MISSION AND PACIFIC BEACH
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710 Beach Club
710 Garnet Ave., Pacific Beachwww.710beachclub.com
Here’s how we like to spend our Wednesday evenings: Arrive at the 710 Club around 6-ish, order a burger and fries from the in-house restaurant, proceed to kick some ass during Ed Decker’s Team Trivia Plus and then walk it off down Crystal Pier.
Australian Pub
1014 Grand Ave., Pacific Beachwww.australianpub.com
Escape from the usual P.B. scene at this low-key joint known for being a Green Bay Packers hangout.
Bar West
959 Hornblend St., Pacific Beachwww.barwestsd.com
You can move the swank of Downtown to P.B., but you can’t class up the P.B. clientele. Or can you?
Bare Back Bar & Grill
4640 Mission Blvd., Mission Beachwww.barebackgrill.com
The New Zealand-themed bar’s Mission Beach location is predictably less classy than its Downtown location. We wonder: Do they play only rugby matches on the TVs here?
The Beachcomber
2901 Mission Blvd., Mission Beach858-488-2644
A $1 you-call-it special on Thursdays (9 to 11 p.m.) and $2 beers on Fridays make this place a frat staple at times, but other days still belong to OMBAC (Old Mission Bay Athletic Club)—jacked old dudes.
Bub’s Dive Bar and Grill
1030 Garnet Ave., Pacific Beachwww.bubsdive.com
Peanut shells all over the floor, grilled cheese and tater-tots on the menu—it’s a lot like preschool, but with alcohol.
Cabo Cantina
1050 Garnet Ave., Pacific Beach858-270-0805
They make their own tequila! How nuts is that? Get the $6 beer-and-shot combo during happy hour (4 to 8 p.m., seven days a week) and give it a try.
’Canes
3105 Ocean Front Walk,Mission Beach
www.canesbarandgrill.com
You know things get hectic on a regular basis when a bar decides to serve its beer in plastic cups. Get a bunch of drunk, stoned reggae fans together, and you’ll definitely have a few dropped glasses.
Cass St. Bar & Grill
4612 Cass St., Pacific Beach858-270-1320
Just because this place is slightly more low-key than the average P.B. bar doesn’t mean it’s any less packed on Friday and Saturday nights. Here’s a suggestion: Pick a weekday, get there straight from work and enjoy inexpensive pitchers and a great teriyaki chicken sandwich.
Coaster Saloon
744 Ventura Place, Mission Beachwww.coastersaloon.com
During the past year, the Coaster has expanded its bar and added a massive projection screen (for sports, of course) and a couple of pool tables. So it’s no longer quite the spot it once was when it was considered by some the No. 1 dive bar.
Dave’s Tavern
2263 Garnet Ave., Pacific Beach858-273-9181
A Boston sports bar in the middle of P.B. Approach accordingly.
The Dog
4479 Everts St., Pacific Beach858-581-0149
Bros make derogatory comments about how the only girls to meet here take after the bar’s name. A bar where bros won’t hit on me? Priceless.
Firehouse
722 Grand Ave., Pacific Beachwww.firehousepb.com
Probably the classiest joint that’s literally on the beach, it tends to attract a slightly more sophisticated crowd than the rest of the P.B. bars—mainly because barmaster and co-owner Adam Stemmler has concocted a hell of a specialty cocktail list.
Froggy’s
954 Turquoise St., Pacific Beach858-488-8102
Froggy’s has good food, even veggie options, and froggies everywhere (natch). More importantly, it’s well off Garnet. Huzzah!
Good Time Charlie’s
910 Grand Ave., Pacific Beach858-274-3834
Charlie scoffs at one happy hour. That’s kids tuff. This bar has two happy hours a night (4 to 6 p.m. and 9 to 11 p.m.).
The Green Flash
701 Thomas Ave., Pacific Beach
www.greenflashrestaurant.com
People dig the view (it’s right across from the beach), but the full bar and popular brunch are what really bring out the hung-over vacationers.
