The Harp Inn

If Ocean Beach had a living room, this would be it. Right in the heart of the reggae capital of San Diego, this place delivers everything you want from a true beachside bar: amazing live music, a laid-back crowd, and an atmosphere that feels more like home than a venue. The energy is always right—never forced, never pretentious. The live bands absolutely crush it, especially if you’re into reggae and soulful, feel-good music. You can come solo, with friends, or end up talking story with people you just met—it all feels natural here. Cold drinks, great sound, ocean air nearby, and a crowd that’s actually there for the music. This spot is pure Ocean Beach, and that’s exactly why it works.

food was amazing - i got the fish and chips and tastes just like it would in the UK. guinness are poured beautiful and atmosphere is very pleasant. staff are also extremely friendly and ensure that you’re taken care of!

A friend recommended going here, he reserved a table which worked out really good. We were celebrating a birthday and didn’t know what to expect. We were probably a little overdressed, but we still made it all work. The music was awesome. Our era 70s 80s we found parking immediately got there around 8:15 then the crowd started to come there was adequate room to dance. The drinks were good. My partner said it was too loud for him but that’s one out of 10. You want loud for a live band, right! I would go again and again the music is the draw!

The Harp Inn is a gem. Great live music, super friendly staff (including the owner), and an all-around welcoming vibe. I’ve been going here for over 10 years and it never disappoints. The Irish food is excellent — highly recommend the Irish breakfast. They also have a great outdoor patio.

I used to go here years ago with family and friends, usually on a Friday or Saturday night for some pints. A friend recently wanted to try an Irish breakfast, so I suggested we go to The Harp Inn. The food and service were good, a bit noisy with a game on, but still fun as I remembered it to be. The sausages, pudding and rashers reminded me of the breakfast I would have when I visit the in-laws in Ireland. Amazing flavor!! If you're looking for a good ole Irish Fry, I would definitely go to The Harp Inn.

A wonderful little bar, with some great owners and bartenders. Came in here for a meetup event, and ended up having a great time thanks to the staff. They have an outdoor seating area as well as the inside with tables and booths. The bartenders were very fun and took care of me towards the end when I needed to get some sobering up, so I can easily say I'll be coming back here to support these guys. There was some love music when I arrived too, so that's also a plus if you want some entertainment with your drinking. I didn't have any food while I was here, but I'll be sure to grab some next time I'm here and update my review. Definitely check this spot out if you haven't. Cheers!

Super great place to go if you are looking for an authentic Irish pub. Black and tans are perfect, the atmosphere is great, and they have some really great music options on the weekend. Bottom line? Run, don't walk to this place and enjoy!

We had so much fun on Sunday morning for the Eagles game. Show up early as the place is packed. I'd definitionally go back.

1 of the first local Irish bars we tried. Love their little menu and weekday specials like Burger Monday, Taco Tuesday, Beefeater Wed., Fish and chips Thursday. Great place to watch soccer and sports. Bands play on the weekends too! Great little place with an outdoor patio. Service is good.

First time visitor Parking available in back and or street? Indoor sitting at bar tables booth and outdoor patio area Divey / local spot / good vibes Flat screens yes Definitely reasonable cost on drinks Appears they do trivia comedy music nights Bartenders were nice and efficient - there were 2 assisting everyone Space was clean Did not try the food but appear to have a good amount of options from finger food to pub style and sandwiches and nightly specials including a cornbeef taco Would venture back

Parking is a little tight! And the bar gets so full ! Come early ! The fans here are amazing, the energy the bar brings out is so fun! Waitresses are on top of checking in and bringing out drinks and food quickly. I don't care to much for the food but it's like typical bar food vibes not the best but not the worst. If you're an Eagles fan I'd highly recommend coming here ! But they had other games on while we were there !

Delicious food!! And they had amazing live music the night we went performed by singer songwriter Michael Cooper Lee.

Great Irish bar! They have Live bands frequently. A comedy night. Decent sized dance floor in front of the stage. Seems like there's always something going on at this place. Food is good. Has an outside patio.

