The San Diego Gaslamp Quarter is one of the best nightlife areas in the USA from Thursday thru Saturday nights. And it is also a place to find great Happy Hour deals in the restaurants and bars.
This is a rundown of the best Happy Hour spots in the Gaslamp, as well as a few in the East Village around Petco Park. Things have changed due to the pandemic – for instance La Puerta had reduced its Happy Hour hours – and this post is updated after the COVID-19 shutdowns.
This list includes the most popular restaurants and bars; there are a few quiet restaurants that also offer Happy Hour specials. PubClub.com prefers the places that provide the best socializing opportunities because, well, it’s happy hour, right!?
This post describes the type of restaurant and bar and actually ranks the mingling scale on a 1 to 5 rating. It will also be constantly updated with the latest information.
You won’t find that type of information anywhere else so you better bookmark this page!
PubClub.com Best Of The Best Happy Hour Winner – Metl
Mondays thru Sundays, 3-7 p.m. This small rock bar (check out the posters in the bathrooms!) has the Gaslamp’s Best Happy Hour. For starters, it’s seven days a week. And it goes until 7 p.m. No 5 O’Clock cutoff here! The drinks include a mimosa for $3 (with decent champagne), $4 well drinks, $2 off draft beers which makes them all about $5 and great fish tacos and sliders for $3.
You can walk out of there completely satisfied with a nice buzz and a full stomach for $20-30. These are the best food-and-drink combo Happy Hour prices in the Gaslamp.
It also often gets a few lively locals which make it a fun social affair. And that is really what makes for a great Happy Hour.
Type Of Bar: Casual heavy metal.
Mingling Scale: 5
Location: 748 5th Ave., between F and G Streets.
Firth Ave. Happy Hour Bars
American Junkie (628 Fifth Ave.)
Taco Tuesday: $5 all-you-can-eat tacos with the purchase of a drink, 5-10 p.m. Drinks (all night): $6 Cazadores shot, $8 margaritas.
Type Of Bar: Singles
Mingling Scale: 2 during Taco Tuesday (5 on weekend nights)
Barleymash (600 5th Ave. Corner of 5th & Market)
The bar of the beauties – you’ll know what I am talking about when you get a look at the servers – has just restored its Happy Hour. M-F, 3-5 p.m. Half off beers (making many of them just $4.50), wines and well drinks.
Type Of Bar: Singles
Mingling Scale: 2 during Happy Hour, 5 on weekend nights
Cafe Sevilla (353 5th Ave.)
Monday-Friday 4:30-6:30. $5 drafts, $5 off all wines, sangrias and cocktails. Food: Appetizers for $5, $7 and $9.
Type Of Restaurant: Spanish tapas with live music
Mingling Scale: 2
El Chingon (560 5th Ave.)
Monday-Friday, 2-6 p.m. It’s best to get to this place early because it’s always full and there’s often a line. It’s $6 for a house margaritas and tequila of the week, $7 off its “Bad Ass Cocktail” (a supersized drink “spiked” with a beer) and $9 for a Bass Ass Michelada. Food specials are: $4 for fire-roasted corn on the cob wheels and $5 for rolled tacos and three crispy potato tacos.
For Taco Tuesdays (11 a.m.-close) it has a taco flight of five tacos for $9.42, half off tacos, a flight of three margaritas for $15 and several specials involving Don Julio tequila; one example is to purchase a bottle of 1942 and get two hours of free tacos for four people; the price is $420.
Type Of Bar: Lively Mexican
Mingling Scale: 5
Henry’s Pub (618 5th Ave.)
Monday-Friday open-7 p.m. $5 all beers. There are no food Happy Hour specials.
Type Of Bar: Pub with sports and live music
Mingling Scale: 1 during Happy Hour
Juan Tequila (535 4th Ave.)
Tuesday-Friday 5-8 p.m. $7 margarita flights. Food: $7 (carne asada fries, beef flautas, pork belly papa, hot dog & fries, street tacos).
Type Of Bar: Intimate semi-upscale Mexican with live music at night
Mingling Scale: 1 during Happy Hour, 4 on weekend nights
Pizza On 5th (734 5th Ave.)
Every day 12 a.m.-9 p.m. $4 beers and mimosas, $5 shots, $10 margaritas. Food & drink: $11.99 for two slices of pizza and and a beer or a mimosa.
Type Of Restaurant: Casual pizza, beer and booze. Most popular late at night on weekends.
Mingling Scale: 2
Rockin’ Baja Lobster (310 5th Ave.)
Monday-Friday 3-6 and daily 9 p.m.-close. $5 well drinks, Fireball shot, 14 Oz Drafts (14 Oz Sculpin Add $1). Food: Mexican Street Corn, Blackened Fish Taco, Ahi Taco. Chili Lime Fries
$6 margaritas (Lime, Strawberry, Mango Or Red Raspberry), Jameson Shot, Jack Daniels. Food: Guacamole & Chips, Queso Fundido, 3 Street Tacos (Carne Asada, Grilled Chicken, Pork Carnitas)
$7 Rocky’s Margarita, wine, any 25 Oz Beer (25 Oz Sculpin Add $1.50). Food: Chicken Quesadilla
$8 Pina Colada, Michelada. Food: Tequila Lime Shrimp
$9 Food Ahi Poke, Margarona, Lobster & Shrimp Bites, Carne Asada Fries, Crispy Calamari
Padres Game Specials: Game Days all day. $2 off all beers, $3 off all appetizers.
