Segovia's Cocktail Bar & Lounge

My name is Brandon Segovia, proud grandson of longtime owner Larry Segovia and great-grandson of founders Al & Rose Segovia. Reviving this historic bar has been both an honor and a privilege to preserve the character, stories, and traditions that shaped generations before me. After a year devoted to breathing new life into the establishment, the tavern reopened on October 9th, 2025 refreshed yet deeply rooted in its original spirit, carrying forward our family's legacy with pride. My ultimate goal is simple: to ensure everyone who walks through our doors feels the same warmth and belonging that built this place decades ago.

EDIT 2/23/26: The owner of the bar, Brandon, immediately offered to call and was very apologetic and explained the behavior was unacceptable and that it was not a usual night for the establishment (there is usually multiple staff, security, and a manager on call). The woman was actually asked to leave later in the night after we left for further inappropriate behavior. I appreciate his immediate action and the owner offered for us to come back to the bar for a better experience. Again, really appreciate the immediate accountability and action, so revising review. ORIGINAL REVIEW: So disappointed to be writing this review but a group of friends recently visited the bar for a birthday drink and an older woman then tried to physically shove her face in one of the friend's chest... We called security (who witnessed this incident) and asked that this older woman (who was clearly too drunk and inappropriate to be in a public space) be asked to leave the bar. The manager then came back and said the woman (who again... tried to touch my friend's chest) was "not drunk enough." The whole incident left a bad taste in our mouths and we immediately left. If you're coming to this bar, be prepared for little to no action by management if there's harassment.

If you’re visiting Monterey and want to step away from the tourist crowds for a drink, Segovia’s Tavern is exactly where you should go. This place feels like a rite of passage — a classic local bar with real history, friendly faces, and a vibe you just can’t manufacture. Located just minutes from Cannery Row and downtown, Segovia’s offers a refreshing contrast to the more polished hotel bars nearby. The moment you walk in, you get that authentic Monterey feel: relaxed, welcoming, and full of character. It’s the kind of spot where locals actually hang out — which is always a good sign when you’re traveling.

Segovia's Bar in Monterey is a hidden gem! The staff was incredibly friendly and welcoming, making me feel right at home. The drinks were on point—perfectly crafted and delicious. I highly recommend stopping by for a great atmosphere and exceptional service.

Great little dive bar! Clean with a lot of Character. The bartender was nice and I had a pretty good beer selection. If you can get a seat next to the odd little fireplace in the wall.

Raciest bartender ! My friend got her hand smashed in the bathroom and the bartender kicked her out for defending her self and the girl who assaulted her stayed in the bar becuase she was white. Racist bar we have pictures how her hand was left ! Racism in Monterey county !

You have to visit. Kalli and Brandon Gale thank you.

Excellent location for drinks. The seating is comfortable and there's a backdoor for smoking. The juke box allows app controlled music selection and the dartboard is in a good spot. Stop by and chat with the friendly regulars!

This place was the most fun place I've been after having to move to the area and even all of California. The first and most important is the bar tender is an actual bar tender and not just a beer tender. Not only could he serve and make drinks he was also working the people in the bar. Interacting with everyone and not having people waiting forever. The crowd seemed to be more locals than tourists when I was there that was nice. But even so the staff didn't treat anyone any different. It was positive all over. The best part was closing time and getting to people watch. Just the interactions of the bar tender and the patrons and the humor, to just the general fun atmosphere or everyone in the bar.

Five star dive bar! Looking for a late night night cap - this is your place. Dark, affordable, dart board. What more could you want after hours?

This place calls itself a cocktail lounge.. and by the pictures, we were excited to try it. We attempted to but when we walked in, it smelled like an old dive bar where people had been smoking. That was all we needed before walking out.

You know when you show up to a near empty bar And the bartender is so annoyed you showed up because she is talking to friends So you make her happy and leave This is this bad in a nutshell

Rude bartender who doesn't know how to properly talk to people. Yelling as you walk in is not how you greet customers so we walked right back out.

