It really always comes down who's working when a building becomes a place you want to go to frequently. I've been a regular for a long time but it never occurred to me to compliment the people that make it special. I've never met the owner and I can only remember one persons name and that person is Kelsey. I hope I'm spelling her name correctly. This woman works so hard and is so pleasant to everyone you really feel special. I don't frequently eat here but from time to time when I ask for something she makes it and really cares if you are happy with your order. For ambiance she sets the tone and it's always friendly and fun. Way to go Kelsey and way to go Shot Exchange for employing her. So in summary go drink, eat and enjoy your new friends. read more

Typical dive bar. Came for a beer. Overall feel for place was a dive. Wouldn't recommend or come out of my way for this place. Service was good. But wouldn't say this is a must or go to spot. read more

ordered a drink and I got vape in my face. The spot is nice and calm but tonight I couldn't believe that was part of my service, how do you vape infront of 8 people very unprofessional. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who wants a simple pitcher. She also took a shot with a customer, definitely unprofessional. read more

Me and my coworker actually went there in a pass for the first time and it's very quiet not that many people up in there but right when it was getting ready to close, we was playing pool and the bartender thought we was gonna walk out the building without paying the lady at the time was like oh yeah, you guys gotta pay for your drinks I didn't forget to pay for my drinks I paid and we left do not judge a book by his cover. read more

Quiet bar and a bit run down kind of place. Good service and chill place. We watched NASCAR racing that took place at Atlanta Georgia. Very cool. We are sad about Saugus Swapmeet. $6.50 for a Coors light bottle beer. Bunk! A more popular place and better looking spot that starts w/ Schnrs is only $4.25. That would be more reasonable. Nah, we are not coming back here! The only thing good abt this place is that I met new friends. read more

Stopped by to check out this place out, inside had a musty smell, ordered an Old Fashion, got to say it was the worst Old Fashion, drink was a mix of an Old Fashion and a Whiskey Sour, bartender had no idea how to make drinks. I will not recommend this bar at all. read more

This bar is a dive. For that it is awesome. If you want a flowery lame bar experience do not come here. Good drinks, real people, fair prices. Plus Shasta is awesome. 10/10 would recommend read more

Back to the Basics! I have been frequenting this place through more names than I can remember. I liked the old setups such as when it was the Tailgate before the Bar Rescue show got a hold of it. The show did make a few good décor changes but really destroyed the way this place should be based on some fantasy about a college crowd in the area. I grew up around here and that crowd was not coming down here except for the show. Anyway - the beer schooners are back! Frosty as ever! The staff is as cool as ever and the old vibe is back. The menu is simple but really good. Good beer selection and they can whip up any drink you can describe. Pool and darts and some well sized TVs. A great place to hang out and catch a game or meet some cool people. read more

The Shot Exchange - Frosty brew! - New American Near Me - Saugus, California

The owner of these bars really needs to get it together and stop hiring bartenders that could care less about their customers and start hiring people that know how to respect them. Even worse, stop hiring bartenders that are unprofessional. In this SMALL ass town, word gets around. I tried to give them another chance, and I just can't anymore. Trashy to say the least. Competition surrounding these bars is on the rise. I won't be giving anymore of my business to this place for the simple reason, lack of professionalism. Customer service is key. I hope they listen to their customers. read more

Came here on a weekday afternoon to catch the last bit of the Dodgers game. Just a neighborhood dive bar that provides inexpensive drinks, greasy-spoon bar food, a bunch of TV's, a pool table, 2 electronic dart boards and a good jukebox. It's pretty much exactly what I expected and what it claims to be. Service was nice, the pours were strong and the Beefed Up Fries were decent. I had a couple whiskey cokes and a shot of Hennessy (don't ask) and the Beefed Up Fries. I know some reviewers said that they pour the drinks in the back, but that was not the case in my experience. They poured everything right there at the well like a typical bar so I'm not sure what the complaints are all about. For solid stars and recommended if you're looking for a local dive bar. read more

