Livewire- broke my cherry I had my first Pabst beer and Jim Beam shot. It made me all fuzzy and warm inside, gulping down the tall boy made me feel all bwetter and full of energyz! =) read more

If you live close, this bar is "old faithful", but tragically hip. Do NOT go on a thursday, unless you are looking to hook up, or you want to wait 15 minutes for your pabst. Very hip place, but really not that cool. Drink prices have gone up in the last year, which sucks, but if you drink hard liquor, gigantic well drinks (in a pint glass!) are a good deal. They play awesome b-movies, horror flicks, and films you haven't seen in 10 years on a regular basis. Awesome games, and pretty cool people. If you go thurs-sat, you will most likely run into a girl/guy you have dated. read more

This place is the ultimate dive bar. I stopped by last night for a friends birthday. For a saturday night this place was nice and not overly crowded. They played pretty fun music which was a little more hip hop than usual. The main thing I wanted to share was this ridiculous mating ritual I witnessed last night. Fat man in suit in dive bar. lady in bomber jacket with a midriff (which is SO 1990). Having this near by was like a train wreck. you could not help but watch. Man was so large he was leaning up against a support beam so he would not crush her. Man stuck hand in ladies pants, groping her buttocks as he was continuing to devour her. We saw man lead lady's hand to his nether regions (and I proceeded to vomit in my mouth). Ladies hand continued to be in that area for the rest of the ritual. After about an hour and a half, they came up for air and went to the restroom. The male took longer than the female to use the restroom ( try not to think dirty thoughts - ew) we see lady look eagerly towards the bathroom door for her (massive) hunk of burning love. They leave together and the show is now over. I certainly hope these peeps are not yelpers but if you are and are happen to read this review...I know this is on El cajon Blvd, but GET A ROOM EARLIER! I am permanently scared. read more

Live Wire holds a very special place in my heart. My husband and I used to hang-out A LOT when they first opened. We even had a booze cruise after our wedding reception and stopped at Live Wire in all our wedding Garb. We just celebrated our 15 year anniversary at Live wire on April 1st. Love this place still!!! I was good to see Sam & Peggy again. Somethings have changed at Live Wire....but not too much. Paul and I will be back again and again! read more

Came in here late Friday night/early Saturday morning and Cheap Trick was playing, but by the time we muscled our way up to the bar to order, one of us has been elbowed in the face by a rowdy member of a bachelor party and death metal was blasting through the speakers. I would be willing to go back when things were a little less crazy. I love dive bars so hope to try it out again sometime, maybe with better results. The beers on tap looked to be a good selection. read more

Cocktails in pint glasses!!! This place is cozy too. I don't think its a good choice for married couples though....one night when me & the old man were here, I went to the bathroom and when I came back, some drunk girl who I guess was there alone was practically sitting on his lap and he had this look on his face like "Please help me!" and when he went to piss, some dude came up to me and asked me if I could ditch my "brother" for a couple of hours and sit with him and his friends. So yeah. But oh well. We still joke about that night.. read more

The bathroom at Live Wire fits two people, uncomfortably. It is so tiny that the other person in the bathroom felt obligated to say "hi" when they walked in to ameliorate the weirdness of practically touching while peeing. read more

I want to start a campaign to get Live Wire 5 stars. Join me. This is the OG craft beer bar in SD and they deserve it.

Came here with my date last Saturday. Cool bartenders, hip crowd. I had two gin & tonics that were strong at a good price. I've also yet to see a better jukebox selection at any bar in San Diego. Needless to say we had a great time and I'd come back again for sure. 5/5 read more

