By Kevin Wilkerson, PubClub.com San Diego Blogger
They might as well call it “Rocktober” for there’s a lot of rocking going on in San Diego in October. From Oktoberfest events to music festivals and don’t forget Halloween – how could you, right!? – it’s a full and fun month.
San Diego’s Top Events For October
• La Mesa Okoberfest, Oct. 3-5, Downtown La Mesa
This is a mix of Oktoberfest and stree festival with oompha bands rotating around to different stages and tribue bands playing into the night. The main stage has a beer area and of course there’s food – German and otherwise – all over the place. Kind of an underrated aspect of it are all the restaurants and bars in La Mesa that can be pretty fun when you need to hit the pause button on the oompha band, chicken dance and stein-holding contests.
Link: PubClub.com’s La Mesa Oktoberfest Preview
• El Cajon Oktoberfest, Oct. 3-5, German-American Societies Building
The most authentic – as in it kind of feels like you’re in Bavaria – Oktoberfest celebration in San Diego. It’s a bit of a remote location in an El Cajon neighborhood but it has Guggenbach-Buam oompha band from Germany. This is actually a two-weekend event with the first of October being its second weekend. There’s modest cost of $15, $5 on Sunday. The address is 1017 S Mollison in El Cajon.
• OB Oktoberfest, Oct. 10 & 11
Want more? The Ocean Beach Oktoberfest takes place at the end of Newport Blvd. It has bands in a street festival atmosphere. It goes from 4-11:30 on Friday and Noon-11:30 on Saturday. There are 2-for-1 beers Fri until 5:30 and Saturday until 1. At $70+, this is by far the most expensive Oktoberfest gathering in San Diego. At least when I looked in mid-September only stage VIP tickets were available at that price.
Link: OB Oktoberfest
• Pacific Beachfest, Oct. 4
Bands and activities along The Strand (okay, the Boardwalk in local terminology) from Felpar to Thomas streets. There are three stages of music playing from 9 a.m-7 p.m. The event is free and events include a volleyball tournament and a Best of the Beach fish taco contest. Afterward, there’s all the bars in PB.
• 14th Annual Taste Of North Park, Oct. 4
This event features 50 food tastings and drink stops, along with indie boutiques, local makers, live music and pop-up art installations. It goes from 11:00 a.m.- 3:30 p.m. Participants can pick up their punch cards at any one of five check-in locations beginning at 10:30 a.m.: bluefoot bar & lounge (3404 30th Street), Louisiana Purchase (2305 University Ave), The Original 40 Brewing Company (3117 University Avenue), Thai Time (4102 30th Street), or Walkabout Union Cowork (3919 30th Street). Tickets are Tickets are $50 for food only, $65 for food and sips and $85 for a Shareable Sip Ticke, which is good for one food tasting to be shared and two tasting cup-sized drinks.
Link: tasteofnorthpark.com
• San Diego Yacht Rock Festival, Oct. 11, Liberty Station
An afternoon and evening of yacht rock music (think boats and beyond) featuring three bands plus Elliot Lurie, singer of the song “Brandy,” at Ingram Plaza in Liberty Station. It goes from 4-10 p.m., and has drinks and food in an outdoor location. Tickets are $70.
Link: sandiegoyachtrockfestival.com
• Bayfest, Oct. 17-19, Mission Bay Park
A big, outdoor multi-day music festival, Bayfest has bands Slightly Stoopid, Sublime, Steel Pulse, Rebelution Pepper and several more at Mariner’s Point Park across from the roller coaster. There are also games, food and drinks. Tickets are $100 and up with three-day packages also available.
Link: bayfestsd.com
Halloween Events In San Diego (For Adults)
There are several Gaslamp bar crawls for Halloween, including one each on Thursday, Friday and Saturday (Oct. 30, 31 & Nov. 1) from the Levinson Group plus a haunted rooftop party at Andaz on Oct. 31 (full rundown here). There is also a a Zombie crawl ($30 and up; meets at American Junkie) and several Halloween-themed pub crawls (some official, some you just friends together which you will run into in a bar) all over San Diego.
If you’re wondering about Monster Bash or the Great Pumpkin block parties in the Gaslamp, they no longer exist.