I find myself sitting in this cool little dive (present-tense), off the main byway, waiting for the daily rush-hour traffic to subside. After hours on the open road, the desire to creep onward to SD is low. I need a pick-me-up, quick. I enter: the locals aren't ornery, the barmaid is pleasant, and a large, chilled "schooner" of Newcastle is promptly in front of me before I can blink. Life isn't so bad after all. They have an internet juke, electronic darts, and two flatscreens for some cheap thrills. Standouts on tap include Firestone walker, IPA's from Stone & Apocalypse, and of course, Newcastle; they have the basic spirits, nothing really top-shelf Decor is simple with a cool, backlit industrial "Shot Exchange" sign adorning the back wall. Men's room has a cool illustrated collage of his Airness, MJ Smallish space, but comfortable because of the open layout. If I lived in the area, it would be a great place to start the evening or end a workday. read more

The Shot Exchange - Schooner of Newcastle. One heavy piece of glassware! - New American Near Me - Saugus, California

I like this spot, small dark and intimate wtih a cool with a simple theme. They a karaoke dj, you can dance your sing or both at the same time. everyone gets into it. They have a great selection beers and drafts with a kitchen serving up bar grub. huge selection of shot specialties. I like the Pickleback, Jamesons and pickle juice. good times. will definitely come back. read more

The Shot Exchange - Bazooka joe, the other birthday shot. Bailey's and some blue stuff - New American Near Me - Saugus, California

What a night great service good drinks happy environment. COVID friendly 6 feet away at all times

Soooo I was just at the Shot Exchange and these bartenders kept serving these really young-looking girls alcohol even though they were TOTALLY trashed. These girls were crawling on the floor, falling down, and exposing themselves while all these old men were just sitting back and watching them (I'm not even exaggerating. These old men were literally just sitting, watching, and laughing at them). I am absolutely disgusted that a bar would let these girls get this drunk and not do anything to help them. I saw one of the girls fall right on her back and expose herself to everyone, and everyone just laughed at her and let her get up by herself. I feel like the bartenders just let it happen because the creepy old men in the bar were entertained by it. Me and my friend saw this, and got the fuck out of there. read more

Went to the shot exchange and received extremely good service from out chech waitress. When we first sat down she immediately Mae to see what we needed and when drinks gotten she made sure we were ok. Bathrooms were clean and overall would come back to this establishment.... an awesome dive bar read more

Manager tried to give us shots that were poured in the back room after we had been ignored for 20 minutes. Was told by multiple bartenders that they don't "pour drinks" while they actively were pouring drinks bhaha. All experiences taken into account, on top of the abysmal service, I hope this place gets new management or loses their license - SOON. read more

The Shot Exchange - Was told by multiple bartenders that they don't "pour drinks" while they actively were pouring drinks bhaha. - New American Near Me - Saugus, California

This place is hit-or-miss. I should've missed this place tonight, instead of hitting it up. I have no idea what happened to this place. There was a lot of people here tonight, but it looks like a lot of leftovers from the land that time forgot, up in this here mug. I guess people in the SCV are drifting over to Origami, Salt Creek, and any other place near the Valencia Town Center. It got so bad here tonight that my friend Melissa, who came here separately with another friend before me and my ka-rew swung by, said she was going to head on over to Winston's. (Uh, read my review about Winston's and you'll understand my dumbfounded reaction to her comment.) There's always someone puking right outside also. What gives with this place? It attracts people who don't know their threshold? People who just want to get thrashed so they can make a public display of themselves and look like me a few weeks ago? (Oops, I wasn't supposed to mention that.) Ok, I've already said too much! Must...abort...now. I say PEAAAACE! to the Tailgate. It'll be a while before I'm back again. (Oh, and btw....draft beer is $4.75 here.) read more

