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    Ballast Point Brewing

    4.3 (2.3k reviews)
    Open 11:00 am - 10:00 pm
    Updated over 3 months ago

    Services - Ballast Point Brewing

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    BALLAST POINT BREWING ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Classy
    Casual
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - Ballast Point Brewing

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    Sunny C.

    Had a blast at ballblast brewery! List of beer on tap. The gifts comes packed with merch and stickers. We just came in for a snack that turned out to be a big snack with the loaded fries. Really good fries here. It wasn't too busy during the lunch hour.

    Lemon Pepper Wings and Truffle Fries
    Vivian T.

    Ballast Point is one of San Diego's most beloved breweries in the city. I've been to their Miramar location and that one is far more superior, whereas this location you can come to for convenience. They have both patio seating and indoor seating and it's still quite spacious given their location in Little Italy. They have great chicken wings here that always go well with their beers. I am not a beer drinker, but their flavors are unique and are some that I can handle. I think there is a beer for anyone on their menu, and I like their Blonde Ales as my go to. They even have gluten free cider, seltzer, and kombucha too. It's a great hangout spot for family and friends or to unwind after work. Their food is awesome too and they seem to always do specials and seasonal offerings.

    Watermelon Dorado!
    Frankie M.

    After a night out with family in Little Italy, how could we not stop at one of my all time fav breweries! This place never ceases to amaze me! Ordered (2) watermelon dorados because why the heck not- it's by far the best double IPA on the beer list! Seating at the bar was open and available, even got to catch the last couple of innings of the Padres game with the wifey! The place was definitely vibing with big crowds cheering on the home team! Love the high-energy environment, and the staff are super efficient, with great personality, and expert craftsmanship! If you haven't been, definitely stop by Ballast Point! You won't be disappointed!

    Calm before the storm
    Danny W.

    Love the Little Italy Ballast Point location. Everything is perfect except the parking. The beer is always great and a must try if you're in San Diego. The service was kind and let me sample as much beer as I want. The atmosphere is impeccable with great decor.

    Justin B.

    Stopped by Ballast Point Brewing Company and had a great experience. I tried the Sculpin IPA and it definitely lived up to the hype. It was super tasty and well balanced. One thing I really appreciated was being able to try tasters before committing to a full pour. Always a win. They also had solid food options, which made it an easy place to hang out for a while. The environment was comfortable, very spacious, and felt welcoming. Plenty of room for groups of different sizes, whether you're coming with a few friends or a bigger crowd. Overall, a relaxed vibe with amazing beers and a setup that makes you want to stay awhile.

    Limited time duck nachos and nebulous hazy
    Stephanie G.

    The people working here were really nice, not tons of parking but it's downtown. Beer selection is good and the food was tasty. The artwork on the walls is really cool and there is some sweet merchandise to purchase as well. This place was the perfect spot to come for food beer and good music. Check this place out

    Mark C.

    Bottom line...Wide variety of beer and VERY GOOD beer at that. I tried the Ship's Hull a Brown Ale and it was quite good. I did not try any food but our bartender was very nice and asked if we wanted any? (just got done with dinner). For a Thursday night, it was fairly busy but the main thing was that my wife and I got a table, near the front door but still was able to have good conversation, not that loud. All around...NICE !

    Peanut butter!
    Emily Y H.

    If you like beer and breweries this is a great place to come by for lunch or happy hour while your in San Diego. I always try to stop by once. It's more bar and beer forward than their other location which is more restaurant feeling. My boyfriend and I stopped by on our last day in San Diego. Apparently last time I visited was when they had the soft shell crab burger which I was craving but it was in 2019. But besides that everything else was the same. We got lucky it was during happy hour so we got their wings + beer, beer flight and bbq burger with kale salad. The service was great. No one rushed us and everyone was friendly. The pours for the beer were very generous and my bf even got to sample a beer before he ordered his pint. The wings were huge and juicy. We got the sauce on the side while also some try rub. The burger had fried onions and bacon with yummy bbq sauce. The kale salad that was extra was huge! The dressing on the kale Cesar salad was delicious. We cleaned our plates fully and enjoyed chilling for a bit while finishing our beers. Then went to the gift shop on the backside again. Always a good time!

