The Liberty Market is a cool concept although it needs some improvement. The tables in the Mess Hall area, which are highly used, yet rarely get whipped down. I tried to get some napkins from the bar at the Mess Hall and was denied. Granted the owner feels as though they shouldn't bear the cost burden. However, If I had two people standing around joking and laughing they would be whipping up tables with a wash cloth, and chatting it up with potential customers. Any more advice and you should pay me for my experience. Hopefully this will help remedy this situation. read more

Lovely Saturday. Lisa is chill! Come here, get food from the market, sit down order something tasty and let life's burdens slip away!

This place has the coolest drinks and a great little picnic area right in the corner of Liberty Station. Love it!

Good enough bars, decent selection. Pretty disappointed that you have to buy something to get a cup of water, though. I get it, but it would be great if one of the two bars just stepped up and offered water to the masses. read more

We often come to liberty station for a variety of reasons, but this trip actually warranted a review. We came to enjoy some drinks on the Mess Hall on a Sunday afternoon. The servers gave no acknowledgement despite waiting for about 10 minutes, other than a very grumpy "yeah" when I asked the bartender if we would be able to order a drink at some point. We finally gave up and moved on with no drink. Granted...it is very hectic on weekends, though that would have been fine had they bothered to communicate with us in any way, shape or form. I bartended as well for 10 years, and can't imagine treating customers that way. Note to management: Perhaps think about refreshing your staff, and bringing in new bartenders that are pleasant to interact with. read more

Great spot to grab food and drinks with friends. The long hi-top tables make it easy for a group to enjoy a meal from any of the restaurants inside! We love going here. read more

Erin was the nicest bartender I have ever had. She is personable, professional and amazing at her craft. Every drink we ordered was made with care and tasted amazing ! I would come here every chance I have just too have the amazing experience I have here every time I come. read more

This COULD become a fun place to dine, but the prices exceed reason at this point. When was the last time you had to pay $4 for a single 8 oz soft drink (Coke/Diet Coke). The pizza was OK, but the salad was bitter and sour. The pizza cost $14 for about 1/3 the food quantity usually purchased for $10-12 at the most. Don't even ask the salad price! Something has to change and soon! read more

This review is just for the bartender "Erin" (I think that's her name) and her Old Fashion. I make great Old Fashions but hers is the BEST!! NOT a cheap drink but absolutely killer!!! read more

Ehhhh, not sure about this place. 2.5 stars? I think I'd try it again, but I'm going to keep an eye on the reviews. The space is gorgeous, with a fun design and interesting menu. Liberty Market is a fun place and I hope it does well. My qualms with Mess Hall were the confusing layout and service, and food that was okay but not stand-out. My husband and I went for Happy Hour drinks and snacks. We walked in and looked around, trying to figure out how it worked. We walked in from the market and scoped out the two bars and the tables in the middle. The bar to the right had a lot of beer taps and open seats, and that's what we decided on. Someone was eating a pizza at the bar so we figured we were good there for food and drink. We were pretty quickly asked what we wanted, but not offered menus. When I asked for one, the bartender gave us a food menu, and pointed at the beer list written on the wall above the bar, which I'd totally missed. My bad. I wanted a look at their wine list, but he said that at that bar they only serve beer, and the other bar - ten feet away - serves only cocktails and wine. He was not particularly friendly about any of this. Okay. So, we moved to the other bar, and were given a different food menu with more choices. We ordered a glass of wine and a cocktail, and some apps. Then we saw someone next to us drinking a beer. We asked THIS bartender about it and she said the other guy was wrong: this bar was full service, the other bar was beer only. I don't know if the other bar serves a restricted food menu, too, or if we just got the wrong one. Confused yet? Aside from this not making much sense to me (why not just...make all the things available at all the places?), if the staff doesn't have it right, I'm not sure how customers are supposed to know how to navigate this. At any rate, the service was friendlier at the second bar. The food (guanciale pizza, and fried chicken) was good, but nothing to write home about. The pizza was tasty but not particularly memorable, and the chicken was just okay. The batter was thin, flaky, and falling off when you picked up the chicken, and the sauce that came with it didn't help the flavor much. You can bring food in from the market, and the outdoor space is nice, too, so maybe next time I'll go that way and see if the experience is better. read more