Hard to write a review for this place... Let start out with categories Things I liked -6 bucks for a beast of a shot... -place is nicely redone -shots were tasty -beer selection on tap was nice -bartender chick was super cool .. Her name was Jillian.. It's loud so I think I heard that Things I didn't care for -clientele is ghetto fab -Dj fucking sucked..he is playing bossy by whoever the hell sings that song...And other awful shit... Let people just use the jukebox Place needs a cover band or something... They will never compete with marbels on Fridays... Would I return... Probably... It's my new watering hole... read more

I have never been here before even when it was the Tailgate. I have only heard terrible things about it so I never wanted to give it try. Last night I was invited to celebrate a friends birthday there so I finally went. It wasn't as bad as I heard it was, but it wasn't great either. First off it is super small, and this wouldn't be a bad thing if they didn't allow so many people inside of it. I was cramped the whole night and had rude people constantly giving me looks because I was in there way. On the topic of people this is the main reason this place sucks. The people who go there are trash. I know that sounds harsh, but the majority of the people there were gross and rude. Not the kind of people I want to hang out with at bars. The beer selection is minimal but I didn't expect much, and I got a schooner size Bud Light for 5 bucks which isn't bad. Overall, I will never go here again. It wasn't the worse place in the world, but it's also not the kind of place I want to have drinks at. read more

No thanks. Won't be back. I came here when it was Tailgate , came in after the show takeover, and came in a few weeks ago after new owners. The bartender was a jerk. I asked for a drink and when he served it, it was practically half a drink. When I mentioned it, he was so rude and said, 'I'll drink the rest of it if you want'. Didn't offer to remake it or anything. He obviously didn't know how to make a cocktail. There are many other places around here to buy drinks. I definitely don't need to come here to drop money on attitude and lousy service. read more

The Shot Exchange - Ordered a cocktail and this is what I got. - New American Near Me - Saugus, California

Ah The Shot Exchange, formerly The Tailgate until the popular show Bar Rescue revamped it last year. The first time I came here, I looked around and left. This time the people I was with actually wanted to stay and so we did. Here is my story: The Shot Exchange, as the name implies, specializes in specialty shots. The list is vast and there's something for any alcohol lover from a classic Washington Apple shot (one of my personal favorites) to a Pickle Back shot (vodka and pickle juice, who thought up this?!). All shots are priced at $6.25 each and come in the tall skinny shot glasses. Not worth the price in my opinion. No other drinks besides the shots appear on their menu. They seem to have all the fixings for other drinks though so I'm sure you can order one. That said, this place is not where you go for your 21st birthday. It's an older crowd that congregates here and they obviously expect you to know how to order drinks already since they're not available on the menu. They also serve some bar foods like calamari, but we were not there for the food and didn't try anything out. The atmosphere is really why I wasn't a fan the first time I walked in and that opinion continued to be valid as I stayed the second time. The music is loud, my throat was actually sore from trying to talk with my friends over it, and we only stayed for a shot and a drink. The music isn't even that good either, it was like bad wedding reception music. The DJ (yes someone was actually picking these specifically) went from Calvin Harris to AC/DC, none of the songs really had much scratch to it. Might as well have been changing songs on your iPod. When the YMCA song came on, drunken customers danced to the movements. Funny, but I was not nearly drunk enough to enjoy myself past that. That said, the employees we interacted with were friendly. Bartenders came to our table for our orders, but it took awhile so I'd recommend just pushing your way to a bar spot to get your alcohol on quicker. I was not a fan of this place, but the other patrons seemed to enjoy getting down down and doing their thing. It's just not my bag baby. read more

The blonde Irish bartender (sorry if I'm wrong) has amazing customer service! I was there for some shots of Don Julio lastnight for the first time and she was great!!! read more

Decent local dive bar. Have been many times and will surely go back many times. Like the help. Glad they are around foe sure

