By Kevin Wilkerson, PubClub.com San Diego Blogger
The name is Hasta Manana but you should ve ahora because the place is good enough to go to right now.
Do that and the chances are that you will be going back and seeing it tomorrow.
Welcome to Hasta Manana Cantina in San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter. It’s on Fifth Ave., a few steps from the Gaslamp Quarter sign – the most photographed landmark in San Diego, by the way – just up from the Convention Center.
At first look, you will be impressed with the colorful and detailed artwork on the walls. Once you sink into one of its oversized booths and get exposed to the overwhelmingly nice and helpful servers, you will begin to sink into the atmosphere. When the drinks and food come out then you will be so sold on the place you will not only be saying you are coming back but that you are bringing friends with you.
That’s what PubClub’s LIVE!, podcast co-host Soul Cole and I said to each other multiple times as we were downing the must-get tropical margarita and eating salivating foods such as the birria off a bone half the size of an arm, the pollo verde that blew us away (the crust is pork rinds, which makes it literally melt in your mouth), the flautas fully stuffed with chicken and pork and the mole wings that have been marinated for a full day.
Some of these are food items you can’t get at the usual Mexican restaurants. It’s good to have these options other than the usual tacos, burritos and enchiladas. And they are mind-blowing delicious.
We started with the chips and salsa and the homemade chips are thick and flavorful enough on their own but add that sauce to them and that takes their taste to another level. You can also order four special salsas, two so hot that even the spice-tolerant Soul Cole got watery eyes.
I had high expectations for the place because it is owned by the same people that do barleymash, Smoking Gun, Maverick’s in Pacific Beach and Spill The Beans. And they know how to run a bar/restaurant. All feature a quality setting, quality food, quality drinks and a well-trained staff.
Now from a party perspective, Hasta Manana has some 60 tequilas, two dozen mezcals and various other spirits including some rums that are hard to come by in these parts. Regarding the latter, I have always felt because Mexico is tropical and there are beaches that cantinas should stock good rums but most focus almost exclusively on tequilas.
I could go on and on and on, but I’ll just let you watch the videos from the podcast so you can see for yourself until you can get in there and experience Hasta Manana for yourself.
Address: 310 Fifth Ave, San Diego
Happy Hour: M-F 3-6 p.m. $6 & $8 margaritas, $6 draft beers and $7 wines.
Website: Hasta Mañana Cantina