Visited the market for the first time and came here to order the fried chicken to go for during lunch. The host who helped me was very friendly. I had to come back three times, ended up waiting twenty minutes, which would have been fine had the lady manager been as friendly as the host. Instead she was a total JERK! They gave me my "to go" order without any utensils or napkins. They were so ill prepared, they had to rummage in the back for the plasticwares. I asked nicely if I could just use the regular flatware and return them after eating, but the lousy manager immediately got huffy. They've had too many flatware thefts in the past, which is why she couldn't provide better service to me anymore. Perhaps if they'd place the take out order servicewares at a more convenient location and trained themselves of its whereabouts, they wouldn't experience such high flatware theft! They're internal, operations issues shouldn't be a customer's problem. Also, a manager needs better management of her customer relations attitude. I don't need defensive excuses about why my food came without proper eating utensils after waiting that long. I would certainly have appreciated quicker and positive problem solving. Apologize and offer me something to make up for the incompetence. Take a hint from your well mannered host. He was in tuned and even offered to walk out my food to me as I have had to return more than a couple of times for it. You, however, are so rude and apathetic I wonder why you're there at all! You're obviously unqualified. Because of YOU I returned the order and won't be coming back. And to the host, I really appreciate your compassion. I know you tried and hope your boss will look to you as an example and promote you quickly! read more

I would first like to thank Koda the manager for responding to a concern that I previously had. Secondly I would like to tell you about the first experience I had at the bar. I wish I remember the woman's name that helped us. She greeted us with a huge, warm smile and made us feel welcome. The white wine we had was delicious. We love the Public Market and we love that you can order food and bring it in to the Mess Hall or go outside to sit in the sun or in one of the comfy Adirondack chairs. Next time we go we will try some of the food choices! Glad you are part of the neighborhood. read more

Mess hall is amazing, lots of different vendors and many different choices of food and drink to choose from. My favorite vendor here of course is bottlecraft. Bottlecraft is such a great addition to mess hall because you can grab a tasty beer and enjoy while you browse and eat some selections from vendors. read more

Mess Hall - Wine Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

I just called this evening to make a reservation and was informed that the Mess Hall is no longer a restaurant since this past December and is now only a pizzeria cum wine bar, much to the contrary of what is still being posted on their website. They should update the website. read more

This place was such a disappointment, very bad service and food. I ordered a salad for 18$ that took an hour to make, but the "salad" was just some greens with a slice of avocado and maybe half a tablespoon of dressing pored over top, not even tossed. I will never return to this establishment. I do not recommend this restaurant to anyone who wants a quality meal, McDonalds would have been a better option. read more

SO great! Such good food, great beers on tap, the service was fantastic. We sat on the patio and they served us with full set up, I didn't expect that in that environment. And even better to be in that market, then liberty station. It was a great day. read more

Overpriced and Underwhelmed - First time visit to Liberty Public Market - It's a great place, nice treat for San Diego. Mess Hall is the only sit down area - they have a great bar area that allows you to bring in food from the Market merchants which is awesome. A small side section is devoted to table service. Nice pizza oven, great decor and design. They print a daily menu, we were there for lunch. Choices were not great, very few options had protein in the mix. Both of us had a citrus shrimp salad, from the price point, (I believe it was $14-16 range), I was anticipating a entree portion. NOPE - it was a small, dinner salad size, 80% greens, maybe 8 small "poached" shrimp, that had a very mushy texture. Zero flavor. Disappointing - service was great - our server was a foodie and was very familiar with the menu. Now that I look at the photos others have posted, perhaps dinner is their strong suit. I saw a flatbread on another table, and from a distance looked under cooked. Keep trying, concept is a good one and staff is very friendly.. read more

