clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile
More Maps

14 Carlsbad Restaurants to Check Out Right Now

18 Kid-Friendly Restaurants in San Diego That Also Appeal to Adults

22 Delightful Asian Dessert Spots in San Diego

More in San Diego See more maps
A creamy cocktail.
A cocktail in a coupe.
Understory

The Hottest Cocktail Bars in San Diego, September 2023

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

by Kelly Bone and Candice Woo Updated
View as Map
A cocktail in a coupe.
| Understory
by Kelly Bone and Candice Woo Updated

As we head into fall, cocktail bars across San Diego offer a cozy respite complete with expertly-made drinks. Hidden bars are also on the rise, from an intimate secret garden to a 1920s Japanese-style bar tucked inside an East Village cafe.

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
Eater maps are curated by editors and aim to reflect a diversity of neighborhoods, cuisines, and prices. Learn more about our editorial process. If you buy something or book a reservation from an Eater link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics policy.

Frankie's

Copy Link

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.

406 Pier View Wy, Oceanside, CA 92054
(442) 266-2270
(442) 266-2270
A photo of the interior of a bar. Jane Fritzenkotter

Also featured in:

Campfire

Copy Link

The summer cocktail menu, under beverage director Andrew Cordero, celebrates the lighter side of life. Campfire elements still come through in new cocktails like Good Fortune, a tequila base with smoked raspberry, grapefruit, and tarragon.

2725 State St, Carlsbad, CA 92008
(760) 637-5121
(760) 637-5121
Pink cocktail with spiky garnish.
Campfire
Elodie Bost

Also featured in:

Hamburger Hut

Copy Link

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.

576 N Coast Hwy 101, Encinitas, CA 92024
(760) 230-1999
(760) 230-1999
Pale white cocktail with dried blood orange and marigold.
The Guapo at Hamburger Hut
Kelly Bone

Understory Bar

Copy Link

The Del Mar Highlands Town Center cocktail haven is just one of a handful of Sky Deck tenants participating in an appealing new happy hour that includes deals on food and drinks. Understory is featuring 50 percent off its classic cocktails on weekdays between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. and again on Fridays and Saturdays between 10 p.m. and midnight as well as daily specials ranging from discounted mezcal flights on Mondays and $10 dealer’s choice cocktails on Thursdays.

12841 El Camino Real Suite 209-210, San Diego, CA 92130
(858) 925-7022
(858) 925-7022
An artful arrangement of cocktails on a bar table.
An array of cocktails at Understory.
Kimberly Motos

Marisi

Copy Link

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 the new Amaretto Sour topped with a eggless fluffy cordial. This summer their most decadent cocktail ever debuts—a three course Porn Star Martini. Except house-made vanilla bean vodka and passion fruit with a champagne (real champagne, not prosecco) and half a passionfruit on ice.

1044 Wall St, La Jolla, CA 92037
(858) 401-6787
(858) 401-6787
Fruity martini small flute of champagne and half a passion fruit in a small bowl of crushed ice.
Marisi
Kelly Bone

Also featured in:

Realm Of The 52 Remedies

Copy Link

Bar Manager/ Beverage Director Chris Lee travels through South Korea thread though the summer cocktail menu, each highlighting a city. Your tastebuds can travel with Lee to cities like Go Heung by sipping on his yuzu marmalade infused sotol and whisky cocktail spiked with fermented yuzu kosho and lemon. 

4805 Convoy St, San Diego, CA 92111
(619) 780-6675
(619) 780-6675
Opaque cocktail in warm light.
Realm Of The 52 Remedies
James Tran

Also featured in:

Paradisaea

Copy Link

This stylish Bird Rock restaurant boasts a lively cocktail bar that crafts drinks that the trendy-again espresso martini. Paradisaea’s version bends smooth cold brew liqueur with cinnamon and highlights the coffee’s natural chocolate notes with a swirl of smoked salt. A new happy hour, kicking off Wednesday, September 27 and running on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., includes 50 percent off signature cocktails, beer, and wine as well as half off bar snacks like halibut tempura and a dry-aged cheeseburger.  

5680 La Jolla Blvd, San Diego, CA 92037
(858) 255-8011
(858) 255-8011
Pale brown martini with a swirl of smoked salt.
Paradisaea
Kelly Bone

Also featured in:

The Fishery

Copy Link

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 summer produce with the Faena Beach Club with memories of bonfire settling into the this mezcal and Mendoza Family Farms rhubarb sipper.