4 stars up from a 2 before the makeover. Interior is cool and comfortable but it is one LOUD ASS Place. Maybe 8 people in the bar and you can't hear yourself think. Drinks were good and the bartender was friendly. Looks like this places struggling to find its identity. Is it an SCV black t shirt wearing bar or something more chill. Sunday afternoon so it is tough to be too critical. Didn't try anything from the 5 items on the menu. Yes, only 5 items. read more

See all

Great drinks! Great food, especially for a bar. At first when we walked in, the staff and patrons looked a little intimidating. After we sat down and started enjoying our ice cold blue moons, we realized that the roughest looking guy in there was an X-ray tech we recognized from the hospital, and the staff and a few of the other patrons were comprised of a moms and dads from Hart softball and baseball, Saugus and Valencia football parents, a couple that own a local aftermarket parts business, and college kids. Never judge a book by its cover! We made some new friends, stayed for another beer and some steak fries (which come with a ton if different side sauces if you ask), and we look forward to returning soon. read more

I guess if you want the Skyy bar, you should drive to L.A. If you want to go where everyone knows your name, this is the place. The owners of this place live locally, and they love their patrons. There is never an empty schooner when you are watching the game, and there is ALWAYS a game on here. THe bar is clean, drinks are priced nicely, and the food is the best pub fare you can buy in town. To top all of that off, they support local cancer charities, and will be the first to put and end to irresponsible drinking. I'm not sure what the other reviewers expected...Unless they are new to the bar scene and expect everything to look like someplace the Kardashians would frequent. read more

Update!!! Ever since Ike took over with his partner, this place has drastically changed. I celebrated my 24th birthday there despite never wanting to come back. Since my last review there have been many changes, new ownership, etc. Well worth it to go and check out if all the other bars are full or you just want a few drinks, maybe play some pool in a more relaxed atmosphere. read more

Stopped by on Sunday late night during a holiday weekend waiting for traffic to die down. There was plenty of parking around. The inside is a little small but it works. There were about 5-6 people sitting at the bar. A few people outside smoking their cigs. Everyone was striking conversations about anything. It was pretty friendly casual stuff as I sipped on my IPA and munched on a pretty good burger. It seems there are quite a few locals here, which is probably what contributes to the casual combos. Not saying that's the case very night, but I found myself talking to one gal about baseball and another about Nietzsche and Sartre...go figure! But at least this time it worked for me. read more

I saw this spot on Grupon so I was gonna dine here, I went there and all i did was open the front door then I left. Feels like a crack house...I was surprised to see we have a place like this in our city. read more

The owner is the nicest guy! The vibes interesting, but I totally love it. The drinks are fairly priced and the food is awesome for bar food; specials every day that are super cheap! read more

See all

Rude bartender, overpriced, low quality. Trailer trash atmosphere.

If I could leave no stars, I would because this place blows dick. Literally spend your money anywhere else on that god forsaken area. You get your ID checked by a bald midget that has to walk away with your ID to view it under the singular pool table light to be able to view anything properly, and they have a DJ for no reason playing R&B hits from 2006 in this tiny ass space, and the bartender doesn't give a fuck that you exist. Don't order the food, because I ordered the mozzarella sticks, which somehow they fucked up, on top of that, they gave me spoiled rotten marinara to force those fuckers down with. Then, my fiancé ordered hot wings that came out breaded as if they were straight from a Tyson bag bought at Walmart with some extra sauce drizzled on top for personalization. I couldn't hear a fucking thing my fiancé was saying because of the dumb ass DJ. For real fuck this place. Go to Denny's and drink in the parking lot, honesty. You'll have a better time. read more

Friendly staff, great place to hang out with friends and have a couple of drinks. They have pool tables,darts and a mechanical bull and great music to keep you moving. read more