Looking over the reviews I see the negative all have a common theme, a crappy encounter with the bartenders here. Usually mentioning a bearded guy with tats. Well, I had a horrible experience last night with possibly the same guy (although bearded tat guy who calls you bro, boss, or chief seems to be an epidemic these days). I was with a large group of family who after a long day decided to unwind (we had my mom's funeral earlier in the day). I grabbed a plate at the bbq place, and decided I'd grab a beer at the bar/self serve area. I didn't know where the rest of my party was and whether I would find them inside or outside the building. I also wanted to grab a beer for my dad and didn't know if he already had one. So when bearded bro dude asked me if I was having it here or to go, I thought in case I can't find them in here I'll get it to go. Also, that way if my dad already had one we could save his for later. So took my beers and plate and started walking outside. Some of my family waved me down to come back in. Sat down and said oh well, I guess I'll crack this beer. Maybe 2 minutes later dude comes out of nowhere and has a 4th grade temper tantrum about me causing him to lose his license, and basically shouting me down that I had committed a high crime. I asked what we needed to do since I saw other people with open cans sitting right beside me, he said he had to take my beer and toss it. I just let him because I frankly just wanted his sorry, whiny face away from me. I sat there getting more pissed about the complete lack of CS skills this clown had. I wanted to go back and confront him about it, but I popped my head around the corner a couple times and there were just too many people there at the time. I did happen to see a sign regarding them opening cans and bottles for a corkage fee though. I didn't notice this when I bought the beers. Perhaps in the technical sense what I did was wrong but I had no intention of pulling a fast one, in fact, much to my regret, I gave "bro" a tip when I paid. I haven't had someone treat me like a five year old in quite some time. I used to enjoy going to the mess hall, but that was the last time. read more

I ordered the mushroom soup to start and the cauliflower steak for my main course. I had no idea that mushrooms or cauliflower could be that amazing. Literally every component on my dish was executed perfectly. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone. Seriously. Get up and go and thank me later when your mind is blown read more

Mess Hall - The amazing cauliflower steak - Wine Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

See all

Have you ever wanted to find a great little hidden gem with local, fresh food right in your own neighborhood? Well, here it is! Mess Hall Restaurant is Point Loma at it's best! Chefs shop for local and fresh ingredients daily, and then create... perfection! They have a wood burning oven, where they craft pretty luxurious pizza pies, each one created to embody a different region of the world. Rabbit meatballs, fried green tomatoes topped with quail eggs, duck confit, amazing salads, everything was sooooo good! Yes, the menu changes based on what the chefs are able to get in the market, but no matter what you get, you know it's going to be a meal to remember! A must go for lunch or dinner! read more

We did the Restaurant week special here last night. $30 for 3 courses. I had the fig and pear salad to start-Amazing. Delicious with a light vinaigrette. Then the Grouper which was served over beans and greens. The fish was delicious, but the beans and greens were kind of bland. My husband had the rare beef with a potato gnocchi and it was outstanding. Beef was perfectly cooked and the gnocchi was very flavorful. The deserts were beautifully presented. Hubby had the crème brule but said it wasn't the best he's had. Can't comment on mine as I took it home-I was too full! :) I had walked by this place a few days ago and thought it would be fun and lively, but truthfully it is a bit too loud for our tastes. The beautiful architecture provides aesthetically pleasing high ceilings, but these allow all the noise in from the Market hall. Small but annoying thing: ordered a couple of gin and tonics (WELL brand) and a glass of wine with our food and it was $35.00 for the drinks. $10 each for small well brand seems steep. read more

I love this place! I've had dinner there twice and have had outstanding service and food both times. And the cheese plate is AMAZING!!

The Public Liberty Market is a must see when visiting SD but while you are there, it is great to get a cocktail at the Mess Hall. The market is just a cluster of lots of great vendors and food options but what makes this place stand out is the Mess Hall's beautiful full bar and seating area which is both indoors and out. Other than cocktails, I did not get to try anything here but I just love the atmosphere. I plan on coming back soon read more

At first I was a bit overwhelmed by the atmosphere as it takes awhile to get used to the level of noise. We sat near the kitchen, but could hear people yelling in the bar area which is somewhat off-putting. All of my preconceptions changed after meeting our waiter, Hamilton, who was overwhelmingly accommodating. Being vegan, we had some questions about the menu and Hamilton was kind enough to speak with the chef about altering some dishes to fit our needs. We ended up ordering pickled vegetables, a dairy free pizza, and a beet salad which were all made without animal products because Hamilton ensured as much. The food was very fresh and I would highly recommend the pizza. Aside from the noise level, everything about this restaurant was very good. Awesome drink menu, fresh ingredients, but most importantly incredible service from Hamilton and the staff at Mess Hall. read more

