From 6 A.M. Happy Hours to Lines Around the Block

From 6 A.M. Happy Hours to Lines Around the Block: The Wild History of Coaster Saloon

Before the brisket, craft cocktails and polished sports-bar feel, Coaster Saloon was one of Mission Beach’s classic watering holes — a place of surfers, sailors, skaters, early-morning drinkers, live music, national beach-bar recognition and packed Reaganomics nights that could send lines wrapping around the corner.

Mission Beach has always had a wild side.

The Giant Dipper rattled overhead.

Surfers crossed the street barefoot.

Beach bars filled up before sunset.

And for decades, one little bar across from Belmont Park became part of the neighborhood’s identity.

Coaster Saloon.

Today, it is known for barbecue, beer and its unbeatable location near the beach.

But the older history is much stranger.

This was once the kind of Mission Beach bar where happy hour started at 6:00 in the morning, longtime regulars still called it by its previous name, and a sign reportedly welcomed customers to the:

“Mission Beach Zoo.”

Then, decades later, live music helped transform it again.

By the early 2000s, local band Reaganomics was packing the room on Friday nights — sometimes with lines stretching around the corner.

And somewhere along the way, national publications took notice.

Before Coaster Saloon, It Was the 756 Club

The story begins in 1956.

That year, Jack Turnipseed built and opened a neighborhood bar near Belmont Park known as the 756 Club.

The name came from its original address number.

At the time, Mission Beach felt very different from the tourist-heavy neighborhood visitors know today.

It was rougher around the edges.

Cheaper.

More local.

And much more closely tied to surf culture, beach apartments and old-school neighborhood bars.

The 756 Club fit perfectly into that world.

What Kind of Bar Was the 756 Club?

By the early 1980s, the place had already become a Mission Beach institution.

Contemporary descriptions paint a picture that would be difficult to recreate today.

Customers included surfers, musicians, sailors, skateboarders and longtime neighborhood characters.

People arrived on bicycles.

Some showed up on skates.

Others seemed to have simply wandered in from the beach.

It was not a polished cocktail lounge.

It was a neighborhood watering hole.

Happy Hour Started at 6 A.M.

One of the wildest details comes from a 1983 account of Ventura Place and the surrounding Mission Beach bar scene.

The bar reportedly ran a 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. happy hour.

That alone tells you almost everything you need to know about old Mission Beach.

The neighborhood operated on its own schedule.

Fishermen, night-shift workers, surfers and regulars could all have very different definitions of when the day started.

And the 756 Club was there for them.

“Welcome to the Mission Beach Zoo”

Another remembered feature was a sign reportedly displayed inside the old bar.

“Welcome to the Mission Beach Zoo. Please Don’t Feed the Animals.”

It was exactly the kind of joke that fit the bar’s personality.

Mission Beach in that era was full of characters.

The bar knew it.

The customers knew it.

And nobody was pretending otherwise.

Then the 756 Club Became Coaster Saloon

In the early 1980s, the bar changed ownership.

John Renna took over the business and renamed it Coaster Saloon.

Historical sources vary slightly on whether the transition occurred in 1982 or 1983, so the safest description is:

around 1982–1983.

The new name was obvious.

Just across the street stood one of Mission Beach’s most famous landmarks:

The Giant Dipper roller coaster.

The bar was now named after the coaster that had dominated the neighborhood skyline since 1925.

Some Regulars Refused to Use the New Name

Changing a neighborhood bar’s name does not necessarily change what the regulars call it.

According to accounts from the era, some longtime customers continued referring to the bar as the 756 Club even after the Coaster Saloon name appeared.

That kind of resistance is a small but revealing detail.

The place already belonged to the people who drank there.

A new sign did not immediately erase decades of history.

Ventura Place Was a Different World

The surrounding neighborhood was changing too.

Belmont Park had closed in 1976.

The Giant Dipper sat unused.

Buildings deteriorated.

Ventura Place developed a rough reputation.

Modern visitors walking between the beach, Belmont Park and nearby restaurants may have difficulty imagining just how different that stretch once felt.

Coaster Saloon survived through those years.

It became part of a collection of longstanding Mission Beach watering holes that helped define the neighborhood’s nightlife.

A Real Mission Beach Dive Bar

Years later, former customers would remember the older Coaster as a genuine dive bar.

