Old school bar. Great outdoor patio that will remind you of the college bars we've all seen back in the day. Price - Great prices for drinks vs. fancier places. Bartenders super friendly and on point Service - prompt service. Cool bartenders Drinks - don't just scan the beers on tap. Look up at the various liquor options and items behind enclosed glass. You may need to scan by walking around the bar Heads Up: CASH ONLY bar so bring the 20's for a night out. read more

Great spot for the locals not so much for those looking to party or outsiders. Sorry to say but that's the truth. This bar is rich in history had some cool pictures of the time IB was flooded way back in the day. Lots of cool decorations all around all sailor themed. Fits the vibe of IB very well. It's a great bar when your just trying to have a drink and not worry about crowds or water downed drinks. read more

Ye Olde Plank - The hallway leading up to the bathroom is a great selfie spot. #yeoldeplank - Dive Bars Near Me - Imperial Beach, California

They did not accept my foreign passport as a valid ID. They only take US issued IDs which to me does not make any sense at all. Bar tenders were nice. The place is a 5, but I am taking 2 stars down for only accepting US issued IDs. read more

Best Bar Reminds me of Cheers every one knows your name ! Friendly bar ! Bartender Eric on point ! read more

Lil Donald & Kierra. Kickin' it at The Plank just after Thanksgiving November 2022. A great place to hang for great vibes, great folks, and lots of fun. Hands down the best bar in Imperial Beach, CA. read more

Ye Olde Plank - Lil Donald & Kierra. Kickin' it at The Plank. November 2022 - Dive Bars Near Me - Imperial Beach, California

Went there last month. Eric was awesome. He suggested a liquor to have while I was there and told me where I could buy some to bring home (Hawai) Went back a couple nights later with friends and he remembered me and what I drank. He also made a special drink for my friend as it was her birthday If I'm in San Diego again, I'm definitely stopping by for a drink read more

Great drinks. Great atmosphere. And Scotty's Burgers are AMAZING. I cant wait to come back!

This bar is soooo friendly and fun! They have cheap drinks and amazing service! The environment is quiet and friendly and perfect for groups! I highly recommend! read more

The hubs and my go to local spot. Cheap stiff drinks. The bartenders are all so nice and welcoming. Free entertainment is always great. read more

Ye Olde Plank - Dive Bars Near Me - Imperial Beach, California

Awesome local place. Gotta give it a visit. Go one happy hour days.. but be sure someone can drive you home.

five stars all the way! we stopped in to watch a little of the Padres payoff game and it was a great bar to sit drink and strike up a conversation. IB has a gem and we will make it a must visit when we are in town. read more

It's been here for many years. It's a great location on the beach. Clean, reasonable priced and great service. If you are planning to visit Imperial Beach stop by and have a drink, enjoy the view. read more

Very cool atmosphere with outside seating. Great service. Strong drinks. And the Scotty Burger & fries were killer!!

Came in tonight for a quick drink before we head back to the east coast tomorrow! Wished we had stopped by before! Would have come by every night! Great people and atmosphere! Love this place! read more

Ye Olde Plank - Tiramisu - Dive Bars Near Me - Imperial Beach, California

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At the time that i've lived in Chula Vista this bar as been one of my favorites to have a drink at after a rough shift or just a casual visit. Eric will ALWAYS take care of you no matter how busy. Has just a warm feel to it with the absolute best staff. Also their shirts are so comfy!!! I am now moving away from IB but this will always be my favorite dive bar!! read more

Love a good dive with the dog. But had to sit with the smokers outside, no water. Not ID'd, but server tells me She can't put water in my Nalgene and I can't fill it up in the sink as I leave because of ABC...and I didn't even get ID checked. Horrible server experience, and my expectations are pretty fucking low. read more

The plank, been coming here for literally 30 years. They are not very nice, actually never have been. Great dive to haunt but don't expect to to be treated as a human being. Consider you labor market and your consumers to get the gist but it is still hard to be treated like I just crawled out of the ocean. read more

Just a huge shout out to the Ye Olde Plank for providing food for our community in this time of need! My family and i thank you! Not only do they have good beer and pricing they also care about their community! Cant wait for everything to get back to normal so i can go have my beers!! read more

Ye Olde Plank - Dive Bars Near Me - Imperial Beach, California

Nothing but amazing cold beer and atmosphere! The pool tables are amazing! The bartenders are always nice and friendly!