I really like this spot. It has a very cool history, it's open late, and while it's a dive bar, they have a pretty great selection of booze (casamigos, etc.) The drinks are always pretty strong and the bartenders are always friendly. They have darts / some other games, Touch Tunes, and TVs. Definitely worth popping by for a nightcap- it's the perfect spot to end an evening.

My man ordered 2 shots of fernet last night- if you don't know, it's a dark colored alcohol, what the bartender poured from the bottle could only be described as "camel colored" we were both like, what is that?? The bartender tried to play it off like, "that's fernet." Absolutely not. We insisted he open the new bottle behind the bar and pour from that.... Sure enough, dark brown... bartender says "I didn't work last night" .... Ok. But if you're a bartender you KNOW what you just tried to sell us was BS. I've been to plenty of seedy, diver bars... but watering down your alcohol?? That's a new low. Too bad the bar itself is actually very cool. Games, historical bar-back (that the bartender didn't even know about), patio in back. Watered down alcohol. No.

I really enjoy this bar especially on Tuesday night when a little Australian girl Erin runs the bar and really makes an effort to connect personally with all of her patrons regulars and newbies and is always down for you to play cool dance tunes from 90s on the tunes machine. I also enjoy Dave the "scary bartender" on here who it seems has been misunderstood as rude and yells a lot. He is actually very friendly and will go out of his way to make you what you want provided it's not some shit show ridiculous drink when he is obviously slammed or you can obviously see he doesn't have all the ingredients for if you observed the kind of bar it was first. Also, he is not a punk kid bartender and demands respect from patrons in terms of how they approach him. Patience is a virtue, he will see you and yes he might scold you if your tip sucks. I mean honestly if you go in and order 4 vegas bombs and want them as fast as possible those are at least $10 bombs, don't leave him $2 on a 40 tab. Or no tip on a shot or a beer especially if you order 10 each time and leave $1 each time. Shame on people who do that. Leave the appropriate amount like you would in a restaurant and if you plan to keep ordering batches and tip at the end, let him know you will tip on the entire total. And if you are a shitty tipper you be better a disabled vet or prepare to be embarrassed for your poor math skills and manners.

Great local dive bar. Good drinks, a couple of games to play, and plenty of opportunities to social.

Small local bar. If you are looking for a drink, great place to get one, sit down and enjoy. Remember place does not serve food. There is no staff besides a bartender. But he is fast and attentive.

Horrible experience. Didn't even make it in the door to have a drink so I can't tell you more about the place but DO NOT GO HERE! Google lists that they are open until 2am. My girlfriend and I showed up to an obviously closed bar at 10pm but I decided to stick my head and ask if they were closed just to make sure. They guy responded with "oh yeah.." like it was some sort of joke. I said okay and walked out to which he responded, "does it even look like were open?", trying to crack another joke. Im assuming he was drunk because he wasn't funny. This set my girlfriend off who responded with, "well google says your open until 2am.." As we we walked out and headed down the street, the guy came outside and started screaming at us. He was strangely irritated, once again assuming he was drunk, and called my girlfriend a bitch, screaming "well you don't have to be such a bitch about it!" The screaming continued until we walked out of ear shot. It ruined our night.. there was absolutely no reason to respond like that. The guy needs to be fired ASAP and the owner need to change they're hours online. Monteray is a tourist town and people traveling rely on that information to plan their experiences here. DO NOT GO HERE!

Five stars cuz we were a wedding party looking for a place to hang out after the venue kicked us out. This place was open and close by and totally rad! Good drinks and a patio.

This is the perfect dive bar. Darts, jukebox and great bartending. Wife and I had a blast!

Bartender didn't want to make us drinks because it "takes 7 minutes to make" & was racist to us. Never coming back here again!

This place is closed and has been for some time. Update your stuff! This may be a great place but it shows open and we went out of out way to be there Don't waste your time

My friend orders one drink, I order a drink, and my 3rd friend orders something, but the bartender refused to serve since we weren't tipping? Barely there for 15 minutes, trash place.