For Halloween cocktails, Prohibition has a Pumpkin Spice Old Fashioned (Prohibition Whiskey, Curious Juniper Pumpkin + Spice Syrup, R&D Aromatic #7 and Cherry Apple Bitters, garnished with a torched cinnamon stick) for $18; El Chingon has a Pumpkin Spice Martini (El Chingon Vodka, Havana 1920 cold brew, Curious Juniper Pumpkin + Spice Syrup, R&D sarsaparilla bitters and garnished with a cinnamon-dusted lime wheel( for $13 and Havana 1920 has a Pumpkin Spice Daiquiri (Havana 1920 Rum, Curious Juniper Pumpkin + Spice Syrup, lime juice and Demerara, topped with a cinnamon-dusted lime wheel) for $15.
San Diego Bar & Restaurant News For October
Havana 1920 in the Gaslamp Quarter is having it’s eighth anniversary celebration the first weekend of October, starting with Havana Nights on Thursday, Oct. 2. The staff has been telling PubClub.com this will be a big one (bigger than the more recent ones) with free samples of rum, light food offerings and live music from a Latin band from 7-9. It’s free – register in advance here – and the live music continues throughout the weekend.
There may finally be a good nightlife spot in the formerly quiet space next to Star Bar on E Street between 5th & 6th in the Gaslamp Quarter. Toxica, a self described sports cantina, is opening this month and it’s already off to a good start with several hundred RSVPs for a Halloween party. In addition to its small downstairs area, it has an upstairs that I can easily envision being a lively nightlife hotspot. I met the owner and he seems nice.
A new wine bar, the pink-colored Wine Girl, is opening Oct. 25 in the Gaslamp, between Island & J on Fifth Ave. It features wine on tap, plus bottles, beers and seltzers and promises events such as aint and sip nights, TV viewing parties, live podcast tapings, yoga and mimosas and “Wine Girl Bottle Boys nights,” which sounds interesting.
While I’m not sure of the opening date, Gladstone’s is taking shape along the waterfront in Seaport Village. I know the owner and when I asked him if it’s going to have a good bar scene at night – something that is current non-existent in that area – he said “we’ll have the best bar in San Diego!” While I am suspicious of that claim, at the very least maybe it will have a litte bit of life after sunset.
Bingo night is back at Temaki Bar: Handroll, Sushi, Sake in Encitias. It goes every Monday from 6-8 p.m., and involvesd five bingo rounds Each winner will face the choice of playing it safe with the small prize wheel for fun prizes such as a Temaki hat, complimentary hand roll or draft beverage coupon, sushi candy, sushi keychain, sushi socks, sushi roll blanket and more; or risk it all with a spin on the large prize wheel with this as a potential reward:
• A trip to Las Vegas;
• A one-night stay at The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe;
• A VIP experience at Lionfish Modern Coastal Cuisine at Pendry San Diego and Serẽa Coastal Cuisine at Hotel Del Coronado.
Drink prices are $6 draft wine, beer and sake and $8 Mexican sake bombs, special cocktials for $15 & $16 and sushi specials.
National Taco Day In San Diego
National Taco Day is Tuesday, Oct. 7 – although it could be argued that every day is Taco Day in San Diego – and here’s where to get taco specials that day in San Diego:
• El Chingon has street tacos for $2.50 $3 and $3.50 and three with a side of rice and refried beans for $9,
• Hasta Mañana Cantina has its house Margarita and a street taco for $10 from 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
• The Duck Dive, in PB has $4 taco specials, paired alongside $8 margaritas, $5 tequila shots, $6 Pacifico beers, and 2-4-1 margarita bowls from 6 p.m.-close.
• Also in PB, Mavericks Beach Club, has $3 tacos from Noon-9 p.m., half-priced drinks from 2-7 and $3 tequila and Mexican beers and $3.50 margaritas from 7-close.
• North Park’s The Original 40 Brewing Company is adding Shrimp Tacos and Beer-Battered Fish Tacos to its menu.
• City Tacos has a combo for two for $30 that includes any four tacos and two Mexican bottled beers. For $2 more, you get two draft beers and get an order of churros. There is also a prize wheel for to earn prizes for your next visit.
More tacos: Here’s some everyday specials at these places in San Diego:
• Borrego Rooftop Kitchen + Cocktails, has two new taco plates: blackened grilled fish tacos featuring locally-sourced fish topped with mango slaw and avocado cream, served with black beans, priced at $22; and carne asada tacos with tender beef, onion, cilantro and roasted green salsa, served with black beans, priced at $20. During happy hour from 4-6 p.m.,, there’s a la carte fish and carne asada tacos for $5.
• Mezé Greek Fusion has a Mediterranean twist to tacos with serves Mezé chicken phyllo taquitos topped with lettuce, pico de Greco, feta cheese and avo-crema, priced at $14; as well as Greek branzino tacos topped with lettuce, pico de Grego and avo-crema, served with Greek street corn, priced at $21.