Was a cool place for St.Patricks day! They had a live band and their music was good. Definitely an older age group compared to many bars on the same street. The drink were pretty cheap and tasted good!

STEPH JUDGEMENT: Great place to whoop it up on St Paddy's Day. I've only ever been here on St. Paddy's day to meet up with some OC friends, and it's becoming a tradition. As such, it's a great place to hang on that holiday--they really do it up right: friendly servers, music, special food, and merriment all around. We get there early and leave early, but even so it gets very crowded, so I'm not sure how sloppy/ugly it gets later--your mileage may vary. Sláinte!

Good place to watch my favourite rugby teams play , and Great food , matter the time of day !

My review is a bit late in posting but I did want to share what a fun place this is. Service was great. Our waitress was very friendly & fast. Our food delicious. I had the Patty Melt & fries which were perfectly grilled. We met Marcus, who's a regular. He explained the game of Rugby which is a fierce & fun sport. The Harp Inn was very enjoyable. Looking forward to returning.

Came for live band night - was oasis. Amazing. Bartenders were quick and Guinness is fresh.

I love the Monday comedy night, Evan Cassidy runs a fantastic show and books great local talent/popular touring comedians from LA. It's truly a wonderful showcase that's been around for almost a decade, I've been a regular attendant at this show for almost 6 years. Highly recommend to people visiting from out of town and especially the locals. Maddie is a fantastic bartender and the food is pretty good. Went tonight, fantastic show.

The food was good, not a huge selection but they do some staple items really well. Nice side salad instead of fries. Early dinner/late lunch nearly empty so easy for seating. Have out door seating so May be dog friendly on the outside patio area. Every bit of an Irish pub and they have bands on the weekends. Comfy booths and round top tables. Average table is a 4 top or 6 top. Staff was very nice, she was friendly and her service was great. She checked in on us a few times. I would recommend if you want some traditional Irish Pub dishes.

Everyone there is always in a good mood. Food is fresh and so is the beer. Multiple TV's with many different sports on. Great place to watch football (soccer)! Can wait to go back. ps. try the beet salad. You'll be surprised!

Been coming here a long time. I dont mind paying a cover for the best bands. However. When. I show up at 8:25. There should not be a cover for a band that starts at 9 pm. To further my point. The two people before me paid no cover. Can someone at harp clarify when you start a cover ?

Great Costa Mesa Tavern providing live music and tasty Pub fair. Our bartender was fun and gave great service. The pub was very busy this Sunday evening with very good live music and a fun friendly crowd. Plenty of outdoor seating as well. Our fish & chips was light & crunchy English pub style.

This was my first time here, and I have to say it was amazing! I ordered the BBQ burger, and it was absolutely delicious. The live band added an incredible energy to the atmosphere, making it such a fun and memorable experience. I'll definitely be back!

GO BIRDS GREAT FOOD BEER AND FOOTBALL Try their Sandwiches all are fantastic. And always have amazing service.

We were here recently to hear the SlimTones Band play Blues and Rock'n'roll tunes and were not disappointed. This restaurant/bar is a fun lively place to listen to good music and eat good food. The staff is friendly, and service is fairly quick even in a large crowd. As far as the fish n chips go, the chef needs to add a bit more seasoning to the fish. I found it too bland and very little seasoning especially salt. Next time I will try the burger plate.

I've been coming here for years, mostly to hear live music. It's a Irish bar with a decent sized dance floor. They have a large array of live music, Friday and Saturday nights. Depending on the band, it can get packed. They do charge cover for certain bands. It's a great place to hear budding bands- ( Tijuana Dogs used to play here many years ago before they became super popular.) Their food is bar food. Most of the food is 3 stars, it's served hot and with decent portions. I come here to listen to live music. I know they have a large turn out for soccer and football games. It's a local place, like Cheers, everyone knows your name.

