Neighborhood Bar and Restaurant Brings More Live Music to the Gaslamp

Gaslamp gastropub The Hopping Pig has been transformed into an unpretentious neighborhood bar helmed by a couple with strong local industry ties. The restaurant’s longtime manager and bartender, Jenna Elskamp, along with her husband Randy, a vet of Cantina Mayahuel, have modeled Métl Bar & Restaurant after the feel of their favorite bars; the new space is a comfortable, friendly hangout amidst the flashy downtown nightclubs that will regularly offer live music from a full spectrum of rock genres.

In addition to keeping most of its beer taps, the bar now showcases a selection of top shelf agave spirits and whiskeys as well as cocktails that include the Mayahuel Margarita (a nod to the beloved North Park spot). The menu will also feature guest drinks from the Elskamp’s industry buddies; the debut lineup includes from cocktails from bartenders at Prohibition, Lion’s Share, Kindred, and more. Bar bites now range from poutine fries and fish tacos to pasta shells stuffed with chicken or cauliflower, steak frites, a Flaming Hot Cheetos turkey burger, and cherry pie.

Operating daily from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m., with its kitchen staying open until midnight, the bar will feature live music every Friday and Saturday night, starting tonight with local punk band Infinite Signal; in February, Elskamp says they’ll extend live music nights to include Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Arlene Ibarra

Arlene Ibarra

Arlene Ibarra