooner, Phil Shane. I hadn't been to Original Mike's before, but there's always room for a first, especially if someone else is picking up the birthday tab. Original Mike's is freeway close, just off the 5. Even though it is in Santa Ana, the surrounding area is primarily a business district. It isn't sketchy, if you go from point A to point B. The parking lot is large and well lit. The O.M. building is huge. It has several venues with a dining room, large indoor bar (stage & dance floor) and outdoor patio (with Karaoke at night). We put our feet up at the counter bar near the stage where Phil Shane was performing. Because it was a Tuesday, there was plenty of room. The patrons in the bar were mainly Phil Shane regulars in the 50-60 year-old demographic. Some people might bag on Phil's one-man lounge act, but I dig it. So do the regulars who sling martinis and kick their heels up to the likes Elvis and Neil Diamond. Some Yelpers had bitched about their food at O.M's. On a slow night, my food came out fast, which is what you'd expect. The food was good for a bar. The bartender who served us was on top of her game and personable. For me, the combo of Original Mike's and Phil Shane made for a decent Tuesday. Hell, Phil is supposedly there every Tuesday, so I'm might even be back to get my Elvis swerve on.
(4)June Y.
Original Mike's hosts a weekly bike night on Thursdays. Needless to say, those Thursdays are when I'm present at Original Mike's. Based on my experiences on Thursday night bike nights, this place gets a 4-star rating. One cannot beat a rather large basket of fried chicken poppers for $5.95. I have two bottles of Corona with it over the course of two hours or so I spend there, and the bill comes out to about $14.00. That's good money spent for a load of finger food and a couple of beers in great company. The bike night is held outside on the patio, which is surrounded by palm trees and patio heaters. If you own a motorcycle, particularly a sportbike, come on out one night. There's a huge number of bikes that show up, all from OCmoto.com . Come and say hi - I'm on the Black/Yellow CBR600F4i with the yellow windscreen. :0)
(4)Corey S.
Good food with different options. I enjoy the seared ahi and meatloaf.
(4)ReBecki P.
$3 shot called HOT DAMN (cinnamon schnapps) plus you get to keep the glass which has Phil Shane's name printed on it! Phil Shane - we didn't know who he was or even that he was singing like every Tuesday night. At first, you're not sure what's going on and the older crowd dancing makes you giggle. Then the songs get better and more random and Phil's pelvic area doesn't stop! Definitely go back with some friends and drink! And maybe have enough guts to do the electric slide! HOT DAMN! ~Phil Shane
(4)LJ L.
Remember I'm a Mom, so I'm tough! It's a three star with enthusiasm for a decent meal, great dessert (The carrot cake served as dessert for two days for three people!) A fun place for the kids if you get there before 7 p.m. After 7 p.m. this restaurant becomes much more of a club than dining establishment. But I have to say; brilliant idea!! This place was a former car dealership and they have a HUGE place with lots of parking. I think I counted three dance floors, a wonderful band playing outside, saddles dotted here and there as seats at bar and a couple of antique cars for the kids to check out. The food, it felt very much like Cheese Cake Factory menu, lots of food, big food and average prices. We could of shared a meal for sure. Had the mushroom burger , tasty, but nothing special. The nice part was that we could get cottage cheese instead of fries! For kiddos under 6 I'd say they can also share one of the kids meals. During the "happy hours", you can have a drink in the dining area at happy hour prices, $3 well drinks! Nice for mamas and papas. A note to Open Table users; they offer 1,000 points for weekday dining before 6:30. My kids had a blast sitting on the saddles, checking out the cars and playing in the patio area with the antique cars and fountains. Go, because we had excellent service! And that's why they are getting three enthusiastic stars instead of two stars.
(3)Kayla M.
I'm kinda weirded out, and don't really know hoe to review this bar... Outside looked like a run down bar in Reno or something- flashing lights everywhere- most of them saying that it's a good place to watch football- so naturally I had to check it out... Supposedly they have different themed nights every night ranging from live bands to karaoke to comedy to bike night. I walked in happy hour time- ordered a pale ale- (it wasn't any good) and was just trying to take the place in... Christmas lights everywhere, still kinda dark (really makes me wonder how dark it is usually...) and random people standing up in groups with drinks instead of sitting at the several open tables... Weird. There was a giant screen up front with a couch right in front- (maybe for special customers during football or something- and above was this awesome round screen with projectors inside and out (I added the picture)- each projector was showing the laker game, I'm super curious if the can show a different game per projector... There's also a restaurant attached to the bar- but it seemed kinda old, like a dark Denny's or something... Not sure if I'll be back, but a few things intrigued me, so you never know!!
(3)Nick H.