Live Wire is exactly what it looks like from the outside - a small dive bar. However, it's slightly cooler inside than the looks of the outside. I never would've considered coming inside if my friend hadn't suggested it. The first time I went, it seemed cool. It had a hipster type vibe, a decent beer selection, dark moody lighting, and good music. I had previously enjoyed some booze, so that might've swayed my opinion a bit. The second time, I provided it as much hype as I could conjure, and sadly it was disappointing. The crowd was definitely different this time. So yea, dive bar, good beer selection, interesting people watching, period. read more

somehow i have never made it to this fine establishment until just the other night after being in sd for over a year... and i'm glad i did. as the night was young and i had to return home to grade papers (!), i had planned on being disciplined & behaved. i decided i was going to have just *one* drink, so i ordered the usual, a sapphire tonic. strangely, the bartender gave me a big glass of ice water. i was confused. then i realized it was NOT water... it was an effin' pint size cocktail!! i must say, grading is considerably more enjoyable after a pint of gin. i dig the glittery, vegasy arrow sign that beckons with promises of a good jukebox, pool table, and actual places to sit down. this place got rated with $two$ dollar signs; however, given the gargantuan nature of the drinks, it's pretty dang cheap. like any authentic dive, it's cash only. read more

I have since been here and the service was far better than my last review reflected. 4 stars, my friends! Big improvement.

My favorite bar, hands down. Great jukebox, great atmosphere, and drinks in a pint glass that won't put you out? (or at least, your wallet)... Don't let the exterior fool you. This place is the shiznit read more

3.5? live wire you stole my heart with magic hat no. 9 on tap. i thought all hope of having magic hat in san diego was lost, until that fateful day we stepped into your incredibly divey bar, packed full of people, and my eyes met that beautiful tap handle. i had one glorious glass, and then the keg ran out. i was devastated, and i hope that magic hat will return. magic hat aside, this place is fun, your typical dive with cheap drinks and interesting company. it's not too big, and gets crowded fast, but it's fun that there are dogs randomly hanging out. the bar staff could use a little less 'tude, but i'll take it. unfortunately it's just a tad far to walk to, so we won't be here super often, but i'll definitely be back in hopes of more magic hat. read more

I RARELY give a Yelp review a one star, but to be honest it is a dive bar, but what got me is that the bartender REFUSED to make me a Bloody Mary, I was not happy about that at all. cool part was he poured me a beer for free and the jukebox was free. The other issue was the fact every guy in there tried to hit on me and one guy actually yelled at me for no reason. I left my beer on the counter and decided to take me business else where.. read more

it's been some time since i had a lil' dranky drank here, but idk if it's just me but i always thought of this place as a prop from Beetle Juice, especially with the glowing arrow pointing you towards the door. the red interior the pool table in the back. the tiny ass restroom with the chalk board, with the freaky black curtain behind the toilet, that blows in the wind inviting any "CreepTard" to sneak a peak. Jukebox rocks! drinks are okay I've had better stiffys *he he he* definitely the place to lounge about with my close buds. i wouldn't try to hold convo inside though. after last call its drunk munchie time at Rudfords. "Hey" Snap Snap! read more

After enjoying dinner nearby on a Friday night, my boyfriend and I decided to head to the nearest dive bar. This was the first one we came across so we jumped on in. Not empty, but not crowded either...at first. We sat ourselves onto a torn-up, stool that had me rocking side to side, and the place looked like a very dimly lit basement, but I thought "dive bar, so oh well". The music was loud, which was great and we were ready to relax with a few drinks before calling it a night. A skinny dude took our order quickly and we opted for an open tab. We watched a bit of some Barbie movie they were streaming on Netflix and our drinks came just as quickly: 2 cranberry vodkas. At $4 a pop and decently liquored up, I was getting ready to just chill and have some great conversation with my sweetheart until...heavy death metal blared from the speakers. As the music got turned up, everyone was pretty much shouting at each other. I couldn't hear a damn thing my boyfriend was saying, but I was determined to make the most of it. Both bartenders, including our original bartender were focused on making drinks and having long conversations with the other side of the bar and we kept trying to flag them down for another drink. We weren't about to walk through the now crowded venue of obnoxious hipsters flailing around so we instead waved our arms and hands around to flag a bartender down so we could just close out the tab and be on our way. The people next to us must have been wasted since they had a good deal of empty drink glasses next to them. The ice cubes had already melted from each one of them and they just dumbly stood, swaying side to side, waiting for a bartender as well. A good 20 minutes later, this bearded bartender came up to us and we closed the tab. All the while the heavy death metal continued to get louder and louder. We settled up and took off just as quickly. Obnoxious people, unfocused bartenders, blaring death metal...no thanks! read more

