Sammy's Original

Was there for halloween. Nice crowd, not a meat market. Band was nice but loud a bit. Food was ok we had salad and nacho. Waitress was not providing service as quickly and there was not a lot of people there. Would I go back? Yes, nice change even though service was not 100%.

Sammy's is a "place where everyone knows your name!" It has the greatest att atmosphere that you can possibly imagine you can watch sports and most importantly if you're a horse player you can bet the ponies without having to drive all the way to Santa Anita or Los alamitos the staff there is amazing the bartenders top-notch and the waitresses are all the best the food is pretty good but it's not an upscale restaurant where you're looking for New York steak or anything of that sort but all in all if you're looking for a fun time on a Saturday or Sunday and then work it into the evenings highly recommend Sammy's original for the place to throw your next bash

Great spot! The food was delicious, drinks were perfectly made, and the service was top-notch. The staff were friendly and attentive, and the atmosphere was fun and relaxed. Definitely coming back!

Good place. Friendly staff. Enjoyed food. Lots of friends. Fun karaoke on Sundays & Tuesdays.

This is a clear and concise review expressing your dissatisfaction with Sammy's restaurant. Here's a breakdown of the key points you made, highlighting the issues you experienced: * Decline in Quality: * "Sammy restaurant has gone down hill. It’s no longer enjoyable." * "It has become very unclean environment." * Poor Service: * "Service was polite but forgot to bring my meal. So sat there watching others eat." * "Then when my meal came I needed it to go. Offered no discount or a free dessert of something." * "There was no one that checks you in or manger walking around to see how you are doing." * Perceived Neglect: * "Seems that the like to make the money off of you is all they care about." * Call for Improvement: * "Looks like they need to step it up and become a great place like it was years ago." Your review effectively communicates your disappointment and suggests areas where the restaurant needs to improve.

It's a dark sport bar with off track betting. Some pretty serious betters inside. The good was decent and loved the seasoned fries. Great tv's but its all about the horses. Bar was best seating. If I go again that is where I would sit.

Came here cause it was walking distance from my hotel. Service was prompt and friendly. Food was great and they were having line dancing to all kinds of music, so had a show too. I would recommend stopping here

Unless you’re here to bet the ponies don’t bother. The whole place is OTB. That’s all. Pool tables and the stink of cigarettes smoked long ago. Stoppe here to catch TNF - Thursday night football and between 40 screens of OTB no game. The owner probably doesn’t even have a prime account or never heard of it. This place is basically a dive. Unless you love to bet the ponies

Was looking for a quick place to pull over and kill some time as traffic was terrible heading back to San Diego and what an odd place I stumbled into on a random Wednesday around 5pm. It started off dead. It was just me, and 3 other people and the staff of 3. Happy hour was from 2pm to 7pm. Wells were four dollars. Beer was 7. A ton of apps. I called my homeboy who lived down the street and he came and clearly he brought the party because slowly over the next hour, it started to get popping. Every Wednesday there's a 15 minute talent show. Some people sing. Some poetry. Some play instruments. The bar became half full around 8pm and the energy rocketed. We played pool in the back. There were two tables along with some video arcade games and duck hunting game I believe. There's two bathrooms as well. No all gender. This place is also a horse racing place. Lots of areas to do booking and watch the races. When there's none going on they shut down the place. The staff couldn't have been more pleasant. They were bouncing around, engaging, and super quick with the food and drinks. We had the pizza. It was 2.50 dollars. Not a great slice but for two bucks. Whatever. We also had the chips and salsa which was nice because it was hot and fresh and not from a bag. We also had the Thai chili wings and that was really good. Super happy. But it came with ranch. I would come again on a Wednesday for sure. But... this place is shutting down come November 2025. Sooooo I guess I won't be returning. Shame because with how cheap happy hour is, it made it a four star place. Otherwise I would rate it 3 stars.

They are closing for good on Saturday I haven't seen this place busy over the years so I understand Owner is a jerk

chill vibe really good food fun karaoke night The servers and crowd are super friendly Will definitely go back soon Great spot

Wow, this great restaurant, betting parlor and Sports bar is closing down Nov. 2nd. We went there tonight and I had the Ruben sandwich with Cole slaw and a Sculpin IPA. Mica was our server and she was the bomb! The band was Midnight Whiskey and they were dynamite! Too bad this fine establishment is being demolished for a Medical building. It's probably the last time we will go there. So sad.