I frequent this place about twice a month. Cool place to hangout and there always seems to be something interesting going on. Thursday nights are bike nights. If you have a motorcycle I suggest you come to the biggest bike night in OC. Order the clam chowder...
(4)Robert G.
So I'm sure everyone has heard of this place, it has been around forever and is HUGE. We went to see Derek Bordeaux and he was outstanding!!! We had just come from dinner, so we didn't help. Sorry, can't help you there. The service was great, drinks were good. But if you want to go to a great, free, live show, go here on a wednesday night to see Derek!
(3)Alana C.
First time I went on a Friday night and I will never go back or dare even mention original mikes to anyone. First of all, I've been to plenty of different restaurants and bars and this is the first place that denied REMAKING a drink. The bartender obviously cannot handle positive criticism. I could of been a bitch, but I am nice to servers/bartenders bc let's face it, I don't want to be in their shoes. I rather buy the drink then serve it. It is UNHEARD of to have a bar tender simply say NO. Maybe if I was asking for a different drink or more liquor in my drink I could understand, but I simply said can I have this remade please, I don't like it. No snotty attitude not even a snobby face such as the one the bartender made. She kept saying that they do not remake drinks. I already paid and bought 5 drinks that round. After repeating herself for 5 mins rather than providing customer service she then went on to deny bringing the manager out. What kind of establishment is this?! You deny to remake my drink, the first LA water I have ever had to send back. Then you deny to bring the manager out. Then you give nothing but attitude the entire time you are serving us. The finishing remark from the bartender. "Don't order a LA Water, because everyone makes it different." What a cop-out. Trust me, go to Chapter One. Amazing customer service, food, and they know how to make drinks. Oh, and the LA Water is made differently there, it is made right with a dash of good customer service. Nutshell: extremely horrible customer service & the manager title is thrown around by all the bartenders as if they treat customers bad every night No structure in this establishment. Stay far away from the bar in the far back corner.
(1)Dan H.
Happened by here yesterday after the 12:30 Angel game after hearing about it for years. Was not impressed on my 1st visit. The bartender was unfriendly in that bored-just-another-day-of-the grind kinda way. We were buzzed from drinking beer all day and were full of energy but it was not contagious to this guy. Waitress cheerily greeted us and joked on our way through to the bar though. Should have sat at a table instead? Seems that would be the ticket to a more pleasant experience. I passed by someone who looked to be the manager or owner and he was most cordial too, he needs to observe this particular btender and offer some customer service tips. Everyone seems to get it here but him. Although he did came back to us to give his sincere thanks for the 20% tip we still gave him. He probably doesn't get that very often from other miffed patrons. The food took on his personality. Just kind of there, not great not bad. Ordered the $10 griddle burger. Meat was overly done, but the bun was great and the veggies fresh. It came with onion rings that were almost as good as My Place in Huntington Beach. For two hungry sunburned, pissed off Angel fans (they lost again) it did what we needed it to do: filled and sobered us up. Doubt if I'll ever return for the food but would give it another shot for a live band some night, but it definitely ain't a priority.
(2)Kim C.
I am giving the business 2 stars because over the years the experience was ok and the food was always good (3 stars). I have gone almost every Tuesday for dinner and to see Phil Shane over the years, I've been there for 3 of my birthdays, and several other special occasions. Phil is great, the crowd is older but nice, the service used to be great but has gone down hill a little but the food is good for what it is...bar food and entertainment is great. BUT my good thoughts all changed recently, this experience that I am writing about deserves 0 stars. May 12, 2013 Mother's Day. So a couple of weeks ago I was at OM watching Phil and he announced that he'd be doing a special performance on Mother's Day...brunch on the patio 12-4. So I made reservations right away for 8 people including my mother and 93 year old grandmother and my 2 year old. I thought we usually go to Newport Landing or Spark for brunch which are good but maybe we should try something different with entertainment. We showed up at 11:30 for our reservation and were shown to our table, not given any menus, not greeted with a server, asked about drinks or anything. 15 minutes later (I swear I am not exaggerating) we finally tracked down staff because we were sitting in the sun thirsty and still hadn't been greeted. The hostess replied "they are swamped today so I'll take your drink orders" We said OK but there was no apology and that already didn't feel right. We went along anyway, mostly because Phil came around and greeted us and he's so nice we felt bad leaving. PLUS I dragged my whole family here to Santa Ana and there weren't other options really at that point. So we ordered a bottle of champagne (realizing service would suck so better get a bottle), a lemonade, three juices for mimosas, and a coffee. 20 minutes later we received...a glass of champagne, 2 lemonades, 2 waters, and 1 juice with ice. So while they were trying to fix the order we started calling around to find a place to escape to. 25 minutes in and STILL NO WAITER, NO MENUS, no one greeted us, they came 3 times to fix the drinks but that's it. And not one apology. Then we asked about the brunch, is it a buffet or order off the menu? My grandmother wanted an omelet. They simply said no brunch order off menu. So now our nice mother's day brunch turns into burgers and fries? Come on, you can't call it brunch without the BR! We never asked when making reservations but every other brunch I have been to in my entire life included Breakfast and Lunch. We almost accepted it though because as I said the food is good. But the service was so atrocious we couldn't handle it. Anyway, we drank our drinks and called Yves Bistro in Anaheim and begged for a last minute reservation. I packed up my hungry family (no easy feat) and drove 20 minutes to go to a very nice lunch. So glad we did. That is the first time I can recall ever leaving a restaurant because the service was beyond bad. BTW there were about 30-40 customers on the patio, none inside, all reserved so they knew how many to expect. So there is no excuse, hire enough servers, train them to deliver drinks, be apologetic, not rude and dismissive don't advertise brunch when you mean same old bar food and don't know what a mimosa is. Disappointed. So much so I have a hard time returning but will for Phil Shane.
