Came for the local wildlife/hiking and stopped here due to my groups insistance they saw it on Tik-Tok. Bright and early in the morning. First group to walk through the doors at 11 am on a Saturday. Tired and happy from the beautiful hike we had planned to spend the entire day here. Greeted by a friendly blonde female bartender who had no problem trying my crazy ideas.... I guess 2 parts fireball whiskey and 1 part pineapple juice isn't common? Unfortunately, for me since I was entirely interested in the food option, the cook does a lot of local community work and wasn't going to be in until Monday. Anyways, place has a bunch of games from casual board games to dominos even all the way to the game I could not convince my group to play. TWISTER! Continuing to asks the lady questions I learned they do karoake nights frequently, have live music and dance nights occasionally and those dance nights are sometimes themed. The place has an amazing outside patio that transcends into a small concert area with a stage and lights. Overall it is a cool lil spot. I can't give a fully thought out score because too much was missing from what I think I can experience. I want to go back but distance will make it difficult. read more

Apple Jack's - Bar - Dive Bars Near Me - La Honda, California

Food, Service, Adult Beverages = 5 Ambience = 5 if love local watering hole/dive feel; 3 if not your scene While Alice's Station on Skyline is the perfect spot, whether cruising in a car or motorcycle, for us to eat/drink on any diet, stretch our legs and people watch with the diversity of patrons, it can get super crowded. A 12 min drive towards La Honda from Alice is Apple Jack's where its manager, Ruger, enlisted his Chef friend, Charlie, to offer a small, but yummy menu for primarily meat lovers. He cooks on the back grill and rest prepped in cozy kitchen. You pay either cash or Venmo directly to Chef. I ordered the hamburger with cheese, blue cheese salad, and "adult" mac & cheese cause it's spicy not spiked with alcohol as I thought. $30 for everything. The portions are ample to split between hubby and me then wash down with a cold cider from the tap. I ate with my eyes. The salad ingredients were fresh and generous with the dressing heavy handed. The chef prepared burger the perfect med-rare so not bloody. The burger and mac& cheese were not greasy. So my aging stomach gratefully didn't require anti-acid remedy. There is local homemade turkey stew for non beef eaters, which I would like to try when weather is colder. I'm also intrigued by the steak bits over mash. There is outdoor seating. It's good for a large group or want to listen to tranquility of forest & creek (with the occasional zoom of a car driving by) instead of chatter of locals catching up on the day, cracking of pool balls, or inquisitive visitors want to learn more about life in La Honda. One of the two dog ambassadors, Lucy (I think), will come by to let you pet her or feed her a treat from the jar on the counter while she sniffs around for food that "accidentally" fall from your plate to eat. The women's restroom was clean and bright better than most dive bars. Apple Jack's watering hole ambience is not for everyone. read more

See all

This place rocks!!! Welcoming to everyone! Super big and awesome outside area with tons of seating! Inside is a great one of a kind dive bar! The steaks on the weekend from the pop up bbq are melt in your mouth!! Most bang for your buck food in California! read more

See all

love love this place, but,, why not let us know that the road was closed coming from san jose area i was with four girlfriends and we had to turn back thanks for that read more

It's awesome, just go. Keep an eye on their Instagram for food offerings - you won't be disappointed, steak is the best you'll have. read more

Apple Jack's - Dive Bars Near Me - La Honda, California

Great food, friendly staff and cool vibe here. Lots of history, best dive bar in the woods! read more

