More Maps

Where to Eat Barbecue in San Diego Right Now

Seek Out These Outdoor Dining Spots in San Diego

23 Essential Chinese Restaurants in San Diego

More in San Diego See more maps

Dark burgundy cocktails with pale green absinthe salt on rim.

The Hottest Cocktail Bars in San Diego, May 2023

The newest drinks in the city can be found at these bars

by Kelly Bone@TheVegFoodie Updated May 16, 2023, 9:00am PDT

View as Map

by Kelly Bone@TheVegFoodie Updated May 16, 2023, 9:00am PDT

Kelly Bone

Fresh garnishes and local fruit (hello strawberry season!) are finding their way to cocktail menus across San Diego alongside fermented elements and other culinary experiments being incorporated into the newest drinks, which are served up with classic concoctions that we have always loved. As the weather warms up, good happy hours are popping up around town and new rooftop bars are welcoming guests to enjoy their panoramic views.

The Eater Cocktail Heatmap will be updated frequently to highlight new openings or fresh menus that are generating serious buzz around town.

Know of a cocktail spot with a decent amount of heat that should be added to the list? Send us a note.

Read More

If you buy something or book a reservation from an Eater link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics policy.

Frankie's

Under the creative director of longtime local bartender Leigh Lacap, Frankie’s has become a favorite of Oceanside locals and the San Diego hospitality industry. The newest innovation is the “What’s you Type? (A cocktail menu.)” a font filled cocktail collection that redefines Comic Sans (sort of a long island iced tea) and Papyrus (a fruited gin slushy) as cool.

Open in Google Maps

406 Pier View Wy, Oceanside, CA 92054

Visit Website

A photo of the interior of a bar.

Also featured in:

10 San Diego Spots for a Great Old Fashioned

Campfire

Creative cocktails continue under beverage director Andrew Cordero, formerly a bar standout at CH Projects, with refreshing sips like the Plantasia with strawberry amaro, roasted red pepper, vermouth, and sparkling wine.

2725 State St, Carlsbad, CA 92008

Visit Website

Icy white cocktails in dark room. — Campfire.

Also featured in:

Hamburger Hut

The cozy, family-friendly space is stocked with games and a rum-forward menu of drinks like the hurricane slushy and the Guapo with mezcal and Belizean rum with almond and lime from beverage director Tony Juarez.

Open in Google Maps

576 N Coast Hwy 101, Encinitas, CA 92024

Visit Website

Pale white cocktail with dried blood orange and marigold. — The Guapo at Hamburger Hut

Cross Street

Cross Street, a favorite at Del Mar Highlands, serves an impressive cocktail menu by Jesse Ross (Sycamore Den, Fernside). Favorites include the citrusy No Fly List with Blanco tequila, Cocchi Americano, yuzu, pineapple, lime, agave, and soda and the Oak & Sesame, a blend of American and Japanese whiskeys and toasted black sesame with a kiss of amaro.

Open in Google Maps

12925 El Camino Real, San Diego, CA 92130

Visit Website

Cocktail with pineapple leaves. — Cross Street

Marisi

Marisi brings the sensibilities of the Amalfi coast to San Diego. Vice president of bar and spirits Beau du Bois offers a menu of classic cocktails made with unexpected techniques like clarified white peach in the fizzy Bellini and lacto-fermented cantaloupe juice for the smoky house Margarita. Or, consider a starter of vermouth, red or white, with a silver pick of small green olives.

Open in Google Maps

1044 Wall St, La Jolla, CA 92037

Visit Website

Bright pink cocktail with lots of ice and a sprig of basil. — Marisi

Also featured in:

Realm Of The 52 Remedies

The new spring/summer menu pulls from lead bartender Chris Lee’s travels through South Korea. Each cocktail highlights a city, such as the Go Heung “Yuzu” with citrus marmalade-infused vodka and corn whiskey with the faint spice of fermented yuzu kosho. Favorites from menus past, like the Earl Grey featuring Kasama Filipino rum with Jura 10 years single-malt Scotch continue to live on the Eternal Remedies menu.