Type Of Bar: Mexican, mostly families
Mingling Factor: 1
The Butcher Cut (644 5th Ave.)
Monday-Friday 4-6:30. $4 beers, $6 wines, 50% off cocktails. Food: $1 oysters, $7-12 appetizers (items include seared tuna, clam chowder and mini burgers).
Type Of Restaurant: Nice steakhouse.
Mingling Scale: 1
The Field (544 5th Ave.)
Weekdays 11 a.m.-7 p.m. $6 pints, appetizer specials.
Mondays: Fish & chips dinner, $9.95.
Whiskey Wednesdays: $7 and $5 whiskey of the month
Padres Game Specials: $5 Alesmith 394 beers during games.
Type Of Bar: Irish
Mingling Scale: 3
Tipsy Crow (770 5th Ave., at F Street)
Open-close: six beers for the price of 5 in a bucket $6 selected shots when you buy a beer. Sundays: $7 Tito’s Bloody Mary & $10 bottle of champagne for mimosas.
Type Of Bar: three-level pub and a club with live music earlier in the evenings.
Mingling Scale: 3
Whiskey Girl (702 5th Ave., at G Street)
Monday thru Thursday 3-7 p.m. Fridays 3-6 p.m. $2 off all draft beers, $5 well drinks, $6 Crown Royal can cocktails. Food: $5 chips & salsa, churro donuts and cheese quesadillas.
Taco Tuesdays, 4-10 p.m.: $4 Dos XX, $3.50 tacos
Type Of Bar: Singles
Mingling Scale: 1 during Happy Hour
Fourth Ave. Happy Hour Bars
La Puerta (560 4th Ave.)
Monday-Friday, 3-5 p.m. ( it previously went until 7 p.m.). This Mexican restaurant and bar has changed its Happy Hour hours, The best deal here is a delicious chicken quesadilla for $5 and its house margarita for $5.
Type Of Bar: Mexican
Mingling Scale: 3
Las Hadas (558 4th Ave., next to La Puerta)
Open-close all nights: $5 Petron shots, $10 Petron margaritas
Type Of Bar: Mexican
Mingling scale: 5
Taste And Thirst (715 4th Ave.)
Every day 3-8, 50% off all cocktails and beers.
Type Of Bar: Downscale locals’ hangout. New York Jets bar during NFL season. Music is via a juke box. It does have a kitchen that serves bar food.
Mingling Scale: 2
Tin Roof (401 G Street; corner of G & 4th)
All draft beers $6-7 all the time. Happy Hour is Wed-Friday 3-6 p.m. $2 off 16-oz draft beer & wine, $3 off all spirits, $7 Crushes. Food: Half off appetizers (applies seven days a week).
Daily Specials:
• Wed: $6 Jack Daniels and Jim Beam starting at 7 p.m.
• Thursday: $5 Quesadillas All Day & $5 Sangria starting at 7 p.m., with a latin jazz band.
• Saturday & Sunday (11 a.m.-3 p.m.) : Brunch Menu, $15 bottomless Mason jars of mimosas or Bloody Mary
Type Of Bar: Live music in a rustic atmosphere.
Mingling Scale: 3
More Gaslamp & East Village Happy Hour Bars
Blind Burrow (639 J Street)
Monday-Friday 3-6 p.m. $4 dos xx drafts, $5 house margaritas and house red or white wine, $10 off all pitchers. Food: $3.50 fish taco, $5 bacon wrapped jalapeños (3), $6 taquitos, $6 queso crisp.
Type Of Bar: Nice Mexican singles with outdoor seating and open windows around the bar.
Mingling Scale: 3
Bootlegger (804 Market Street)
Monday-Friday 3-7 p.m. $5 off select craft cocktails, $6 wells and select pints, $7 wines. Food: $7 small plates.
Build Your Own Burger Tuesdays (all day): $10 for a burger topped with any and all ingredients you like and a domestic draft.
Type Of Bar: Sports & Whiskey, DJ at night
Mingling Scale: 2 during Happy Hour, 5 weekend nights.
Fairweather (739 J Street)
Monday-Friday 4-6 p.m. Specials on margaritas, Mai Tais, Pina Coladas and daiquirs, $1 off draft beers $2 off house wines. This is a second-story rooftop bar overlooking the back grass area of Petco Park. This is a PubClub favorite bar for Happy Hour, before Padres games and pretty much anytime.
Type Of Bar: Fun, casual with mostly locals
Mingling Scale: 5+
The Whiskey House (420 Third Ave.)
Everyday 4-7 p.m. $5 imported beers (Bitburger, Kronenbourg). Add a shot of whiskey for just a buck. Happy Hour menu includes homemade sausage roll for $5.
Type Of Bar: Casual
Mingling Scale: 3
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