Descriptions include peanuts and popcorn on the floor, old sailors at the bar and a clientele that looked very little like the modern tourist crowd.

One recollection even described drink tokens made from pieces of old wetsuit material.

Whether every memory from those years is perfectly precise is less important than the larger picture.

The old Coaster was not trying to be fashionable.

That was exactly why people loved it.

National Publications Started Paying Attention

At some point during its old-school beach-bar era, Coaster Saloon attracted national attention.

Later reporting specifically noted that Maxim magazine had included Coaster Saloon among America’s best beach bars.

That distinction matters.

People often remember the recognition as a “best dive bar” ranking.

The surviving published reference we can verify describes it as a best beach bar recognition.

Given what the bar was like at the time, the confusion is understandable.

It was both.

A beach bar.

And very much a dive.

Then Live Music Became a Huge Part of the Story

By the early 2000s, Coaster Saloon was developing another identity.

It became a place to see live music.

And one band became particularly closely associated with those nights.

Reaganomics.

When Reaganomics Took Over Friday Nights

Reaganomics was a San Diego-based '80s cover band built around the music of the MTV era.

Think:

New wave
Classic '80s rock
Pop
Dance music
Big sing-along songs

Period entertainment listings document Reaganomics performing at Coaster Saloon in 2003.

By 2006, local listings were advertising the band as a regular Friday-night attraction, typically performing from around 9:00 p.m. until 1:00 a.m.

This was not an occasional appearance.

Reaganomics became part of the Coaster Saloon experience.

Lines Around the Corner

This is also where Nancy’s Vacation Rentals has a direct connection to the story.

Nancy’s Vacation Rentals owner Greg Ross was a member of Reaganomics.

His memories of those nights add something that an old entertainment calendar cannot.

On popular Reaganomics nights, the crowds could become enormous.

Lines wrapped around the corner and stretched as far down the block as you could see.

People waited to get inside the relatively small Mission Beach bar.

Once they did, the room became packed.

Imagine a Friday Night at the Coaster

Picture Mission Beach in the early 2000s.

The sun has just set over the Pacific.

The Giant Dipper is rumbling across the street.

The boardwalk is still crowded.

Surfers are heading home.

People are pouring out of nearby bars.

And around the corner from the Coaster Saloon, a line is forming.

Inside, Reaganomics is preparing to play four hours of '80s music to a packed room.

It was loud.

Hot.

Crowded.

And very Mission Beach.

If You Remember Reaganomics at Coaster, You Remember a Different Mission Beach

That era is worth remembering because Mission Beach nightlife feels different today.

The neighborhood is more polished.

The real estate is dramatically more expensive.

Many older beach bars have disappeared or changed identities.

And live bands compete with DJs, streaming playlists and larger entertainment venues.

Reaganomics nights at Coaster belonged to a particular moment.

A local band.

A neighborhood dive bar.

Hundreds of people.

A line around the block.

And a wooden roller coaster across the street.

Then Fire Changed the Bar Again

In 2007, Coaster Saloon suffered a kitchen fire.

The incident became another turning point.

Rather than simply rebuilding the same old bar, management began moving the business toward the rapidly growing San Diego craft-beer scene.

From Dive Bar to 52 Taps

By the early 2010s, Coaster Saloon had undergone a remarkable transformation.

The bar eventually expanded to an extraordinary 52 beer taps.

Management emphasized local San Diego breweries.

Cask nights and craft-beer events became part of the program.

In a strange way, the evolution made perfect sense.

San Diego itself was becoming one of America’s most important craft-beer cities.

Coaster Saloon simply evolved with it.

Another Major Change Arrives in 2017

After decades as a neighborhood watering hole, another major transition occurred.

In 2017, the business was acquired by Cohn Restaurant Group.

The restaurant group extensively remodeled the property.

The old dive-bar interior largely disappeared.

The menu changed dramatically.

But one important thing remained:

the Coaster Saloon name.

Coaster Saloon Becomes a Barbecue Restaurant

The modern version of Coaster Saloon is built heavily around Texas-style barbecue.

Brisket.

Ribs.

Smoked meats.

Craft beer.

Cocktails.

Sports on television.

It is a dramatically different environment from the 756 Club or old dive-bar Coaster.

But it is still sitting in almost the same extraordinary Mission Beach location.

The Bar Has Come Full Circle

The history of Coaster Saloon is really a history of Mission Beach changing around it.