(2)Julie V.
I like the decor of the restaurant, and the happy hour's awesome. Tuesday-Friday, 2-7 p.m.; Sunday, 11-5. There's a separate happy hour for bikers--they have bike night every Thursday night. Also, there's college collegiate nights too where college kids get awesome happy hour as well--just show school ID. Recommendations: Get buffalo wings... they're good...and for the happy hour price...they're worth it... 8 big wings for $4.50. My friends have a tendency to get the sliders + fries/fruits...they like them. I don't recommend the clam chowder so much, especially if you are used to thick, hot/very warm chowder. Theirs come out luke warm and very creammmmmmmy...too creamy i'd say. It costs about $5-6 for it too. Service is VERY slow, but they're all very nice and very cool with having bike nights/seminars. I've gone here a few times, and I like the atmosphere so much, and the food's okay. +1 star: atmosphere...beautiful, fun place for anyone! +1 star: happy hour--awesome! and reservations on OpenTable! +1 star: nice workers...very down to earth workers + restroom service +1 star: supporting bike nights/seminars + students! -1 star: cold food, slow service
(4)Wendy H.
We were invited to Original Mike's because they were having a little car show. I figured downtown Santa Ana, car show, parking would be a mess. I was wrong, it was plentiful.That should have been the first clue. This is a beautiful bar and restaurant. Like I said, they had good parking in the lot right next to the business and the restrooms were very clean. The breakfast was just this side of dreadful. The toast, sausage and bacon were fine. The eggs, potatoes and french toast were not. The eggs were a little runny, then a little overcooked. Hard to do with scrambled eggs. The potatoes looked (and tasted) like they were frozen then dumped in a vat of boiling oil. The french toast looked like it had just come out of a toaster. Also, order the Jr Breakfast, it is more food than you'll ever want to eat....at Original Mike's. We sat on the patio and the service was sullen and slow. When I went to the restroom I was amazed at how big the place was, and how empty it was on a Sunday morning. Not the worst place I've ever been to, just highly overrated.
(2)Karla P.
Basically echoing the other reviews in saying come and enjoy a drink here but stay far away from the food. I shoulda yelped it first! Poor service too.
(2)Kristerfer L.
Original Mike's is too over priced for what you get. The food is just alright and the mixed drinks lack personality. We ordered a margarita, not a lemonade! Let's not forget about the couple outside on the couch making out at 8pm on a Thursday. We had one drink and was over this place. Original Mike's seems like it has the potential to be a decent place due to the location and decor but overall it appears to be very poorly managed.
(2)Chris J.
Service sucks here but the food is good. I was here for lunch and had the Santiago Chicken Sandwich with chipotle mayo, delish! I ate the whole thing. I heard this place was once an old fire station. There is a fire truck in the main bar area.
(3)Matthew L.
Do not come to this place. Very dishonest and horrible customer service. Went to an event there, bought two drinks for $15.00. Didn't leave a tip because the bartender (inside bar) was rude. Looked at my statement at it came out to $19.00 added $4.00 on tip. Dishonest, so please be aware and think twice before coming here.
(1)Brandon M.
Service here absolutely sucks, though a lot of the chicks that work here are pretty cute. The food is ok, but the prices are kind of steep. Their appetizer list contains a nacho plate that is real good though - and quite large/ But basically, don't come here for the service. Come for the loud music and retarded drunk people. Or to look at pretty latin girls that hold their heads high up in the clouds...
(2)Ressie C.
