42 Best Bar & Grill near La Mesa

“1st time here & I will definitely be back! Food was delicious & well presented. Good drinks & bomb hot sauces to chose from. Everyone is extremely friendly & positive vibes.. There’s nothing better then walking in a place of business feeling so welcome.“

“All the staff here are AMAZING! They have been such a great staff and has welcomed me and my daughter since day 1. The buffalo chicken strips are amazing along with the blue cheese side which is phenomenal and the steak fries are so good. Burgers are amazing too. Love Johnny B’s!“

“Great burgers, quick service. Good value for money.“

“Great Brunch and John is an amazing bartender.“

“This was a great lunch spot! We stopped in around 3pm on a Friday. An employee greeted us when we walked up to explain how everything worked. It's an entirely outdoor restaurant. The tables on the exterior look out into the central square. There is a ton of seating. You order your food at the counter, get a number and your drinks and sit down. People will come by to give you napkins and utensils.

We ordered a Park Burger, a beer and a double chocolate ice cream sandwich. The burger was cooked medium well (as I requested) and it was delicious! They put pickles and onions on the side. There was a generous portion of french fries to go with it as well. The beer was quite large (12oz I believe) and cost $9. The ice cream sandwich was rather small and cost $8 but it was plenty sweet to satisfy a craving.

When we were ordering, my husband couldn't decide on which dark beer to get out of two choices, so the person taking our order offered him a sample of each before we finished our order so he could choose one. We were really impressed by how friendly and charming all of the servers were. My husband and I unexpectedly decided to split the burger, and someone came by and gave us another plate to help split the food. I really enjoyed my experience here. If we lived in the area, we'd definitely be back! Great San Diego lunch spot. Highly recommend.“

“I love the food at this restaurant.“

“Visiting my son before his deployment. The owner went out of his way to take care of us. I would highly recommend any military family to visit here. Food was very good too.“

“Had the most amazing Polish cuisine I’ve had since dining in my Polish Grandmother’s kitchen! Can’t recommend this restaurant highly enough!“

“......what an incredibly tasty delicious burger i had here, again when the nephew from texas was visiting........imagine in and out is upscale and better......well, this is THE burger..........literally mops the floor with all the other burgers in san diego, da-yum this was da-good.........and we sat outside under an umbrella on compact metal furniture with an incredible bay view right in front of us........so san diego, this joint...........“

“Exactly what you want from your neighborhood bar/tavern: no frills good food, good drinks, friendly and quick service, and good vibes. My kid enjoyed playing on the gravel (wish we had brought his trucks though!). All was well 😄“

“I picked up some ribs and a sandwich for dinner last night and the food was awesome as always. Portions were big enough that I had leftovers. Corbin O'Reilly and Vince always make me feel special!“

“Good food. Great service !“

“Was here for pride weekend, truly thought I saw god in the bartenders hands as they were pouring my drinks 10/10“

“Fun with my family from Colorado and local.“

“Outstanding service and food was very good! Great atmosphere 😊“

“Excellent sports bar to hang out with friends. The place was very clean and well maintained. The service was outstanding, and the waitresses were friendly, attentive, and made us feel welcome throughout our visit.

One of the best features is the large number of TVs, making it easy to watch multiple sporting events at the same time. They also have a great selection of beers, cocktails, and other drinks.

The food isn’t meant to be gourmet, but it’s tasty, the portions are very generous, and it’s definitely a great value for the price.

My friends and I had a great time watching a soccer match, and the atmosphere was fun and energetic. I highly recommend it for groups of friends or anyone looking to enjoy sports with good food and drinks.

The only downside is that parking can be a little difficult in the afternoon since the parking lot is shared with several nearby businesses.

I highly recommend this place for adults, but I wouldn’t recommend it for children or minors, as it’s clearly geared toward an adult crowd.“

“🙂👍 Jessica does a great job!“

“Great staff, great food.... one if San Diegos hidden gems!!“

“Its a fun little place to go to before Padre games .. Dorothy ( I think thats her name ) is an AWESOME bartender.. The guy on the grill was funny too .. he can grill a burger 🍔 thats for sure !!“

“Carlton Oaks is a gorgeous venue with a wonderful staff. Gwen is a cheerful and fun server and my new friend💃…PLUS the food is delicious!“

“Chef Julie’s Cajun Seafood Night is absolutely unreal. Every single bite was perfectly cooked, packed with flavor, and straight-up transported me to New Orleans. The seasoning is spot on, the seafood is tender, and you can taste the love and skill in every dish. This wasn’t just dinner—it was an experience. Chef Julie seriously deserves her own Michelin star. I would come back again and again without hesitation.“

“I am so grateful that the locals shared this gem with me. The Smoking Gun has a very generous happy hour from 3 to 7 on weekdays, and the best hamburger in town. They call it the Butter Burger, and it is delicious.