This place NEEDS a rescue!!!!!! Let me start off by saying that I've had some great times here. I wouldn't call myself a regular but come frequently enough to know a few of the regulars. I usually come on Thursday and Saturday, and occasionally Friday. Thursday: in my opinion, this is the night to come to the Tailgate. It's busy enough to be fun, but not so crowded that you feel like a sardine. The DJ on Thursdays is Jerome, and he's excellent, consistency on the 1's and 2's, he can keep the crowd entertained with the best of them. He has karaoke on these nights as well, though not to many people take the chance to make a drunken fool of themselves haha. Fridays: I haven't been here enough on these days to have an opinion on it. Saturdays: awful! The DJ ( if he can even be classified as one) is terrible, can't get his levels right, tries cutting into another song at thw worst times and has no flow. Generally the same crowd. However tonight, November 23, 2013, is the reason I'm writting this review...Now, I don't really drink, so it begs the question, why go to a bar? 1) I go to play billiards, you can find some decent competition, on the table at this place. 2) I'm usually a designated driver. Now I've come here and ordered a coke, gotten a questionable look from the bartenders and have had to explain why I'm deciding against alcohol. Once they hear me out, they rarely if ever charge me for the soda, which is much appreciated. I've worked at a bar, so I know the roles of the employees fairly well, however today the "DJ" decided to cut the music off before 12, nobody understood why. He then gets out his phone and starts filming some of the patrons, myself included, WITHOUT ANYONE'S CONCENT!!!!!!! Once he turned the camera on me he had the audacity to say "give me a shout out" as if what he was doing was okay...or legal! I told him (and I admit, very rudely, however appropriate) to get the camera out of my face. So he walked away and decided to come back 2 minutes later to tell me I had to leave because I haven't bought a drink all night...I see nothing posted stating I MUST buy alcohol to patronize this establishment. So I tell him to erase that recording with me on it, seeing as he unlawfully recorded me, he continues to tell me "the owners don't want people in here that don't spend money". At this point, as anybody would be, I was incredibly annoyed and angry. First off, it isn't your job mister "dj" to handle any type of situation like that, you tell security and they handle it...that's partially why they are there! So with him saying all this to me I had to tell him to get out of my face and get back to his corner, where the dj set-up is located, he tried to argue but ended up turning and walking away (smart move because at this point everybody had had enough of his crap). After this back and forth, my friend and I decided to leave before our tempers flared up. Essentially, what this incredibly long review I'm writing, is trying to state is that this person wanted to take it upon himself to try and "kick me out" maybe it was the Napoleon complex, or maybe he's just a jerk, either way this punk was trying to say "screw your decision of staying sober so you can get your friends and yourself home safely. Get drunk or leave." And to that, sir, I say...bad form! Know your place and get over yourself. As an avid fan of John Taffert and "Bar Rescue" I say this place needs you guys bad, if not for any reason other then to put this guy in his place or get him out! As for the ambiance- this is definitely a dive bar, no if, ands, or buts about it. The prices- I couldn't tell you, sorry read more

Well. Just left the "shot exchange " aka the tailgate ". The service was poor. Friday night out with the wife for drinks. Walked in and just stood around for service. I walked up to the bar and the blonde bar tender just ignored me. Overall poor customer service. We had a drink and left to hit "the NEWHALL REFINERY " instead. "The Shot exchange" , u had your chance. U blew it. read more

Something ain't right. I always feel bad vibes when I come here, and they pour drinks in the back. Who knows what they're doing to people's drinks. I threw up blood after a night of drinking here- never has happened to me in my life. Buh bye Shot read more

If you want to smell the toilets while you drink a beer, this is your place. It's a joke about getting it fixed. I'll never go back!

Thank goodness for The Shot Exchange replacing Tailgate! I love their impressive menu (and your fave tasty shot can be made into a full size cocktail) and extremely friendly and accommodating staff. No more blacked out windows or high school dance disco lights either! I'm very impressed with the turn around of this bar and I recommend giving it a shot. read more

Stopped in to get a drink and wasn't impressed. People were drinking Jameson and Pickle juice and the bartender said she wanted to leave. I felt the same way so we did :). read more

Stopped in mid week on a day off for a cold beer and a burger ... Great Service and excellent food