SFG City Guide

San Diego Dive Bar Guide

Dim Dives Amid Perfect Weather

It would be easy to assume that with perfect weather in an idyllic setting that San Diego drinkers may not have time for a typical dusty dive bar. And while that’s certainly true for parts of the city, San Diego is flush with dive bar options distributed throughout the city, some of them with the kinds of patios that balance the beauty of the area with the familiar comforts of a dimly lit dive bar.

Maybe the city’s most iconic dive bar is The Tower Bar in that it is literally an icon, a massive 110-foot tower taken down due to leaning in 1999 and restored to multi-colored glory in 2009. Built in 1932, the space was intended first as a drive-in soda fountain since repurposed into a handful of bars and restaurants before settling into its dive bar destiny as The Tower Bar.

Not to be outdone in the strip mall dive bar department, spots like Cherry Bomb exist, a relentlessly red & black bar wedged into the corner of a San Diego strip between a laundromat and taco joint. The vibe is very punk rock / death metal, down to the mildly demonic artwork that dots the walls.

And though the owners of Live Wire don’t love the ‘dive bar’ moniker, the phrase is meant with love and recognition for the bar’s unwillingness to waver in the face of encroaching upscale neighbors. One of San Diego’s pioneers in craft beer, Live Wire balances that product selection with an interior that has changed little since opening in 1992.

Perfect weather or not, San Diego is littered with cave-like dives that offer some retreat from the admittedly pleasant sun that permeates the city.

San Diego Dive Bar Map

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Recommended But Not Reviewed Dive Bars

We have not had the great pleasure of getting to every possible dive bar (life goals), so inevitably there are great bars that we simply haven't been able to get to yet. The list below includes noteworthy dive bars that by all accounts look amazing but do not have a review associated with them just yet.

Catalina Lounge

4202 Voltaire St, San Diego, CA 92107

(619) 224-4905

Chee-Chee Club

929 Broadway, San Diego, CA 92101

(619) 234-4404

Cherry Bomb

2237 1st Ave, San Diego, CA 92101

(619) 544-1173

Live Wire

2103 El Cajon Blvd, San Diego, CA 92104

(619) 291-7450

Nunu's Tavern

3537 Fifth Ave, San Diego, CA 92103

(619) 295-2878

Pacific Shores

4927 Newport Ave, San Diego, CA 92107

(619) 223-7546

The Casbah

2501 Kettner Blvd, San Diego, CA 92101

(619) 232-4355

The Lancers

4671 Park Blvd, San Diego, CA 92116

(619) 280-2530

The Silver Fox Lounge

1833 Garnet Ave, San Diego, CA 92109

(858) 270-1343

The Tower Bar

4757 University Ave, San Diego, CA 92105

(619) 228-1000

Other Divey Drinking Options

The bars listed here are the best of the rest, great local drinking options that may not quite be classified as must-visit dive bar destinations (in our rudimentary estimation). There is no doubt a hidden gem or five in the list below. Happy hunting.

Aero Club Bar

3365 India St, San Diego, CA 92103

(619) 297-7211

Beachcomber

2901 Mission Blvd, San Diego, CA 92109

(858) 488-2900

Black Cat Bar

4246 University Ave, San Diego, CA 92105

(619) 280-5871

Camel's Bar & Grill

10330 Friars Rd #106, San Diego, CA 92120

(619) 283-0500

CJ's Club

222 W Washington St, San Diego, CA 92103

(619) 296-2721

Cricket's Pub

3339 El Cajon Blvd, San Diego, CA 92104

(619) 280-4554

Duke's Cardiff Office

110 Aberdeen Dr # A, Cardiff, CA 92007

(760) 753-7766

Gilly's Bar

2306 El Cajon Blvd, San Diego, CA 92104

(619) 298-6008

Haunted Head Saloon

207 N Tremont St, Oceanside, CA 92054

(760) 433-2555

High Dive Bar & Grill

1801 Morena Blvd, San Diego, CA 92110

(619) 275-0460

Instant Replay

11681 Duenda Rd, San Diego, CA 92127

(858) 485-9304

Leucadian Pour House

1542 N Coast Hwy 101, Encinitas, CA 92024

(760) 942-0402

Lucy's Tavern

4906 Voltaire St, San Diego, CA 92107

(619) 224-0834

Manhattan Bar

400 Broadway, Chula Vista, CA 91910

(619) 422-0900

Nite Owl Cocktail Lounge

2772 Garnet Ave, San Diego, CA 92109

(858) 274-3676

Old Town Saloon

2495 San Diego Ave, San Diego, CA 92110

(619) 298-0568

Open Bar

4302 Mission Blvd, San Diego, CA 92109

(858) 273-5351

PB Pub

4471 Gresham St, San Diego, CA 92109

(858) 273-3112

Sidecar Bar

1310 Morena Blvd, San Diego, CA 92110

(619) 230-5715

Silver Spigot

2221 Morena Blvd, San Diego, CA 92110

(619) 276-1030

Smitty's Downtown

119 E Broadway, Vista, CA 92084

(760) 724-4455

SPACE

3519 El Cajon Blvd, San Diego, CA 92104

(619) 255-0899

Stadium Club

6065 Fairmount Ave, San Diego, CA 92120

(619) 521-8255

Star Bar

423 E St, San Diego, CA 92101

(619) 234-0872

The Kraken

2531 S Coast Hwy 101, Cardiff, CA 92007

(760) 436-6488

The Lamplighter

817 W Washington St, San Diego, CA 92103

(619) 298-3646

The Little Club

132 Orange Ave, Coronado, CA 92118

(619) 435-5885

The Loft

3610 Fifth Ave, San Diego, CA 92103

(619) 296-6407

The Shanty

126 Chesterfield Dr, Cardiff, CA 92007

(760) 753-1548

The Waterfront Bar & Grill

2044 Kettner Blvd, San Diego, CA 92101

(619) 232-9133

The Watering Hole

4766 Clairemont Mesa Blvd, San Diego, CA 92117

(858) 565-1717

Tivoli Bar & Grill

505 Sixth Ave, San Diego, CA 92101

(619) 232-6754

West End

5157 La Jolla Blvd, San Diego, CA 92109

(858) 488-1191

Ye Olde Plank Inn

24 Palm Ave, Imperial Beach, CA 91932

(619) 424-9122

Cheers

1839 Adams Ave, San Diego, CA 92116

(619) 298-5085

Larry's Beach Club

1145 S Tremont St, Oceanside, CA 92054

(760) 439-6646

Nearby Cities to Explore

Las Vegas

3 Top Rated Dives

33 Dive Bars

Los Angeles

3 Top Rated Dives

51 Dive Bars

Phoenix

Top Rated Dives

49 Dive Bars

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What did we miss? Where should we go? We'd love to hear your ideas, your favorite spots, your profound disappointments and anything in between.