This building has been in Imperial Beach since 1886, from what bartender Eric, which by the way is fukin awesome, told us. This is truly a hidden gem. Eric made us some badas$ old fashions, he had a few different suggestions which turned out to be super delicious. The outside patio is amazing, not sure why this place isn't packed, it's super beachy, laid back, welcoming and cool vibe. The inside part has a full bar, pool tables and a lot of historical photos of the bar and of Imperial Beach. Stop by, support your local bars! read more

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After an afternoon of lounging around Imperial Beach, our hero and his friends walked into Ye Olde Plank to wet their whistles at 3 PM. The statue of Captain Morgan on the roof beckoned them to indulge in some alcohol to quench their thirst. A crusty old regular was shouting obscenities. The main bartender welcomed our hero with his booming voice and took his order for a pitcher of hefeweizen. In short time, he had some lemon slices, glasses, and a cold pitcher of beer out on the patio. For three in the afternoon on a weekend, this joint was pretty high energy. A karaoke machine was set up and people were belting out oldies and classic rock. A man got up on the stage outside with a guitar and started playing Simon and Garfunkel. If Joe Francis made a Seniors Gone Wild video, it would probably be shot on location here. PROS: - The chilled glasses here are some of the coldest glasses ever! They really ice them up before serving. - Very friendly staff. CONS: - Full of old folks in their 40's and 50's... and possibly even older. read more

Ye Olde Plank - Ye Olde Plank Inn: east side during the day - Dive Bars Near Me - Imperial Beach, California

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Second stop at our lovely bar crawl. I had a bit of trouble checking in here.......Thanks Mike!! But after all the confusion I headed up to the bar where a gentleman quickly served me my drink of choice. While at the bar a couple was laughing at my check in ordeal. This bar was a bit more packed so we headed out to the patio. Pretty large all our group was together. I wasn't cold but I was pretty tipsy, I'd take a sweater in case. We were graced my the appearance of the cuervo girls who offered free shots and you get to keep the shot glasses. Of course Mari had to tell everyone in the world about this. I'm so silly when I'm tipsy but it doesn't happen often. After a few drinks and meeting up with even more super cool yelpers we headed by car not crawl to our next bar. Thanks Rianne for taking the intoxicated bunch : ) read more

If you're using a debit/credit card, be aware THEY TIP THEMSELVES! Which is stealing !! The experience was 5 stars until I seen my bank statements... I am disputing this immediately, and a lawsuit should be in mind. I've spent 100+ dollars at this establishment, this is just disappointing. I've never experienced anything like this anywhere in Imperial Beach.. read more

2 bloody Mary's made from scratch for $5! Very friendly dive bar. Don't pass this place by. It's worth the stop if you are in Imperial beach. Locals and tourist were all very friendly with us from the moment we stepped though the door. We came in on a Sunday morning and sat outside and met a lot of characters. Affordable snack menu and good jukebox music was playing. read more

Ye Olde Plank - Made from scratch - Dive Bars Near Me - Imperial Beach, California

We visited for the first time here yesterday, and the bartender acted like he just didn't want to be working. He was very rude to us. I had a whiskey sour and they use that cheap stuff. We had just come from IB Forum and they have excellent whiskey sours there. I guess if you want overpriced watered down drinks and rude subpar service go ahead! read more

I am a regular here. It's a very laid back, local atmosphere and they have $2.50 margaritas on Margarita Monday : ) read more

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This place sucks very bad now used to be fun bar. Has recent new ownership I think Vanessa she's not nice doesn't seem happy to be bartending and that sets a bad vibe. She's not great. Get better bartenders than Vanessa she's boring. You can tell when someone's just in it for the wrong reasons. read more

Went there a couple of weeks ago...order a long Island iced tea and a truly I paid but we didn't get a receipt we then ordered the same drinks and again no receipt. The next day I looked at my online banking and I was charged $21.96 and another charge for $45.15. I called the bar to ask about this and the person who answered referred me to talk to Eric, we'll let's just say Eric does not return phone calls. Be careful when going here, they don't give receipts and they totally rip you off. read more

Love this bar! Beautiful days in San Diego and their open, on the beach in IB, outdoor seating set up, people watching and awesome Filipino food on sight! Come on down! read more

Really like this place! Always fun and very laid back environment Have been here a few times and the staff has always been great!