One star for the pure "dive bar" aspect. Another star for their sweet beer selection. (Damnation, Evil Dead Red, The Kaiser). Another star for their touch screen game. Overall the place is alright, but a real skinny jean & conducter hat elite douchbag hangout. We went there for the Lightening Brew night, which I found just meant that they had 3 Lightening brews on tap. I'd go back, but not real soon. read more

This is one of my favorite hipster, hole-in-the-wall bar to go to in the neighborhood. Always great people watching, funky crowd, nice bartenders, pet friendly environment...I love all the pups in the bar! They don't serve food but the pizza place next door is delicious and you can bring it inside the bar. read more

Possibly my favorite dive bar in town. Great taps, great cocktails (Served in pint glasses!), and a great staff. These guys enjoy good beer and it shows in the beers that they have available. Good place to get beers from Stone, alesmith, russian river and Green Flash. read more

The bar tender decided he needed to give us an etiquette class on how to order at the bar. Apparently if he looks at you and you are ready to order but he is not ready to serve you it means you are being rude. I'm sorry but being in the service industry I find this very rude and inappropriate read more

Yikes! Definately not my kind of place. But I normally wouldn't go to a dive/punk bar like this. Only reason I came here is because my friend and I played Yelp Roulette. We sorted a list of 'dive bars in 92101' within 5 miles and we picked 5 random numbers. We had to go to all of them. This unfortunately was one that came up on the list. It is definately for the punk rock type of hipster who likes anime, indie rock, and skinny jeans. If this is you, then go head here! Cheap Drinks, Friendly people, sorry for the low stars, just not my kind of place. read more

I wanted to like this bar a lot more but the times I've been there have left something to be desired. Both times I've come on the weekend. I guess they let dogs in, and that's cool, but I haven't seen any while I've been in there and honestly, it probably wouldn't be the best idea. This place is overcrowded (literally, I'm pretty sure they've been over capacity the times I've been there) which leaves little walking room. Mix that in with a bunch of drunk people stumbling around and your fur baby is sure to get stepped on :( The door man is inside the bar, which I thought was... different haha. He was cool though. Getting to the actual bar is a process, and can take a while due to everyone wanting a drink and limited space. Chances are, you'll have to wait for someone to get up and leave to the bathroom or something to take their spot. Sucks but oh well. Most patrons here were very punk rock kind of people with cool, crazy hair and tattoos everywhere. You could tell they were regulars because the bartenders got to them while they were still in the back, and me and a couple friends were already at the front, waiting to get served. As i'm sure it happens at a lot of dive bars, but friends, regulars and pretty girls get drinks first. Oh well! Prices were great for North Park, at $4 for tall can and $5-6 mixed drinks. Ballin' on a budget!! haha The Juke box has been off both times I've been there in exchange for a DJ in a corner behind the bar. Music was good though. They have a pinball machine... look for it way hidden by the women's restrooms haha. They also have a deer hunter game and pool table. Don't expect to play pool unless you get there before everyone else. Overall, this place is cool enough but you definitely have to be a regular or a cute chick to get good service. And bring your patience because getting drinks will take some of that as well. read more

It's a dive bar. Go there expecting that. There is no food but the drink selection is very good and they have fun happy hour deals even on the weekend. read more

being who i am and living in san francisco, i know my dive bars. this was a solid dive bar, and a welcome find in a town that seems to have problems filling that niche. good beer selection, pool table, juke box, booths, bar seating, etc. on the saturday night we were there, a longhair lit a bunch of mexican candles, filled the place with a fog machine and started spinning metal. totally random and unexpected to the out-of-towners. if you like your SF dive bars and end up in SD for reasons such as work or family, go find come cool at live wire. read more

I hate men who wear tight pants!!!!! That being said the place has a good selection of beer and a great jukebox

