Sunset Saga: Tequila City Bar Tour

Conrad Prescott's Tequila City
San Diego Bar Tour

Top Ten

Lahaina's Beach House
Pacific Beach
Between Reed Avenue and Pacific Beach Drive on the boardwalk
(beach side of the Promenade)
(858) 270-3888

Not only is this the ultimate beach bar, it's one of the only beach bars with an authentic wooden outside deck overlooking the beach and ocean remaining in all of San Diego. It should be placed on the National Historic Register. This IS San Diego. This IS Pacific Beach.

Get there early because the deck gets packed, especially on the weekends. Bathing suits are allowed. The place can get rowdy, speakers pump music onto the deck and dancing can break out at any time. All kinds of outrageous behavior takes place, adding to the special atmosphere. No telling what you'll see.

This is a legendary, one-of-a-kind monument to beach culture.

The old owner passed way a few years back and the staff had a formal toast to him one weekend. Somehow they've managed to keep the place open and even fixed it up.

By the way, you can order some grub from the grill and the inside has a TV or two for sports.

This is the ultimate. An orange ball of flame descends beneath the horizon and you get the feeling that everything is going to be all right. The crowd traditionally cheers as they view another brilliant sunset from Lahaina's deck each night. These people truly have an appreciation for what is important in life.

The Pennant
South Mission Beach
2893 Mission Blvd.
(858) 488-1671

One of two legendary South Mission Beach neighborhood bars set next to one another (see The Beachcomber), The Pennant is a great stop after a day in the sun. Say hello to Electric Charlie in the floor level bar and Robert Bullett (who makes NFL football predictions in Beach & Bay Press each fall) in the upstairs, outdoor top deck. A whole cast of colorful bartenders serve an equally colorful clientele.

Legendary tales: 1) A university band snuck in after hours and served themselves. 2) One night a guy climbed up to the top deck bar and turned all the beer taps on — beer suds flowed through the street gutters. 3) A fire from the grill broke out during fish night and a cook shot off two fire extinguishers up the chimney. The chimney goes up beside the upstairs restrooms and a female customer was using it at the time. She said things seemed unusually warm in there. Patrons calmly walked outside with their plates and drinks to continue their meals. Some left without paying and drink glasses remained sitting neatly on the curbs after the firemen left.

The place has been seen with chairs and tables pulled to the sides as happy dancers filled the deck; beer cups wall-to-wall. Take a shot served from a plastic medicine style cup. Smash it on the floor afterward. Enter the room and feel a sense of pure happiness.

Dick, the owner used to let the Old Mission Beach Athletic Club have a keg in a trailer right in the street across the way on the last night of the Over-the-Line Tournament. That's when no laws banned such things.

Too many stories to mention here. By the way, they have a grill which is sometimes open. Sunday morning breakfast on the deck is a great; not necessarily the food, the experience.

The Beachcomber
South Mission Beach
Just look across the alley from The Pennant

Right across the alley from The Pennant is The Beachcomber. The owner and employees are really cool and the visitors are pretty much the same as in The Pennant. Motto: "Sunday nights at The Beachcomber; it's a religion". Get down on your knees and thank the Lord because a live band plays rock while Mission Beach locals mix with college coeds on the dance floor. Everyone dances with everyone and everybody starts to look beautiful after a while. More happiness.

Players traditionally line up around the block each spring at The Beachcomber to register for the annual Over-the-Line Championship Tournament.

Once again, there are too many legendary tales to tell. One time a great beach area bartender named Tobi Taka held his wedding reception here and a who's who of San Diego's bartenders took part. That was a party no one wants to forget, but a whole lot of people probably can't remember.

Hint: Want to spend a cheap, but incredibly fun New Year's Eve somewhere? Try The Beachcomber. The dress is casual like any other night, but don't be surprised if a few limos pull up with tuxedo and gown-clad patrons joining the fun. They know how to get out of a stuffy party and into a rager.

Open Bar
Pacific Beach
4302 Mission Blvd.
(858) 270-3221

Guess what? This place has large sliding doors that remain open during most days except under the most extreme weather conditions. It remained opened one night during the famous El Niño rains a few years back. The rain was pouring in sideways because of heavy winds and the bouncers used long squeegees to push the rising water back from atop the steps.

