Cook’s Corner is considered to be one of the most famous biker bars in Southern California. It is located at the juncture of Santiago Canyon and Live Oak Canyon roads. Cook’s Corner was named after Andrew Jackson Cook, who got about 190 acres of Aliso Canyon in a land trade in 1884. In 1926, his son, Earl Jack “E.J.” Cook converted a cabin into a restaurant for miners and local ranchers. After Prohibition ended in 1933, alcohol began being sold, and Cook’s Corner became a full-fledged bar. In 1946, Cook bought an old mess hall from the Santa Ana Army Air Base and the tavern was born. In 1970, a Santa Ana motorcycle accessories owner purchased it and Cooks Corner was molded into what it represents today…an old-fashioned roadhouse. Cook’s (as it is normally referred) is still as rugged-looking as a World War II-era-mess-hall-turned-biker-bar should look.