5040 Cass St, San Diego, CA 92109
(858) 272-9985
(858) 272-9985
Clear cocktail with fresh Ogo seaweed.
The Fishery
@ericwolfinger

Also featured in:

Captain's Quarters

Copy Link

The latest cocktails on deck at this nautical speakeasy next to the Grass Skirt in Pacific Beach include the Sirens Spritz with butterfly pea tea-tinted gin and the Skippers Colada, which blends mezcal, lime, toasted cocktail, Ancho Reyes poblano liqueur, and mirto verde.

910 Grand Ave Ste 105-107, San Diego, CA 92109
(858) 412-5237
(858) 412-5237

Also featured in:

Wormwood’s The Secret Garden

Copy Link

Nestled behind a topiary wall and beneath a clear canopy, the intimate bar soars toward the sky with shelves stocked with absinthe bottled near and far. Fall into the cocktail menu and find your potion.

4677 30th St, San Diego, CA 92116
(619) 915-6706
(619) 915-6706
Storybook dreamy cocktail surrounded by baby breath flowers.
Wormwood’s The Secret Garden
James Tran / Instagram

Also featured in:

The Lafayette Hotel & Club

Copy Link

The highly-anticipated Lafayette Hotel has landed, bringing with it a new wave of bars and restaurants that enables choose your own adventure-style drinking. Indulge in a boozy milkshake at the 24-diner, a Pimm’s Cup under the glass atrium of the Lobby Bar, bask in the tropical-meets-Italian vibes of the poolside bar, grab a classic drink at its bowling alley, or sip Oaxacan rum in the dark, church-like setting of Quixote.

2223 El Cajon Blvd, San Diego, CA 92104
(619) 296-2101
(619) 296-2101
A circular bar under a glass roof.
The Lobby Bar.
Kimberly Motos

Dolly’s at Hoxton Square

Copy Link

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.

3131 University Ave, San Diego, CA 92104
Tattooed arm pouring batched martini into chilled glass.
Dolly’s at Hoxton Square
James Tran

Tribute Pizza

Copy Link

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
(619) 450-4505
(619) 450-4505
Golden cocktails with lemon peel.
Tribute Pizza
Kelly Bone

Also featured in:

Mabel's Gone Fishing

Copy Link

Recently awarded Bib Gourmand status by the Michelin guide, 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.

3770 30th St, San Diego, CA 92104
(619) 228-9851
(619) 228-9851
Warm bar filled with bottles and painted green below the counter.
Mabel’s Gone Fishing
Kimberly Motos

Also featured in:

Mothership

Copy Link

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.

2310 30th St, San Diego, CA 92104
(619) 630-2187
(619) 630-2187
Pink and white cocktails on blue background.
Homing Beacon at Mothership.
Kimberly Motos

Also featured in:

More in Maps

Kingfisher

Copy Link

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.

2469 Broadway, San Diego, CA 92102
(619) 432-1014
(619) 432-1014
A Manhattan cocktail.
A Manhattan at Kingfisher.
Kimberly Motos

Also featured in:

Youngblood

Copy Link

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.

777 G St, San Diego, CA 92101
(619) 446-0002
(619) 446-0002
Arlene Ibarra

Also featured in:

Bar Kamon

Copy Link

Slip beyond the Tokyo-style cafe and into the Beshock Ramen team’s new speakeasy. Inspired by 1920s romanticism in post-war Japan. Bar manager Brett Grimsman fills the bar with inventive cocktails that showcase Japanese spirits and Asian ingredients. The bar is currently open Wednesday - Saturday with limited hours.

634 14th St, San Diego, CA 92101
Wooden bar with red carpet and black curtain doors. Kimberly Motos

J & Tony’s Discount Cured Meats And Negroni Warehouse

Copy Link

This East Village cocktail house from CH Projects is one of the group’s most low-key spots. Though the drinks are serious, the atmosphere is welcoming and relaxed. Their Nigronis are great year round, but as the summer heat settles in San Diego, cool off this J & Tony’s Thee Stallion Spritz. The fizzy glass comes with Lo-Fi Gentian Amaro, passionfruit, lemon, sparkling wine and a splash of seltzer. 

631 Ninth Ave, San Diego, CA 92101
(855) 634-7664
(855) 634-7664
Small wooden bar with well stoked liquor shelves.
J & Tony’s
Zack Benson

Also featured in:

Modbom - Kitchen. Cocktails. Cafe.

