Haunted Head Saloon

Always a trip to The Head when visiting Oceanside. Great pours and great Bartenders and Manager. Long bar seats probably 12 to 15 people. Plenty of additional high tops. Bar only, no food but there are plenty of options surrounding. Easy walk from all Oceanside hotels. Highly recommend and always will return.

This is my absolute fave bar of all time! I know all the bartenders including Mariah, Shawna, Dave. Albert. The atmosphere and mix of customers here changes almost hourly. Drinks are cheap some beers are dollar off until 6 PM Come by and meet some locals in Oceanside’s unpretentious down to earth dive bar!

Kirstin did such an amazing job of welcoming us into the bar and ensuring the drinks that were made were nothing short of excellent. We entrusted her in improvising and making us “anything” and she blew our minds with what she made for us. 10 out of 10 would come here again for Kirstin’s service truly top tier 👏

If you're ever in the Downtown Oceanside area and you're hanging out past 9PM at night, there's a good chance that you will find yourself at this local hideaway. Welcome to The Haunted Head Saloon. It's one of Oceanside's most famous Dive Bars. Actually, The Haunted Head Saloon is one of the only bars in Downtown that can be considered "Divey". Because they do not have any food for sale here, you MUST BE 21 OR OLDER to enter. NO EXCEPTIONS. What I love the most about The Head is that their security is on-point and it's relatively safe inside (considering that it's a dive bar). The few times I've seen drama, it was quickly addressed and carried outside. One of the BEST aspects of The Haunted Head is its location. You can find it right off of Mission Ave & Tremont St in the heart of the Downtown Area. It's just north of the Regal Movie Theater. Because of its location, you can walk to the movies, to the pier or beach (2 blocks away) or to any of the parking garages nearby (within 8 minutes). In addition, there is Pier Pizza located right next door to them selling pizza by-the-slice, tacos across the way at Sanchos Tacos, Strawberry Shack for cake desserts & Fugu icecream shop just around the corner. So, you can always find something to eat BEFORE you start drinking AND the pizza shop typically stays opened late for the crowds. The bartenders work quickly (especially considering the crowds) and there is a Full Bar at their disposal. I wouldn't come here for a "foo-foo" pretty cocktail, BUT, simple mixed drinks or shots are best. They've got some TVs in there (just for decoration because everyone's drinking), a pretty solid pool table (that they maintain monthly) and a jukebox that patrons can customize their songs too (download the AMI MUSIC APP). PRO-TIP: There are snack bags by the bar to nibble on, ask the bartender for one 😉 There's also a 5 gal water dispenser in the back. The interior is dark, pirate themed and decorated in $1 bills. The tradition is to get yours from the bartender, sign it and tape it up! There's booth seating in the corners, 2 long wooden tables for seating, bar seating & multiple high-chair tables too. The only aspect lacking in this bar are the bathrooms. Well, I can only speak for the men's bathroom. It's small. Cramped and no privacy. Pretty much exactly what I would expect from a dive bar! 😆 Anyhow, The Haunted Head Saloon has been around for as long as I can remember and I always recommend passing through late at night when in the Downtown Oceanside area; besides, everything else is closed!

While feeling guilty and moping around Oceanside, I offered up two random girls drinks here. At first I thought they asked whisky and ordered 3 whiskies, turns out they wanted Vodka. Anyways waste of time. I miss the older look of the bar, all the dollar Bill's hanging around gives off a garbage feel of desperation of attention. Used to come here when Cabo Grills Basement turned into Sauna. Anyways I miss my friend Mariah (Paws_ttv). I left Hauntef head tonight after picking up a plastic cup getting tossed on the floor and the two girls fliting with a Weird Al looking guy. Spent $50 to drink alone. Edit- - I returned 1 hour later to make sure the ladies where ok. They where rude. Understandable as it seemed very stalkerish (gonna keep this as I'm in the drunk state/phase) of me. Hope they get home safely I have to now walk either 2 miles to El Camino Real or Uber lyft. Uber lyft.

I've been in this city for many decades and never walked into this place and there's nothing but regret! OMG!! The music, the vibe, the bartenders... Ugh, its Awesome! I'm a straight shooter, I'll give you the good and the bad. The best and worst because that's what I would want to know when I'm deciding on a place. The vibe... From the first step into this joint I knew I was in love. It's a dive bar without the sticky counter tops. Great music, great pours, great people, great vibe. No drama, but all of th classic feels were looking for. The decor is generations old. You want culture, you've got it here. There's so many different additions customers have added over the years. I love how open and accepting it is here. They literally ARE the local vibe. The drinks are great. I've been in a number of places that charge high end prices for watered down drinks and this isn't it. Coming directly from a "high end" establishment into here, I was knocked on my heels. I got everything I was looking for in a single place (minus food). Parking. It's Oceanside. There's so much parking here, just do it. Last note. I heard a nasty rumor Haunted Head isnt going to be here much longer. It's been open is '93 or before. Drop your dinner dates and come here before the last of our culture is gone! You won't be sorry.

The place is awesome but the guy running the pool table (Austin) that doesn't even work there runs the name list wrong. If a person is on the table, their name should not be on the board. That should not be going on since the list is long and people ate waiting to play.

I had a brand new drink accidentally spilled over in front of me literally 6 in away from the bar back he couldn't be bothered to give a bar towel let alone clean anything up that's what you can expect here