50 Best Bars in San Diego

“Normally I like to keep gems like this to myself, but walking through literal back alleys in San Diego to be introduced to this incredible Hi-Fi listening speakeasy was just too awesome and I hope everyone I love gets a chance to get on the reservation list, stat. I'm a speakeasy veteran with a coast to coast cocktail sipping resume that spans from SF to Boston and New Orleans to Chicago, and this spot has definitely landed in my top ten. The atmosphere, the staff, the tunes, and the drinks are all so special and perfectly curated for maximum delight. Every aspect of CMB is comfortable and balanced, and so very easy to enjoy. They found a great groove and kept it going.“

“Great food, service, atmosphere, and view.“

“Excellent food and very good service. Everything was delicious and the portions were huge. It was expensive for breakfast, but great for a special occasion.“

“**ABSOLUTELY loved coming here!**

This summer, I’ve been on a mission to rediscover great happy hours around San Diego—especially those with amazing oyster deals. I randomly heard about **Mabel’s Gone Fishing** as a spot to check out, and on a whim, my little one and I decided to stop by right at 4 PM.

We didn’t have a reservation but arrived just in time to grab a seat outside. The outdoor setup immediately gave off a charming European vibe—reminiscent of a Paris café, with chairs facing the street, perfect for people-watching. (The decor, chairs, and tables instantly brought back Paris memories!)

**Big tip: Make a reservation**—this place fills up fast!

Even though only the happy hour menu was available (dinner service starts later), it didn’t disappoint. We ordered:

* A dozen oysters (half-price!)
* The Spanish tortilla
* And we got lucky—they happened to have caviar available!

I paired the oysters with a glass of bubbly Pinot Noir Brut from Catalonia, Spain—absolutely perfect. The gin and tonic cocktail was also refreshing and well-balanced.

Now for the surprise: my 5-year-old daughter, who has a funny and ever-evolving palate, *loved* the bread and butter... but even more shockingly, **devoured the caviar**! A first for her—and possibly a very expensive new habit for me, haha! She even tried an oyster but wasn’t quite ready for the texture—still, she gave it a go.

The oysters were fresh, with a great variety from three different regions. The service was excellent—friendly, attentive, and knowledgeable. The sommelier (who was also working the host stand!) was fantastic and clearly passionate about the wine list. Bonus: many of their wine selections are available for purchase next door.

I’ll definitely be coming back before summer ends—this time for dinner!“

“My husband and I had the absolute pleasure to dine at Juniper and Ivy for our 33 year anniversary. Not only did they have special menus for us, but we had a complete and very special experience start to finish.The staff were so welcoming and knowledgeable. We had what I would consider the best seats in the restaurant. We sat up at the kitchen bar, and were treated to an amazing dinner and “show “ The kitchen crew were so impressive and friendly to each other and us. We had such a great experience, that we canceled reservations at another restaurant on the same block for later in the week, so we could come back and try more. Same amazing experience at the next visit. Highly recommend, when we come back to SD we will prioritize another visit. Thank you so much for such a great experience!“

“Craft Bar Kamon is a speakeasy inside a Japanese bakery. It's on the smaller side with bar seating and maybe 15 tables. Three of us sat on the corner of the bar so we could talk. I'm very glad we sat at the bar as the bartender (Amadeus) was amazing. I would highly recommend sitting at the bar since the bartenders are incredibly knowledgable and fun to talk to. You won't get the same experience at a table. We had 6 different drinks among us so we could experience more of their craft cocktails. The clear winners were the Midnight Train to Shinjuku (a Japanese take on a spicy margarita) and the Lucky Goat (a goat cheese infused gin drink that had only a hint of goat cheese). For food, we had the Honey Koji Buffalo Cauliflower, Mediterranean Harumaki, Ceviche and the A5 Wagyu Surf and Turf Roll. The ceviche was the clear winner. It was excellent but definitely spicy. The harumaki was very good if you like lamb. The cauliflower was good but could have been crispier with more buffalo flavoring. The A5 surf and turf roll was good but it was a tad boring from a flavor perspective. Overall, we really enjoyed Bar Kamon and will definitely go back. It's a fun vibe with amazing bartenders and drinks.“

“Fabulous oysters! Definitely worth the wait!“

“Fun atmosphere, fun drinks and great staff!“

“Absolutely amazing atmosphere, 10/10 service, and bomb drinks. What more could you want. Easily one of the best tiki bars period.“

“One of my favorite bars in San Diego! They’ve got pretty much any whiskey you can think of, and the staff makes you feel right at home. Special shoutout to Lee — hands down one of the best bartenders in town.

