So this looks like a top shelf liquor store. I walk in and ask if there's a bar, the cashier says…read morethere is and tells me to take a seat by the fireplace. I thought it was kinda weird but did so. Then the fireplace spins around into a speakeasy. It's the coolest bar I've ever been to and I immediately sent a video to my buddies of the fireplace spinning around into the bar. The beer selection is limited but the cocktail list is lengthy. So I got a amor picante and English brown ale. Both were pretty tasty, the bartenders or more like mixologists and know what they're doing. That's this critic's review.

This was our first time visiting, we choose to go for our 1st yr wedding anniversary. Thought we…read morecould have a few drinks, enjoy the ambiance and then proceed with our night. Right away when we arrived I noticed that the flooring on the revolving fireplace looked like it needed to be replaced. I shrugged it off thinking they needed light weight materials for the revolving floor entrence. But I didn't think it was a good look for what is supposed to be a swanky exclusive vibe and being the first thing you really see. ( First impressions are important) Despite having made a reservation, we were seated directly between the revolving entrence and the exit, in the two coolest looking but most uncomfortable chairs. They were not practical at all for sitting and conversing a in a loud environment. That corner, in my opinion, should be reserved for the hostess and not for guest. Initially we thought these chairs were a quick stop before being moved to some of the other available sitting at the bar or around the perimeter we could clearly see when we came in. We asked, and where told those were our seats. No offer was made to be moved. We did not get a server to come to us until after we had placed our drink order with one of the hostess, about 20min after we were seated. Our server was very nice and polite. No issues there, just took long to get to us. The drinks were disappointing. Forgettable to say the least. We ordered one of there menu items and a Moscow mule. We were sad to see the Moscow mule served in a glass you might normally get a mojito in ... it wasn't served in a copper cup. As we sat there and looked at the place, we both thought the ambiance and decor was nice. However we were surprised to see so many people looked very underdressed considering they have a "smart casual" dress code, completely destroyed the whole swanky exclusive vibe. Lots of men in shorts and both men and women in flip flops. I also noticed the flooring inside the speakeasy had similar wear and scuff marks, as on the fireplace. The need to update their flooring and the amount of underdressed guest did not help project the vibes that they are going for. This really felt like a fast food (drinks) chain in any mall. Sadly I would not recommend, do to the drinks not being all that good, the service was mediocre, the "vibe" and experience they sell fall short.

Ambiance was amazing, it was like I was in a cave! Great customer service, there was a bit of a…read morewait to get inside and then get a drink order but it was worth it. The drinks were yummy, the Mai Tai was really strong too! I came on a Sunday evening so parking was a bit challenging but I had such a great time. So glad my friend and I made the trip

A highlight during my recent visit to San DIego was visiting one of the coolest tiki bars, False…read moreIdol. They had the most beautifully decorated drinks I've ever seen in a place that has thunderstorms when they serve certain drinks! I would highly recommend making reservations. If you don't you may wind up standing during your visit. It's a small place and has limited seating. Our waitress was friendly and helpful. She was able to make recommendations that were spot on. The drink menu is huge!! No food in the bar, but it is attached to a restaurant if you would like to eat before or after you visit False Idol. I loved this place! I can't wait to go back and try some new drinks! We had The Wayfinder, Chunky Dunkey, Enigma del Muerte and The Pearl Diver. They were all delicious and beautiful!

Super cool entrance and ambiance of the place. I will say the drinks were quite strong (but I am…read morenot all too much of a drinker/enthusiast). Great service and the music was good. I like the full Asian selection of drinks and there is clear inspiration behind them.

the drinks were reallly strong so it only tastes good if you like the taste of alch which i don't…read moreheh but the vibes and feeling were amazinggg the food was really good, i really liked the 52 wagyu burger and the mushroom fried rice. it was all really tasty. and the food was cheaper than the drinks

Bar Kamon is a must visit in San Diego. It's a classy Japanese style bar with inventive Japanese…read moreinspired cocktails at an affordable price. Our server was super kind and knelt down to take our order which is i believe a custom in Japanese service. I got the Tokyo banana cocktail and I loved how it was not super sweet and did not have an overwhelming artificial banana flavor. The banana cream and sugar cookie on top cancelled out any bitterness of the alcohol. A must visit in San Diego. I'm already planning my next trip back for this bar

A great whisky bar…read more Came here for cocktails and ended up staying for food and more cocktails. Really enjoyed the quietness (it wasn't busy) and the friendliness of the staff who put up with our bad jokes and shenanigans. I had a variety of drinks and eats and liked them all. Definitely coming back when I'm in San Diego again.