My friend got drugged here this past weekend. Neither she nor her drink was left alone for even a second all evening so who does that leave.. the bartenders? Really scary and can't believe this would happen

My fiancé and I were in Monterey for the day waiting for my brother to finish skydiving nearby. After visiting the Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary and walking around Lovers Point Beach and later down Cannery Row, we found this gem on Yelp. It was walking distance from Cannery Row and we really only wanted to walk by as it is my fiancé's last name and the hours listed here say they didn't open until 2pm anyway. However, we were thrilled to see the door open and a few customers inside upon our arrival around 1230pm. After snapping some photos of my girl in front of "her" bar, we stepped inside and had a beer to take a load off from being tourists in our own state. Cheap, but very clean, cash-only (they have an ATM) dive bar. Cool fireplace and comfy seating if you prefer not to sit at the bar. Wide selection of liquor and bottled/canned beer. I had the Blood Orange Brew Free! or Die IPA from local 21st Amendment Brewery in San Leandro. Easy to drink IPA and only $5. The older gentleman tending to the bar was very cordial, and helpful in suggesting a non-touristy place to have lunch. We would stop by again just for its namesake!

Went here last night waited 10 minutes for a drink, bartender kept ignoring me, finally when he had a free moment I politely asked for a beer In which he responded by yelling at me and making me want to cry. I apologized still because im a nice person but he was just over all very rude and unkind for no reason.

Funny how the out of town hipsters are the ones leaving low ratings. That should tell you all you need to know! Cool place, great vibe, don't be an ass & people are awesome. Cans/bottles & liquor only - no draft and no food, but for those interested in drinking, it's a very welcome 'traditional' bar. And yes, great barstools - pull one up.

Found my home bar here... After frequenting another nearby spot the first few outings since moving to town - no need to name names - and feeling colder inside than out, I decided I was going to check out Segovia's, as I'd been curious... Went in one afternoon to find my, and many others', 'best friend' in town, John, - the daytime bartender. I never looked back! Nicest bar stools of any bar you'll find - "dive" or no dive! Friendly, fun regulars who now and then join me in sing-a-longs...oh, and for the 'plastic' crowd, they now take cards.

Great fun bar. Friendly bartender. Darts and full bar. Highly recommend. Great backstory on the bar too if you ask

I was definitely drugged at this bar on Saturday 8/27. I am extremely careful to watch my drinks and was there when the bar was very dead. There were two creepy older men who later came in and tried to talk with me and my friends but they made us uncomfortable so we watched our drinks even more closely around them which makes me very fearful that it was the bartender who drugged my drink. I only had two drinks at this establishment, the same two drinks my friends were having. They were fine but I soon completely blacked out and spent the next 18+ hours vomiting to the point of nearly needing to go to the hospital due to the dehydration risk. Luckily the affects of the drug hit worst when I was already home and I'm so thankful that I was safe with friends the entire time. I am terrified to think what might have happened to me if I did not have friends with me to keep me safe. I know my alcohol limits and have never blacked out when drinking, never been unable to hold myself up and have never thrown up so much in my entire life. It's especially clear that I was drugged based on how little I had to drink overall and my friends who drank the same amount were totally fine. I feel so unsafe because of this experience and I honestly urge people to avoid this bar, especially if there are male bartenders working, always stay with your friends to keep each other safe and continue to watch your drinks as closely as you can. Unfortunately sometimes the people making your drinks are the ones lacing them. Be safe everyone!

Tennis Balls for days. I could drink these all night! The bar tenders are fantastic! They know how to make a good cocktail for sure. And when I drank too many sweet drinks, they landed me a big glass of water. Thanks for lookin out! No hangover. Mission accomplished.

my friend literally got drugged here, and with how careful we were with our drinks, we're led to believe it must have been by a bartender. please be careful if you go here!!! and keep eyes on your drinks even while they're being made!! it's been three days and she's just now starting to feel normal again. thankfully she had friends to keep her safe but please be careful!!

