By Kevin Wilkerson, San Diego Blogger
Labor Day Weekend in San Diego is fun.
No, there are not any street festivals or big events and the Padres are out of town but that just means the bars will be rocking, the college football season starts (keep reading for where to find the best alumni bars) and it’s a great time to do some “San Diego” things such as riding the 100-year-old Giant Dipper roller coaster in Mission Beach. It’s not that scary; I rode it recently and once you get over that first hill it’s a real thrill.
Plus, there’s a tiki-themed putt-putt course at Belmont Park, bumper cars, laser tag and other activities for adults. And, there’s beer and margaritas stands!
The San Diego Beaches
While San Diego does have an endless summer, it’s still a big part of Labor Day Weekend here to go to the beach. And San Diego has several of them. Pacific Beach and neighboring Mission Beach are the two big party beaches (Pro’s Tip: go along the back bay in Mission Beach, too). And there is Ocean Beach, La Jolla Shores with its now-permanent walk street, Del Mar and all the way up the coast to Solana Beach Encinitas, Leucadia, Carlsbad and Oceanside.
One of my favorite activities is to go bike riding around Mission Bay, along the beach path and even the gorgeous North County coast. I put the bike on the Coaster, go to Oceanside or Carlsbad and cruise the bike path alongside the beaches and Pacific Ocean. It’s awesome and it’s beautiful. I can also stop along the way and have a couple beers or margaritas and if I have too many well, I just put the bike back on the Coaster and roll home. Can’t do that at many places but you can in San Diego. (Note: if you have any drinks and start to feel affected, then get off the bike and onto the Coaster.)
Labor Day Weekend Events
Leading into Labor Day, the Taste of Encinitas is Tuesday, Aug. 26 and features 20+ restaurants and 24+ “Sip Stops” serving wine and craft beers with live music. It goes from 5:30-8:30 p.m. Tickets are $60 and you can’t just show up for it because it sells out every year so you’ll need to get them in advance.
The San Diego Padres are at Minnesota for most of the weekend, tho they do return home on Labor Day to host Baltimore (3:40 p.m.).
The San Diego Restaurants & Bars Labor Day Deals
• A DJ turns barleymash in the Gaslamp Quarter from a restaurant into a casual nightclub on Sunday night starting at 9:30. It also has Stars, Stripes, Sips, and Dips food and drinks Saturday through Monday: Buffalo Chicken Dip ($16) with bleu cheese crumbles, green onions, and diced tomatoes, served with corn tortilla chips or a flavorful Red, White, and Bun ($20) piled high with mustard-marinated chicken breast, caesar brussel sprout slaw, tomatoes, and red onions on a pretzel bun with fries. Three specialty cocktails take centerstage, each priced at $16: the Summer Sunset with Dobel Blanco Tequila. Mango, lime, and tan, the Last Splash with Cuervo Traditional tequila, coconut, pineapple, lime, and pink salt, and the Best Day Off with Pendleton Whiskey, orange spiced tea, sugar, and lemon.
• Borrego Rooftop Kitchen + Cocktails, located on the ninth floor of Hotel Indigo San Diego in East Village has the following entertainment lineup: Friday, Aug. 29, Sunset Sessions. DJs spin from 5-9 and there’s a complimentary sunset toast between sets. Saturday, Aug. 30, Ryan Thaxter Live. From 7 to 10 p.m., local favorite Ryan Thaxter will deliver an acoustic set full of funky grooves, a touch of reggae and hits from the ’60s to today. Food includes shrimp ceviche with shaved red onion, cherry tomato, Persian cucumber, avocado mousse, jalapeño and tortilla chips, priced at $20; and seared Mano de León scallops with root vegetable hash, pomegranate seeds, arugula and piri piri, priced at $32; among other standout selections. Popular handcrafted cocktails includeThe Dune, a clarified Mai Tai with light rum, Planetary dark rum, pineapple, lime and orgeat.
There’s the Summer Poolside Music Series at the Manchester Grand Hyatt along San Diego Bay in Seaport Village. This is live DJ sets paired with tastings of local spirits. Friday, August 29 | DJ Josh Way (1 PM – 5 PM) + Blue Ice tastings. Saturday, August 30 | DJ Legend (12 PM – 4 PM) + Tip Top tastings. Sunday, August 31 | Common Kings Pool Takeover, Polynesian reggae vibes with DJ Travis (1 PM – 5 PM) + Busa & Uncle Ed Vodka tastings.