Gringo’s Cocina y Cantina
4474 Mission Blvd., Pacific Beachwww.gringoscantina.com
Sunday brunch is $20 for all you can consume. Slop-tarts full of cheese and champagne abound.
Guava Beach Bar & Grill
3714 Mission Blvd., Mission Beach858-488-6688
www.guava-beach.com
A casual spot famous for its “Bionic Beaver”: A half-pitcher of beer + a half-pitcher Long Island + big-gulp straws for you and your friends = horrifying college flashbacks. Guava Beach is also another home of the Taco Tuesday tradition.
Johnny V’s
945 Garnet Ave., Pacific Beachwww.johnnyvsd.com
Casual sophistication meets coastal nightlife at Johnny V, P.B.’s super-sized nightclub and restaurant. It features California coastal cuisine with a beachy flair, and there’s a huge dance floor.
Lahaina Beach House
710 Oliver Ave., Pacific Beach858-270-3888
A Pacific Beach tradition—a simple bar with a wooden outdoor deck, beer on tap and a basic menu. People gather to gossip, drink and check out the action directly in front of them on the beach on sunny afternoons.
Latitude 32
5019 Cass St., Pacific Beach858-273-0501
No liquor, but still a great spot to hang out away from the P.B. circus. Drink a few brews and gobble up some of the recession specials.
London’s West End Pub
5157 La Jolla Blvd., Pacific Beachwww.thewestendpub.com
A friendly, neighborhood bar with a good vibe, this place is known for its cheap, stiff drinks, and it’s one of the few bars in the area that opens at 6 a.m.
Miller’s Field
4465 Mission Blvd., Pacific Beachwww.millersfield.com
A family-friendly sports bar with mostly barbeque and pizza on the menu. There are 25 flat-screen TVs and turtle racing on Monday nights after 10 p.m.
Moondoggies
832 Garnet Ave., Pacific Beachwww.moondoggies.com
As the slightly more distinguished cousin to the next-door P.B. Bar & Grill, Moondoggies is a popular college hangout in the evenings, but doubles as a rowdy sports bar during the daytime.
Nick’s at the Beach
809 Thomas Ave., Pacific Beachwww.nicksatthebeach.com
A casual, family dining atmosphere downstairs and a sports bar with pool tables, a juke box and 20 TVs upstairs. Great view of the ocean and a menu with good seafood.
Nite Owl Cocktail Lounge
2772 Garnet Ave., Pacific Beach858-274-3676
This ancient-looking dive close to the corner of Garnet and Mission Bay Drive is totally removed from the P.B. strip, as evidenced by the relatively weathered clientele. And like any true dive bar, they only have bottled beers.
Open Bar
4302 Mission Blvd., Mission Beach858-270-3221
The Open Bar is known for two things: the big outdoor patio and the popcorn machine. Germophobes beware!
Pacific Beach Bar & Grill
860 Garnet Ave., Pacific Beachwww.pbbarandgrill.com
This super-sized bar plays host to more youthful bumping and grinding than an R. Kelly song. Hundreds of college students and beach bums every weekend can’t be wrong, right?
P.B. Pub
4471 Gresham St., Pacific Beach858-274-9090
The floors might be a little sticky and the smell slightly funny, but this dive makes up for it with cheap drinks, an awesome jukebox and a great staff that’ll shake you up something as long as you have the cash.
P.B. Shore Club
4343 Ocean Blvd., Pacific Beachwww.pbshoreclub.com
A bar steps from the beach with a great sunset view and big windows that open up to the beach. Plenty of flatscreen TVs and Wednesday-night gold fish racing.
The Pennant
2893 Mission Blvd., Mission Beachwww.pennantbar.com
This classic beach dive has been here since 1962 and hasn’t changed a whole lot since. Mostly locals, Miller Light and beach trunks.