First came the 756 Club.

Then the early-morning neighborhood bar.

Then Coaster Saloon.

Then the dive-bar years.

Then Reaganomics and packed live-music nights.

Then craft beer.

Then barbecue.

The business reinvented itself repeatedly.

But it never completely disappeared.

Still Across From the Giant Dipper

Perhaps the best part of the story is how little the basic geography has changed.

Walk outside today.

The Giant Dipper is still there.

Belmont Park is still there.

The Pacific Ocean is still only a short walk away.

Ventura Place is still filled with people.

The neighborhood looks cleaner and more expensive than it did decades ago.

But the little bar named after the roller coaster remains.

One Bar, Multiple Generations of Mission Beach

That longevity is what makes Coaster Saloon historically interesting.

It has existed through multiple versions of Mission Beach.

The old working-class beach community.

The rough years after Belmont Park closed.

The revival of the Giant Dipper.

The live-music era.

The rise of San Diego craft beer.

The modern tourism and restaurant boom.

Few businesses on the beach have witnessed that many versions of the neighborhood.

Frequently Asked Questions

How old is Coaster Saloon?

The bar’s history traces back to 1956, when the original establishment opened as the 756 Club.

Why was it called the 756 Club?

The name referred to the bar’s original address number. Longtime customers reportedly continued using the old 756 Club name even after it became Coaster Saloon.

When did it become Coaster Saloon?

The transition occurred around 1982–1983, when John Renna took over the business and renamed it after the nearby Giant Dipper roller coaster.

Was Coaster Saloon really a dive bar?

Yes. Older accounts and customer recollections consistently describe the original Coaster as an old-school Mission Beach dive bar, with longtime locals, surfers, sailors and a deliberately unpolished atmosphere.

Was Coaster Saloon ranked one of America’s best dive bars?

The strongest published reference we found says Maxim magazine included Coaster Saloon among America’s best beach bars. Many locals remember the recognition as a dive-bar ranking, which is understandable given the bar’s reputation at the time.

Did Reaganomics play regularly at Coaster Saloon?

Yes. Period entertainment listings document Reaganomics performing at Coaster Saloon in 2003, and by 2006 the band was being advertised for regular Friday-night performances.

Why are Reaganomics nights part of Nancy’s Vacation Rentals history?

Nancy’s Vacation Rentals owner Greg Ross was a member of Reaganomics. He remembers the band drawing huge crowds at the Coaster, with lines wrapping around the corner and extending down the block on busy nights.

What happened after the old dive-bar era?

After a 2007 kitchen fire, Coaster Saloon increasingly embraced San Diego’s craft-beer culture, eventually offering dozens of taps and focusing heavily on local breweries.

Who owns Coaster Saloon today?

The modern Coaster Saloon was acquired by Cohn Restaurant Group in 2017 and extensively remodeled into the barbecue-focused restaurant and sports bar operating today.

What to Look for When You Visit Today

If you visit Coaster Saloon now, it may be difficult to imagine what the room once looked like.

So look beyond the modern finishes.

Walk outside.

Look toward the Giant Dipper.

Picture Ventura Place decades ago.

Imagine surfers rolling up on skateboards.

Imagine a 6 a.m. happy hour.

Imagine the old “Mission Beach Zoo” sign.

And if you were there in the early 2000s:

imagine a Reaganomics night with the room packed and a line stretching around the corner.

San Diego Weird History Can Be Personal History Too

Not every piece of San Diego history happened a century ago.

Some of it happened in places many of us still remember.

At Nancy’s Vacation Rentals, we’ve spent more than 25 years working in Mission Beach, Pacific Beach and San Diego’s coastal neighborhoods.

Our San Diego Weird History series explores forgotten attractions, lost businesses, neighborhood legends and the stories hiding behind familiar places.

Coaster Saloon is one of those places.

It has been a neighborhood bar.

A dive.

A nationally recognized beach bar.

A packed live-music venue.

A craft-beer destination.

And now a modern barbecue restaurant.

Same corner. Same coaster. Completely different generations of Mission Beach history.

Stay in Mission Beach

Experience the Giant Dipper, Belmont Park, Mission Beach Boardwalk, the Pacific Ocean and the neighborhood stories that make this one of San Diego’s most iconic beach communities.

Explore Nancy’s Vacation Rentals

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