The drinks are strong and inexpensive. The workers are polite and respectful. Every one is treated well, even though this is definitely a working class dive bar. All customers are treated equally. Definitely no dress code here. This is a great place to relax and one of the only bars that hasn't changed over the years. Just be careful crossing Mission Boulevard and get ready to relax.

One time, just before the Olympics, the Olympic torch passed by as it crossed America on parade. It just happened to pass the Open Bar one Sunday afternoon right before sunset. The festive locals, curious about what sort of commotion was disrupting their drinking, cheerfully rushed outside to view the spectacle. It was a rowdy scene, to say the least. One of the regulars decided to lay down in front of the van carrying the torch and the parade came to a halt for several moments. No one was ready for that, but the crowd seemed to enjoy the antics as everyone applauded wildly.

This place used to be called Jose Murphy's, one of many old institutions named in honor of the special relationships between Irish-San Diegans and our neighbors to the south. There used to be live bands each night.

Today, it has a juke box, popcorn, happy crowds, and outside deck, televisions and potent drinks. Careful, a bar-wide party could break out at any time.

World Famous
Pacific Beach
711 Pacific Beach Drive
(858) 272-3100

Don't know if World Famous is really all that famous, but it's very popular.

The restaurant is very good; lunch menu might even be a bit better than dinner. The bar has great appetizers with weekday happy hour specials such as lobster tacos. Wine list is good, quality of mixed drinks depends on who the bartender is. Wait service is not bad for the beach.

Okay, World Famous used to be located down the boardwalk where Armando's Green Flash is now, but now it's located at the Surfer Hotel, site of the former Surfer Restaurant. The owners really did a fantastic refurbishing. The owners have fixed it up and the crowds have been pouring in. Lots of great memories here.

One of the few places where you can still eat right next to the boardwalk and take in all the outrageous action of another incredible day in Pacific Beach.

Pacific Shores
Ocean Beach
4927 Newport Ave.
(619) 223-7549

The grandmother of all bars, she opened the day Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. (How come this place is listed as Pacific Shores Cafe in the phone book?)

Giant clam shells open on the wall behind the bar. Mermaid paintings illuminated in black light glow beside the booths. Young Bohemians blend with old barflies. Trendy bartenders serve alongside ancient pros with raspy voices. Seems like a strange mix in this dark setting, but it works to perfection. The drinks are good and strong. Old time quality still counts for something,

Tony's
5034 Newport Ave.
Ocean Beach
(619) 223-0558

Okay, so the owners of Sunshine Company next door bought the place a few years ago. They didn't ruin it even though they fixed it up a bit. In fact, now Ocean Beach can claim a decent martini bar. It's still dark and has a pool table. The drinks cost more than they used to, but doesn't everything? They are good and plenty strong. The staff remains friendly and the bartenders know what they are doing. This is the classic dive by which others should be measured.
Poseidon's
(Poseidon Restaurant on the Beach)
Del Mar
1670 Coast Blvd.
(858) 755-9345

It's got a beach view and the bartending is pretty good. Diners can sit inside or eat on the outside deck overlooking the shore. The food is good; prices are mid-range. Grab a stool at the bar which allows an ocean view, watch sunset and have Mark fix your favorite concoction. Or ask him to mix up one of his specialty shots. He's one of the few remaining pros who can actually come up with something both creative and tasty. Be on the lookout for dolphins Ñ they often frolic just offshore.

Onyx Room
Gaslamp Quarter, downtown
852 Fifth Ave.
(619) 235-6699

This downtown bar is also downstairs. Access is from the street. Bartenders here make the best cosmopolitans in the world. They get an A+ in mixology.

The decor is colorful — blacks mixed with reds; fantastic art, comfy chairs. The bar, of course, is onyx. This is an underground bar and I like it!

Marine Room (Restaurant)
La Jolla Shores
2000 Spindrift Dr.
(858) 459-7222

Rounding out the Top 10 is a legendary establishment known for its very fine food and the fact that ocean waves come right up to crash against the windows. Connoisseurs of great cuisine will really enjoy the entrees, but some of us can't figure out what we are eating. Ox tail jeus, anyone?

Not surprisingly, the staff is top notch. Bartenders are extremely professional and the martinis can't be beat. Neither can the sunsets or the feeling of serenity as the tide washes up against the building.

The waitresses are sharp and they really know what they are doing. Real pros.

There have been times when the raging surf has knocked through the windows, sending ocean water seething through the interior. This only adds to the legend. The owners fix the place up and it's business as usual. Truly a class act.