    Bp flight and sweet chili chicken wings
    Janelle M.

    I absolutely love Ballast point brewing. I can hear which my pup Mav since they are dog friendly. The staff is awesome one of the staff even brought Mav a couple dog treats. I didn't know what beer I wanted so I went with the $15 which you get 4 glasses of 4 oz pours of beer that BP makes. My selections were Tart Peach, Imperial sculpin double stout, Watermelon and Indra. All were delicious and refreshing. I have to say my favorites were the Imperial stout and watermelon they had the most flavor profile. I also order the Birria taco and sweet chili chicken wings. The Birria tacos were absolutely delicious and would definitely order them again on taco Tuesday you can add a BP Sculpin pint for $5 it too was tasty. The sweet chili chicken wings were good until I got to the flats there were still some feathers on them and I had to send them back. Overall my experience was decent. I would come back for the beer and Birria tacos all day.

    Victoria R.

    My bf couldn't stop talking about Sculpin IPA so we stopped by ballast point. He ordered the Sculpin, and I ordered the Soirée Both were absolutely delicious. The brewery itself it very charming with relaxing music and sports in the background. The service is quick but polite. We will definitely be coming again!! So glad to we found a bar that's laid back and not rowdy (:

    Crystal F.

    Stopped in for a quick beer while we were in the area. The beers here are delicious. The service was good, the service went over the beer selection and their popular beers on tap. We enjoyed a lager with brewed with peppers and a delicious porter. Beers were good, we didn't order any food here, so we will have to come back to this location again and give that a try.

    Ann N.

    We came here after renting a car and checking into our hotel as it was literally down the street. Having come from Hawaii, we have limited beers from here. I was so overwhelmed by the vast menu, I had to call the mr for advice. The soiree hard cider was excellent and I don't care for ciders. I also had a salad which was filling and a nice light pairing for our afternoon. We came on a Thursday around lunch time and it was not crowded. If we had known about the outdoor area, we would've sat out. They also have cabanas that can be rented out. Order at the bar and they bring your food over. It was pretty quick as well.

    Ballast Point Bowl with added Pork Belly, excellent!
    Linda H.

    Stopped in to look for novel six packs of beer and decided to stay for dinner. I ordered the Ballast Point veggie bowl and added pork belly. In the past I've often ordered the Kim Cheese Burger, but I'm trying to eat healthier. 3/4 of the way through the veggie bowl, I'm not missing the burger one bit! The marinated chick peas are smoky and savory, the beer vinaigrette is lightly seasoned and accents the greens perfectly. The pork belly ($5) is crisp, tender and juicy. Although I enjoyed the pork belly, the dish would have been fine without. I would order this again, for sure!!! I'm also enjoying a flight of four fruity beers. Thumbs up all the way.

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    3 months ago

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    9 days ago

    Service is so rude. They literally ignore lines of customers. The beer and food is good but the service ruins the experience

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    2 months ago

    Excellent beer choices with good food also. One of the best breweries we visited in San Diego.

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    Page 1 of 58

    Ballast Point Brewing Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Ballast Point Brewing

    Is this a good spot to watch NFL games?

    Yes plenty of space, beer and food Could use a couple more tvs… 

    Are any dogs welcome or service dog only?

    Dogs are welcome only on our patio.

    Are dogs welcome?

    Yes dogs are welcome when I was there there was a Great Dane there

    What is the parking like? Is there a parking lot or metered parking?

    Plenty of metered parking - there is a longer stay set of meters to the left of the building up the hill ( not sure of street name) and of course it's free after 6

    Are there any vegan options other than the impossible burger?

    HI Annie, Yes we don't unfortunately have very many Vegan options other than the Impossible Burger. You can pull the cheese off the salads and make them vegan.… 

    Hello, is this place appropriate for kids?

    Hi Charbel, Yes we are a family friendly establishment. We do offer kids menus and crayons upon request.

    Does ballast point have a happy hour?

    Hi Kiana, Thank you for reaching out. While we dont offer Happy Hour we do offer taster flights of four 4 oz tasters for $8 all day.… 

    What kind of food is suggested?