Having checked into our hotel and weary from a day of driving, we were hungry but not motivated to drive any further. Looking down the street from our hotel in Lake Forest, we spotted Sammy's Original. From the outside, it appeared to be an upscale coffee shop; but once we opened the door, you realized how wrong we were! We wound our way through the pool players and walked past the horse race betting, enjoying the music and watching the dancing couples to find our table. It was a Wednesday and the place was hopping--one bartender and one server--for the entire restaurant! In spite of that, we were greeted warmly, given menus asked for our drink order and prepared ourselves to find something on the menu. Hubby was thrilled with the hot dog meal as the nation was celebrating National Hot Dog Day (really??) and I ordered a patty melt, both with a choice of fries or side salad. Drinks were good and I didn't expect Butter Chardonnay to be offered. We enjoyed our meal, listened to the band and reveled in the quirky vibe we found there. So much so, we returned the next night for drinks (and watched line dancing)....and the next time for drinks (and listened to the band! Such friendly service and truly a little slice of excellent people watching--we loved it!

What's not to like? Sports Bar with off-track wagering, sandwiches, salads, desserts, a full bar, and live bands. They have a happy hour, even on weekends. Their Philly cheese steak sandwich is delicious. The Orange Tonic Band rocked the house!

Unexpectedly Good Food, Quirky Vibe Sammy's wasn't our first choice, but after finding our usual Friday spots packed, we gave it a shot. Parking was easy, and the bar was wide open around 6pm. The bartender was friendly, though not especially attentive. Beer selection is decent, and the menu offers a good variety. The food? Surprisingly great--fresh, generous portions, and way better than expected. There's an off-track betting section that brings a bit of a strange energy, and the overall vibe is hard to pin down--not quite dive bar, not quite gastropub. Live music started at 7pm--a garage band of lovable older guys who grew on us the longer we stayed. Quirky atmosphere aside, Sammy's delivered where it mattered most: food, drinks, and a place to land when everywhere else was packed.

Mica was such a doll amazing just so professional just a beautiful spirit I'm going to come next time for sure. My second time here and more to come. Thank you so much love this place.

Great Buffalo wings ambiance was nice super friendly staff and great entertainment Also I believe you can bet on horses they had a bunch of monitors set up for gambling if your into that sort of thing

Had a great time singing at Sammy's tonight. I opened with "My Way" by Sinatra and finished with "I can't help falling in love with you" by Elvis. The ambiance was positive and upbeat, and the service was fantastic. Kathleen was a terrific bartender/server and all-around person. I enjoyed her kindness and professionalism. The food is nothing to write home about, but the drinks, service, and people are cool. A great little bar, and they have horse racing, pool tables, and live music. Recommended.

If you aren't here to win some money and given grief by Keziah - then go home. Where else can you get a meal for $10, drinks for less and walk to your car with some cash in your pocket? Drinks are very reasonable . Food is cheap ( try the hotdog with tater tot's instead of fries - you're welcome). If you happen to be lucky enough to be here when Keziah is behind the bar - order a mixed drink. Spicy margarita and Bloody Mary is our usual. Very laid back. take your chances on betting. Vibe is inviting. Just don't take my lucky seat. And if you are lucky, you will win over Keziah!

Tonight another great night of food, drink(s) , music , atmosphere, dance , sports betting , billiards , and general grooviness . Many national and regional stars popped in Host / lead server Julio was on the move . I had 2 non alcoholic ice teas , chicken fingers on a brioche bun , fries . Superb Report was thumbs up from booth denizens about a club sandwich and coke slaw , gin and tonic and a long gold - amber brew . It was "open mike " night and a familiar face in a Lincoln hat did originals plus Johnny cash , Jerry Lee Lewis, leadbelly , sugar pie disanto and little richard ; whose finale was a conga line around the big bar . The house band could open for the Stones . Stop on over Wednesdays at 6-10pm

Horrible service Never Enough waitress and the bartender is so rude. The band is usually good. It is the only bar around that has a van so I guess they just taking for granted treating people like crap. don't waste your time go to somewhere else that's worth enjoying yourself life is too short.

Hidden gem in Lake Forest. If you're a horse racing fan, this is the place for you. Betting allowed. Sports bar with good food and reasonable prices. Staff very accommodating. 4 stars because, if you're a sports fan the TVs are tuned to horse racing, usually. Just ask for a game and they'll help.

today is my first time going to this place...and i will never go back for starters i felt a weird vives as soon as i got inside the place,, i could feel the woman bartender looking at me " by the way she was the only one at bar/ working" when my friends nd i sat at the bar,, she was still stearin at me. my friend introduced me, cuz like i mentioned before first time there. nd she made a stupid funny face.. i ordered a non alcoholic beer , asked for iced water her response was give me a minute,,, place and bar section was kind of empty not sure why she took about 10 minutes to get me a cup of iced water,,, i ordered another beer took her another 5 minutes to get give it,, about an hour and half i asked for my check,,, sure enough she took about 10/15 minutes to give it ,, but instead of placing it on a cup or in front of me she tossed it,, she did it with so much hate that the receipt felt upside down,,"will attach pix". my friend sitting next to me noticed nd went uuuuuu!!! i did not said anything or make a comment,, i gave her $20 ,, my bill was $10.78 but she only gave me $9 back... i know its only a few cents but still, did she had the right to keep it??? sooooo obviously i got upset , not because of the change, but because of her f....ng attitude, and on my receipt i wrote, the 22 cents is your tip..