This review is for my experience on Mar. 29, 2013. This was the last straw. The last couple of times I was here, my experience had not been good. Used to love this place. We've been coming here for at least 3 years. We're what you can call "regulars" on Fridays or Saturdays or sometimes both days. Even though it's in Santa Ana and the clientele are a bit scary, we felt safe here because of the security. We have our favorite live bands, so we tend to check who's on the night that we're coming in. Others were hit and miss so it's a good thing that they have 3 DJs, used to be just 2 inside. So, if you don't like the music in one dance floor, you can go to the other ones. The DJ's in the main floor used to be awesome. They really keep the place hopping. But not lately. In fact, I believe the place is taking a nosedive. The DJ blows. I don't know how to mix songs, but I know what sounds good. The transition of the songs were very abrupt and out of timing. I couldn't remember who the DJ was before DJ Rico, but they're both good compared to this amateur they have now. Also, I don't know if it's because we're not heavy alcohol drinkers, but the service had gone down, too. No servers stay there too long. We've seen them come and go. Last night was the worst night I've ever experienced there. I always order the Salmon with Lemon Dill Sauce. But this time, I wanted something different and heavier since I hadn't eaten a good lunch. I had a 7-hour drive down from NorCal earlier that day. I ordered the roasted half chicken with streamed veggies, mango salsa and tortillas. The tortillas were rubbery, and worst of all, the salsa smelled like it had been out of the refrigerator for 3 days. It tasted like it, too. Good thing I spit it out, which I don't normally do. I didn't really want to make a fuss, but I did tell the server that the salsa was bad when she was taking the plates away. She just said, "Oh, sorry." and that was it. The server we had was attentive, checking in on us from time to time, but the place wasn't busy either, so it should be expected. And NO LIVE BAND that night!!! There was one supposed to be scheduled that night, but either they cancelled or they were cancelled since there weren't that many people. It's probably because it was Good Friday, too. Nevertheless, they should not have been in the website events calendar. So we were stuck with this new DJ's music. Needless to say, we didn't stay long. We used to stay until closing. We found out later that OM's cut down on a lot of stuff. To OM management: You get what you pay for. And if you keep doing this, you're going to lose a lot of customers. We've told so many of our friends about this place and they have come in. My friends still go there, I think, once in a while or if I'm in town. I don't know if I want to come back, either. Maybe just for old times and when they have our favorite live bands.
(3)Donny S.
Went on a saturday night while bar hopping, they had a $10 cover charge outside(not worth it) The locationlocation had a good amount of ppl dancing, from what i realized after taking in the environment, its def a place of questionable characters with certain "affiliations" per say. Drinks where meh, nuthing really getting happy over. I got my buzz on elsewhere after a short time
(2)Nermeen M.
This place is charming on the inside, totally rock and roll. And both times I've been, the burgers have been freakin' amazing. Haven't had anything else yet...maybe next time :)
(4)Linda M.
Great burgers and fries!! They also have a selection of lower fat foods like wraps. Nice atmosphere. Best waitress in town is Marsha!!
(5)Tamara J.
The only reason I will set foot, or drop cash, at OM is because Rufus Tanksley and the Eargasms improv and comedy troop play there on Tuesdays. Praying for the day they get booked ANYWHERE else. Used to go when it first opened, but then my friends and I discovered that the servers were giving themselves a little extra tip after we closed out. Apparently, they have replaced the thieving staff with the living dead. Issues: I'm at a table. I should have waitstaff. I should not have to go to the bar for a drink. I should not have to wait 20 minutes for a menu. I should not have that menu snatched off my table and given to another table before I have placed my order. I should be asked if I would like anything else before you sling a bill on my table. When I reject said bill and ask for another beer, you should not give me attitude and NEVER return with either the beer nor the bill. On the rare occasion you do choose to grace me with a replacement drink, you should take the empty away with you. I should not have to stare at my empty plates, napkin on top to indicate done-ness to any idiot, for 45 minutes. I should not have to get so sick of looking at them that I BUS MY OWN TABLE. One benefit of OM: The service sucks out loud so bad you can't possibly get served enough to get a DUI. I'll leave you with this little mathematical equation to sum up my feelings: The first Tuesday I took my 2 teenagers to see the show. 3 people + 3 burgers + 2 bathroom condo = someone's barfing in the sink. Enough said. Oh yeah, it's also overpriced.
(1)Chris C.
This review is for lunch only. I've come here several times for lunch and I always get solid, if unremarkable food, be it a sandwich, salad, or something else. My food review is for today's orders. Rancho Santiago Chicken Sandwich: Pretty good sandwich, huge portion. The meat seemed to have been pounded, which gave it an even size throughout while still being moist inside. I opted for onion rings, which were very good - better than most restaurants. Original Mike's King Cobb Salad: RO had the cobb salad. Only thing wrong with it was that it was way overdressed. Atmosphere: There was a huge tarp between the bar and the area where all the classic cars usually are. Looked like they were undergoing a renovation, but obviously for the moment it takes away from the atmosphere in a serious way.
