The San Diego Blogger: This Dive Bar’s Chicken Chipotle Sandwich is REALLY Good

Waterfront Tavern Serves Up A Surprisingly Great Dish

By Kevin Wilkerson, The San Diego Blogger

I went into Waterfront Tavern – not just the oldest bar in San Diego but in all of Southern California one of the workers once told me – seeking some cold beers and good comfort food.

It was an early Saturday afternoon, I  had been working all day and, being a transplanted Southerner, I wanted Chicken Fried Steak. It’s something you can’t get in many places in Cali except in the occasional dive bar.

As timing would have it, they quit serving it at 2 p.m. It was 2:15. The lively bartender checked with the kitchen and reported that while they still had it, they were out of the gravy. And one can’t have a true Chicken Fried Steak without the gravy.

The other food options were kind of limited for what I felt like– burgers and burritos – and not warming to either, I ordered the Chicken Chipotle sandwich. I half expected some dry, rubbery chicken to be placed on a bun, resulting this eating experience to be more of get-something-in-the-system process than any culinary treat.

Boy, was I wrong!

The sandwich was not just good, it was overwhelmingly good. So good, in fact, that I’m actually writing about a Chicken Chipotle sandwich, something that previously I never would have considered worthy material.

First of all, the chicken was not dry in the least bit, but super moist. I really didn’t even need to chew it. Secondly, it was delicious. I don’t know what they seasoned it with (other than the obvious, of course) but each bite was a mouthful of flavor. Added to this was melted cheese and a couple slabs of really thick bacon.

For the side, I went for another Southern staple that is difficult to find in California: onion rings. They were large and crispy. Bingo!

Added to this, I had a few bottled lagers which, at just $4.50 a pop, made me stay for a few. And a few more.

It just goes to show you, to quote the Rolling Stones, you cant always get what you want but if you try real hard, sometimes you can get what you need.