While visiting San Diego I stopped by this wonderful place by the beach. I had a wonderful experience! Friendly people, great service and right by the beach. An all around fun time. I recommend stopping by the Plank when in SD! read more

Do not come here expecting the place to be filled with the snooty/posh crowd. It's a kick back bar where you can have a drink with your friends and relax. If you want a drink, walk up to the bar, order it and take it back to your table. You can play a game of pool, pick some songs on the jukebox and have a bag of chips. I promise you will leave here more relaxed than when you came in. read more

I was visiting Imperial Beach for a quick getaway with some friends and we were staying down the road from this hidden jewel! The staff is amazing and the drinks are even better. This is the best dive bar!! Tay is by far the most friendly and helpful. He treats you like family and goes above and beyond. We live in Indiana so to stumble across such friendly faces that treat you like a local is wonderful. We loved It so much we came back every day to see the staff and enjoy great drinks. Even had a going away beverage to say out "see you next time." Make sure you take cash for that's all they accept but don't worry you get great priced drinks for the small inconvenience. They open at 6 am so go across the street grab breakfast and enjoy a baileys and coffee while watching the sunrise. Stop by and tell Tay Brittany and Tina sent you! read more

Just an average dive bar, nothing particularly standing out about this place except it's located right off the beach. You probably aren't going during the day though, so you don't get to fully enjoy the beach experience. Seems like this is more a spot for locals, you can tell many people come here often and know each other. Everyone was friendly enough, service was fine, nothing bad. Seems a bit run down though, and almost too casual with all the banter going on between the staff and locals; you almost feel like an outsider if you aren't a regular. When I got my beer, they had just tapped a new keg and it was good, but when my girlfriend got her beer, somehow it tasted almost watered down and barely any flavor. Don't remember what she got, but it's a common beer that she knows the taste of well and what she got wasn't up to par. She didn't want to bother though, so we didn't complain. read more

Been to my fair share of dive bars and i'd say what sets this place apart is the head bartender. i believe his name is eric and the times that i've gone i've felt more than welcomed in addition to being served some really well made drinks. on top of his quick wit and devilishly good looks, he always makes me and my life partner melichanga feel like we are VIPs. 10/10 will be back read more

If you love dives this will be one of the best cash only but they have pool and TVs everywhere and great drinks The customers are eclectic and that's a wonderful mix read more

Ye Olde Plank - Dive Bars Near Me - Imperial Beach, California

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hate to say this but place is terrible, terrible service, terrible drinks and terrrible vibes did not feel wanted here never felt more disrespected in my life you will never catch me even close to this place read more

Calling this a dive bar would be too generous. Not the best place to visit unless you have no other option. Perhaps they are more friendly to the locals, but not to us. Watch out because the staff comes around looking to clean up empty glasses, and they take whatever they can get ahold of. Don't set down your half empty glass because they may take it away. Not the cleanest place. Perhaps this is something special to the locals, but they sure don't cater to the tourist crowd. read more

Definitely an Ib staple, with generous pour and good people, but especially during this whole covid craziness, I feel safe here. I nice big patio, I don't feel obligated to feel stuck next to people and everyone is really safe, always wearing masks and perfect 6 feet distance everywhere. If you need to get away from home and not feel unsafe, this is the place to go. Great prices and great ambiance. read more

Bluntly put, it's a turd. From top to bottom, clientele to cleanliness, and unfortunately to service and staff too, it's a total divey turd. And I don't mean that in a playful, kitschy, ironic way. I mean that in a "don't even f'n bother" kind of way. Why waste time, effort, energy and money going to a place run by two uselessly rude bartenders that couldn't care less if you are a customer or not? And mind you, I'm not one of these high maintenance, self-centered, entitled sorts who thinks that an establishment owes me the world just because I'm spending a few bucks there. I'm just a guy who wants to come in, sit down by myself or with a friend, have a drink, maybe have another, and another, and another and leave after keeping to ourselves the entire time. That's it. That's all. It's not hard. It's not difficult. It's not obtrusive, douchley or obnoxious. It's just "hello", order, drink, tip too, and then go. But apparently that's too much for this place and the bitter staff to handle. Instead it's a crappy experience because you're being served by jerks. The only thing this place has going for it is the interior, which is an interesting shade of tiki hut and boating/pirate inside. For that, I'll give them one single star. But all the rest? Nothing. Zero. Tons of potential here for truly being great without selling out, but it's all squandered. The pace in IB is super slow in general, so it's going to take a while for it to totally happen, but over the last few years some pretty hefty signs of gentrification have occurred. There are a few things I'd love to see disappear from IB in the future. And as for the Plank? It's at the top of that list. read more