There is one thing that I am always on the lookout for, and that’s a good Happy Hour in San Diego.
There are, by PubClub.com’s standards, three critical criteria that makes for a good Happy Hour. The are:
• The prices and quality of the food and drinks
• The location
• The crowd
One that hits all the marks – and soars like an eagle on the first one – is Cevasco’s Del Mar. Located at 1201 Camino Del Mar (right in the heart of town) it has among its drink offerings $3 beers. That’s the cheapest in town and it’s not crappy beer, either. For example, I had a Peroni, an Italian lager I like a lot. The other beers are Firestone Walker 805 (which I also frequently drink), Lagunitas IPA, Fat Tire, Modelo and the non-alcoholic Upside Down.
@pubclub.com PubClub.com Drinking Tip of the Day! Margaritas at Cevasco’s Del Mar. #drinkingtips #pubclub #happyhour #delmar #tips #tipoftheday ♬ original sound – PubClub
Good wines are just $5, yet the real star of the drinks menu in my opinion is the Black Lava Margarita with Claifino blanco, mandarinetto, lime and agave with a black salt rim. Made by a bartender who knows what he’s doing, it is bold on flavor and, as you’ll discover when (not if) you have more than one, is stronger than it first appears. It’s $9, same price as the several other cocktails on the Happy Hour menu.
The food is eclectic with a dozen sharable items ranging in price from $5-9. These include brisket tacos ($6), BBQ Meatballs ($6), a slice of pizza ($5), salmon and brisket sliders ($7), octopus ceviche ($8), baked mussels ($8) and baked oysters ($9). They are all great choices; unique yet also not so fancy that the flavor does not match the presentation. In fact, the opposite is the case. The ceviche, for example, is super-fresh, perfectly prepared and served with tortilla chips. The pizza is, as is frequently said about great food “is to die for” and the BBQ brisket is bursting with rich barbeque flavor. The baked mussels, which are cooked with garlic butter and parmesan cheese, are just flat-out delicious.
They are all the creation of Chef and owner Christophe’s, who is from Paris (slightly known for its food, haha) and for eight years was managing partner of Eddie V’s in San Diego.
Happy Hour is seven days a week, too. And it goes until 7 p.m.
I would describe the place – and the crowd, too – as casually elegant. Its open-air patio and bar area invites conversation and mingling with others. It’s also a restaurant with a full dinner menu offering salads, steaks, seafood, Bolognese, Pesto Gnocch and several more items. It also has a raw bar.
Cevasco’s is located at 12th & Camino Del Mar (the main street in Del Mar). Its address is: 1201 Camino Del Mar.
Its website is: Cevasco’s – Olde Del Mar
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