Open in Google Maps

4805 Convoy St, San Diego, CA 92111

Visit Website

Creamy cocktail with chili threads. — Realm Of The 52 Remedies

Also featured in:

The Fishery

The growing cocktail program by Eddie Avila continues to impress. Known for its milk punch, the latest oat-based version is infused with Don Fulano blanco tequila, vermouth, mango, and Rare Tea co. Sri Lankan lemongrass Or, welcome spring their seasonal negroni spiked with Tamai Family Farms strawberry and Dassi Family Farm cherry tomato.

5040 Cass St, San Diego, CA 92109

Visit Website

Clear cocktail with fresh Ogo seaweed. — The Fishery

Also featured in:

Swan Bar

The $5 draft cocktails at the Adams Avenue bar may be the best happy hour deal in town (4 p.m. to 5 p.m. daily). You’ll want to stay all night to enjoy their house burger menu (including a vegan cheeseburger) and well-balanced drinks like the Little Green Valley with garden-infused gin, Amontillado sherry, and mint.

Open in Google Maps

2933 Adams Ave, San Diego, CA 92116

Cucumber cocktail against glowing golden back-lit bar. — Swan Bar

Wormwood

Beverage director Jacob Mentel (Polite Provisions, Youngblood) brings a fresh perspective to absinthe. The Moulin Rouge with La Fee Absinthe, stained burgundy from Select Bitters and Sicilian Averna, and finished with pale green absinthe salt is one of the finest examples of Wormword’s renewal of the namesake spirit. This spring, keep your eyes peeled for new cocktail ventures coming to Wormwood’s back garden.

Open in Google Maps

4677 30th St, San Diego, CA 92116

Visit Website

Backlit cocktail with monkey clip on edge of glass.

Also featured in:

Fort Oak

Bar manager Jess Stewart’s latest lineup pays homage to the restaurant's past life as a Ford dealership. Spring is summed up in cocktails like the Fleetwood, a tart citrus and bourbon blend topped with delicate chamomile flowers.

Open in Google Maps

1011 Fort Stockton Dr, San Diego, CA 92103

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Dolly’s at Hoxton Square

Step through the darkness of Hoxton Manor and emerge into the light of the refreshed rooftop bar. This open-air bar by Matt Bone and Wil Pidd offers crafted cocktails like the fairly named World’s Best Negroni and what they proudly state is the coldest martini in town.

Open in Google Maps

3131 University Ave, San Diego, CA 92104

Visit Website

Tattooed arm pouring batched martini into chilled glass. — Dolly’s at Hoxton Square

Tribute Pizza

Renowned for its food, this North Park pizzeria has an equally stellar cocktail program. From the simplicity of the Paloma with tequila blanco, Stiegl Radler, and lime to the shaken Pina Colada with house-blended rum, each highlights the best ingredients treated well.

3077 N Park Way, San Diego, CA 92104

Visit Website

Golden cocktails with lemon peel. — Tribute Pizza

Also featured in:

Mabel's Gone Fishing

Recently recognized as a Michelin Guide “new discovery,” this North Park wine bar and restaurant also excels at cocktails. Gin and tonics are the specialties, from the London Dry with grapefruit and jasmine to the New World with prickly pear and pink peppercorn.

Open in Google Maps

3770 30th St, San Diego, CA 92104

Visit Website

Warm bar filled with bottles and painted green below the counter. — Mabel’s Gone Fishing

Also featured in:

The 38 Essential Restaurants in San Diego

Trust

Bar manager Jessica Stewart took inspiration from Balboa Park in developing Trust’s newest cocktail menu. Sip on the Friendship Garden, a blending of cultures with bourbon and toasted sesame combined with strawberries, lemon, and Aperol — a savory twist on a whiskey sour. Or soak in a high-rise of gin with a California Tower colored pink with roasted beets, lemon, and tarragon.