• Even tho it’s a Cuban restaurant and ber, Havana 1920 has tacos, crispy lechón rolled tacos roasted pork and topped with shredded lettuce, Chingón cheese blend, Mexican citrus cream, avocado cream, pico de gallo, guacamole and a sprinkle of cotija cheese in orders of three, five or 12. For Cuban Taco Tuesday it has2-for-1 empanadas and half-off specialty drinks all evening.
• Serẽa Coastal Cuisine in the Hotel del Coronado has swordfish “pita tacos,” with locally-sourced swordfish and peppers, red onion, cornichon, mint, cilantro and chili aioli on soft pita bread, priced at $30.
For all of October several restaurants and bars are teaming up in the fight against breast cancer with a portion of proceeds from food and drink specials going to local nonprofit Keep a Breast. Keep a Breast upholds a mission to reduce breast cancer risk and its impact globally through art, education, prevention, and action, with a special focus on early detection. Below is a rundown of what each is offering and the price:
• The Smoking Gun, Downtown: Barbie Wings – pickle-brined chicken wings tossed in a pink bbq sauce ($10.61)
• barleymash, Downtown Code Pink Cocktail – Cutwater Vodka, raspberry, coconut, and lemon ($12)
• Spill the Beans, Downtown, Seaport Village, Mission Valley, Pacific Beach, Ocean Beach: Strawberry Milk Latte ($5.50 for a small, $6.00 for a medium, and $6.50 for a large)
• Hasta Mañana Cantina, Downtown: Guava Margarita with Tequila, lime, and guava ($16)
• Sandbar Sports Grill, Mission Beach: Melon Margarita with tequila blanco, Licor 43, Cointreau Noir, watermelon-cucumber puree, and agave ($15)
• Breakfast Republic’s East Village location is donating 100% of October’s sales from the Pancakes for the Cure to Susan G. Komen® Breast Cancer Foundation.
• City Tacos’ Taco of the Month for October is the Mexi BBQ on a pink corn tortilla, and each order of the taco comes with a complimentary “City Tacos Loves Boobies” bracelet in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. A portion of sales of every Mexi BBQ ordered will benefit Keep A Breast Foundation.
ª La Mesa Village’s Coin Haus is hosting Magic the Gathering Commander Booster Tutor on Thursday, October 16 at 6 p.m. Entry fee is $20 and the price includes a $15 drink/arcade game card and a Magic Booster pack. Guests can either bring their own Commander decks or pick up a preconstructed one upon arrival. Tickets are available only at the door.
San Diego Bar Manager Of The Month
Congratulations to Gary Hussey, Asssistant General Manager, Smoking Gun, for being our Bar Manager of the Month! PubClub.com likes to recognize the hard-working people at the bar and behind the bar in San Diego and Gary goes above and beyond the job description. He gets out a “table touches” as he calls it, which is his way of saying he walks around and talks his customers. He has such a great relationship with many through the years that he maks walking into San Diego almot like going to visit a friend in their house or apartment.
But what put him over the top was him turning The Smoking Gun into the official game-watching bar for the San Diego Bama Fans. In the blink of an eye he – and his staff – recreated the electrifying atmosphere of the previous game-watching bar, Bootlegger. It’s hard to recapture the magic when a group has to relocate to another bar but Gary accepted the challenge and has successfully moved “Tuscaloosa West” from Bootlegger down the street to his bar.
“We’re excited,” he said. “It’s one of many.”
Name: Gary Hussey
Occupation: Assistant General Manager
Bar/Restaurant: Smoking Gun, Gaslamp Quarter/East Village
Hometown: San Diego
How Long Have You Been In San Diego? Born and raised in San Diego. Hopped around the city but most of my time was in Poway.
How Long Have You Been At Smoking Gun? Since it opened eight years ago. “I was part of the orignal hire team in 2017.”
Personality: “I would say goofy. “I don’t take a lot of stuff too seriously.”
Favorite Recommended Food & Drink For Customers: The Butter Burger (called the Big Al Burger during Alabama games) and Espresso Martini
Favorite Drink To, Well, Drink: The Espresso Martini. It’s lightly sweet, its creamy and hits the mark at all times.
Things You Like To Do When Not Working: I like to paint and draw and I like to write short stories and movies. (Editor’s note: you can read one of his stories on PubClub.com about the Oregon football game experience).
Instagram: @thesmokinggunsd
If you have an item for this monthly rundown of San Diego events or bar/restaurant/nightlife news, send an e-mail to: bartender@pubclub.com.
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