They let me drink there, which is Kool cuz uh, well look at me, I'm pretty ugly. But they still…read moreembrace me and serve me drinks with a smile.

Was visiting San Diego because of a friend's theatre performance at The Moxie Theatre. After the…read moreshow we mixed and mingled with the cast who suggested going to tiki/surf bar called The Luau. This place was great. Bright, vibrant and full of tropical decor. The bar was packed. We got a four high top seater in the main area. Glad we did because it was karaoke night! In between songs the dj would play pop star music videos. There was a back patio with more seating. Surprise of the night was when Sterling the security guard sang a song from "Wicked". Will definitely go back again!

This is a great place to unwind after work, or to take a family, date or friend. It's easy. It's…read morewhere everyone knows your name..Like the Cheers song. The vibe is very welcoming. Certain nights they have music. So much fun.

Enjoying some adult shenanigans with the hubby at The Riviera!! Happy find in La Mesa. We can't…read morewait to visit again for their steak dinner & live music. Their menu looks really yummy..... What we ordered: * Sneaky Shot x 2 * Snickertini * Negroni The bar staff was amazing. Super friendly and attentive. We loved the old Hollywood/ steakhouse vibes. It was a great time!! #DiningWithTheAndersons #TryingNewPlaces #AdultShenanigans #WeekendVibes #LaMesa

Came here on a whim for dinner as I was craving Italian food and this did not disappoint. Upon…read morestepping inside, the interior was decorated beautifully and reminded me of Italy. We got the fresh homemade bread, polpettine, insalate venere, linguine, and lasagna. The herb infused dip for the bread was delicious, and the bread came warm wrapped in a towel. The polpettine was my favorite appetizer, the meat was so tender and delicious and paired perfectly with the whipped ricotta. I appreciated the olives and onions in the dish as well, and the sauce was great with the bread. Our server was extremely kind and offered to split the salad for us. My boyfriend loved the salad and loved the pairing of the greens, goat cheese, and walnuts together. He got the lasagna for the main and noted that there were about 12 layers beautifully stacked upon one another. My linguine was delicious and packed with seafood which was cooked perfectly. The texture of the linguine was delicious and seemed home made. Overall the food and service were excellent. I'm so glad I found a gem near my home and will be back to try more of the menu.

What a gem in La Mesa! The food completely blew us away and pleasantly surprised us. We usually…read morehead to Little Italy, North Park, or downtown for our go-to Italian spots, but Antica Trattoria absolutely holds its own. Our server, Leticia, made the entire experience even better. We had two families at the table with three little kids, ages one, two, and four, and she was so patient, funny, and genuinely wonderful with them. As parents, we rarely get the chance to go out together, and she made the night feel so easy and enjoyable. It was one of those evenings that made us wonder why we don't do this more often. The food was amazing, the atmosphere was incredibly family-friendly, and the service was exceptional. We highly recommend Antica Trattoria, and we'll definitely be back.

My friends and I stopped by The Hills Pub for breakfast, and we definitely left happy!…read more We ordered the all-you-can-eat waffles, and let me just say--they are very much worth it! If you're a waffle lover, this is definitely something you'll want to try. I ordered the Breakfast Burger, and it was delicious! The flavor was on point and definitely worth trying. It also comes with fries, which were a great addition to the meal. And if you're a ranch lover, this is your spot! They do not disappoint when it comes to ranch. Overall, we had a great breakfast, and the food was flavorful and satisfying. Definitely a place I'd come back to!

Very cool hip bar lounge family friendly spot in La Mesa. Great place to have happy hour or hang…read moreout with family. Does not get rowdy here from times I've been. Plenty seating, TVs, and great service.

Such a unique spot where you can play games for free all day on Sunday! Combine that with their…read morehappy hour and you're in for a good time. They have classic arcade games here like Frogger Pong, Super Mario and pinball. There are a few newer games like a version of beer pong, Halo, Mario Kart and 4-person Pacman. We played every game within an hour and felt a bit bored after that. I'd love to see a Dance Dance Revolution game here! The plethora of beers, hard seltzers and ciders on tap looked like an expansive collection. There was something here for everyone. They even had a chocolate espresso martini on tap. I didn't drink but those in my party enjoyed every sip and got a good buzz goin. I love that you can pay for your drink by the ounce and you don't really have to commit to a whole drink if you don't want to. Perfect to taste test everything if that's what you desire. I'll be back in the area when I'm feelin in a fun and drinky mood.

