|
The Gaslamp Quarter's Bars
and Clubs!
Upstairs and down,
On Broadway is a cool club and hot hangout.
In the heart of downtown, along historic
streets built by a visionary man named Horton, is a 16 1/2-block area
with enough nightlife to make even Dennis Rodman drool.
It's called the Gaslamp Quarter and in many ways it resembles a lively
area of a similar name in another city. Each has several bars, restaurants
and shopping spots in an easily-walkable space. But the Gaslamp Quarter
is far more civilized than New
Orleans' French Quarter. And with the opening of Petco Park
(regardless of how well the home Padres perform), it's only getting
better.
The Gaslamp is the center of San Diego's dance clubs. It also has so
many Irish pubs one might be led to wonder if they wandered off to Dublin.
There's a touch of
London here, too; some of the restaurants turn into lively
bars and mini-clubs after the kitchens close at 11.
Sprinkled in this mix are upscale bars, some dive joints and a couple
of cantinas. The guy-to-girl ratio in the pubs is about 60/40 while
it's more of an even match in the clubs.
The presence of the clubs means it's mainy a dressy area. Not overdressed,
mind you – remember, this is San Diego – but jeans and slacks
are as prominent here as are sandals and shorts in nearby Pacific
Beach. The clubs have big-city cover charges ($7-15; most
of them are $10) so club hopping can get pricey after a while. However,
most places compensate for this by offering a multitude of scenes under
one roof – dancing, a standing bar, a lounge area and so forth,
so that a single club is often enough entertainment for one night. Most
wave the cover with dinner.
It would be easy to assume that the prevailing clubby atmosphere comes
with out of control attitudes. But while the doormen are all dressed
in black jackets with earpieces dangling down their sides, again, this
is San Diego. So, the laid-back persona prevails.
This guide does not contain all the bars in the Gaslamp; you could
do that on your own by walking through the Quarter. Rather, it focuses
on the the popular places that are the most happening or contain the
best singles action.
Pubs
The smiling
staff make Tivoli's a dive bar destination.
Did we make a wrong turn and wind up in Dublin? For some reason, the
Gaslamp Quarter is crawling with Irish pubs. There is Dublin Square,
which has the look and feel of an actual Dublin square. A long-standing
California beach tradition is Hennessey's Tavern. The Blarney
Stone Pub has a small outdoor area and two bars inside. And then
there is The Field, shipped piece by piece from Irleand. Talk
about a commitment!
Among all the pubs, Dublin Square is consistently the most crowded.
The Blarney has the most popular pub patio. Hennessey's is as comfortable
as your living room, as casual a place as can be found downtown. It
also has the Best Breakfast in the Gaslamp.
A fun hybrid is Henry's. It's half pub, half dance bar. The
music is modern tunes mixed in with party classics. The crowd is early
to mid-20s, tops. The prevailing mood is definitely pub with a bit of
Daytona Beach Spring Break revelry on the side. The DJ even sounds as
if he has worked a poolside wet t-shirt contest or two. The cover is
$3 on Fridays and $5 on Saturdays (free for girls) and no fancy dress
code is in effect. For those who want some club elements combined in
a casual setting, this is your place.
Those in search of a dive bar need to look no further than the Star
Bar (E Street). It's a local legend that, despite getting somewhat
popular, still has its cast of shady characters. It's the kind of place
that will make you want to wash your shoes after leaving. Tivoli
(just outside of the well-paved pedestrian paths at 6th and Island)
is another dive with a crowd of 20s-40s basic bar lovers. The small
(and we do mean small) patio is a prime people-watching spot during
Street
Scene.
Maloneys has a cozy pub feel and often gets the overflow from
its neighboring clubs.
San Diego is so close to Mexico it would almost be silly not to dive
into a cantina for a margarita. Fred's Mexican Cafe has the
best atmosphere, sporting a kicked-back tiki-style bar of people who
just stopped in for one or two or who are waiting for a dining table
to clear.
Moose McGillycuddy's is a college-age bar. It's not consistenly
crowded but does have drink specials every night.
We would probably be repremanded by some readers if we did not mention
there is a Hooter's in the Gaslamp. It's a prime place to watch
sports, some of which are even on the dozens of TVs.
Bars and Restaurant/Bars
Live music
and a livelier crowd rock LaStrada after the diners have departed.
One of the neatest aspects of the Gaslamp Quarter is the restaurants
that turn into hot bars. The crowds are late 20s to late 30s, pubbers
looking for a bit of clubbing who don't want the cover charges and mega
crowds of the mega-clubs.
The liveliest place is La Strada. Walk by earlier in the evening
and the linen tablecloths are poised to present upscale diners with
Tuscany treats. Go after 11 and the tables and diners are gone, replaced
by a wide-eyed bar crowd. They are rocking to a small band and there's
nothing but smiles in sight. It's only 30 or so strong, but the people
are packed against the bar and dancing passionately in the aisle.
 There's
no dancing, but Chive is a hip – and potentially hypnotic
– bar. Most people here drink martinis. The orange lights illuminate
the liquor shelf, giving the place a Euro bar feel. The place is also
well designed; there is plenty of elbow room for conversations, a rare
treat in restaurants that traditionally have very tight bar areas.