Great place for a noisy 'mess hall' feel dinner. Many tables are communal i.e. They are meant to seat multiple parties right next to each other - I like this concept coz I don't mind striking up a conversation with a stranger. For those of us that prefer the privacy of our own party there are a few scattered tables and bar seating. I had my cocktail served up and it was perfect. We chose a few pizzas, the beet salad and charcuterie. The sausage pizza was excellent as was the beet salad. Cauliflower on a pizza (the second pizza)was a little iffy IMO. And I'm not a huge fan of salami but the DH thought it was good. The charcuterie had things like pheasant and rabbit (again, not to my taste) but the hubby enjoyed it. The dinner menu also suggests a beer or wine pairing for each dish. We didn't follow the recommendation but it looked interesting. read more

Slow, slow, slow. Poorly run kitchen. Small portions, overpriced. Blah staff. Ruined a well earned date night. So many better options in walking distance. read more

My friends and I went here for brunch during a bachelorette weekend and they were able to reserve a high top in the bar which was awesome. Their beer list is extensive and they have a great variety. We got an order of biscuits and honey butter and that was to die for. The rest of the food was great as well. I would definitely recommend - at least to have a drink! read more

Mess Hall is located right in the middle of Liberty Public Market and it's gorgeous. It's the kind of bar you want to sit in for a couple of hours on a nice day. It's light and airy and definitely the place to be at the Market. The Tiberius cocktail is delicious and rosé seems to be the name of the game in this place, because that's what everyone was drinking (hey it was the middle of the day I suppose). More importantly, Tony, the bartender, gave us total life. I want to drink wherever she is slinging drinks. The cheeseboard is great while you enjoy your drinks. Definitely stop here after you have roamed the market for a while. read more

I highly recommend Mess Hall! The food is on-point and service is great. Most of their food is sourced from right inside Liberty Public Market so everything tastes fresh. The Hanger Steak and fried green tomatoes melt in your mouth. The suggested bottle craft and wine pairings with each course make the dining experiences unique. Mess Hall is a bit of a hidden gem that the San Diego community needs to know about. I will definitely be back! read more

First time at Mess Hall. Heard nothing but great things. Everthing is true! Loved my time and experience! Started with meeting our bartender, Erin. Super sweet and informative. Loved her recommendations and her spirit. The bacon camalized onion pizza and the BLT sandwich. All of Erin's beer choices were on point and my date love the experience. Can't wait till next time! read more

The hubby and I had our date night tonight at the Mess Hall and we had the best server, Hamilton! He made us feel welcomed as this was our first time here, provided GREAT customer service, made some recommendations, and very friendly. We ordered the cheese and charcuterie plate and we loved everything!! Will definitely be coming back soon!! read more

Mess Hall - Cheese and charcuterie platter!! Delicious! - Wine Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

Awesome mixed drinks and beer selection. Dont know why Erin's Old Fashion isn't on the menu so ask for it.

What a delightful dinner we had here. We ordered the cheese board to start, which was quite a tasty start to the meal. It included some fruits and nuts as well, and I was already in ecstasy from the flavors. Hubby chose a French wine, which went very well with everything. Kudos for having such a discerning selection. My vegetable lasagna was over the top. It had more of a gravy than a red sauce. I did not detect any pasta, but there was thin-sliced potato and squash, perhaps zucchini, but a small variety. Fresh tomatoes, veggies galore, a touch of what I assume was ricotta. It was one of those amazing meals you will never forget. I dare any meat eater to say it is not one of the most savory meals they have tasted. I will probably go back very soon so I can have it again. Hubby had fish, which he said was very good, and it looked every bit as gourmet as my dish. This place looks unassuming, hip, and quaint. Don't let it fool you. My hat is off to the chef. read more

Mess Hall - The best vegetable lasagna I've ever had! - Wine Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

Had a couple drinks at the bar, all were very tasty. Enjoyed a couple different pizzas with my wife as well, the merguez sausage one and the cauliflower one were both fantastic. Wanna come back for lunch sometime soon as I've seen some picture of the lunch dishes online and they look delish too. read more

What a breath of fresh air! The environment was fun. The staff is super knowledgeable and the specialty cocktails were to die for. You can carry them around the whole market which was awesome. We loved the concept and definitely will be back to see what Erin whips up behind the bar next. read more