There’s a fun arcade room, pool tables, and a laid-back outdoor patio with a local food truck. And I almost forgot — they have free popcorn! Solid vibes all around.“

“Very delicious food, and good service.

Food: We had the duck curry noodles and charred pork fried rice. The duck curry was by far the best as it had much more interesting flavors. The second dish was okay, though flavor profile wise it wasn’t as exciting—if I’d recommend one over the other I’d say go for the duck! But both are good. We also had fried wings as appetizers, that was also amazing and the sauce was great.

Service: A bit slow. They were really accommodating about us changing our reservation time to move it up earlier in the night. This we appreciated. But it looked like there was only 1 server and two bussers(?) servicing the whole place. Even though it was a weeknight, it still felt understaffed. Even though the service provided by our server was amazing when we had him, unfortunately he was busy half the time. And food took 30-40 minutes to come out, so I suspect the kitchen had the same issue. If this is a common occurrence then I believe the business owner should have more people on staff if they want to improve the service. I don’t blame our waiter, moreso whoever’s managing the schedules.“

“What a fantastic place! Food was excellent and great proportions, likely the best flatbread I’ve ever had. Staff were friendly and knowledgeable. Would highly recommend and will return if in the area again.“

“I had an early dinner with my partner. We had a reserved table on the patio and the weather was perfect. We were warmly greeted by all the staff and made to feel welcome. 0ur waitress/server was so nice and made our evening so special. Several of the staff checked in on as as well and had pleasant conversations. The food/drinks were delicious and very prompt. It was so good we ordered a second serving! The prices were modest and we felt really good about our evening out. I recommend Happy Medium and will be a repeat customer.“

“this is an excellent spot for good conversation and relaxation. The bartendar Anna is great. She does a great job of explaining HOW to drink the special drinks they make, takes her time to help us make the right decisions and is very friendly. i highly recommend this place for a relaxing night.“

“Hated that my friend who was over fifty was refused to be served bec she forgot her ID. Really guys. I get the need to card ppl but at some point it is more flattering then necessary.“

“You can't call it a dive bar when they have $300 bourbons on the shelf! Erin is great. We went there twice and will probably go back again later. And there are pinball machines and a pool table and other arcade games. Fun place.“

“Love the food joint that’s been added to this bar. Amazing food and people!“

“Best burger ever. Juicy and perfect, don’t mess with it. Thick slice of tomato and onion lettuce mayo and sesame bun. It’s awesome!!!“

“Phenomenal food! Great atmosphere, kid friendly!“

“Great all around dining experience.“

“Definitely some good Negronis and cured meats. I only came in here for the drinks, but loved the vibe of the place and the Negronis were well made and well priced. Some great deals (including their meal deal that has a slider!) and their 3 espresso martini deal for $25.

I’d come back! Would love to try some of their full sandwich options next time.“

“Cocktails are great and the kale salad cannot be missed. I've just found on the last few visits the pizzas and patas are very tired though and haven't been changed in so long. Menu needs a little liven up. Wine by the ounce is so good though!“

“I have to compliment the Bar manager and GM who were working hard for us on a random monday night. Both were attentive and so pleasant :) Ive been to Tahona twice now and their birra taco is still my favorite. Also loved their speakeasy experience - excellent and unique cocktails!“

“Everything about Fernside is great!“

“Every time I come in here, I wonder why I don't come more often. (Possibly the atmosphere, it's clean but not the coziest. No music or TV, not much to look at.) But the food, wow! I always get three different tacos, they're all loaded with such amazing flavors and textures. The fresh salsas are also spectacular. I need to start making this a weekly visit.“