(3)Jason S.
Good food!!! Good beer!!!! And good ppl!!!! This place is always fun to go to and hang out with friends!!!!
(5)Nhi Thao N.
So I've driven by Original Mike's plenty of times but have never actually eaten there. I decided to give it a try today for lunch. After running a quick errand, I arrived there shortly before noon, and it seemed like a pretty nice-looking restaurant (the inside is a bit dark, but the outside seating area is very nice, and I like the music that is played in the background - it seems from the posters I saw that this place is a venue for live musicians at nighttime). I first walked inside and said hello to the hosttess (I guess that is what I should refer to her as, anyway). I said it was just me eating. She seemed friendly and asked if I preferred to sit inside or outside, and due to the inside being rather dark, I said I'd prefer to sit outside. She said to have a seat and that she would be bringing me a menu. It was a good five minutes before she finally brought out the menu. At that point, that wasn't a big deal to me. But the service just got progressively worse from there. A waiter came to take my order, and he seemed friendly, too. I ordered the beef taquitos appetizer and a Coke. The Coke never came. I got water with lemon instead. Several times, I saw the waiter carrying a tray with several Cokes on it, but apparently none of them were for me. To make matters worse, the beef taquitos took half an hour to come out (I know, I probably should have got up and left by then but I was really hungry and didn't have time to go somewhere else). The waiter kept telling me my food would be right out, but I just waited as other people seemed to be getting their food. I had ordered my food at about 11:55, and by the time it reached 12:25 and the waiter had come by again to tell me my food is coming right out, I just asked him if I could just please get the food in a to-go box and the check. He seemed a bit frustrated, and said something to a busboy that happened to be walking by (I think he was telling the busboy to help me with the to-go - in my opinion, he essentially was passing me on to someone else to deal with). The busboy came and asked me how he can help me, and I repeated that I would like my food in a to-go box and the check. Eventually, the waiter himself returned with my taquitos in a to-go box, the check, and apologized to me about five times, saying he didn't know my order would take so long. He gave me another lemon water to-go (still no Coke - I think it just never registered that I had ordered one). I wasn't charged for a Coke on the check; I guess he just either didn't hear me or forgot - by that time I didn't want one anymore. After rushing to get back to work on time, I was in the elevator with two co-workers. Seeing my to-go box, they asked me where I had gone for lunch. I said I haven't even eaten my food because it had taken so long to make and that I had gone to Original Mike's. One of them said "Oh no, you shouldn't have gone there. They take forever to make the food there. That place is only good for drinks." I came back to the office and my co-worker in my unit agreed that this place takes forever to prepare the food. I mean, come on, how long does it take to make 6 small taquitos? I guess longer than I thought. I wonder how long it would have taken had I ordered a full entree. My co-worker said I should have gotten my meal for free, or at least the Coke that I ordered and never got. In the end, I ate my taquitos at my desk at work. If I was just rating the food, I'd probably give this place 4 stars - because the taquitos were very good (great guacamole dip). However, the service was very disappointing. I don't think I'll be returning there any time soon.
(2)Vic V.
Well I went here because I knew the music was awesome. I didn't check the calendar so the 2nd room played the same music all night, Funk, which I like in doses not all night. The Band though was great in the first room. The food is pretty good, have tried a variety of things from flat bread to wraps, to pasta and sandwiches. Not spectacular but not bad at all. The reason I gave 2 stars: I reserved a table on my bday. I called 2 weeks before to ask when the cover charge started and was told 9pm. Well for whatever reason on that Friday, they started charging at 8pm! Half my dinner guests that ran late (dinner at 730) had to pay a cover TO EAT DINNER. It was family and friends and most of my family did not stay for the club part of it so that was very irritating. Beside that, later on in the night, it's a horrible bottleneck type of situation going through that narrow hallway from one room to the other. To make it worse, the security was rude, shoved my cousins and ended up kicking them out because they were objecting and yelling at them to stop pushing them. Not sure what happened outside but my cousin's husband ended getting punched by a security as 3 cousins were pepper sprayed, 2 of which were women. Really? With what 6 security outside, you needed two spray people just to get them to leave? Aside from this during dinner, the server was very flaky. She'd come once in awhile and only attend to one side of the large table and we had to continue flagging her down all night just to get her to come to the other side. I know it's Santa Ana but it's personnel like this that give the city a bad name, not the clients that spend $$$$ on drinks and food.
(2)Carrie R.
I just have 2 words for this location ... Phil Shane! He performs on Tuesday nights ... songs from Elvis, Tom Jones, Roy Orbison, Neil Diamond ... it's definitely a show to check out. He has quite a following (the over 50 crowd) so you usually can't get a table right up front, but that's ok ... it's probably better to sit at the outer tables so you can chat with other people in your group. The music gets pretty loud. I'm not sure if Tuesdays is still Taco Tuesday night ... but that was always a good deal. But usually, we will just order an appetizer platter to share and enjoy the music. And if you are a "people watcher" ... this is a great place for YOU! Check it out sometime! You won't be disappointed!!
