Suds Surf City Sports Grill

With billiards, a jukebox, and attentive bartenders and wait-staff, Suds & Spirits Surf City Sports Grill is a classic sports pub with a casual atmosphere, that attracts a local crowd.

The first thing you’ll notice when you walk into Suds is that your eyes have to adjust to the darkness. There are lights, but the place is a bit of a bunker, with low ceilings, dim lighting and little-to-no natural light or air getting in.

It’s a great sports pub though: a dozen beers on tap, full bar, friendly bartenders and conversational atmosphere. Suds is a lively place, with billiards, darts and arcade games, a jukebox and TVs everywhere. There is, of course, the local crowd who arrive early and sit close to the bar. And things can get pretty hoppin’ -- and loud -- in Suds during a good happy hour rush, “drinking holidays” and sporting events.

Beers on tap include Miller Light, Coors Light, Bud Light, Mad River Extra Pale Ale, Bootlegger’s Hefeweizen, Guinness, Lost Coast Great White, Lost Coast Tangerine Wheat, Stone’s Arrogant Bastard, Stone’s IPA, Stella Artois, and Palm’s Belgian Amber. The pour on mixed drinks is generous and, as is typical of any good bartender, patrons are subtly encouraged to imbibe liberally.

Happy hour at Suds is Monday-Friday, from 3:00 - 6:00 p.m., with half-off appetizers, $2.50 domestic drafts and $3.00 well drinks. Suds is actually pretty specials-happy with other specials including 2-for-1 burgers on Wednesdays, a Sunday through Wednesday pizza special, a Monday through Friday lunch special, $2 tacos and $2.50 domestic pints on “Two-Dollar Tuesday,” and 2-for-1 steak dinners, $3 bloody marys and $2 PBR cans as the “Sunday Surprise.”

While there is an extensive Americana menu, it’s impossible to mistake Suds for a gastro-pub. The food is only there to provide something to eat, so you can stay longer and drink more. The pizza, burgers, buffalo wings and onion rings are favorites, probably because they are the best options, and even then, they aren’t great.

Suds is not exactly a family restaurant, but it can be expected that families with children will come in from time to time. This is not an every day occurrence and no one seems to be bothered by this, but as a parent who enjoys the occasional night out, it’s nice when the local pub is relatively kid friendly. The kids generally enjoy the games and people watching, while their parents get to unwind without having to pay a sitter.

Suds Sports Grill is one of the best bars in Huntington Beach and a favorite of West H.B. locals. It’s a place you can relax after a long day, have a conversation and a with the other patrons, watch a game with a pint of beer.