Plum Crazy Saloon
1060 Garnet Ave., Pacific Beachwww.plumcrazypb.com
It’s hard to figure out why this place is always packed with very attractive young women on Friday and Saturday nights. We’d like to imagine it’s because of the drink specials, but somehow, that can’t explain the mystery away.
RT’s Longboard Grill
1466 Garnet Ave., Pacific Beachwww.myspace.com/longboardgrill
This popular P.B. joint is a cross between a sports bar and a surfer-dude hangout that’s a great place for lunch. Taco Tuesdays and live music six nights a week.
Sandbar Sports Grill
718 Ventura Place, Mission Beachwww.sandbarsportsgrill.com
A fairly typical sports bar, the Sandbar is mixing up the specials this year with the “Drink Exchange.” On Thursdays and Sundays prices rise and fall in a simulated, drunken stock market. More fun than the real economy.
Silver Fox
833 Garnet Ave., Pacific Beachwww.silverfoxlounge.com
In last year’s Bars and Clubs issue, we suggested that this is the best bar in Pacific Beach. Guess what? Not much has changed.
Sinbad Café & Hookah Bar
1050 Garnet Ave., Suite B, Pacific Beachwww.sinbadcafe.com
The only hookah bar in P.B. A combined café and hookah bar that offers a relaxed atmosphere geared toward the 18-plus college crowd. All-day happy hours on Monday and Wednesday.
Sneak Joint
3844 Mission Blvd., Mission Beachwww.sneakjointsd.com
It’s hard to replace the Liars Club—which used to grace this spot—but Sneak Joint is trying its hardest with skate-deck decorations, bikini-clad waitresses and the ever-popular tater-tots.
Society Billiards Cafe
1051 Garnet Ave., Pacific Beach858-272-7665
It’s right on the P.B. strip, but this isn’t the place to come when you want to get blackout drunk. Be slightly more sophisticated—socialize, casually sip on a cocktail and play some pool.
The Tap Room
1269 Garnet Ave., Pacific Beachwww.pbtaproom.com
This large, sit-down pizza house gets our approval for carrying nothing but local beers.
Tavern at the Beach
1200 Garnet Ave., Pacific Beachwww.tavernatthebeach.com
Tavern is the ideal place for college students to get sloppy, with Kanye West and Flo Rida videos blaring across dozens of TV screens nearly every night.
Thrusters Lounge
4633 Mission Blvd., Pacific Beachwww.thrusterslounge.com
This smaller bar is filled with locals, making it feel more like a house party than a nightclub. For whatever reason, it’s also known for being a Seattle Seahawks bar.
Tiki House
1152 Garnet Ave., Pacific Beachwww.tikipb.com
The oldest bar in P.B. has the long-standing tradition of being the locals’ beer and wine bar. Consistent live music six nights a week, and it only books local acts.
TOWER @ Tower23
723 Felspar St., Pacific Beachwww.tower23hotel.com
The lighting at this beach-chic bar changes color to the beat of the music, so it might not be the best place to bring your epileptic friend. And it’s probably the only place in P.B. where you’ll find cougars freely mixing with deep-pocketed bros.
Tropicoso
1261 Garnet Ave., Pacific Beach858-270-5100
Where the reggaeton blasts all night and the smell of bad cologne is overpowering.
The Turquoise
873 Turquoise St., Pacific Beachwww.cafeturquoise.com
With the feeling of the small, local bars of southern Europe, this café and bar offers live cabaret-type performances every night of the week.
Typhoon Saloon
1165 Garnet Ave., Pacific Beachwww.typhoonsaloon.com
A sports bar and a nightclub geared toward the college crowd, it offers a variety of events such as Taco Tuesdays and Wednesday Metal Night with ’80s cover bands.
The Wave House
3125 Ocean Front Walk, Mission Beachwww.wavehouse.com
In exchange for $40, you can attempt to ride a standing wave in front of a bunch of people—then get a beer to assuage your humiliation.