Coin Haus is such a fun concept. They always have something going on, whether it's weekly specials,…read moretrivia nights, or other events that give you a reason to come back. It was a little smaller than I expected, but it's still easy to spend an hour or two here with friends. They also serve food, which I'll have to come back and try another time. Instead of ordering drinks at the bar, you start a tab by leaving your credit card with the cashier. They give you a tap card that lets you pour your own drinks. You can sample just a little or fill up a whole glass. It's completely up to you. They have everything from beer and wine to a few craft cocktails on tap. If you want to try something different, you can swap out your glass and keep exploring. The same tap card also activates all of the arcade games, which I thought was a really cool touch. It makes everything feel connected instead of having to carry around a bunch of tokens or cash. When I visited, they were hosting trivia night. It definitely brought in a crowd. Most of the tables were full, so walking around got a little tight because the space isn't very big. Even so, the atmosphere was lively. It felt like everyone was having a good time. I ended up trying the Cranberry Mule, which I really enjoyed. It was nice being able to pour just the amount I wanted instead of committing to a full drink. Overall, I had a really fun time here. It's a unique spot that gives you something a little different from your typical bar. Once you're ready to leave, you just close out your tab and head home. I'd definitely come back with a group of friends.

A hole in the wall gem! Quality music (attended the Billy Joel themed evening) and artists. Very…read moreintimate setting. Fair ticket price. We will absolutely be back. An amazing night! PS: don't bother ordering food, it's not good, apart from the pizza and their ordering system doesn't work. Get a drink there but just have dinner before going.

I almost feel sorry for anyone who wasn't there tonight. I've been many times. It's always…read morewonderful. However, tonight was beyond my expectations. I went to a Beatles tribute that was beautiful and lovely and wonderful. We are so blessed to have this gem in our neighborhood.

I had a reservation for Thursday and it was packed but took less than 5 minutes to get seated. They…read moredo check your ID at the entrance it's 21+ only. Parking is a nightmare good luck finding parking within a mile of the restaurant. Pros: atmosphere, drinks, service Cons: food wasn't great for the price, restaurant was small and crowded, no parking Service: All of our servers were friendly and very accommodating. Gave us some knowledge on the menu and recommended cocktails based on our preference. I had spilled my drink and they were quick to make me another one. Food: I had intended to get the prime ribeye cap steak but they ran out for the night around 8pm. I shared the steak sampler which came with four different cuts of steak and 4 sauces. I ordered medium and it was cooked medium/medium rare which was fine with me, it also had a good sear, almost burnt though. Out of the four steaks, we only liked two based off flavor and tenderness. The other two were more tough and gamey. None of the sauces really stood out but the bordelaise and horseradish were good. For our sides we got fries, roasted broccoli, and the grilled wedge salad. Fries were average. The roasted broccoli had really good flavor, I expected the broccoli to be al dente but it was cooked to mush and drenched in sauce. The grilled wedge salad was decent, there was a slightly bitter taste to it. I know it says grilled wedge but the experience of biting into the salad and it being both hot and cold was not pleasant. Cocktails: I tried the Honey Ryder and New Wave. These were recommended as the more fruity/sweet cocktails. You can definitely taste the alcohol but it's only 2oz so it's not too strong. Ambience: 10/10 I got seated downstairs by the bar. Only thing about downstairs is that it's too dark to take photos unless you use flash. Overall, I agree with the other reviews saying to go just for drinks and appetizers. I would go again just to sit upstairs and get drinks and take pictures. We left unsatisfied and ended up getting in-n-out after.