I have came here a few times and never had a enjoyable experience. The drinks are cheap which is always a plus but the people are too cool for school and the bartenders haven't been very friendly when I have been here. The bathroom is tiny and there is only one pool table which makes it damn near impossible to get a game. The only reason I am giving this place 2 stars instead of 1 star is because they play skateboard videos on the TV's. I don't see myself going here anytime in the near future. read more

So my first time at the LiveWire was in 98, punk indie bar back then. Its still a good bar to hang out at and grab a drink. Good memories here, lots of Newcastle in my tummy read more

Best juke box in the universe, 90% of the bartenders are the city's best, so dark, so loud, so f*cking awesome. When I lived in San Diego this was a "1-3 times a week" sorta bar. Thursday nights got kinda crazy to the point where you couldnt move, I dont know if it's still like that, but I never EVER -- in the 100+ times I ventured there -- had a bad time. Sure I blacked out and made poor choices, but it was great. read more

Well priced drinks. Good crowd. Loud music, pool table, pinball table, shotgun arcade game. Need I say more?

I've seen the sign out front since moving into the neighborhood, and a long, tiring day at work sent me through the doors in search of a pint and a little relaxation. The ambiance is classic dive bar, but that's the way I like it. I experimented with a few of the craft brews on tap. It's a solid list of options. Four beers, a trip to the jukebox, and two games of pool were just over $20 (plus tip). Pretty reasonable pricing. The pool table's short, but level. The fifth star's for the clean women's room (yes, you heard me, the bathroom was actually clean). They won me over. read more

Nice staff, reasonably priced and tasteful music. Go here for a beer or five any day.

Great dive bar love the tall boy PBR cans. People are nice the music is great and the virtual quarters game is addictive. The Reaper Ale is also good on tap. read more

This bar is widely regarded as a dive bar, but I personally feel it can only be a dive bar if it has a funny smell and dirty, sticky floors. Prices here are great. The bartender was friendly. There's a couple TVs for the less social. The location is good, not near anything shady. My girlfriend enjoys the 'pepperbellys' they make on Fridays. There are sometimes limited releases that this bar gets their hands on. read more

Probably my favorite dive in San Diego. And this place is a textbook dive. Getting shitfaced on pocket change, (used to be) a seedy part of town, amazing juke box, pool, bikers, local hipsters, and good old fashioned bar flies. Great bartenders and a rusty old bike cemented or welded into the ground out front. If you drive by, you miss it. No fancy signs. The way it should be. read more

My favorite bar in San Diego. Stumbling distance from my apartment, phenomenal jukebox, stiff drinks, and now takes credit cards. I wish they still served the mixed drinks in pint glasses, but that's a minor quibble. read more

I fell in love with Livewire from the first time I went there. Always have a good time. Seems like everyone knows each other. The bartenders are always friendly and hook us up. read more

Very poor customer service. Also, if youre going to advertise an event have the event. False advertisment.

After hearing the million of rave reviews. A few jeers and lots of crazy stories about the pool table. I concur! The drinks come large and very hard. I dropped when I paid 3 bucks to the delrium tremens on tap. Greatest beer of the night. The juke box was awesome, the chili served on fritos which according to the bartender they/he makes every friday was awesome. Yes, the bar table sucks but you wouldn't tell after a few zombies. aside from the Vespa "bike gang" trying to check me at the door this place is a personal fav any night I can avoid the "scenester's"... read more

Live Wire is a little bolt of lightning in the heart of North Park, not tucked away on a side street. Heart of the City, not the way Hova meant it, but more literally. Small and dark like a lot of places in the area, but all I can say is on Drink o de cinco, er Cino de Mayo it was a blast. Music was good, vibe was right and the crowd had just the right amount of hipsters, firme folk, hynas, nerds, witches and locals. Drinks were good, but a crowded bar area with little room to dance was it's only draw back. I switched it up this time and got Colimas before I came here. I was drunk hungry, not hungry and ended feeding my surf and turf with a lovely young lady I met there. I guess you could say we took it over because a regular Thursday it's not quite packed the way it was this night. Pool tables, juke box and candy that made me think I was at True North before it became dude north or the office before it became the orrafice. read more