Food was very good and very creative. My husband had the duck confit and we shared a roasted beet salad with pistachios and a creamy feta. So delicious! The venue is very noisy, would not recommend for an intimate date or group conversations. However, our waiter Hamilton was amazing. So helpful and professional! Can't say enough about the great service. read more

Great food and atmosphere. Fish and chips and a French 75 to wash it down. HAMILTON, THE BEST SERVICE I HAVE EVER RECEIVED and I've dined all over the world and have never had more attentive, knowledgeable and friendly service. 5. read more

I came to the Mess Hall with a friend last week after a lovely bike ride from the Hyatt in downtown. We each ordered a Jalapeño Margarita from the lady bartender. It was beautiful, tasted great and was $22.00 for both drinks and tipped her as one would do. Got a good buzz real quick. After some time, we ordered another Jalapeño Margarita. This time, from the guy that had tattoo's all over his arms and neck. Now I have nothing against tattoo's, I am a fan of tats and I have them too. This is the only way I can identify this guy because I didn't get his name. He was possibly caucasian, had dark hair and a cleft chin. I have never had such HORRIBLE customer service like I did from him. My friend went up to him and ordered 2 Jalapeño Margarita's. I watched him from a distance, pour from the shaker into the first glass. Then poured into the 2nd glass. Half a glass short!!! Mind you, there was already ice cubes in the glass before he poured that ugly drink in. He completely mis measured one full drink. From there, he grabbed the 'supposed' tequila bottle and filled the reaming half filled glass with only tequila. "WOW", I thought!!!! That's going to be a really strong drink. He charged us $31.00 plus we tipped him $10.00 thinking he was generous with the alcohol. My friend never bothered to ask him why. Why would he charge us a different price for the same cocktail order as our first drink? If he charged for the tequila, he is still in the wrong because he mis-measured almost a full drink in the first place. I took one sip and it was horrible. It tasted like cucumber water instead of a spicy tequila drink. It was cloudy like the water after boiling a pot of Pasta but just green. I tasted ZERO alcohol. With the amount of "tequila" he poured, I should have been on the floor passed out. In fact, I was completely sober by this time. I went to him with our drinks and told him that we didn't like the taste and there was no alcohol in the drinks. He could not look me in the eye while I talked to him. He put up a defensive attitude, claimed that he has been a bartender for years, he knows what he's doing and then walked away. I went back to my table upset with how he handled that situation. This did not settle right with me, especially with the amount of money we paid for those drinks.So I went back. Again, I told him how unhappy I was with the drink. He ignored me and again, walked away. He NEVER once offered to remake our drinks, NEVER tried to make things right and NEVER bothered to check the bottle he poured from. Maybe someone else filled the liquor bottle with water. If you were not guilty of cheating a customer of their drink, why wouldn't you smell the bottle, smell my drink, remake the drink or offer money back? How could you not want to make the customer happy? I am not a rookie when it comes to drinks. I have never had anyone cheat me from a drink like this guy did. Or ignore my unhappiness. What is his interest in the Bar to pour water into the drinks. Maybe he's the owner and trying to save money. Only speculation but odd why he would handle himself that way or do such a thing. Bad bad business! I will NEVER go back and I highly suggest that you avoid his drinks and the entire bar because not 1 of the 2 other bartenders said a thing. Im still looking for a contact to speak to someone to get my money back. By the way, if anyone who cares about the reputation of this bar, I was there on Friday August 10, 2018 and purchased those drinks about 2:15pm. Who were the 3 people working those shifts. Very distinctive 3 people. Lady was African American, the second was a hispanic man and the 3rd was the guy that looks like he's a tatted out charmer but only there to rip you off. read more

Went to Mess Hall for their Sunday Roast...terrific evening. A set menu which was amazing...pork belly and mako shark as main course, great combo. The salad was exceptional, especially to someone who normally doesn't care for spinach...it was "taste changing" and now a favorite!! Do not wait, this is the real deal...great food, great service, and for the quality very reasonable! read more

My friends and I stopped by and it turned out it was negroni week. Bartender, Tito was so much fun. He recommeded us their hand crafted cocktails. I got their play on the negroni and it was fantastic. Food is delicious too. Definitely recommend to check out this new spot. read more