Apple Jack's - Dive Bars Near Me - La Honda, California

Visited La Honda and was joined by residents Duv (@plugh) and sean for a little soirée at their fav, low-light, #San Mateo, chill-space. I can't think of a better way to spend my evening than w/friends in this dark, hideaway in the mountains. SO first off: I did encounter in my one visit the racist dialogue that people had written of in reviews on Yelp. There's one regular guest of theirs, who has some really choice epithets that he uses to speak of other races. the women who run the bar, urged him to be polite or to shut his frickn word hole (he did not). So yeah, there are some bad apples that go to apple jacks. On the upside: they have a nice pool table and the ambience is fantastic both indoors and out. There's a huge area with a stage that can be rented out perhaps? The rear deck is wonderful and surrounded by redwoods. The bathrooms are super clean and spacious. Unique! I experienced a charming moment with the bartender, who was young and she didn't know for sure what a martini was. The typical martini is usually gin, and just a hint of vermouth. a bastardized version can be vodka also with just the tiniest amount of white vermouth and some olives on a toothpick. they did not have vermouth So ultimately, I was unable to get a martini, which probably would've been annoying anywhere else. I think I settled on a whiskey with Diet Coke, which was quite strong thankfully. The place is never that busy so the service is pretty rapid. I would go back, although I would hope to avoid any adjacency to the the racist chat. read more

Apple Jack's - happy birthday, David McIntyre! It's your first time at Apple Jack's. Hope you liked it. I sure did and enjoy the week beyond compare - Dive Bars Near Me - La Honda, California

I played football at Montana State and I called a few weekends ago when they were playing Montana . I specifically called to ask if I could watch the game there cuz the previous time I went to this bar I had a great time. The man on the known was an absolute dick head. And told me "if someone else wants to watch another game that's what we're gonna watch" basically he told me fuck off. So I hope I don't run into that guy next time o go back to this bar.. cuz I'm gonna take him outside and tune him up. read more

This review is based on the weekend BBQ take-out only. Stopped in for lunch on our way back to Sunnyvale from Monterey. Drove by the day before and was enticed by the smell of the smoker, but they were just starting to smoke the meat and we didn't have time to wait around, so we stopped on the way back. You order through a QR code and pay, then pick up your BBQ plate at the smoker. They have a nice picnic table area to eat outside. We ordered the 3 meat plate for $30. Plenty for two to share. Came with 2 ribs, 4 pieces of ball tip (similar to tri-tip), quarter chicken (leg and thigh), coleslaw, potato salad, pickles and a Hawaiian sweet roll. Tons of food and all really good. The ball-tip was very tender. The ribs were super meaty and flavorful. Their BBQ sauce was yummy too! Loved the coleslaw...with poppy and sunflower seeds. The potato salad was a bit too vinegary for me, but my husband liked it. Overall a great experience. We left full and happy. Would definitely recommend. read more

See all

It's a good vibe. Good people. Veteran friendly. Love the dogs and the owner is pretty cool.

Went here for drinks and despite a disappointing inexperienced but earnest bartender who didn't know any cocktails, and music that was too loud for conversation and too annoying to tolerate, the bar is nice and the outside area is vast. 3 stars for effort, but difficult to hang out. read more

Apple Jack's - Groupie at Apple Jack's - Dive Bars Near Me - La Honda, California

Beautiful peaceful bar in the wood. Great BBQ on Saturday and Sundays 11am-6pm. Went here after a long hike nearby. read more

Apple Jack's - Menu - Dive Bars Near Me - La Honda, California

See all

Love Apple Jacks!! Great music on weekends! You can get the drink you want! Great people!! Fun place.

This is a very cool, laid back place to grab a beer! It clearly has a regular, local clientele and the bar dog, who is very sweet, knew all of them! read more

Cute location along a windy road. It's hard to remember sometimes that such remote places and towns can exist when you get stuck in the bustle of Silicon Valley. It's also hard to remember that such back country racists ideals continue to thrive in the shadows of the multicultural and diverse Bay. The comfort of a back road bar quickly turned into a suffocating and terrifying remote location as soon as a person of colors presence made the white male patrons feel threatened in their own lack luster swagger. Really really disappointed. At first the vibe really brought me back to bars I frequented in my hometown in the Midwest but the night ended so disturbingly I would give it 0 stars if I could. Bring your business elsewhere. read more

November 1, 2020 and out for a ride... We have occasionally dropped in for years. It is like a step back in time with the old and uneven floor. There is plenty of outdoor seating (age of Covid) and the view off of the back deck is relaxing too. The drinks are good, the bartender friendly, and the others there are interesting. We did not eat this time, but there was plenty on the large outdoor grill. Parking can be tough, but there is plenty of room in the immediate area. read more