“Best Sports bar in North Park! Food is fabulous, great drink selection, and they show soccer women’s soccer (with sound!!!)“

“🙂👍 Manny's an awesome bartender!“

“Excellent drinks.. beautiful view…come on down!!“

“Super fun place to celebrate anything!“

“One of the best speakeasy’s I’ve ever been to. Been to several in LA, SF, Vegas, Miami, and NYC and this one compares. So glad that it’s in my city! Speakeasy’s are the way to go! Bravo 👏🏻“

“We went here for our last day of school teacher get to get her. It was a nice atmosphere but when we arrived the bar tender was not very happy a bunch of people were showing up. He tried to make us all pay on one bill which was impossible as we had 30+ teacher come and go over a few hours. Other the the bar tender being rude, the place was great“

“Old dive bar! Been goin here for awhile… 25 plus years! Xoxox.. glad they cleaned it up but kept the dive feel“

“🙂👍 Rachel does a great job!“

“Youngblood no longer offers all 3 personalized cocktails, there are menu options for the first drink, personalized one for the second, and menu choices for the third. It's still really good, and I definitely recommend going. I rated the food as mid range, but there's no food available. That's why the mid range rating.“

“Great place for food, drinks and games. Have a wonderful time.“

“This is my favorite hole in the wall bar in Logan. Best michelada, great music, someones always putting money in the jukebox and corridos always playing. Plus they have a small pool table in there. CASH ONLY THO! Plus they have regular beer only no craft stuff like all the other bars do...“

“Spectacular.💯 Amazing views of Petco. Great staff.“

“Our first time to visit Nicolosi's and we loved it! Went to the Gaslamp location - a short walk from our home. We got there in time to try the Happy Hour appetizers offered so we opted for a pepperoni pizza to start. Four pieces - just the right amount to share with our friends. It was delicious! The crust was perfect - thin but still some chew to it and really good. We will definitely keep this place in mind when seeking out pizza again! I had the trio pasta dish - spaghetti, lasagna & raviolis - I must say the best raviolis I've ever had. One was meat-filled and the other cheese and I'd go back for the meat-filled anytime! My husband had the spaghetti & meatballs and he really enjoyed it. Our friends - one had the chicken, peppers & linguine and the other the chicken marsala - both loved their choices. I would say you can't go wrong with whatever you select! The place wasn't busy at all though for a Friday night - too bad! I hope they make it in the Gaslamp!“

“Great beer selection awesome vibes and great service“

“Depending on the day you will see some seedy characters. People of the streets often frequent this bar. But it is a neighborhood bar and the drinks are inexpensive and have a decent amount of alcohol in them. It is worth it to stop by and have a drink or two after a hard day.“

“disclaimer, this is a bathroom review, line was short, bathroom was clean, plenty of soap, toilet covers and paper towels, toilet paper. Very colorful graffiti, lots of character in this bathroom. Overall fun and safe vibes, and the bathroom itself is pretty quiet if you even just need a little moment of peace✨️
would definitely come back to hang out with a drink. really lively, everyone seems like they're having a good time, people playing pool and being outgoing.“

“A great spot nestled between a taco shop and laundromat.

Quick drinks and heavy pours.

I used to drop in here with coworkers during breaks lol. Don't tell anyone!

Remember to tip well.“

“Great service great food will be back soon.“

“It’s definitely was a 10 & 5 ⭐️ for sure! Our server Sarah was an absolute delight & very accommodating! The food delish.. the escargot was a first & I thoroughly enjoyed (my brother a baby & missed the experience) more for me! All of the food definitely top notch!“

“Cool Spot! Always an interesting spot to hang out, have a few pops and people watch...“

“Great staff, great atmosphere, great karaoke!“

“First time back in 19 years to what used to be our Tuesday date night spot. Still a great bar.“

“What an amazingly beautiful experience! We had Edgar as our waiter and he was attentive and accommodating. Made great suggestions and even brought out a birthday celebration for all of us to share for my sisters birthday! Between the wedding about to start in the courtyard and the ocean breeze it was very memorable!“

“Had a great time for Mother’s Day. The food was great & all of the wait staff were great.“

“Best dive bar in San Diego“