We went here right after a tough workout across the street at Top Notch and all I can say is, hell yeah brother. Apparently they do betting on horse races here; there are betting windows and a million tvs. We went on a Friday and there was a race on, so the place was lightly packed with every sort of elderly dad you can imagine. We sat ourselves and the server (who absolutely ruled) was over right away. I got a beer and a club sandwich, and both were 10/10. Just good, comfort bar food. My husband got a half sandwich and soup, which also looked great. The prices were great for what we got, and the vibes were fun. I'm officially a fan of Sammy.

This review is for the food mainly, it's horrible. I had fish and chips, probably the worst I've ever had in my life. Cole slaw was equally horrible, right out of a big plastic jar. The only good thing was the band, Buckshot, really good. I guess if you want to bet on the ponies this is the place to be. It's pretty pathetic. I can't believe all the good reviews, especially about the food. These people must not get out of Lake Forest much. Oh, and the bottled beer isn't very cold.

We come in for dinner and pool... tonight there were children in the bar and on a pool table with adults who didn't know how to play pool. The kids were hitting the balls with the sides of the cues instead of properly. Since when are kids allowed in a bar?

Just wasted 20minutes to drive here to find out that their online menu hasn't been updated, and no one ever picks up the phone when calling to ask. Waste of money and time plus overpriced.

Great place for entertainment with live bands on the weekends. Food is good. Service has always been fantastic. You can bet on the horse races as well. Thursday has county line dancing but come early it gets packed.

This location is an old Bobs Big Boy. The decor is aged but clean. The breakfast menu was varied. Had their weekly daily breakfast special eggs, bacon/sausage, potatoes or pancake . Spouse had crepes. Prices are great for the specials Food was good Service was good Location seemed to cater to Seniors. I would return and try other items offered.

Came here on Sunday night to see our friend's band play ("End on Destroy") and it was rocking! The vibe was pretty family friendly (though it looks like there is horse betting here also so probably not actually kid friendly). We didn't know the kitchen closed at 8 pm Sunday and arrived around 8:05, however the waitress and kitchen staff were willing to turn around our food despite that. We got the carne asada fries, wedge salad and burger. Everything was fresh for "bar food."

I love this location!! When I'm in the mood to relax n watch sports or horse racing, I come here!! Also when there is a sporting event to watch n I'm feeling hungry, I come here! Either way it's always a great vibe, great food, n great atmosphere. You can listen to some good bands here n meet some nice people. Please check it out! You can play keno or bet on some horse races or meet your friends here for lunch. Great menu n prices that don't break the bank.

This place is really bad. The service is horrible especially the rude bartender Kristy who is hostile and argumentative to customers. The atmosphere is old, dated and dirty. No fun vibes. No good food. Nothing to make me want to go back.

I thought I wrote a review for this a long time ago? Hmm.. anyways, I have very fond memories of this place because this was the first bar that I truly fell in love with. I really liked the ambiance of this place. There is a section of the bar in the back where it's really quiet. Usually that section is reserved for the guests doing virtual horse racing/gambling, but when a race is not going on, that section is empty and somewhat secluded and therefore a great place to drink and have a nice conversation with someone. There is also a section outside that is really nice and quiet, especially during the summer evenings. I used to be a regular there, but I don't drink as much anymore. But it's a great place to check out if you ever get the chance.

Best bar food I have found. Their sandwiches are some of my favorites in OC. Their hoagie rolls are soft, delicious and go perfectly with their corned beef sandwich. Can't bring kids here, but it is a great place to watch football on Sundays

Kathleen is a fantastic bartender. She is very attentive, fast and friendly. The bar has lots of entertainment including, live music, off track betting, pool and Golden tee golf. I'm a big fan.

I only got the chicken tenders but it was so delicious and crispy. The service was amazingly fast. the ambiance was like a western theme. Only the adults should come here

Worste waitress ever! In the bar. Every time she approached the table she would look away. Not friendly at all. No smiles nothing extra.