(4)Mico C.
"Hippies use Side Entrance --" this sign greets you at the front door of Original Mike's Diner Nightclub. What balls! or stupidity...- you decide. Seems to draw the Harley Davidson handle bar moustache element. as well as enthusiasts of classic American cars. OM's was once an auto dealership and they've preserved vintage Model Ts for display on the Main Street side. Joint gets an A for decoration, model sharks and marlins hang over head along with spinning propellers rotating straw fans. Over the bar dozens of blue crystal goblets dangle upside down. Standard diner fare of burger and sandwiches- but huuge fat a#$ portions. The wait staff and chefs are all Latinos. Walking distance to fourth street Santa Ana, which conjures up Downtown LA minus the graffiti, garbage, and bums. You might say OC's Olvera street. near Lola Gaspar.
(3)Everett J.
I went over last night... Good music and decent Dj's.... They should not charge any over after 9 pm. Maybe 10 pm.... Anyhow, the food is awful. Its bland and frozen. My Gf ordered the salmon. It was hard and bland... Frozen.... My clam chowder... Frozen and bland.... My wedge salad... was covered with blue cheese... it was not good... Also the menu is too big, so, I can see why they cut corners to save money and make more for themselves..... Management... Please change the menu... add fresh, simple bar food all of us can be proud of.... And if you want to keep the restaurant menu... Then keep all of your food fresh.... not frozen... Finally the service is not great at all... Its time to save your online rep...
(2)Nicola B.
This is a good place to host an event. That's the nicest comment I can give. The service sucks!!!!!!in our section we had 1 waiter for about 80 people. At the bar there was only 1 bartender and if you wanted water the bar help wouldn't give you a bottle of water. Ridiculous! I waited on the bartender to serve me and when it was my turn and shipped me. Other people told her that I was next an she still went and served people who were after me. Since all I wanted was a bottle p water I just left the bar and subsequently the venue. I will no longer attend anything there.
(1)Celina L.
I forgot what night I came but they played all kinds of Rock en espanol, and Old school. I had so much with my mom and her cousins. The DJ had the crowd going for the whole night. They had 2 stages. The main stage was playing rock en espanol and old school, while the back stage was playing modern day hip hop and rap. The crowd can get a little rowdy when you accidently bump in to someone, but that's not the clubs fault at all, so I'm not gonna let that effect the rating. Cops like to sit outside the club to get future drunk drivers so beware.
(4)A H.
This review is for the security staff. Was here on 10/16 for a birthday. They let a fight go on for 2 mins, and after that still couldn't control it. I saw them kick a girl, just not professional at all. Will never come back here again.
(1)Marla S.
Absolute worst over the phone order I have ever had to suffer through. The girls (hosts I assume) who take phone orders are complete idiots. Wish there was a zero star option.
(1)Daniel K.
We just had our company Christmas party here last weekend. We had made our reservation for 40 people for outside on the patio. We arrived to find out that our table was inside by the main stage and the table was set up for 26 people. There was one server helping all of us that were squeezed in. We were told the band would start at 9pm and they started at 8:15pm. We wouldn't have cared, but they were extremely loud so we couldn't hear each other during our dinner. We decided to take all of our gifts for the gift exchange outside to the patio ourselves since it was such a tight squeeze and so loud. The food was okay. Some of the entrees were served cold and they ran out of bread so we couldn't order any flat breads. Definitely won't be coming back here and definitely won't be recommending this place.
(1)Nam B.
A nice,fun hang out. There are 3 simultaneous main dance/eating area (2 indoors & 1 outside) with different type of music and settings, so whatever you feel like, you can mix it up. One is a club like scene, complete with a dj, lazer lights, and a fog machine. The other indoor one is a live band / singer providing you with the music. The outside scene makes you feel like you're in a happening place in Mexico with a more traditional Mexican band, smoking allowed (they also sell nice cigars here, but sorry still not allowed Cubans'), nice patio furnitures, a tiki bar, and complete with a taco stand. We rented out a private lounge inside for one of my friend's birthday celebration and it was a very comfortable place to relax with the nice cushiony couches, a fireplace, a remote to control your own private ac, 3 walls covered with wine bottles, and a glass cabinet of cigars. You can do whatever you want in there and party it up. Way better than those Asian lounges and their vip areas (surprisingly cheaper / cost effective too with just a $300 min spending requirement and not jacking up the price of food and drinks). The food here is just ok, but what people come here for is the entertainment.
(3)Just M.