I was charged $10 for a ginger beer and whisky. I pay less at a craft cocktail bar in San Francisco for the same drink. This place is super divey but doesn't charge dive bar prices. I won't be returning.

Dive bars. They need to be dark, have character(s), be reasonably priced, and scratch that itch I have only a dive bar can reach. I've never had bad service, the drinks are less costly than anywhere else nearby, and I can stagger home from the entrance in what could be a straight line, but rarely is.

Very hole in the wall kind of place. Drinks are cheap if that's what you're looking for... but if you are not in their hipster/ nerdy kind of group and you're more of a fashionable kind of individual... you won't find too much kindness from the bartenders and regulars here

The bartender with the big beard and small arms... came to my table where my gf and I were sitting literally YELLING AT US AT THE TOP OF HIS VOICE. ( causing a scene ) for not tipping enough, BEFORE we were even done drinking.!!! Holy shit batman. By FAR worst business in Monterey. I suggest going elsewhere where maybe the bartenders dont attack patreons? It's a shame b/c my gf is a waitress and we always tip generously as we go. But DEFINITELY NOT AFTER BEING HARASSED BY STAFF.

Dive bar? No mot really! More like nonsmoking local! I like that! Great bartenders. Excellent music. Darts. Fire pot and the best service ever! You never know what's on the other side of the brown door. Stop in. Have a drink. You'll be glad you did.

Cool spot, cheap drinks, friendly regulars and it's open late. Liked it better than the pub across the street. And it has a covered patio for smokers.

We were in the area for a weekend getaway and wanted to find a neighborhood bar. Segovia's is welcoming and you feel like one of the regulars right away. Friendly staff, good drinks, sports on the TV if you're a fan. Be sure to ask about the bar's history and you'll learn that it's been family-owned for the last 80 years. Doesn't get any better than that.

Frickin awesome. Great prices, awesome pours, friendly folks in a place with real history. I'm sold.

Nice little hidden bar in Monterey. Away from the tourist scene. Great small dive bar feel with a dart board, small fire pit and the Jukebox has some good music. There is even a small outdoor patio to get some fresh air.

An empty bar on Memorial Day weekend. Escaped the crowd of tiny children at the Aquarian and needed a drink bad. Didn't get a bad drink.best bar ever, hipsters haven't infiltrated & the bartender is awesome. Not the kind of place you'd usually find a review for, but those who do leave a review are really enjoying

Get some drinks, watch some sports, play some darts and if you're lucky, maybe hear some cool history stories about the town.

Yes , definitely a cheap drinks ,. Good drinks??? NO !!!! If you are cheap , and planning to get drunk ,. Yes! This is for you ... , cheap beer over priced,. Premixed drink , ,. I definitely not recommend to a person under 30's

Hadn't been there in years. It's not as divey or claustrophobia-inducing as it used to be. But it's louder than hell when it's crowded and the jukebox is playing, and they hand out plastic straws and stir stix like there's no tomorrow.

A dive bar at it's finest. No windows, no credit cards, and no doors (just kidding). It has a jukebox, cheap drinks, a fireplace, and an indoor/outdoor smoking area. It's basically perfect to get away from the tourists and the hoity-toit of the town! Nice bartenders and strong drinks.

Out of towners, rejoice! Another great Monterey bar that isn't a tourist trap, isn't overcrowded and doesn't kill your wallet. After our first week of visiting, the man and I needed to do some laundry to prevent our lovely hotel room from smelling like an old gym bag. Following a quick stop to load the machine at the laundromat across the street, we swept into Segovia's ready to get our weekend drink on. The bar was not crowded but the bar seats were all full and it appeared to me that everyone was a local. Despite being "outsiders", everyone was super friendly. Before we knew it, we had drinks in hand from the friendly bartender and conversation was flowing about everything from the history of the bar to the upcoming AT&T Pebble Beach tournament. The hour flew by and we would have loved to stay for more but, alas, laundry beckoned. Until next time, Segovia's!