Open in Google Maps

3752 Park Blvd, San Diego, CA 92103

Visit Website

Tall pin cocktail. — Trust

Also featured in:

Mister A's

An icon of the San Diego sky, the recently remodeled rooftop restaurant offers unparalleled views and a revamped cocktail menu to match. Bar manager Alvin Pulgeda and team spin through classics made with house-made bitters and playful moves like in the Smoke & Mirrors with Chichicapa mezcal, tobacco bitters and a toke of smoked hoja santa.

2550 Fifth Ave 12th floor, San Diego, CA 92103

Visit Website

Cocktails from above. — Mister A’s

Also featured in:

Mothership

Kindred's Permanent Vacation nights proved so popular they got their own spinoff bar. Immerse yourself in a fanciful world of intergalactic spaceship-meets-strange-new-world with titillating cocktails like the Homing Beacon, a swirl of rum and apricot brandy with cascara, coconut, and a float of hibiscus.

Open in Google Maps

2310 30th St, San Diego, CA 92104

Visit Website

Pink and white cocktails on blue background. — Homing Beacon at Mothership.

Also featured in:

Bencotto

The Little Italy stalwart recently changed ownership, with GBOD Hospitality Group beverage director Ryan Andrews refreshing its drink menu. Classics like the Havana 1920 Mojito share a page with single-barrel Old Fashioneds and an espresso martini made with Grey Goose vodka or Elijah Craig bourbon.

750 W Fir St #103, San Diego, CA 92101

Visit Website

Icy cocktail with mint sprigs. — Bencotto

Also featured in:

Garibaldi

New beverage manager Charles Crisp introduces a revamped menu that brings Sardinian-inspired sips to this downtown rooftop. Enjoy the Green Flash Tonic with Wild Sardinian Vodka, Mirto Verde (a liquor made of myrtle flower and leaves) with fig tonic, cinchona bark, peppercorn, cinnamon, and cardamom.

Open in Google Maps

901 Bayfront Ct Suite 1, San Diego, CA 92101

Visit Website

Pale gold cocktail against mute green background. — Garibaldi

Also featured in:

El Dorado Cocktail Lounge

This recently revitalized East Village haunt is now owned and operated by Pouring With Heart, the team behind North Park’s Seven Grand. The daily happy hour (4 to 8 p.m.) offers discounted classic cocktails like old fashioneds and daiquiris. Stay all night playing rounds of pool while sipping on an East Village Rickey with freshly pressed lime, mezcal, mint, cucumber, and a Tajin rim.

1030 Broadway, San Diego, CA 92101

Visit Website

Four cocktails lined up against dark background. — El Dorado Cocktail Lounge

Also featured in:

Kingfisher

The acclaimed Golden Hill restaurant continues to excel under a reconfigured culinary team that includes bar manager Stephen Mallory. New standouts on the cocktail menu include the Shiitoki Manhattan, made with shiitake mushroom-infused Suntory Toki Japanese whisky, Amaro Foro, sweet vermouth, and angostura bitters, and the Cielo Alto, a mezcal-based drink that also incorporates Alma Tempec Licor de Pasilla Chile, tepache tamarindo, pineapple, and lime.

Open in Google Maps

2469 Broadway, San Diego, CA 92102

Visit Website

A Manhattan cocktail. — A Manhattan at Kingfisher.

Also featured in:

Techo Beso

Rise above the city to the Gaslamp’s newest rooftop bar. Enjoy panoramic, poolside, views at the top of the eight-story AC Hotel. Find fresh juices and house-made syrups clattering in tumblers of ice and poured into cocktails like the Quitana Spritz with fords gin, aperol, grapefruit/lime cordial, and grapefruit juice or the Devil Don’t Know with pisco, lime, pineapple gum syrup, and a dash of angostura.