Not sure what 'mama's famous meatloaf' is famous for?!?
(1)Nicole S.
BAILA!!!!! Join us Sunday, October 23rd, as we host Zumba in da Club MICHAEL JACKSON TRIBUTE in the heart of Orange County at Original Mike's in Downtown Santa Ana! Enjoy a large dance floor, fantastic club lighting, incredible sound, fabulous instructors, and energetic choreography. This time we will perform your favorite Michael Jackson songs in a variety of genres! Don't wait to buy your tickets. This event will sell out quickly. Buy your tickets ASAP! Tickets are pre-sale $10 or $15 at the door. Only those participating need to buy tickets. Guests not participating are welcome to join us at the bar or restaurant area at no cost. Remember: Zumba Happy Hour Menu starts at 6:00 pm! Let's burn up the dance floor... and calories too! bodybymaria.com/zumba.ht…
(4)Chris V.
I very recently visited Original Mike's for a lunch meeting and overall I must say the food was good! Remembering a scene out of Modern Family, I suddenly craved a Wedge Salad, but they didn't have it unfortunately. They let you substitute meats at Original Mikes, and the Cobb Salad sounded just as good so I opted for that with the Ahi Tuna. To be honest, this was one of the best salads I had in a while. The ingredients felt fresh and everything was well balanced. Would definitely recommend Original Mikes if you're looking for a quick spot to grab some lunch. If it's a nice day outside, the outdoor patio also made for a great eating location. Only downside was that on a slow afternoon our waiter forgot an order and took about 20 minutes to finally process our bill. Tip: Ask for the check early if you're in a rush!
(4)Joe A.
Had a absolutely fantastic night out the Artist District in down town S.A, the areas around are historic, good place to hang out day or night although this place has a downfall so I put this out there...#1 the mixed drinks are WEAK (not much alcohol).#2 Depends on which night you go out to this place, sometimes live bands play here so its pretty cool but choice of music that is picked is not my cup of tea. #3 Not enough staff to accomodate customers.
(3)Caledonia H.
I went with a friend and even though we got our seats right away, it took the waiters forever to take our order. And they wouldn't let us finish saying our order before they start leaving. The food was delicious but the waiting staff were rude and unfriendly. The atmosphere was fun and energetic and the food was fantastic but the waiting overall ruined my experience.
(3)Stephanie W.
Awesome!
(5)shishi s.
We ended up here after driving around in circles looking for Lola Gaspar but didn't have change for the meters. The good thing about Mike's is its big (free) parking lot. This place sure does attract a random crowd. Outside, there were a bunch of business men and women in suits, smoking cigars. Inside, it was definitely an older crowd who looked like they were from the 80s. This place has a dance floor with lots of lights and plenty of TVs. Stay away from the enchiladas. Tasted like ketchup with corn tortillas. I had a chicken wrap and which was decent, but pricey for the small portion. Too much tortilla and not enough chicken! Our server was very nice and responsive. One thing I would have liked to try was their alcoholic milkshakes! I wanted a milkshake and saw that they were like $9, but then I realized that they were alcoholic.... so I guess that makes it a better deal! :)
(2)Dana T.
Came here on a Saturday night for the first time and the place wasn't busy at all. I like the vibe and the live band that was playing. I ordered the Downtown Platter which was good, but the service was honestly quite terrible. Everyone was nice and all but it shouldn't take 20-30 mins for the server to finally realize I've been waving my money around in order to get the bill.
(3)Lauren J.
I can't believe I never knew about this place! It is way more than just a restaurant. They have 3 big rooms for dining, music, entertainment and sports. They recently put in this crazy 360 degree projection screen in the bar/dining area. There is no bad view in the entire room! I ate on the outside patio a few weeks ago when the weather was nice. They have palm trees, so the sun isn't overbearing. On Sunday's they have music outside - great classic rock. Since the surroundings were so cool, I wasn't expecting good food. I have been pleasantly surprised on all my visits. I've had the pulled pork sandwich, the fish tacos and the hamburger protein style. They come with amazing sweet potato fries. HUGE drinks. Good service. They are really involved in the community and revitalizing downtown Santa Ana. BOTTOM LINE: Good food and fun atmosphere
(5)Eric S.
Had a Great Friday night!!!! Live band was really good, patron and grand marnier drinks put me OUT. Cant hang. Not ready. Lol
(4)Jesse M.
I'm a sucker for restaurants with zany themes, and this one had a very interesting setup (sharks hanging overhead, saddles for bar stools, etc). They definitely have a unique style and presentation (it was fun to walk around and check out the decor), and for that I give them five stars. ...what doesn't get five stars is the service. My friend and I were mostly ignored by our waitress, and I had to grab another server to get the check and doggy bags. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and say it may have been that one particular waitress, and next time could be much better; but for now I'm left with this one bad experience. The food, however, was good and at a decent price; I got their tasty club sandwich and a creamy Caesar salad. If I was being really picky, I would say the chicken was slightly undercooked; then again, I didn't get sick, so I might just be paranoid.