So our "usual" is to take Highway 84 all the way from Pleasanton, through Niles Canyon, over the Dumbarton, up through Portola & La Honda then cut over to Pescadero Creek so we can hit up Duarts for some Olallieberry pie & Artichoke soup. Head down to our favorite coastal spot (not telling ) then head back & hit up Apple Jacks for a quick de-brief & road soda. Our last weeks trip swapped our usual & good call! The traffic on 84 over the Dumbarton & through Redwood City was kinda crazy so by the time we hit La Honda the Dogs needed a big time pee break, so Apple Jacks was the first stop! Total difference from late in the day to noon. Mix of bikers, hikers, bicyclists, hipsters, oldsters, hippies, yuppies &...a few "woke" youngsters.... All we really needed to do was grab some quick cold ones, let the Dogs water the plants & get back on the road but ended up talking to at least three different groups of folks & just lost track of time hanging with real cool, genuine nice folks for over an hour! So by the time we got to _________ Beach we had about 45 minutes of sun before "Karl" rolled in, no worries. Got our pie & soup from Duarts to-go, headed back up the hill & made a repeat visit to AJ's! Unfortunately there were still a few "woke" youngsters in the mix & judging from their snarky, flippant comments regarding the home crowd, the bikers & locals we could see this was definitely not their scene! Oh well, their loss & our gain! If you can't handle dive bars, unique individuals, speaking your mind, a gorgeous setting, cool people, ice cold beer & great staff then you should stay at Santana Row. Otherwise we'll see you out @ Apple Jacks! read more

A true old roadhouse. The best creaky wooden floor of any bar in the Bay Area. Pool table, foosball. A lovely back deck surrounded by redwoods. Local ECV hangout. Live music. Opens early. read more

I stop in as often as I can while on trips on my Harley. Very rustic relaxing place for a beverage and the barbecue outside is amazing. First time I've given a review but probably 15 times that I've stopped by. Always a motorcycle or 10 parked out front read more

They were serving Beef Stew the night we stopped in, it was delicious. I am guessing they cook up whatever the cook feels like at the time and we lucked out. I love divey bars and this one was pretty cool. Took a bit to get service, but I think the bartender had somewhere else he'd rather be. It's understandable this is a local place, which I am not, but I am easy going and acceptable of this. A Ping Pong table adds to the fun, and the back yard area looks like they probably have some pretty good live music events. La Honda folks are very friendly and this place was full of em. I am sure there's some pretty good history attached to this place and I'd love to hear some of it, next time. read more

This place was great, until the racism. I don't recommend this place if you're not white. This place welcomes non-whites, but the locals who come do not. La Honda, do better. read more

Apple Jack's is down home. Don't come here trying to be persnickety, it's just not that way. If you get what AJ's is about, then you get it. If not, don't go. Redwoods, twinkle lights, bbq, (vegan option)cool music, mountain folks..... no, it's not the city, if you get it - great, if not , no aholes allowed. read more

No food but a peaceful, easy feeling when there's music on the back patio.

this is a neat rustic saloon in the redwoods not far from the coast in the santa cruz mountains, it's no wonder that famous counter/culture people lived nearby, like, neil young, Hunter s. thompson, allen ginsberg, ken kesey, the Mary pranksters, oh and even the hells angels, alot of history here, so stop by have a drink, game of pool, jukebox to, limited food , have fun ! read more

Such a shame that the bartenders here are whack. It's actually a really cool place to hangout, meet new people, and grab a beer. The music is great and the crowd is friendly. We were straight up ignored by the 3 bartenders last night for about 20 minutes. We made several attempts to flag them down but were ignored. They serviced literally EVERYONE but us. After a frustrating 20 minutes, we finally got our drinks from a disgruntled bartender who looked like he really did not want to be there. About a half hour later we came back to the bar to get some beers. They were running low on beer glasses and many people were turned away because they didn't have anything to serve the beer in. I got up to the bar, ordered three beers, bartender had two glasses ready to go and rudely asked me to go grab a glass from someone who finished their beer at the end of the bar. Uhhh, isn't that your job?? And to top it off he asked to see my ID despite not carding ANYONE ELSE the whole night. We were the only three colored folks here. Makes you wonder why we were the only three carded and blatantly ignored the entire night. Bottom line: if you're not a biker or a local, skip this joint. read more