Open in Google Maps

743 Fifth Ave, San Diego, CA 92101

Visit Website

Juicy cocktail with dried pineapple garnish in sunlight. — Techo Beso

Youngblood

The hidden bar behind East Village speakeasy Noble Experiment was recently named as one of the 50 best bars in North America by 50 Best’s list of North America’s 50 Best Bars 2023, claiming the 49th spot. Run by bar pros CH Projects, it offers a customizable and interactive cocktail experience in an hour and a half sessions in which Youngblood’s bartenders will create a series of three drinks tailored to each guest’s palate.

Open in Google Maps

777 G St, San Diego, CA 92101

Visit Website

Also featured in:

16 Speakeasies to Check Out in San Diego

LAVO Italian Restaurant

This spring, the upscale Italian spot debuts new cocktails like the Ciao Bella with Lillet Blanc, Singani 63, lemon juice, apricot, absinthe, prosecco, and rosemary. Or, give back with the Ballpark Brew; every time this Screwball whiskey and peanut butter caramel cocktail is ordered, $1 is donated to the San Diego Padres Foundation.

Open in Google Maps

611 Fifth Ave, San Diego, CA 92101

Visit Website

Thin stemmed glass with pale cocktail with rosemary. — LAVO Italian Restaurant

Also featured in:

Ginger’s

Escape the clamor of barleymash and slip into the arms of Ginger’s. This cozy cocktail bar just launched a new menu with sultry sips like Smoke and Mirrors with whiskey, demerara sugar, bitters, and smoke and Money Bags with Mr Black cold brew and banana foam spiked with whiskey.

Open in Google Maps

600 Fifth Ave, San Diego, CA 92101

Visit Website

Three pink martinis. — Ginger’s

© 2023 Vox Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

Link copied to the clipboard.

Frankie's

406 Pier View Wy, Oceanside, CA 92054

Under the creative director of longtime local bartender Leigh Lacap, Frankie’s has become a favorite of Oceanside locals and the San Diego hospitality industry. The newest innovation is the “What’s you Type? (A cocktail menu.)” a font filled cocktail collection that redefines Comic Sans (sort of a long island iced tea) and Papyrus (a fruited gin slushy) as cool.

Open in Google Maps

406 Pier View Wy, Oceanside, CA 92054

Visit Website

A photo of the interior of a bar.

Campfire

2725 State St, Carlsbad, CA 92008

Creative cocktails continue under beverage director Andrew Cordero, formerly a bar standout at CH Projects, with refreshing sips like the Plantasia with strawberry amaro, roasted red pepper, vermouth, and sparkling wine.

2725 State St, Carlsbad, CA 92008

Visit Website

Icy white cocktails in dark room. — Campfire.

Hamburger Hut

576 N Coast Hwy 101, Encinitas, CA 92024

The cozy, family-friendly space is stocked with games and a rum-forward menu of drinks like the hurricane slushy and the Guapo with mezcal and Belizean rum with almond and lime from beverage director Tony Juarez.

Open in Google Maps

576 N Coast Hwy 101, Encinitas, CA 92024

Visit Website

Pale white cocktail with dried blood orange and marigold. — The Guapo at Hamburger Hut

Cross Street

12925 El Camino Real, San Diego, CA 92130

Cross Street, a favorite at Del Mar Highlands, serves an impressive cocktail menu by Jesse Ross (Sycamore Den, Fernside). Favorites include the citrusy No Fly List with Blanco tequila, Cocchi Americano, yuzu, pineapple, lime, agave, and soda and the Oak & Sesame, a blend of American and Japanese whiskeys and toasted black sesame with a kiss of amaro.

Open in Google Maps

12925 El Camino Real, San Diego, CA 92130

Visit Website

Cocktail with pineapple leaves. — Cross Street

Marisi

1044 Wall St, La Jolla, CA 92037

Marisi brings the sensibilities of the Amalfi coast to San Diego. Vice president of bar and spirits Beau du Bois offers a menu of classic cocktails made with unexpected techniques like clarified white peach in the fizzy Bellini and lacto-fermented cantaloupe juice for the smoky house Margarita. Or, consider a starter of vermouth, red or white, with a silver pick of small green olives.

