Over The Hill Gang Saloon - Santa Cruz

Fun night at the bar and friendly bartender/patrons. Great place for drinks and jukebox dance.

We wouldn't have asked for a better night on our girl trip to Santa Cruz. We went a few blocks from our place into this portal of fun with a live local band playing Reggae and Dead Covers. The bartender, Anthony, took care of us and we danced and laughed all night. Drinks were delicious and the decor is campy Old West Saloon style mixed with some history lessons. Thank you. Anthony!

Let me prevent this by saying that I come from a place where I can go to another bar every night, and every night I will fall in love with a new bar. It is fair to say that I am particularly concerned about my drinking water facilities. When you read this, you know, of course, that SC is a small town with a small number of bars and this is by far MY FAVORITE. It is small, welcoming, loving, somewhat dark, a little loud, and much lazy! I like going to a time machine. I feel like I'm on horses. The drinks are stiff and well made. Music and culture are even better. Pete is friendly, knowledgeable, well spoken, a great listener and a fabulous host...all a good bartender should be an underpaid therapist! The bathroom is by far the cleanest and BEST SMELLING I've ever seen. 10/10 recommend. Bring cash, drink lots, tip well and I promise you that you will be treated like family and never want to go!

I was out on Sunday night and tried two other bars in the area before I settled on this one. Of the three, this one had the most character. By far! It's filled with old western memorabilia like Buffalo heads and replicas of cowboy pistols. It's a little like a mini museum and makes for great conversation starters. There's a small stage near the door, where they have live music on certain nights. There's a sizable patios out front that's decorated with wine barrels. As if that's not enough, the bartender is super friendly. Granted it was a slow night, but she talked for a while about the bar's history, the owners, and some upcoming shows. It was a treat! A little like diving into some local history with a female version of Huell Howser. It's too bad he never made it here... This bar is a little nugget of California's gold. Where the staff is friendly and the beer is cold!

It's a cool local neighborhood bar. It's within walking distance, the prices are good, and the staff is awesome.