I love going to this bar because you get to meet a lot of new people and make friends. It's a friendly place to go to if you want to hang out. You can stay at the bar until it closes. You can drink as many beers as you want to and you can find and make friends at the bar. There is a lot of drinks that you can try and you can shots with a friend and you can have lots of fun at the bar. read more

Cold beer in a cold glass on a chilly afternoon turning into a cold evening, the red of the sunset and the blue of the sky and the green tips of Redwood trees upon the sound of languid water and agile traffic. A bar with hand-hewn floor and a door that doesn't close quite right. Locals and visitors and here you are, sitting on the porch as mosquitos swarm and the chill of night onset latches into your bones. It's a good thing you only brought 20, because it's cash only and the light is fading and the drive back into the city seems longer and longer... read more

This is the best bar in the entire Bay Area to act stupid. Well actually, if you act stupid here you are likely to get your butt kicked. Well not really, the patrons at this bar are among the most friendly you will find anywhere......so long as you don't act stupid. I was at my friends watching a bit of the Winter Olympics when he says he really needs a beer. Ok, so go to your billion dollar stainless steel frig and go grab one of your super fancy Czech imports that you probably personally had brought over in your super fancy private jet. Nope, not on this night. This Woodside family man needed a Budweiser. And not even a cold one. I guess the stress of raising children in a multi million dollar mansion just got the better of him. I offered to be the DH so we hopped in my truck and headed up Highway 84 towards the town of La Honda. Along the way I was trying to remember if I actually had ever been to that town and once I crossed Skyline I immediately recognized the curvy roads and remembered the multiple times I was almost pushed off the road on my bike rides up the hill by passing cars. The drive out there is worth the price of admission as it is one of the most beautiful in the entire Bay Area. The road is lined with tall redwood trees and if you are lucky will catch glimpse of some of the wildlife along the way. As you enter into the town Apple Jacks is clearly visible from the road right on the left. For a population of only a few hundred I was surprised by the amount of cars parked out in front. Then again what else is there to do in a town like La Honda? Before entering I halfway expected to find a rough looking crowd of locals ready to beat up on any newbies that would dare venture in. What I found was one of the most interesting and eclectic mixes of people I had ever encountered. Me and my Banana Republic wearing-self found guys in suits, beautiful women in snazzy dresses, older guys wearing horse manure stained Wranglers and low and behold geeky looking guys just like me wearing the same old boring burnt orange v-neck sweaters. My friend knew a few of the locals there so right away I met some really nice people. I learned a lot about the area and met an orchid grower/importer who gave me an education on his craft. He even extended an invite to come out to see his greenhouse so I can see how the process works. Yes, this actually interests me. The bar is classic and you don't have to settle on cheap beer as they carry some interesting micro brews. I settled on an IPA which was my only drink of the evening. This place also stocks up some pretty high end alcohol. I saw plenty of fine bourbons and whiskeys being poured. I thought about ordering a Scotch, but didn't want to chance it knowing that I had a windy drive back and then another treacherous jaunt back to Burlingame. The downside is the fact that this place is isolated from the rest of us. So making a drive down just to drink is not something I would not recommend. There is a motel just up the street on the left that has a bunch of cottages so maybe if you really want to tie one, you can book a room and pack some porn for a wild night out. read more

Real local, rural pub. Good selection of beer, weekend barbecues are fantastic. Friendly crowd, with great local bands on weekend in summer.