Starlite, Star bright, first star I see tonight…read more This may be an "UnFriendly" take, but Starlite is a top 3 burger in all of SD. I said, I meant it, and there's no walking it back. Now if you're super into smash burgers, this ain't it, and you really need to rethink your life choices. This bad boii right here is a thickun', with beautifully melted gruyere cheese, dijonaise, and caramalized onions tucked inside of a majestic sesame seed bun-served with fries, a dill pickle, and a FANTASTIC aioli for $17!!!! Yes, $17!!!!!! This burger ain't no joke, and it's more than enough reason to skirt your buns on down to try it out. Now the fun doesn't stop there. Have you freaking seen this place? The outside does not do it justice whatsoever. Once you step inside the door, you'll forget where you are-partially because it's pretty dark and you can't see shit, but the other part is that it's magical. I love poppin' up to the bar and chillin' in this space. There are two more totally different experiences to dine in, but I'll leave that up to you to find and explore. Although they're known for their burger, delicious drinks, and signature ice cream sandwich, there's so much more to write home about. I RECENTLY HAD ONE OF THE BEST MEALS I'VE HAD IN A LONG TIME HERE. The steak sampler we had, with sides of honey gochujang carrots, and beautifully scalloped potatoes, left us in ecstasy! The four cuts of beef were incredibly tender, deftly seasoned, and seared to perfection. The accompanying sauces, except for the tomato one, were also really good. And I have even mentioned the twice baked potato or the BROCCOLI!!! YES, THE BROCCOLI!!! If you get nothing else, get yourself a burger and some broccoli-TRUST!!! I could go on, but I'll leave you with this...the parking is not pleasant, but the food is fantastic, the music is fresh, and the drinks are splendid. Starlite, you must be my lucky star. Super HUGE thanks to Dani, the chefs, and the crew for making Starlite so amazing. Enjoy my friends.

everything! The service, food, and unique setting. Taking a friend for their birthday next week.read more

Everything. We love Alchemy, it's a family favorite. The location, the cuisine, the staff are…read morefantastic.

The security guard with the beard was extremely rude and acted more like a barback than security…read more We've been coming here for years... and last Friday a group of people took a table we were using, even though two of our friends were already sitting there and told them the table was taken. We were a group of about 7-8 people total. When we came back after grabbing drinks, we saw that the other group had completely taken over the table. They said they didn't care that we were regulars and called the security guard over. We explained the situation, and his response directly to us was: "I don't care, you can shut up, close your tab, and leave." We had already spent plenty of money there and were not asking for special treatment, but the lack of professionalism was awful. I've worked in customer service for almost a decade and have never spoken to a customer that way. This is exactly how a good place can lose loyal customers because of incompetent staff.

I cool dive bar with pool tables. Our bartenders were pretty cool and also gave us recommendations…read moreof good places to go eat at and also have delicious cocktails. I definitely am going to come back to this bar because it just felt like Home.

The design of this place is really cool. It feels like you've walked into a back alley and are in a…read morecompletely different part of town. Everything is so clean but it has a very good rustic and real feel to it. The drinks here are my favorite because to be honest, I'm a sours beer kind of guy and they have a whole building dedicated to it. The amount of variety when it comes to sours is great a prices are fair. Flavors pop but theirs also a good enough selection if you want a more chill sour that won't punch you in the face. The other building (not sure which is considered the main ones) has a large selection of your typical IPAs, lagers, you name it. The flavors are good and they seems to have some deals going on from time to time for cans to take home which I can appreciate. They also have a few board games to keep you entertained and seem to consistently have some options fora food vendor as well as many times having live music. Definitely worth the visit on a day you see them having one of these vendors or live bands you may be interested in. The people here seem to be very friendly with their regulars and greet you as if you're a friend. I think this bodes well with breweries considering you're usually here to have a good time and chill. I wouldn't say it feels like the reason I'd come back at all but no complaints here. Just didn't feel like out of this world service by any means.

Stopped into Helix Brewery for a couple of beers. To our surprise there was a Crawford High School…read more45th reunion, so the place was packed with alumni. There was a band playing, a food truck and a Padres game on. Always a good time when you can catch the Pads on TV. I started off with their Blonde Ale, "Fun Times" which was good and also had their Mexican Lager "Surveza", both good and drinkable. I had a sip of their New Zealand IPA "MTNS" which was simply too hoppy for me. We got to try the Cubano Panini from the food truck that was there that day, and that was good. Overall a good brewery, cool/industrial location. With rustic vibes and open space. Lots of seating options both indoor and outdoor- major plus in my book. The bartenders were friendly and even let us try a sip of a upcoming beer. Cool find. Parking is a bit limited.