San Diego
Bar Guide

San Diego's original entertainment district gets a worse reputation than it deserves. Yes, the weekend crowds are intense. But the quarter also holds some of the city's best cocktail bars, several of which operate behind unmarked doors or on upper floors where the tourist traffic thins out. False Idol, Craft & Commerce, and The Grass Skirt are all within a block of each other. Go Tuesday through Thursday for the full experience without the noise.

This is where San Diego's locals actually drink. University Avenue between 30th and Iowa has more independent bars per block than anywhere else in the city. The craft beer scene here helped put San Diego on the national brewing map. Bottle shops, taprooms, and dive bars all compete for the same sidewalk, and most close well after midnight. North Park rewards the curious drinker who arrives without a plan.

The Saturday Farmers Market turned Little Italy into a destination, and the bar scene followed. India Street is the main artery, running south from the marina with restaurants and bars stacked on both sides. The crowd here is older and more design-conscious than North Park. Wine bars and aperitivo spots have multiplied in recent years. Raised by Wolves set up shop here and drew cocktail tourists from across Southern California.

Pacific Beach runs loud and casual, which is exactly what it is supposed to do. Garnet Avenue is the artery, and it delivers exactly what you want from a beach-town bar strip: dive bars, sports bars, a few surprisingly decent cocktail spots, and late hours every night of the week. The crowd is young and the tabs are low. Nobody in PB is pretending to be somewhere else.

East of the Gaslamp, the East Village has developed a quieter, more interesting bar scene over the past decade. Petco Park brings crowds on game nights, but away from the ballpark, the neighbourhood holds several excellent craft cocktail spots and gastropubs that draw a professional crowd after work. Bar Basic and Coin-Op are both solid anchors on a neighbourhood bar crawl.

Mission Hills does not advertise itself and that is precisely its appeal. The bars along Washington Street serve the neighbourhood rather than visitors, which means better service, more interesting regulars, and none of the Gaslamp noise. The Ritual Tavern and Harney Sushi's bar are standouts. Come here for a proper drink before heading somewhere louder.