I went in with my son tonight to watch the UCI NIT championship game and the Laker game. We had the wings, they're consistently the best wings in Costa Mesa! Paul and John Jo took care of us and we got to see an incredible band. The Byrdes !! Wow, I haven't heard that good Southern Rock, Blues, Slide Guitar, Jam Band outside of a big venue in a long time. They had great sound quality through the room, what a great night, family friendly

The Harp Inn is seriously the BEST Irish Pub in Southern California... The pint of Guinness here, is consistently as good as the fresh Guinness I've had at the Guinness Brewery in Dublin, Ireland... While traveling in Ireland, in a conversation with a local, I asked if he'd ever been to the States..He told me he'd been to the Southern California area on business...that lead to me asking what he considered to be the most authentic Irish pub in SoCal....He thought for a bit, then said a pub called The Harp in Orange County... Besides the Guinness being tops, the food is excellent! Unique dishes, such as the corned beef tacos, or Irish potato nachos are most tasty, especially with a pint or three... ;) I think a big part of the Harp's success is the owner, John Joe. An Irishman hailing from County Mayo, Ireland, he's turned The Harp into one of the premier pubs in the Costa Mesa/Newport Beach area, even with nightly entertainment/local bands....We drive from the San Diego area, and are always greeted with the best Irish hospitality by John Joe, as he opens the pub daily... Highly, Highly Recommend! Slan....

I love seeing bands here - I love the indoor/outdoor space and especially seeing Flashback Heart Attack here!

Fries barely warm and corned beef sandwich had no corned beef taste and was burned. For $17

Good service. Friendly staff. Good bands. Classic place for years and this is why...

I really hope what happened tonight is NOT something new... Been coming here off and on for 20+ years. Has always been a cool spot with some decent entertainment. Service has always been great. And tonight the service of my server was great, especially given the fact that she was put in a very tough situation. But to my greater point... my corned beef sandwich was nothing more than a wad of rubber bands between two slices of rye bread. This thing was close to inedible and was absolutely un-chewable. Please change your menu to read "Tendons and Sinew Sandwich." It would really alleviate a lot of confusion and disappointment. Along these same lines, please reduce the price from $17 to something around $1.25 as you are serving parts of the cow that usually end up ground up by heavy machinery to be put into off-brand hotdogs and tire tread. At least hotdogs can be chewed.

Stopped by for their Thursday Fish & Chips special.... absolutely delicious! Sat on the patio.

If you're a fan of the Philadelphia Eagles, this is the only place you should go on game days. The staff is AMAZING and the atmosphere is fun! They've also got Surf Sides (iced tea+vodka drinks), which I've only ever been able to find in Philly/south jersey!!! Not to mention they've got some good food! 5/5 would absolutely recommend! Swing by and see for yourself!

Great place to watch sporting events. Get the wings! They have a great selection of drafts too.

Wanted to go here for Sunday breakfast at 11am this morning. Restaurant was fine with a guy smoking a morning cigar on the patio. That's a no for me.

One of my favorite spots because I love Danny and Paul! I come here almost every week and bring people with me to enjoy the live music on the weekends with amazing staff! Would give this more stars if possible.

Discovered this gem under a ton of rocks and carbon build up. Literally had to excavate to find it. My buddy does stand up and went to catch him perform. If you haven't caught his comedy please follow him at luksta15 on ig. Anyway, it felt like a trendy bar but it was still a dive bar. It had a nice outdoor front patio. There were heaters for the cold weather. Plenty of parking! There is a nice stage for karaoke and maybe a live band. Plenty of seats and booths. The bar is u shaped so u can sit around it. The drinks are plenty and reasonable. The best part of this bar is open Mic on Tuesdays. Such great comedy goes all night from 7 to closing. Lots of great acts and I was told it's the only open mic bar in OC!

I've been going there for 25 years, that's says it all. The food is great, the service is great and your always assured a generous pour. My wife and I had out wedding reception there 13 years ago. They did a outstanding job.

Awesome bar ! And don't even get me started on it being THE BEST EAGLES BAR IN THE OC! The vibe is incredible and makes me feel at home with all my PHAMILY GO BIRDS!

Service - The men (owners,partners) serving my white friends were noticeably attentive and then there was me, born in the US Asian, not attentive. I gave this place numerous chances, but my friends and I are done supporting this joint.