The staff is friendly and attentive, and it is quite the gathering spot. I think they have a late-night happy hour as well for the people in the industry. It's sort of a sports bar with great TVs, pool tables, and ping pong. It's an absolute must when you're in San Diego. I love me some Smoking Gun XOX“

“Love the food“

“Just after Christmas, we were in town for the new year and the Seahawks had a football game against the 49ers so we went to our place bar and Grill and had a fantastic time. The people were great. The food was great. The owners were great. I highly highly recommend we have been to numerous Seahawks bars Across the United States and by far this one was the best.“

“This place is most certainly a dive bar in all the best ways. I heard they had amazing fried pickles and it did not disappoint. Probably some of the best fried pickles I’ve ever had. I also order a small nacho to go, I don’t know what they put in their “spicy” cheese but it was so hot I thought my gums were bleeding and I had to abandon the food. It was busy so unless you walked up and stood at the bar it was difficult to get service. They also give you a vibrating tag that lets you know when your food is ready and you have to walk down to collect it. I also heard someone say they do karaoke every day at 7pm. I’d definitely come here again.“

“Food was delicious and the whole family loved it.
I got stopped at the door for a weird reason but because of it I would give 10 stars. I was asked what I was getting and doing because the gentleman noticed I had my kids with me, he said he couldn't allow me to go to the bar but I could order food. Way to look out for those kids I respect the man and the business just for looking out for the kids good job!!“

“We only recently learned about Sal's Cantina and we were eager to try the food. The space is great (which is shared with Rosemary & Thyme in the morning), especially the very comfortable outdoor garden patio. Sal was very friendly and provided great, attentive service. And the food was delicious! I ordered a birria taco, a pollo asado taco, with beans and rice. My friend had a birria enchilada (not on the menu, but Sal fixed it up for us). All of the food was fresh and great quality. We also were greeted with complimentary chips and salsa, which was a great starter with our passionfruit margaritas. One high note, all of the food was lightly salted, which is something I very much appreciated. It's easy to add salt if you want more, but too many restaurants over-salt, and you can't do anything to lessen that after the fact. We will definitely be back!

Parking: Sal's doesn't have any dedicated parking. You can choose from metered parking along University Ave, or look for free street parking along the side streets. Pretty much the same for many Hillcrest restaurants.“

“Fantastic staff and the food was delicious!!“

“I found the food to be delicious with a variety of choices from the buffet of which there are two to choose from. The Chef will often make a different scrambled egg besides the traditional one so there is a second choice. The service is outstanding with friendly staff. I enjoyed this breakfast very much.“

“The Fish and Chips, Fish Tacos“

“Overall excellent steak dinner“

“Great local vibe. Competent staff...friendly. Wings and Philly quesadilla were wow. I needed a chill night on my travels and they delivered Cool dive bar experience.“

“The Shamrock drink I had for St. Patrick's day was DELICIOUS!!!! My kids don't eat meat off the bone; however, my son devoured the bone-in wings. The XL pretzel was my favorite. Shrimp cocktail was also good, as well as the Carne Asade taco.“

“Great spot, especially for lunch and early dinner. 11-2pm lunch specials. 1:30-5:30pm happy hour. Love their burgers, Flatbread, mozzarella sticks, potato skins, tuna melt. Good food at low prices, under $10, or under $15 a person yet the quality is good. Also their fountain drinks are made strong.“

“Great Food, Awesome Music, Too Much Fun!“

“Such a great venue! Loved it!“

“We realized, as we arrived at the Hard Rock Hotel, that the Omni was a far better choice. But our group reservation was at the Hard Rock. Some phone calls were made; Noah, the manager at the Omni was consulted; and everything was sorted out to allow us to upgrade to the Omni. What was amazing? The price (a bit less than Hard Rock, I think) and the pool. But Noah’s kindness ranks even higher. Our stay was a pleasure, and we would be happy to return.“

“I was only here for a few minutes in the early afternoon, so there wasn't very much excitement happening. But the bartender was incredibly nice and very helpful.
It must be a great place though because when they are busy, they are BUSY!“

“They found my FitBit watch & held it for me. Thankful“

“I recently visited this Mediterranean restaurant and I was blown away by the amazing food and atmosphere. The portions were generous and everything tasted absolutely delicious. If you're looking for a satisfying meal that won't leave you feeling hungry, this is definitely the place to go.What really sets this restaurant apart is the entertainment they provide. They have a singer perform almost every weekend, which adds a fun and lively atmosphere to the dining experience. It's a great place to come with friends and family for a night out.Another highlight of this restaurant is their $40 buffet that's available Thursday to Sunday during Ramadan. While the selection of dishes was good, I did feel that the price was a little on the high side considering the limited selections they have in the buffet. However, the quality of the food more than made up for it.The service was excellent and the staff were friendly and accommodating. They were happy to explain the different dishes on the menu and offer recommendations based on our preferences.Overall, I highly recommend this Mediterranean restaurant for anyone looking for a great meal and a fun night out. Whether you're a fan of Middle Eastern cuisine or just looking for something new, this place is definitely worth a visit.“

“The host Joseph was the best I've encountered. I come to this location quite frequently. Please keep him for as long as possible. He is not only great at his position, but make sure every guest gets what they need. Some of the best personal service I had for any customer service employee for any of the businesses I've been to recently. He gets 10 stars out of 5.“

“Thank you for an invitation Chris, THE bartender. A fun fabulous entertaining experience. Staff, an authentically hospitable team. ����� Coming up is my 50th years young birthday, it's the spot.“