(3)Douglas D.
Best Bike nights, good food, good service, strong drinks.... Doesnt get any better than that for me
(5)Anne M.
I was not expecting to find this place in downtown Santa Ana. It's really cool! We passed through a huge brick patio area and entered into a massive bar area then were greeted by live music and a huge crowd of 50 somethings line dancing. I suddenly felt like I had left Orange County. Luckily, a host promptly asked if we would rather sit in the dining room which I did. From the dining room we had the pleasure of overhearing the live music from the bar, a mix of country, classic rock and lounge music. As it turns out the performer was Phil Shane, who my friends have been following for years. Apparently he performs every Tuesday at 7pm. As for the food, I was happily surprised. The dining room was pretty empty which worried me at first but as we were led to our table I noticed that the food on other tables looked good. The menu is a mix of American and Mexican food with burritos, steaks, sandwiches and pasta dishes. I ordered the Roasted Turkey Sandwich which, if you read my other reviews, you'll notice I order this sandwich pretty frequently. I am a self proclaimed Turkey Sandwich enthusiast!!! What really excited me about the Original Mike's Turkey Sandwich is that it's smothered in a cranberry mayo. I could have eaten three of these sandwiches, they are so perfect. Soft onion roll, sprouts, good quality deli, sliced Turkey meat. Yum! Aside from a tasty sandwich if you're looking to have cocktails with the baby boomer generation, this is the place to go. Perhaps it draws a different crowd on other days but that's what Tuesday night brings. I noticed on the marquis that they have an 80's night and college night if hanging with grandma isn't your thing.
(4)Kylie K.
So I guess this place is a restaurant? I went here one night because one of the frats at UCI were having a pirate themed event here and they pretty much turned it into a nightclub and put a dance floor in two of the rooms. Can't say much about the food cause naturally I didn't order anything, so I'm just going to review the drinks. The same bartender made two rounds of AMFs but it was inconsistent. First round was okay but it was a little too weak. Second round, one of the AMFs was a lot stronger, but you couldn't even taste any alcohol in the other one. Meh, you can find better overpriced drinks in so cal. Oh and there's a parking lot.
(2)Porsche C.
I would label this place as interesting. From the sharks hanging from the ceiling to Elvis greeting you at the door, this place is long on personality. There are plenty of TVs and a well stocked bar to make this a great place to watch the game. As well, Thursday night is bike night. Be prepared for college kids and drink specials. I had the ribeye steak. It was absolutely delicious. The food is basically diner food with a little more class. I added a star for the stiff, cheap drinks.
(4)Lisa D.
Came here for a friend's birthday and was incredibly impressed! I had the turkey burger with fries and coleslaw. The turkey was surprisingly really moist and good. They were incredibly generous with the avocado which made me really happy! lol My friend had the chicken fajita and said it was really good as well. Very generous with portions! Service was really fast and friendly. As we were leaving the dining area we could see the party was getting started in the other room. Wish we would've stayed. The music was really good (oldies) and they had a huge dance floor. Will definitely be coming bak for more more more!
(4)Viking T.
Well I liked the place. I got nothing but a good memory. Then again I was also there with about 24 million dollars worth of Porsches along with their fanatical owners. We have a breakfast club meeting now and again, and that place does the hosting bit. Why they have this need to have a club meet at 7am on a Sunday is beyond me. That's fine. Mike's got all the coffee you can drink. The food was buffet style. Not bad, but not great either. To be fair, that event is not their real thing. And that's the food the club asks for. So I can't say about the menu food. But the service was fantastic. The place itself is pretty darn entertaining for a spot on 1st in Santa Ana. I give it three stars ONLY because I can't give a full accounting. But really, if the food winds up being only average to better, with the service so good and the place itself worth a try, I'm probably being too conservative with the stars.
(3)Mj K.
Decided to try this restaurant for the first time last night to celebrate our Anniversary. Arrived shortly before 5:30 pm and the place was empty. Seated right away but then waited 10 minutes for a server. That was the beginning of poor service for the rest of our visit. We asked for advice since it was our first visit and was not even told it was Happy Hour. There does not seem to be any passion about working in what could be such a unique location. We will not be back;
(1)Danny D.
The band sometimes plays here out in the patio its very nice and the brick wall makes for cool photos. I just always wondered who rents the places up stairs with all that noise we were loud. The service is great and fast. The beer glass is full. I have not had food here yet but soon I will and I will update. My only complaint is where in heck is the womans restroom........
(5)