Dirteh. Diveh. skidrovia. the darkside. thees is why we love eet. it can be packed. it can be empteh. The music can be from the electronified juke or from the bartenders' ipod. The whatever game or wrestling or a crappy ass "best of" from the USA channel might be playing on the tube. There is a waxing 70's nostalgic fire pit, for those cold nights when you left home without your fur..... in the center of the room. A hallway with bathrooms leads to an outdoor area for playing pool and a smoking area. You don't come here because you have any expectations. REALLY. Sit down. Order your beverage. Shut up. If you must, chatty-talk/harass your neighbor. But if you harass the bartenders expect to be kicked the F out. Chat with your friends. or Make new friends in your drunken stupor that you will not remember ( for good or bad) in the morning. Mmmm,time for a Bloody Mary.

I really enjoy coming to Segovia's because it's a nice change of pace from the typical bar scene in and around Monterey. The bartenders are awesome, especially Sharon. It's definitely more a dive bar than anything else, but I like that scene, and if you do too, this is the place to go. Just don't come here expecting to order some fancy shmancy cocktail; the drinks are very standard, but I don't mind that at all. Also, a big note here: CASH ONLY. Be prepared for that.

As out-of-towners, a few buddies and I wanted to get some drinks but not at one of the many tourist trap options closer to the water. Segovia came through big-time. The Bloody Mary was delicious, the bartender friendly if a little frazzled, and the locals incredibly welcoming and friendly. We had about twice as many drinks as we planned because we were so enjoying the conversation. Just the kind of bar you want to visit when traveling.

Warm and inviting hazel-brown eyes reflected the light from the fire as he looked at me. I gushed as he smiled at me, adoring the fine lines around his eyes and on the corners of his mouth. His left knee met my right knee as he moved closer to tell me something. The music wasn't loud, but I still wasn't able to hear him. He leaned even closer so his lips were nearly touching my ear. His warm breath tickled my earlobe and slightly made me quiver as it traveled down my neck. "Do you want another beer?" I grimaced at the poor selection of beer, and after two pints from another bar, I hesitated to answer. The bartender had a vicious look. Maybe the leggy blonde in front of him was his former girlfriend, who seemed to enjoy herself with the company of a bearded man. No, I didn't want to bother the bartender for seltzer water. "How about going back to my place?" I proposed instead. We both stood up, gathered our belongings, walked past the few older patrons sitting on the barstools and the cigarrette vending machine. We made our exit and entered into another story...

I love this place. It may be because the bartenders are fantastic but probably because they have the cheapest drinks in town and its never rowdy. They have a good amount of history to the place, which I love. Yes the place is cash only, but I consider that a service. I cant spend more then I bring. There is an ATM, but paying a total of $5 for it is not worth another drink or two. Last time I was here a beautiful girl by the name CASSON was tending the bar. She is great! Every bartender there has a great personality, but I just have a love for her laugh....LOL!!! I'll be back soon.

I really look forward to leaving Pacific Grove just to stop in to Segovia's. Larry is usually in when we come in during the day. The bartenders are all nice and pour a good drink at a very reasonable price. They usually have some sort of munchie to snack on. The vibe is mellow, so are the daytime regulars. Great place for a few no nonsense drinks, or several shots of Jack and Makers! CASH ONLY! But they do have an ATM

Great low key place to go to for a drink. Bartender, Chester was amazing. Great customer service. Great local bar!

A cheap dive bar. good pours for a fair price and the crowd that goes with it. Went on a Sunday night on the early side, some fools were already past their prime. Saw lots of single ladies there... They were playing a bunch of funk classics I enjoyed it

Cash only dive bar. They have an ATM if you don't have cash on you. Bartender was super cool and there were good tunes on the jukebox. Darts on the back porch. Gets busy after 10 and is one of the only bars open late in New Monterey.