Copy Link

The all-day cafe and bar recently launched a fresh cocktail list for fall that includes the teal-colored Tarantula Juice, a mix of vodka, Icelandic aperitif, rosolio di bergamotto, lemongrass, prickly pear, macadamia orgeat, citrus, and pineapple, as well as a new food menu from chef Anthony Bruno that features Southwestern-inspired dishes like hibiscus buffalo smoked chicken wings and pizza topped with hatch chiles, corn, soyrizo, and black beans. And don’t forget to take a trip downstairs to the Acid Vault, a speakeasy that regularly hosts music and comedy nights.

1429 Island Ave, San Diego, CA 92101

More in Maps

© 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.

406 Pier View Wy, Oceanside, CA 92054
(442) 266-2270
(442) 266-2270
A photo of the interior of a bar. Jane Fritzenkotter

Campfire

2725 State St, Carlsbad, CA 92008

The summer cocktail menu, under beverage director Andrew Cordero, celebrates the lighter side of life. Campfire elements still come through in new cocktails like Good Fortune, a tequila base with smoked raspberry, grapefruit, and tarragon.

2725 State St, Carlsbad, CA 92008
(760) 637-5121
(760) 637-5121
Pink cocktail with spiky garnish.
Campfire
Elodie Bost

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.

576 N Coast Hwy 101, Encinitas, CA 92024
(760) 230-1999
(760) 230-1999
Pale white cocktail with dried blood orange and marigold.
The Guapo at Hamburger Hut
Kelly Bone

Understory Bar

12841 El Camino Real Suite 209-210, San Diego, CA 92130

The Del Mar Highlands Town Center cocktail haven is just one of a handful of Sky Deck tenants participating in an appealing new happy hour that includes deals on food and drinks. Understory is featuring 50 percent off its classic cocktails on weekdays between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. and again on Fridays and Saturdays between 10 p.m. and midnight as well as daily specials ranging from discounted mezcal flights on Mondays and $10 dealer’s choice cocktails on Thursdays.

12841 El Camino Real Suite 209-210, San Diego, CA 92130
(858) 925-7022
(858) 925-7022
An artful arrangement of cocktails on a bar table.
An array of cocktails at Understory.
Kimberly Motos

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 the new Amaretto Sour topped with a eggless fluffy cordial. This summer their most decadent cocktail ever debuts—a three course Porn Star Martini. Except house-made vanilla bean vodka and passion fruit with a champagne (real champagne, not prosecco) and half a passionfruit on ice.

1044 Wall St, La Jolla, CA 92037
(858) 401-6787
(858) 401-6787
Fruity martini small flute of champagne and half a passion fruit in a small bowl of crushed ice.
Marisi
Kelly Bone

Realm Of The 52 Remedies

4805 Convoy St, San Diego, CA 92111

Bar Manager/ Beverage Director Chris Lee travels through South Korea thread though the summer cocktail menu, each highlighting a city. Your tastebuds can travel with Lee to cities like Go Heung by sipping on his yuzu marmalade infused sotol and whisky cocktail spiked with fermented yuzu kosho and lemon. 

4805 Convoy St, San Diego, CA 92111
(619) 780-6675
(619) 780-6675
Opaque cocktail in warm light.
Realm Of The 52 Remedies
James Tran

Paradisaea

5680 La Jolla Blvd, San Diego, CA 92037

This stylish Bird Rock restaurant boasts a lively cocktail bar that crafts drinks that the trendy-again espresso martini. Paradisaea’s version bends smooth cold brew liqueur with cinnamon and highlights the coffee’s natural chocolate notes with a swirl of smoked salt. A new happy hour, kicking off Wednesday, September 27 and running on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., includes 50 percent off signature cocktails, beer, and wine as well as half off bar snacks like halibut tempura and a dry-aged cheeseburger.  

5680 La Jolla Blvd, San Diego, CA 92037
(858) 255-8011
(858) 255-8011
Pale brown martini with a swirl of smoked salt.
Paradisaea
Kelly Bone

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 summer produce with the Faena Beach Club with memories of bonfire settling into the this mezcal and Mendoza Family Farms rhubarb sipper.

5040 Cass St, San Diego, CA 92109
(858) 272-9985
(858) 272-9985
Clear cocktail with fresh Ogo seaweed.
The Fishery
@ericwolfinger

Captain's Quarters

910 Grand Ave Ste 105-107, San Diego, CA 92109

The latest cocktails on deck at this nautical speakeasy next to the Grass Skirt in Pacific Beach include the Sirens Spritz with butterfly pea tea-tinted gin and the Skippers Colada, which blends mezcal, lime, toasted cocktail, Ancho Reyes poblano liqueur, and mirto verde.