And that’s not all along the bay, for Sally’s Fish House & Bar has Live Music by the Bay with drink tastings on Wednesday and Sunday from Noon-4. On Sunday, it’s Emmy Jones with tastings of El Cristiano Tequila & Kulena Rum Works.
In Little Italy, Cloak & Petal is also offering Labor Day Weekend specials starting Friday: TNT Lobster & Shrimp Bites ($22) with tempura lobster and shrimp, grilled shishitos, jalapenos, garlic, togarashi, arugula, and charred jalapeno aioli, Californication Roll ($21)with negi hama, salmon, softshell crab, yamagobo, avocado, lemongrass, ponzu, smoked serrano fresca, sriracha salt, and petite thai basil, and Cotton Candy Cheese Cake ($15). From the bar, Tropic Like It’s Hot ($17) with divine maguey guava, guava nectar, grapefruit soda, yuzu, and agave, Melon Mouthful ($17) with jalapeno infused tequila, watermelon, cantaloup, agave, lime, and soda, Froze ($18) with haku vodka, strawberry, rose, simple syrup, and lime, and Rose All Day ($9).
Louisiana Purchase in North Park has Final Friday with Baddies Love Tequila’s celebration of Executive Chef Q’s tequila blend release party. A personally curated blend of 100% blue agave tequilas crafted to reflect Chef Q’s unique palate and refined taste, this special batch features subtle notes of vanilla and caramel. It starts at 10 p.m., and is free, but you need to register in advance here.
In Mission Beach, Sandbar has brunch until Noon, with burritos, scrambles, egg dishes like the Breakfast Hash ($13). Later in the day, there’s TKO Tacos for $7.50. And Miss B’s Coconut Club has brunch until 2 p.m., and a PubClub favorite drink is a large sipper of its own rum for $8.
For an upscale experience, Serẽa Coastal Cuisine at the Hotel del Coronado has this seaside brunch starting Saturda: the Greek breakfast, grilled chicken, two eggs, Greek salad, labne, avocado and pita; baklava french toast, with crispy phyllo, pistachio cream and orange blossom honey syrup; and more. Dishes pair perfectly with Serea’s brunch cocktails, including a Green “Bloody” Mary with Tito’s vodka, schug, tomatillo, cucumber, spinach, feta-stuffed olives and a Mediterranean blend salt rim; Fugu Del with Dom Pérignon, Pavan liqueur, Belvedere vodka, pineapple, honey and lemon, served with caviar.
College Football Alumni Bars For Labor Day Games
Saturday marks the start of college football season and San Diego-based fans will be filling alumni bars across the city. There are some very big games. Here’s the schedule and where to watch; even if you did not go to any of these schools, the bars are still very fun places to meet and mingle with people. Here’s a rundown of all the top college alumni bars in San Diego. Pro’s Tip: Wear the colors of the team in the bar you choose and certainly NOT the other team’s colors.
Thursday, Aug. 28
• Nebraska at Cincinnati, 6 p.m. Duck Dive, PB
Friday, Aug. 29
• Western Illinois at Illinois, 4:30 p.m., Tower 13, Cardiff-By-The-Sea
Saturday, Aug. 30
• Texas at Ohio State, 9 a.m. Texas bar: Home & Away, Old Town. Ohio State bars: Break Point, PB (official alumni) & American Junkie, Gaslamp Quarter
• Alabama at Florida State, 12:30 p.m. Alabama bar: Smoking Gun (this is one of the best alumni bar scenes in all of San Diego)
• Nevada at Penn State, 12:30 p.m. Penn State bar: Knotty Barrel, East Village
• Montana State at Oregon, 1 p.m. Oregon bar: PB Ale House
• Long Island University (wonder if their nickname is the Teas, ha) at Florida, 4 p.m. Florida bar: Bay City Brewing, East Village
• LSU at Clemson, 4:30. Clemson bar: Union Kitchen & Tap, Gaslamp Quarter
• Missouri State at USC, 4:30. USC bar: Guava Beach, Mission Beach
• New Mexico at Michigan, 4:30. Michigan bar: The Local, PB
• Hawaii at Arizona, 7:30 p.m. Zonies bar The Tavern, PB
• Colorado State at Washington, 8 p.m. Huskies bar: Fairplay, North Park
Sunday, Aug. 31
• Virginia Tech at South Carolina, Noon. South Carolina bar: Union Kitchen & Tap, PB
• Notre Dame at Miami, 4:30. Notre Dame bars: Tom’s Watch Bar, East Village (by Petro Park); Hooley’s in East County and Tower 13, Cardiff-By-The-Sea (all official alumni bars).
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