Well, I guess this just isn't my kind of a joint. I have no problem with seeking out some of the smaller 'mom&pop' places on this planet. In fact its my preference. Stopped in for a quick drink. This is probably a great place for a movie set in the woods. . . cue the dude with the big bloody knife coming out of the darkness. OK, kidding. Apple Jacks is a single room with old wood floors and walls. Looks like a super old cabin. No personality from the bartender this day. Sticky tables, no music on the jukebox, lots of flies. . . Meh, been there done that. read more

Awesome dive bar. The biggest problem is that driving back from there requires a lot of sobriety and it is hard to believe anyone would go there to drink. The alcohol selection is much better than you would expect from a "typical" biker-bar in the middle of the woods. Big tip: while they have food, it isn't a place to go to eat. Not knowing better, we popped in after a hike for some beer and food. The bartender saw us eyeing the small food menu (on a white board above the bar) and warned us that it is all Costco food that he just warms up in the back. So we went elsewhere for food. Big props that he let us know ahead of time. read more

This place is effing HILARIOUS. It absolutely epitomizes dive bars. In fact, all other dive bars should bow down to this, the clear ruler of them all. If bars could bow, that is, and, well, they can't, 'cause they're bars. Right. Back to this bar. As my friend drives me up here, and it's taking a reeeeally long time, and there are all these windy streets and deep ravines, I begin to think, "this is how horror movies begin. Will I ever get out of here alive?" Not only did I get out alive, but a couple beers for the better. This, incidentally, was no thanks to the bartender, a supremely stoned just-barely-21-year-old girl who disappeared randomly about 15 minutes after we arrived. Once people started getting irritated that there was no bartender, one of the regulars--big dude with shaved head but full beard (which always mystifies me)--decides to get up and play bartender. Honestly, no one in this bar's asking for anything more complicated than a bottle of bud and a shot of JD, so it's not like he needs to be a rocket scientist to manage it! He's actually a pretty entertaining dude, along with the other characters who inhabit this place. Peoplewatching was definitely my favorite part of the visit. However, those burgers they were grilling up right in front of the joint smelled pretty darn fantastic, so that might trump peoplewatching on my next visit. Verdict: worth the drive. Just make sure you don't drink too much and end up in a ravine on the way out... read more

Popped in here the other day, with friends, partner in crime and Rocky, our trusty little road tripping sidekick. Since puppies aren't allowed inside, we kicked it outside on the hand carved tree stump loungers, while sipping Blue Moons. Gotta love California and the 65 degree winter weather days that make all this possible. Check out the pics! read more

Walked in and they switched from reggae to Patsy Cline. Heaven, lol. Beer was cold, ambiance was cool, bartender was friendly. I'll be back!

This place is an institution. It used to be a Blacksmith's shop, now it is (I think) the only bar in town. I love this little rustic bar tucked in the redwoods. It is usually filled with an interesting crowd. They have live music every weekend and everyone dances. On summer nights it is fun to hang out on the "porch." read more

Great place to stop for a beer on the way to the coast. Or in the way back from the coast. Always a friendly crowd

Best DIVE BAR in Bay Area! I've seen a lot! Accomodated our 25 Rider group and provided food and drink for us at a very reasonable price! Must stop any time I am in the neighborhood, not as yuppy as Alice's! Great Owner,Bartenders and Patrons! Must See! read more

Love this place! It's just different and unique! Happy that I stopped by :) check it out and you won't regret it. read more

See all

Ya kinda gotta see it to believe it. Hand hewn wood beam floors, complete with just the right amount of creaking. Pot belly stove for heat. A diverse collection of chotzkies behind the bar that has probably never been dusted. Low tolerance for douche bags (tip: I would not wear an affliction t-shirt to this establishment). While it is definitely a locals joint we have always felt very welcomed. I often bring out-of-town guests here. It is a great stop on the way over the hill to San Gregorio and Pescadero. They might see the Golden Gate Bridge and/or Big Sur but THIS is the place they will talk about. read more

I was brought here mid-day by a gentleman who understands whiskey is the way to my heart, well, at least for a night. Even during the day, you will blink a few times as your eyes adjust to the low, moody interior. Locals sit at the bar bantering with the bartender and each other, they're accustomed to outsiders and won't flinch at your polo or designer jeans. Perhaps it's the altitude, but the beer is especially cold and more satisfying than any you'll have in the towns below. The bartender is friendly and even gave us one free since the keg below needed to be changed out....the glass was 7/8ths full...in the 94123 they would have scoffed and charged you anyways. The definitive dive bar, come if you like adventures yet the comfort of home, and are friendly but keep to yourself. Looking forward to seeing this place on a Friday or Saturday night. Yes, I can say with confidence that I will be back. read more