    I would skip the food, disappointing and expensive. Just stick to the delicious beer and grab food after or before.

    How much are growler fills? Sculpin?

    Depends on the brew you want starts at 15$

    How much is valet?

    Hi Jessica, Our Valet is $9 Please let me know if i may be of further assistance.… 

    Do they serve wine?

    Hi Julio, yes we do sell wine as well as well as cider.

    What are the prices and glass size on flights?

    Flight of 4:$8, 4oz each 4oz:$2.5

    Is Ballast Point - Little Italy dog friendly?

    Yes, dogs are allowed on the outside patio. Only service animals are allowed inside.

    Are dogs allowed?

    This policy has recently changed. Dog are allowed on the outside patio. Only service animals are allowed inside the restaurant.

    Do they have WiFi?

    Yes

    Is the attire casual?

    Yes very casual

    Is this place +21 all day?

    No, we are kids friendly. Cheers

    Do they sell merchandise at this location?

    They sell shirts, different shape/style glasses, beer. Prices I thought were reasonable.

    View All 20 Questions

    Trust - Milk and Cookies

    Trust

    4.3(1.6k reviews)
    1.9 miHillcrest
    $$

    As I sit here, I couldn't help but update a review from 2+ yrs ago…read more I have truly fallen in love with this place. My wife and I were served by Anthony this evening. As always, he was outstanding & knowledgable. He guided us in our experience and we were blown away. Ordered the Beet salad, Steamed Clams to start. I got the Swordfish & Roasted Carrots and my wife enjoyed the Oxtail. Outstanding! They knew it was my birthday and the team wrote me a signed card by the staff. Very sweet. Grateful for this place. Stay forever.

    My friend and I loved being able to sit out on the patio to enjoy our food and champagne on such a…read morebeautiful day. The server was awesome and even brought my pup a bowl of water. We got champagne and did their Honeydew Lemongrass Limeade as the mixer, which I highly recommend! My friend got the Egg White Scramble and I ended up getting the Fried Rice. I was pretty disappointed in the basically non-existent bok choy in my dish since they chop it up and add it to the rice. It's a waste of bok choy honestly and the dish would be better with full bok choy pieces between the rice and egg. They couldn't even provide me with a side of bok choy because they pre-chop everything. As our dessert, we ended up splitting the Ultimate Sticky Bun. It is unfair how delicious this was! Condensed milk, strawberries, and lavender ice cream. Soo happy we decided to set one aside for dessert. There's a reason these sell out quickly!

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    Trust - Interior

    Interior

    Trust - Bacon chop

    Bacon chop

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    Roasted Carrots

    Juniper and Ivy

    Juniper and Ivy

    4.1(3.6k reviews)
    0.1 miLittle Italy
    $$$
    Wheelchair accessible
    Private events

    Juniper and Ivy is one of our favorite restaurants in San Diego, and with the food scene here is…read morethriving, but when we want a higher end, comforting, California cuisine, we are never disappointed when we come here. First off, the starters - we had the bread which comes with a delicious slightly sweet butter mikolich farm honey butter - HIGHLY recommended! I really enjoyed the lemongrass beef skewers, and the shrimp, Hokkaido Scallop with miso butter / chili crunch / chives - it tasted like a deconstructed spring roll - so good!! The cauliflower steak was ok. For our entree, we had the Rigatoni, with pork bolognese / burrata / basil / grana padano, which my husband LOVED even more the next day. Previous visit, we've had the Miso Black Cod, with mushroom dashi / glazed shishito / roasted shiitakes and wanted to try something different. For dessert, we enjoyed the Pavlova. We loved the service and the space is gorgeous and so open but not too loud. We were there on a weekday (Tuesday) around 6pm.

