San Diego is an excellent place for relaxing on a sunny day with a drink in your hand after a hard day’s work. Luckily for all of us, the cocktail options are plentiful. Here are some of the greatest San Diego cocktail bars to visit for a drink if you’re in town.
False Idol — 675 W. Beech St., San Diego
Little Italy
This brand-new tiki bar is the hottest place in San Diego to grab a cocktail right now. False Idol is actually hidden within another establishment, Craft & Commerce, in Little Italy. Visitors pass through a metal door near the bar into a walk-in cooler before reaching False Idol’s cavernous chamber.
The vibe, according to the owner, is one of “perpetual twilight.” It’s like entering Legends of the Hidden Temple. There are wood carvings everywhere, fake skulls on sticks, water running down the walls and, last but not least, there’s fire. Real fire. Of course, the bar serves up delicious tropical-themed cocktails.
False Idol is truly one-of-a-kind and is absolutely worth a visit. Reservations are often booked full, but try to get in whenever you can.
El Dorado — 1030 Broadway, San Diego
Downtown
El Dorado is a long-standing downtown cocktail lounge with a Western vibe. It isn’t trying to be cool or hip, just comfortable. It’s important to note that it doesn’t open until 7 p.m. each night, so it’s not a good place for an after-work drink unless you’ve put in a long day.
Prices are super reasonable at El Dorado. In fact, every day is happy hour until 9 p.m., which means a signature cocktail is just $6. A six-dollar cocktail in San Diego is not an easy thing to find.
Noble Experiment — 777 G St., San Diego
East Village
Noble Experiment is another hidden spot, this one located behind a false door made of beer kegs inside Neighborhood, a stellar whiskey and craft beer-centric restaurant. The elegant, gothic-themed lounge boasts a crystal chandelier, oblique lighting, brass skulls and stark white booths. You don’t need a suit, but don’t dress like you’re headed to a dive bar — this is far from it.
Noble Experiment has never marketed itself beyond word-of-mouth. It is reservation only, so email the address or text the phone number here for a reservation.
Polite Provisions — 4696 30th St., San Diego
North Park
Polite Provisions sits at the northern end of 30th Street, the main corridor through some of San Diego’s hippest neighborhoods. This cocktail bar is sleek, with lots of white tile, shiny wood and brass accents. Hundreds of pennies are embedded into the bathroom floors. It’s quirky.
Polite Provisions has an extensive cocktail menu with something for everyone, whether you like stiff bourbon drinks or something fruity and refreshing. Many of the most popular cocktails are served on draft, which isn’t something you see everyday. You’ll also find a decent selection of craft beer on tap, most of it from local breweries.
Polite Provisions is connected inside with its next-door neighbor, Soda & Swine. There you can find delicious meatballs and other snacks, as well as a big selection craft sodas — great for a designated driver. You have one of those, right?
Rare Form — 795 J St., San Diego
East Village
While a popular place for a business power lunch or a to-go food order in the daytime, Rare Form transitions into a top-notch cocktail bar in the evening. Try the house whiskey cocktail — it’s like an old fashioned, but with chocolate and cherry flavors. The other cocktails are very creative, with extensive and unique combinations of ingredients (one, a sour cocktail, even has egg whites).
Rare Form is located mere feet from Petco Park, so if you’re catching a Padres game, consider swinging by for a drink before or after.
As a national hotspot for craft beer and home to these great cocktail bars, you can see why they call San Diego America’s Finest City. It’s a great place to live and work.
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