I'm not an often a cocktail drinker. So when the bartender asked what I'm looking for I was ill…read moreprepared. From his view, it probably sounded like "I'm Ron Burgundy?" (It definitely did). His questions guided my indecision towards a Berkshire Old Fashioned that was fantastic despite my fumbling to get there. With the warm up round over and the old fashioned loosening up my creativity, round two was set to be a knockout. I love coffee (specifically strong espresso drinks), so I asked for a strong, coffee infused, punchy cocktail, but with a different base of alcohol from the old fashioned. What came out was the best cocktail I will probably ever have in my life. The bourbon cocktail with coffee liqueur (and a number of other garnishes I will never remember) hit the bullseye. Flavorful, strong, bold, delicious all at the same time. Unfortunately (?), this was a noble experiment so I'll forever be chasing the white whale of what this drink was. But that's the allure.

My brother-in-law and I were looking for places to drink....And we just wanted somewhere chill. We…read moreknew that any bar by tacos el gordo would be too wild for us, so we walked a couple blocks and approached Noble Experiment. I would say this was probably our highlight of our trip in San Diego. Garrick, the bartender there, was super accommodating. Not only was he and the other bartender were making damn good drinks, they would legit talk to you. The ambiance of the place is cool too. Felt like I was going inside some continental room like John Wick. Definitely my vibe and definitely coming back. But if you ever get Garrick as your bartender, you're in for a treat!

I didn't really like the location (in a strip mall) or the parking (felt impossible on a Saturday…read morenight) BUT...I could not believe how thoughtful and kind every single employee was. I interacted with three people and they were all amazing. The inside was cool, the music was cool, the menu was cool, but it's purely because of the staff that I want to go back. I am frankly an undemanding customer--I don't ask for much service or attention. But three different people all checked on me, ensured that I felt comfortable, and made me feel like they wanted me to be there. I was very impressed and even touched by this truly classy, humanizing experience.

Great drinks, friendly bartenders and freaking cool decor. Love the vinyl records…read more They could definitely clean up the alley a bit .... we get it, it's a speakeasy.. there's literally puddles, boxes from the restaurant and dumpsters you have to walk past in heels to get into this fine establishment. I absolutely love the hot towels at entry

I loved how cozy this place was. My group of 4 sat at the bar. Super fun to watch the bartender…read morecraft the drinks. Very friendly staff and gave great recommendations. My favorite was definitely the Sloth. The marshmallow was out of this world. Pride is also good. Tastes like a healthy morning juice with a hint of alcohol. Lust was unique. Love how frothy and smooth it is with the egg whites. Also the hint of cheese! Surprisingly delicious. Gluttony was super smoky and loved the presentation.

The self-appointed king of speakeasies is back at it with another one. I stopped by Oculto 477 on a…read moreWednesday evening an hour before close. Located in Old Town San Diego, we had dinner at a restaurant within walking distance from Oculto. I parked for free on the street and made a reservation day of. It's a pretty small speakeasy so if you're going on a weekend, you're probably going to have to make a reservation in advance. Ambiance (4.5/5): Oculto has the seven deadly sins theme going which is pretty cool. I've been to a similar speakeasy in St. Pete, Florida. Once you arrive at the mezcal bar that houses Oculto, check in with the host, and he will bring you to a "confessional." There, you must confess one of the seven deadly sins before the door to the speakeasy is opened for you. Naturally, I went with "lust." Once you get inside, it's a charming speakeasy. Service (2.5/5): This is one of the areas that leaves a little to be desired. There was only one bartender working when I was there. Since speakeasies have elevated cocktails, service was quite slow. They definitely needed two bartenders there to speed up the process. They also have a two-drink minimum which I was annoyed about on principle. I often have multiple drinks at a bar, but I never feel like I'm forced to do it. Food (N/A): I'm not sure if they have food, I don't believe they do. Regardless, I was on a liquid diet. Drinks (4/5): Pretty interesting menu of craft cocktails. When I'm at a speakeasy, I look for unique drinks that have an interesting combination of ingredients and flavor profiles. In addition to a nice list, they also have a dealer's choice cocktail where you can tell the bartender what you're into and they will craft a custom cocktail for you based on your taste. Another cool thing about Oculto is that it's located next to the cemetery in Old Town. That adds to the spooky theme.