Aberginer is a martini bar on steroids. It's upscale and the
power crowd is trying hard to lock down new deals before the night is
over. There's a touch of European flair in the air in the bar and dance
areas.
The bar at Cafe Sevilla is not confined to action after 11.
In fact, it can be going off anytime - especially Thursdays. This tapas
treat, which is as much bar as it is restaurant, resembles an authentic
bar in Spain. It's one of the best places in town to meet up with friends;
if they are late (or don't show at all), the guitarists playing Brazilian
or flamenco music are a excellent companions to the sangria. Small groups
of couples and singles flow in and out like a samba. There is also a
club downstairs ($10 cover), popular with local good-looking Latinos
and Brazilians.
Croce's is the guru of the Gaslamp, an establishment that has
thrived for years. Run by the wife of the singer Jim Croce, it has a
fairly happening bar in the restaurant and an adjacent jazz venue that
is very popular with locals. It's a classy, well-behaved venue.
The Rock Bottom Brewery ($5 after 10) brings in bands
to get the crowd off their bar stools and onto a makeshift dance floor.
There's a cozy lounge with leather seats up a small flight of stairs
that when a good game is on, is the best place to watch sports downtown.
As far as bars go, the Red Circle Cafe is a sleek, new Russian-themed
spot. It has more vodkas than the Red Army had missiles at the height
of the cold war. Play your own version of Roulette trying out a few
of the many martinis.
The bar at the Gaslamp Strip Club (easy, it's an upscale steakhouse)
is good on weekends. Most people are waiting on a table so they can
tear into a steak but quite a few singles on bar patrol like to stop
in for a drink.
You don't hear a lot about Dick's Last Resort, but tourists
are attracted to it like moths to a light. With all the other activity
around, it's better to check it out earlier in the night, say before
11.
Clubs
The bar at The
Bitter End could be the beginning of a good night.
Let's start with the mega-club. On Broadway is flat-out impressive.
It's in an old bank building at Fifth and Broadway and has more flavors
than Baskin Robins. Its bright main floor has a roomy bar area, tables
and a large, light-show-fog-smoked dance floor that is crowded but not
crammed. But the really cool action is downstairs. There's a martini-type
bar for people who like to mingle in a hip setting. Through the vault
– yes, the actual bank vault – and the pool tables is a psychedelic
dance area that would make Austin Powers feel groovy, baby. This is
one of those clubs that has something for everyone and the crowd runs
the gamut from mid-20s dance fools to discriminating early 40s patrons
out for some sophisticated socializing. Some locals feel On Broadway
has a New York attitude, but that was not our experience. It is the
most discriminating club in San Diego; jeans are not even permitted.
The most crowded sidewalk is always in front of Ole' Madrid.
This Spanish-style restaurant and bar turns into a super popular club.
Early in the night, it has a Spanish guitarist and dancers and a strong
bar scene. After 10, it transforms into a heavy-beat club. On busy nights,
the dance trance rocks downstairs.
The Bitter End is a defining face of the Gaslamp's nightlife.
It's hanging metal sign and light yellow color are a local landmark.
So is the building; it's the oldest in the Quarter. But it's what's
inside that counts. There are three levels, each with a unique personality.
At street level is a long bar, ideal for getting that first drink and
checking out the scene. Downstairs is a smoky (from a fog machine, not
cigarettes), sweaty and packed dance floor. The third level is a VIP-style
lounge with a hardwood floor, leather booths and bookshelves, the kind
of stately study that Winston Churchill surely had in his English manor.
With this trio of temptations, it's possible to meet a mate on the main
level, take him/her dancing downstairs and close the deal in near privacy
in a self-made penthouse suite upstairs. All this without leaving the
club!
Tanta Sutra is the area's newest club. Close your eyes and you
could be in one of those posh Vegas hotel bar/clubs. Located at the
trolley tracks across from the Convention Center, Tanta Sutra is a very
low-lit bar with a medium-sized dance floor dominating the room. In
the back, a VIP-style lounge area has its own DJ. It's a far cry from
what used to be in this building, an ultra-raging Mexican cantina –
which might explain why it took $2 million to renovate.
Onyx is an upscale lounge and club with hip – but not hip
hop – music. Like Tanta Sutra, it has a Vegas style to it.
Axiom is a serious dance club, a large room with an industrial
feel, fog machines pouring out the smoke and trance music blaring from
the huge speakers.
The Tsunami Beach Club ($7 cover) is blue jeans casual for a
20s crowd, kind of a Spring Break-waiting-to-happen kind of place. There
are more California blondes here than anywhere in the Gaslamp.
The Blue Tatoo is the hip-hop club with the hip-hop crowd. It's
usually the most happening Gaslamp club on Sundays.
The new spot on the block is the bar in the W Hotel (421 West
B Street) which has a rooftop open-air bar and heated sand floor. But
of course we care more about the crowd than the decor and right now,
it's hotter than the firepit.
The casual scene
at Henry's make it popular for pubbers and clubbers.
 Next
Party Bus Stop: Pacific Beach Bar Guide!
• La
Jolla, Del Mar and North County Bar Guide!
|