The layout of this place pretty good for a crowded night...however the service is not good at all. The staff is friendly but way undertrained and understaffed....very disorganized and slow. It took us an hour to get served to drinks and a giant pretzel! And there were less than 40 ppl in the whole place. To make it worse...they do not choose their bands well....the bands I've seen there played awful and totally of key. It's too bad

Orders take forever to come out and then the order is always wrong. Such a shame as the music can be great. It's as though the staff is untrained, kitchen is lost and everyone is too high to care.

Good food, good entertainment, good service and most importantly good times!! We always enjoy ourselves @ Sammy's and will continue to do so!

An unexpected neighborhood gem. The food quality was a complete surprise. Crispy delicious French fries, angus charbroiled burgers with a smoky savory sweet jalapeños bacon was amazing. The salad had quality fresh produce. And the service is great. We are definitely coming back.

This is such a lovely communal space! I particularly like the Monday night bluegrass jam and the live music performance while you have your pint. The food is decent but the festive and jolly community are what's worth coming here for.

Never would have known about this place if it wasn't for my friends friends band playing here last night. They have off-track betting for those who like to gamble. Food was decent. We shared the fried pickles, spicy edamame, and mozzarella sticks. I had the blackened chicken sandwich which was very flavorful, but could use a little salt. Fries were sooo good. Nice and crispy! Brittney was a great server.

Sammy's is a hidden gem in the south OC area. Sammy's has great staff - and the lady who bartends on Monday nights makes you feel home. The other great parts of Sammy's include: great beer selection, reasonable cocktail prices, above-par pub food, and last but not least, it's engagement with the community supporting local music. Open mic nights are fantastic, there's a bluegrass jam on mondays, and there's excellent live music on fridays. Come to Sammy's where everyone knows your name, the drinks flow, the food is good, and the music is divine.

Sammy's seems to have become quite the hangout for the 55, 65, maybe more like 75 plus crowd! It's a typical sports bar, but very much in need of a good upgrade in furniture and sound system. As a middle of the week type of place for burgers and a live band, it's not too bad, as long as you can tolerate the overburdened speaker system that goes instantly into a distorted sound as soon as the local band starts to play. There's a small area for dancing as well, if you're careful. Food is plentiful in terms of portions, but taste quality is another matter. Let's just say it's quite bland. This place specializes in alcoholic drinks, let's be honest. The selection in mixed drinks is quite extensive. Sort of an out of date BJs, this place seems to appeal to a regular crowd that appreciates the booze, tolerates the meh quality food, and can live with the junior high auditorium quality speakers. Free parking in the large private lot.

I eat there at lunch time with vendors. Food is delicious. Service is very good and fast. The ambience is a sports bar with betting if you wish. They make great phili cheese sandwiches

Perfect place for rainy day fun! We had a group of 15+ people who came and went at different times. They made a reservation for us. Our waitress, Jamie, was amazing and was able to provide separate checks and keep everyone happy the whole time. That is a huge feat with a large group!I highly recommend it!! Make sure to ask for Jamie!!

Great place to bet horses and/or have a good meal/drinks. Tons of tvs with sports/horses. Prices were reasonable and the staff is very friendly. I had the grilled chicken sandwich which was good. Beer selection was good with a bunch of options. Crowd was cool and they keep the betting in a separate room. They do a great job here I will be back when I'm in the area. Wish it was near my house.

I've lived in OC for over 9yrs now and I've past by this place at 3 times a week glancing at it every time from the freeway. I always assumed it was a high end steakhouse for some reason? Come to find out it's a pretty cool sports bar with hood food! We came on a Saturday night and they had a live band playing 90's rock. Will definitely come back! If you are the owner or manager... you need to claim this business here on Yelp and then you need to put something on the outside of the building to let all that passing traffic know what "Sammy's" is. You are missing the boat here!!

In town for business and saw Sammy's and checked out the menu. My wife had the Cobb salad and I had the amazing Sammy's burger and an order of fried pickles! Burger was so flavorful and it was topped with a perfectly cooked egg! Fried pickles were perfect not mushy or oil soaked just crispy batter and great pickle wedge inside. Highly recommend for great food and excellent service by Casey! They had all the sports games on and there is even some online betting! Had a great meal!