910 Grand Ave Ste 105-107, San Diego, CA 92109
(858) 412-5237
(858) 412-5237

Wormwood’s The Secret Garden

4677 30th St, San Diego, CA 92116

Nestled behind a topiary wall and beneath a clear canopy, the intimate bar soars toward the sky with shelves stocked with absinthe bottled near and far. Fall into the cocktail menu and find your potion.

4677 30th St, San Diego, CA 92116
(619) 915-6706
(619) 915-6706
Storybook dreamy cocktail surrounded by baby breath flowers.
Wormwood’s The Secret Garden
James Tran / Instagram

The Lafayette Hotel & Club

2223 El Cajon Blvd, San Diego, CA 92104

The highly-anticipated Lafayette Hotel has landed, bringing with it a new wave of bars and restaurants that enables choose your own adventure-style drinking. Indulge in a boozy milkshake at the 24-diner, a Pimm’s Cup under the glass atrium of the Lobby Bar, bask in the tropical-meets-Italian vibes of the poolside bar, grab a classic drink at its bowling alley, or sip Oaxacan rum in the dark, church-like setting of Quixote.

2223 El Cajon Blvd, San Diego, CA 92104
(619) 296-2101
(619) 296-2101
A circular bar under a glass roof.
The Lobby Bar.
Kimberly Motos

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.

3131 University Ave, San Diego, CA 92104
Tattooed arm pouring batched martini into chilled glass.
Dolly’s at Hoxton Square
James Tran

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
(619) 450-4505
(619) 450-4505
Golden cocktails with lemon peel.
Tribute Pizza
Kelly Bone

Mabel's Gone Fishing

3770 30th St, San Diego, CA 92104

Recently awarded Bib Gourmand status by the Michelin guide, 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.

3770 30th St, San Diego, CA 92104
(619) 228-9851
(619) 228-9851
Warm bar filled with bottles and painted green below the counter.
Mabel’s Gone Fishing
Kimberly Motos

Mothership

2310 30th St, San Diego, CA 92104

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.

2310 30th St, San Diego, CA 92104
(619) 630-2187
(619) 630-2187
Pink and white cocktails on blue background.
Homing Beacon at Mothership.
Kimberly Motos

Related Maps

Kingfisher

2469 Broadway, San Diego, CA 92102

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.

2469 Broadway, San Diego, CA 92102
(619) 432-1014
(619) 432-1014
A Manhattan cocktail.
A Manhattan at Kingfisher.
Kimberly Motos

Youngblood

777 G St, San Diego, CA 92101

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.

777 G St, San Diego, CA 92101
(619) 446-0002
(619) 446-0002
Arlene Ibarra

Bar Kamon

634 14th St, San Diego, CA 92101

Slip beyond the Tokyo-style cafe and into the Beshock Ramen team’s new speakeasy. Inspired by 1920s romanticism in post-war Japan. Bar manager Brett Grimsman fills the bar with inventive cocktails that showcase Japanese spirits and Asian ingredients. The bar is currently open Wednesday - Saturday with limited hours.

634 14th St, San Diego, CA 92101
Wooden bar with red carpet and black curtain doors. Kimberly Motos

J & Tony’s Discount Cured Meats And Negroni Warehouse

631 Ninth Ave, San Diego, CA 92101

This East Village cocktail house from CH Projects is one of the group’s most low-key spots. Though the drinks are serious, the atmosphere is welcoming and relaxed. Their Nigronis are great year round, but as the summer heat settles in San Diego, cool off this J & Tony’s Thee Stallion Spritz. The fizzy glass comes with Lo-Fi Gentian Amaro, passionfruit, lemon, sparkling wine and a splash of seltzer. 

631 Ninth Ave, San Diego, CA 92101
(855) 634-7664
(855) 634-7664
Small wooden bar with well stoked liquor shelves.
J & Tony’s
Zack Benson

Modbom - Kitchen. Cocktails. Cafe.

1429 Island Ave, San Diego, CA 92101

The all-day cafe and bar recently launched a fresh cocktail list for fall that includes the teal-colored Tarantula Juice, a mix of vodka, Icelandic aperitif, rosolio di bergamotto, lemongrass, prickly pear, macadamia orgeat, citrus, and pineapple, as well as a new food menu from chef Anthony Bruno that features Southwestern-inspired dishes like hibiscus buffalo smoked chicken wings and pizza topped with hatch chiles, corn, soyrizo, and black beans. And don’t forget to take a trip downstairs to the Acid Vault, a speakeasy that regularly hosts music and comedy nights.

1429 Island Ave, San Diego, CA 92101

Related Maps