Great Band but .... Service was HORRIBLE!!!! Got there early and tried to order. Had to wait 30 minutes to order. Then waited over an hour MORE for food. when we asked the manager why it was so slow he simply cancelled our order. We got yummy tacos across the street. Never going back--even for that band.

This place is amazing! The ONLY place to catch every single Philadelphia Eagles game in Orange County. The establishment is clean the beer is cold and food is delicious! If you love the Eagles this is definitely a place for you! The staff works hard and ensures everyone is taken care of. Any seat in this bar is a great seat to watch football! Philly Phans OC and Westcoast Swoopnation do raffles every week and give back as much as possible to the fans and patrons of this bar! I LOVE THE HARP!!! FLY EAGLES FLY!!

Fun local hangout offers good food and great entertainment the service is friendly and nice night out

Love this place for all my Eagles games! It's usually packed but I don't mind the wait, the atmosphere is worth it!

Great food and drinks! Fantastic customer service, especially during Eagles football games!

We went during the eagles play off game and had a blast. It was packed, standing room only and we got there an hr early. Parking lot is small but you can find street parking but yiu may have to walk a bit.

Amazing place with great music!!! I just hosted a get together for my wife's birthday and The Harp Inn went above and beyond to make sure we were taken care of and had a great time. There were so many different dishes being ordered from wings to fish and chips, but everyone was very happy with the food. We will definitely be back again for drinks and maybe even to watch some English Premier league games.

Fly eagles fly best sports bar in Orange County hands down Chicken wings and cheesesteak are amazing

Great cozy warm Irish pub with plenty of seating and a pub feel bar area with big drinks and variety of beers in tap Food was very good for rich comfort food and decent portions at an avg price. It's an older crowd and a Philadelphia Eagles bar. Good times will visit again. The fish and chips was a large portion and very tasty! Patty melt was good size and typical just a little salty

First time here, food was very good...but please clean the bathrooms, the women's bathroom was disgusting. You could tell they haven't been cleaned in a while. That turned me off, won't coming back

Nice Irish Pub, been driving past this place for years and finally went in to have a few cold beers and watch the game. Very first time having Irish Tacos made with corned beef, I was pleasantly surprised at how good they were, I can't believe I have been missing out on these for years. I'll be back for sure

Best place to watch soccer in Costa Mesa. If you're looking to watch premier league or champions league matches there's pretty much no better place. The staff are awesome and super accommodating when it comes to changing your preferred tv to your preferred game.

The Harp Inn is a great Irish bar located centrally to the main intersection in Costa Mesa, Newport & 17th. The Harp is a "regulars" bar, where the atmosphere and noise level can change with the day of the week and time of day. What doesn't change is the above-average bar food for your typical bar fare and the fast-friendly service. That may not sound like a compliment, but it is. So many bars mess up a simple fish & chips platter. There is a decent beer menu, and their drinks are poured fair, with a heavy pour if that is your preference. You can enter from the front or side parking lot. If you enter from the front, you pass a large outdoor patio with 8-10 lower dining tables and four HDTVs. After entering the bar, the actual bar is on the right with several lower and high top tables to the left. Along the wall closet to the parking lot are three large booths and a small stage. There is a lot of wood decor, the bar, barstools, bar overhang, etc. Not a lot of TVs inside, but there are a few. The U-shaped bar has a laminate top with a large wood rail to rest your forearms. Not much of a back bar due to the bar's shape. My preference is the easygoing vibe during the afternoon and early evening. Still, the Harp Inn is a great place to stop during the day or at night.

I really like this place. Actually stopped in for food the first time and it has great pub food and it was nice and fresh. Good music, sports on all the time. Came back a second time and it was just as good. Got the veggie plate to snack on thinking it would be a few carrot sticks and celery but it was a HUGE plate of fresh veg. Only had beer to drink but no problems there. I have been fairly early so it hasn't been crowded. A good laid back atmosphere.

Live bands, dance floor, great bar. Indoor and outdoor seating. Parking in back or on street. Good food and plenty of TVs.