Your typical American food, in a typical bar/restaurant setting, in a typical parking lot that contains a gun/hunting/outdoor sports store, and a boot barn. It's a bit misleading, because from the outside, it looks like a high-class restaurant, something akin to Mastro's or Morton's. But you walk inside, and you are welcomed by the Midwest style. Live music played at the bar area, and we sat closer to the back of the restaurant, where it looks like Horse Racing and betting goes on. Look's like a good time come season. The food is good, as are the drink specials, and the happy hour prices on beer. The stand out had to be the fried Jalapenos... the batter was damn-near PERFECT; being light, yet very crispy. My Italian Sausage sandwich was decent, bread was well toasted, marina was flavorful, cheese was melty, sausage had good flavor. This place get's 2 stars, instead of 3, or even 4, because the service was a direct miss. We sat, and didn't get a waitress to come our way until 10 minutes had passed (timed, I used my phone). And while she was very enthusiastic, and never rude, it took another 20 minutes for food, and another 10-15 minutes to come back and take a 2nd order of drinks. Mind you, the place was empty. Maybe 4 tables at the bar were taken, and we were the only ones in the back. Whether this is because of a lack servers, or what not, it looked like EVERYONE had to wait a long time for their orders. Not sure if I'll be back, those Jalapenos are delicious, but if I have to wait 30 minutes for them, i'd rather just go to jack in the Box.

Kathleen was my server at the bar on 1/28/2024 at the bar. She works so hard and always stays positive. I told her I would give her a positive review and here I am. I love the staff at Sammy's. I always look forward to coming back

This place is going downhill. It includes loud occasional rap music all evening w/ videos (which no customers like at this place), rude/nasty bartenders/servers (Kristy) that also lie, and more importantly, management that does not care when it is brought to their attention.

Sammy's is definitely an interesting type of place. It's considered a "mini-satellite wagering" facility that have begun to pop-up around SoCal within the last few years or so. But to put in layman's terms, it's an old Black Angus restaurant that was converted into a bar and a place to bet the ponies :-) We stopped by here recently on Saturday just enough to catch the last few races of the day at Del Mar. Although we didn't have any luck betting, we did enjoy ourselves. The service by the bartenders was good and the food was pretty decent, including the Philly Sandwich. Drinks are also reasonably priced. It is considered a Sports Bar, but you'll find most of the TVs are tuned into various tracks. They put the NBA finals on a single TV and a Dodgers on a couple others but you'll have to ask to get them. Most patrons here are fairly serious about the horse racing and didn't seem to concerned about other sports going on. The one thing that they could maybe have more available is free programs for the tracks (or at least out in the open) and maybe instructions on how to work the kiosks if you don't have credit already. I had to look up the race info on my phone. But other than that, Sammy's is a cool place to hang out.

Sammy's was our plan "D" for dinner Saturday night after we struck out at some of your usual haunts. Lots of places that offer indoor dining are getting slammed on Friday and Saturday nights. Sammy's was not. Sammy's is a two-in-one deal. One half of the place is devoted to off-track parimutuel horse race betting; the other half is devoted to the "restauranty" part of the place for lack of a better term. There is a large central bar, a small stage for the bands that play on Friday and Saturday nights, and various roomy booths and tables. It's a nice place with lots of potential that it doesn't live up to in my experience. Spoiler alert: it's the service primarily. Food wise, it's pretty typical pub grub according to the menu. We arrived around 7:00 p.m. and sat ourselves per the sign. So far, so good. It took about ten minutes for our drinks order to come out. About five minutes later, our server came round to ask about an appetizer. We ordered the fried pickles, which were just OK. They tasted as though the oil in the deep fryer was due to be changed, but what do I know? Forty minutes in to this misadventure, our server, who had inexplicably disappeared for a good fifteen to twenty minutes, still had not stopped by ask about entrees. When he reappeared, I flagged him down and asked for the check. When he brought the check and hovered, I paid in cash so to not delay our exit so we could move on and make the most of the rest of our night elsewhere. The restaurant side of the house was not busy, and appeared to be more than adequately staffed; there were two servers on duty along with at least one food runner.I didn't see anyone resembling a manager keeping an eye on things. The place enjoys somewhat of a captive audience as there are a number of mid-priced, business traveler hotels within a very short walking distance of Sammy's but not within a short walking distance of other places. Will we return? The Magic 8-Ball says, no. Cheers!

March 22nd 2022. ! Could not be any happier today with the selection and taste of the food ! All 26 guys at lunch today were very happy with the Outstanding Service from both Christy and Betty ! Fast service for all our guys and separate checks for everyone was prompt efficient and much appreciated! I personally am very proud to recommend this outstanding restaurant to anyone who is looking for very tasty food and a varied menu ! Ambiance is very attractive and the place is clean and ready to serve! Come and get a great meal! Gary Bain Lt Col USAF ret

We have been in town all week from Wisconsin and finally had the chance to stop in. We were greeted by a very welcoming young lady named Kathleen. She was an absolute delight!! I will be stopping back before we leave.