Baseball-Capped Crowd Sips From the Schooners at Mutt Lynch’s

If you work up a thirst out in the surf or up on the sand in Newport Beach, try quenching it at Mutt Lynch’s, a stone’s throw from the water at 23th Street on the Balboa Peninsula.

This beer hall and pizza parlor is where locals gather to relax, sip beers and play pool at one of two tables in an informal atmosphere accented by a cool sea breeze and thumping rock music from a compact disc jukebox. There’s often a wide mix of patrons, but the regular clientele is basically the short sleeves, shorts and baseball cap crowd.

The split-level pub, kept bright during the day by sunlight streaming through large windows overlooking the beach, offers both tables and bars on which to rest food, drinks and elbows. Decorated with colorful neon beer signs, the pub also offers the sports-minded the chance to prove their mettle at an air hockey table and basketball machine.

“You want to know why people come down here? The schooners,” said bar regular Phil Hardin, 29, pointing to the two 32-ounce beers on his table. “Not too many places have a fishbowl this size to drink beer out of.”

But that’s only part of the reason people come to Mutt Lynch’s. There is also an extensive menu that includes such selections as barbecued baby back ribs ($5.34), spaghetti and meatballs ($4.64), salads and a vast variety of sandwiches for less than $5, plus pizzas topped with tons of cheese and a tangy sauce ($10.21 for a 16-inch plain).

Draft beers such as Budweiser, Coors and Miller (as well as the light versions thereof), are served in 12-ounce mugs ($1.75), the aforementioned schooners ($4.25), and 60-ounce pitchers ($7.25). Other draft beers include Michelob, Molson, Heineken, Watney’s, Newcastle, Bass and Murphy’s Irish Stout, which run a few cents more for mugs and $1 or $2 more per pitcher. Domestic bottled beers start at $2.25 and imports fetch $4.50.

Mutt Lynch’s also sells wines and coolers by the glass ($2 to $2.75) and carafe ($6.75).

Mutt Lynch’s, 2300 W. Ocean Front, Newport Beach. Open Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to midnight, Friday and Saturday till 1 a.m. (714) 675-1556.