Mothership has already risen to the level of San Diego institution a must-visit that nails it every…read moretime. Simply put, this is the best bar experience in town. They serve both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks alongside a growing menu of vegan bites. They do have a seasonal cult favorite: savory donuts. If they're in season, do not leave without trying them. Note that there are no clear signs marking the entrance done intentionally as a nod to the speakeasy vibe. Once inside, the spaceship immersion is taken to another level. And if you're lucky, they'll trigger the spaceship lights-and-sounds sequence, which to me resembles a ship under attack. It's incredibly cool. The ambiance is fantastic, and so is the food and drinks everything here delivers. Do pay attention to the alcohol content of each drink, as some run quite strong. Reservations are strongly encouraged, as they book up early and walk-ins may not be accommodated.

I like themed restaurants and bars, so Mothership was high on my list of San Diego destinations…read more The outside of the bar looks like a Mexican restaurant (which it was a few years ago), but the inside has been transformed into a scientific base on an alien planet. The decorations, colors, and music all fit the vibe perfectly and look great! If you've been to any of the Meow Wolf locations, it reminded me of that minus the interactivity. I guess that's my one criticism is that I wish there were points of interaction around the place. For example, the bar had these cool recessed lights that looked like control panels, but they could easily be made into an interactive element. A lot more could be done with projection technology too. We didn't eat dinner, but the menu looked interesting with all vegetarian entrees with futuristic names. We did have some drinks. I had a non-alcoholic Tang & Tonic which was yummy and reminded me of something I drank in the UK when I was a little kid. My friends got alcoholic drinks which they both enjoyed. The drinks were a decent size and not overpriced.

Young Blood speakeasy was recommended by another friend so we visited earlier in the day (late…read moreafternoon) & made a reservation for 9PM, as it is very difficult to accommodate walk ins due to limited space. The speakeasy is located within Neighborhood bar, behind a false wall of beer barrels (there is a host for Young blood behind the barrel door) & the large refrigerator door which is the entrance to Young Blood. The menu features a choice of 3 courses of cocktails where the 2nd course is called Dealer's Choice where your mixologist will craft a unique cocktail for you based on your preferences. Service was outstanding & attentive & cocktails were beautifully crafted, balanced & flavorful.

This was our second time going to Youngblood. The first time was two years ago. Drinks were just as…read moregood as we remember, however they did change up the experience. Previously you got three custom drinks based on your preference starting with a starter, main, and dessert style. Now, they kept the starter, main and dessert, however the "bartender's choice" is only for the main. Both the starter and dessert are options. The starter is purely based on preference and intentionally they leave out the alcohol included so that doesn't sway your decision. Their bartenders explained that this change was to meet people in the middle of experiences they might get elsewhere at speakeasy's while keeping their originality. Honestly, both experiences were great so I can't complain. For my starter, I went with the Lush + Tropical Fruit + Citric. I was stuck between that and two others, but from talking with the bartender they help break down the drink experience further. It was super helpful. We heard that some people, forgo the main drink of bartendar's choice and instead just do two starters... that is an option, but I LOVE and highly recommend going with the flow and letting the bartenders make you a drink based on your preferences. They're great at their jobs. For my husband's starter, he went with the beeswax + barley + orchard. If you like honey, you will love it. The other he was choosing between was the herbaceous + bright + oceanic, and that one looked fun. Someone else got it, and it was Icey-like (in looks). Would want to try it. For my second drink, I explained my preferred drinks are margaritas, mezcalitas, or punch style fruity/floral, smooth, and spicy drinks. I got a drink that was mezcalita based with passionfruit and spicy pepper basically. It was yum and definitely like drinks I would normally have. My third drink I went with the strawberry fields.... Highly recommend. It was in an underrated, simple glass, but has a fantastic flavor. My husband got the lemon meringue pie (as did so many people in the bar), and I was slightly worried I would have liked his more. But the strawberry fields ended up being our favorite drink of the drink between everything we had. It was just great.

Room 56 is an amazing speakeasy you could go to! The element of surprise is definitely there and it…read morefeels like this place should be kept secret in fact. Service here is amazing, the servers are very knowledgeable about their menu, everyone is very friendly and attentive. The vibes on the inside are immaculate, very upscale and intimate. The drinks are also good yet strong. It is on the pricier side however I didn't mind since the vibes of this speakeasy and drinks were equally as great. I'd definitely recommend!

Been twice now in the last month or so. First class hidden gem. The staff treat you like a human…read morebeing. They are very attentive and super accommodating. They explain everything regarding the menu and venue really well. The drink menu is like a short novel. So many options to choose from and described in detail down to the flavor profile you should expect from each creation. I will not say much more to spoil any surprises.