    I am writing this review to warn others with food allergies, as my experience at Juniper & Ivy was…read morenot only disappointing but dangerous. I visited one week ago and clearly communicated a severe crustacean allergy to our server. I specifically asked if the oysters were fried in the same oil as the spot prawns. Without checking with the kitchen, the server immediately assured me they were not, claiming the spot prawns were cooked in a separate pan and not fried at all. When the dish arrived, the prawns appeared clearly deep-fried, but I relied on the server's explicit assurance. A few hours later, I began experiencing an allergic reaction, confirming that I had been exposed to crustaceans--likely because the oysters were indeed fried in the same oil as the prawns. The following morning, I called the restaurant to verify their frying practices. Without mentioning my allergy, I asked the hostess if the oysters and spot prawns were fried in the same oil. She checked with the kitchen and confirmed that they were. When I then spoke with a manager to report the dangerous misinformation I had been given, the situation only worsened. The manager attempted to deflect, claiming the hostess was "confused" and thought I was asking about a gluten allergy--despite me never mentioning gluten. It felt as though the management was more interested in covering their tracks than addressing a serious safety failure. After a hesitant and insincere check on my well-being, the manager promised to investigate and call me back once the server was in. It has now been over a week, and I have heard nothing. If you have a food allergy, I would strongly advise against dining here. The lack of basic safety protocols, combined with a dishonest and dismissive management team, makes this establishment a significant risk.

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    Juniper and Ivy - Whole Duck

    Whole Duck

    Juniper and Ivy
    Juniper and Ivy

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    Fort Oak

    Fort Oak

    4.2(776 reviews)
    1.6 miMission Hills
    $$$

    Ok wait I loveeeed a lot of the dishes that we ordered here!! They are super accommodating with any…read moredietary restrictions (one person in our party is allergic to dairy and doesn't eat pork, and they were able to tailor dishes accordingly). Definitely on the pricier end for certain dishes but many of them are well worth it! - sourdough bread: good but also why are we spending $16 here. can't say it's worth - ahi tartare: no notes, everything hit, would come back for this alone - steamed clam and mussels: these were some meaty af mussels. delicious! the clams were tiny & pathetic tho and can't say I loved having the chorizo in there - charred broccolini: honestly don't remember this well but i had no complaints - grilled oysters: another fav of mine!!! a must get - hearth roasted carrots: the yogurt & pesto were on the side (due to dairy restrictions) but the pesto was SO. GOOD. paired beautifully with the carrots!!!!! I'm dying to know how to make this at home myself - branzino: good but would skip. I do typically like fish entrees but this wasn't overly impressive. could've used more sauce - NY strip: our favorite entree!!!! paired SO with the bone marrow - duck: super tender and fell right off the bone!!! our second fav entree - almond joy: incredible dessert, every bite I felt like I was getting a little something new. vanilla ice cream in the middle. LOVEEED this as our ending to dinner

    Lots of hype about Fort Oak. Seemed to be busy when we were in the area. Menu is pinch…read moreoff-putting. Wasn't tooooo much looking forward to it, but it fit all the Birthday Dinner check marks and you can't down talk a place if you haven't been there. First. Listen. Everyone's using open table. But Fort Oak, tell Open Table to chill. I used open table to reserve about 4 days in advance, but still got a TON of emails, and a ton of notifications. Including one that, if I didn't respond to it, would cancel my reservation. Then 3 follow ups asking me to review Fort Oak. Haysuse on a pogo stick, that was almost a detractor from the actual dinner. Is this dinner or a past due bill sent to collection agency? I digress. First, our waiter Johny E, phenomenal. Dude knows wine in ways that are supernatural. Spot on recommendations. Second. Put on your Pulp Fiction "5 dollar shake" face about a 50 dollar pork chop. A FIFTY DOLLAR PORK CHOP. Waiter, who had already proven he know WTF was what, simply said "we're known for it, you will probably enjoy, people rave about it". So, I mean, when in Rome. Johny wasn't lying. It's a pretty @#$#ing good pork chop. Color me amazed. You can be skeptical. You might say I was just trying to justify having spent 50 on a pork chop. Try it. Stunning. I don't know if it's the best I ever had, but I can't remember a better one. Over all, they nail the experience, the food, and wrap it up in a bow. It is always busy, so a reservation is best (I'd call vice using that @#$# open table app, I swear). Shout out about Johny - in fact, ask for him to be your waiter, he a star.

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    Fort Oak
    Fort Oak
    Fort Oak

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    Ballast Point Brewing - breweries - Updated July 2026

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