Open in Google Maps

1044 Wall St, La Jolla, CA 92037

Visit Website

Bright pink cocktail with lots of ice and a sprig of basil. — Marisi

Realm Of The 52 Remedies

4805 Convoy St, San Diego, CA 92111

The new spring/summer menu pulls from lead bartender Chris Lee’s travels through South Korea. Each cocktail highlights a city, such as the Go Heung “Yuzu” with citrus marmalade-infused vodka and corn whiskey with the faint spice of fermented yuzu kosho. Favorites from menus past, like the Earl Grey featuring Kasama Filipino rum with Jura 10 years single-malt Scotch continue to live on the Eternal Remedies menu.

Open in Google Maps

4805 Convoy St, San Diego, CA 92111

Visit Website

Creamy cocktail with chili threads. — Realm Of The 52 Remedies

The Fishery

5040 Cass St, San Diego, CA 92109

The growing cocktail program by Eddie Avila continues to impress. Known for its milk punch, the latest oat-based version is infused with Don Fulano blanco tequila, vermouth, mango, and Rare Tea co. Sri Lankan lemongrass Or, welcome spring their seasonal negroni spiked with Tamai Family Farms strawberry and Dassi Family Farm cherry tomato.

5040 Cass St, San Diego, CA 92109

Visit Website

Clear cocktail with fresh Ogo seaweed. — The Fishery

Swan Bar

2933 Adams Ave, San Diego, CA 92116

The $5 draft cocktails at the Adams Avenue bar may be the best happy hour deal in town (4 p.m. to 5 p.m. daily). You’ll want to stay all night to enjoy their house burger menu (including a vegan cheeseburger) and well-balanced drinks like the Little Green Valley with garden-infused gin, Amontillado sherry, and mint.

Open in Google Maps

2933 Adams Ave, San Diego, CA 92116

Cucumber cocktail against glowing golden back-lit bar. — Swan Bar

Wormwood

4677 30th St, San Diego, CA 92116

Beverage director Jacob Mentel (Polite Provisions, Youngblood) brings a fresh perspective to absinthe. The Moulin Rouge with La Fee Absinthe, stained burgundy from Select Bitters and Sicilian Averna, and finished with pale green absinthe salt is one of the finest examples of Wormword’s renewal of the namesake spirit. This spring, keep your eyes peeled for new cocktail ventures coming to Wormwood’s back garden.

Open in Google Maps

4677 30th St, San Diego, CA 92116

Visit Website

Backlit cocktail with monkey clip on edge of glass.

Fort Oak

1011 Fort Stockton Dr, San Diego, CA 92103

Bar manager Jess Stewart’s latest lineup pays homage to the restaurant's past life as a Ford dealership. Spring is summed up in cocktails like the Fleetwood, a tart citrus and bourbon blend topped with delicate chamomile flowers.

Open in Google Maps

1011 Fort Stockton Dr, San Diego, CA 92103

Visit Website

Dolly’s at Hoxton Square

3131 University Ave, San Diego, CA 92104

Step through the darkness of Hoxton Manor and emerge into the light of the refreshed rooftop bar. This open-air bar by Matt Bone and Wil Pidd offers crafted cocktails like the fairly named World’s Best Negroni and what they proudly state is the coldest martini in town.

Open in Google Maps

3131 University Ave, San Diego, CA 92104

Visit Website

Tattooed arm pouring batched martini into chilled glass. — Dolly’s at Hoxton Square

Tribute Pizza

3077 N Park Way, San Diego, CA 92104

Renowned for its food, this North Park pizzeria has an equally stellar cocktail program. From the simplicity of the Paloma with tequila blanco, Stiegl Radler, and lime to the shaken Pina Colada with house-blended rum, each highlights the best ingredients treated well.

3077 N Park Way, San Diego, CA 92104

Visit Website

Golden cocktails with lemon peel. — Tribute Pizza

Mabel's Gone Fishing