Friendly sports bar. I usually go to another place but they don't open until 11 and the football game started at 10 am so I came here. They were open on time at 10 am with the game on the tv. Staff was very nice, bartender named Rachel told me they don't have food or coffee but I can go get some and bring it in. So I did. Very locals bar. Everyone seemed to know each other and they were welcoming. Saw at least 4 puppy dogs which were very cute. Decent selection of beers. Some microbrews mostly major label stuff. The Pacifico tap was having issues but hopefully that's fixed now. They were doing a betting pool for the SB which is fun. Also looks like they are doing a chili cook off for whoever signs up.Nice little friendly dive bar. read more

The Watering Hole is a local dive bar located in the Clairemont area serving a variety of beverages such as beer and mixed drinks. Offered events and deals. Ambiance: Watering Hole follows the typical local bar vibe of a jukebox, pool table, and bar area. We came on a Saturday night and there was a decent amount of people. Drink-wise: Draft beer is affordable around $7. I didn't purchase mixed drinks so can'r speak on that, but they likely aren't back breaking on the price. Service: there was one bartender working the night but he was quick and efficient with everyone. In summary, the Watering Hole is a solid dive bar. Nothing crazy to offer which isn't a bad thing. Just a simple, nice local bar for people to hang out, talk, and have fun. read more

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ooh weee... I wish my neighborhood had a local bar like this! tucked away in a dark and quiet strip mall. they have a pool table they have tv's ...some playing sports and others with MTV classic music video's Chalkboard indicates the name of bartender on duty. such a smart idea! I had a double grey goose soda and it was strong...very strong! our water glasses were constantly filled (bonus points for that!) vibe was perfect. read more

I was invited by a biker friend to come check out Wednesday nights Cows With Guns night. I was not at all disappointed. A fantastic dive bar with a friendly group of regulars. The local "Riff Raff" group is a sight to be seen! And when the song Cows With Guns comes on. Hold on to your hats. It's something you have to experience, as putting it into words does it zero justice! read more

clean, clean, clean everything works the machines are perfect and my laundry is done completely

always been one of my favorites kind people nice bartenders, great crowd as always been my go to

Well its been 1 year now since I've been coming here and I believe this is the best bar in the Clairemont area. Drink prices are the best , Bartenders are the best, The people are the best, and The best Billiards players are here. Never had an issue good food is close by with a Bumpin Juke Box. Old School CLMT respectful people. DILLY DILLY read more

The Watering Hole - Cool Cats at The Watering Hole - Sports Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

Let's just say I ordered two Heinekens a glass of wine and champagne for $20 and played a $1 game of pool. 'Nuff said. Also it was smoke free. read more

The Watering Hole - Sports Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

What an awesome time here it's small but you get great service drinks are very reasonable and the crowd is very welcoming made couple new friends here played pool till 2am we no issues getting our drinks it's a great little spot I would recommend stopping here. read more

Divest bar of all. Absolutely agree with review below that it is your most classic neighborhood dive bar

If you're looking for a classic dive bar, this is it. Keith took great care of me and others at the bar tonight. Poured'm deeeeep and had a smile and invited attitude even though I came from Solana Beach. Specials every day of the week (hopefully there are pics on Yelp). Will be back for the mellow, fun occasion! read more

Steve makes one of the best long islands in town and gives it a special twist. Go here and ask the bar tenders to make you their signature drink, they are good! It's the best bar in Clairemont, but the competition isn't all that high. I still prefer PB for a more wild and better dance scene, but the drinks are much better here. I'll be back! read more

My apartment building faces the back entrance so I decided to check the place out a few months ago and have been maybe 8 times. Here are my observations: The bar itself: Small, one pool table, lots of TVs, a loud jukebox, zero ambiance, a genuine dive bar with concrete floors, wobbly tables, no decor. Drinks are strong and cheap, lots of beers, bartenders remember you, some friendly, some not so much, the place has an aroma to it. They did not/do not observe/obey Covid restrictions but I understand small business pressures and survival. Clientele: Now this place is not where you're going to find Clairemont's finest. If you're a people watcher, this is the place to go if you're tolerant of the mostly uneducated, conspiracy theorists, Trump supporters, totally blue collar folks on a very limited or social services income. The average male patron is middle aged to late in life, lots of ponytails or beyond shoulder length hair (and we all know how sexy it is to see an older balding man with a ponytail), alcoholic, weed, cigarette smoking or vaping, and their entire life evolves around drinking at this bar and looking unkempt. The women are your typical much older bar skanks and that's all I'm going to say about that except for the cost of a couple of drinks, you could probably get really lucky (or unlucky) in your car with one of them. You will find it really entertaining to listen and participate in the conversations. This place definitely has it's clique and you will seldom see a new face. This bar is not racially diversified yet not racially restrictive. Location: Ancient strip mall with maybe 2 retail stores and ample parking. Why go: People watching and cheap drinks. Don't worry about being cut off if you're drunk. If you're not easily offended by anti-maskers, Corona deniers, anti-vaxxers, conspiracy theorists, massive election fraud believers, and that everything and everyone in the Democratic party is evil, then this is worth a shot. Funny observation too, most of the patrons are on some form of government assistance yet they hate socialism. As I said, it's entertaining. You might even meet some friends like a middle aged guy that still lives with his mommy and reeks of weed, cigs, and beer. Epic, right? I recommend it. See you Friday after work. read more

Fabulous bar! Super cold beers! Great wifi and good service and company at this bar! Cheapest beers in the area too! Right now outdoor area for social distancing etc which works well! Fabulous to sit outside in this wonderful cali weather! Lots of TVs tuning into the football too! What are u waiting for? Visit!!!! read more

Just stumbled upon this place...Not to get confused with the website Stumbled upon. Haha. But I come to use the charging station in the lot and I didn't want to sit in the car since the area is dodgy especially at night so I google bars near me and guess what? I found this place. I like it a lot. It reminds me of back home when I went to a couple dive bars. The waitress was very friendly and she prepared a drink for me because I didn't know what I wanted to order. I'm a classy guy but I tend to enjoy dive bars a lot more than other venues. The drink was good and I felt at home when I was here. It's about 12 minutes from where I live in La Jolla it I like it and feel this will be my get away when I don't want to be bothered by people. I think I will make this my regular spot. Normally when I charge it's during the weekend at in the morning and I go do work from my computer in Starbucks. I'm glad I found this place. read more

My girl and i chose this place because it was open vs the place we tried going to at utc (around midnight). Initially this bar has dive bar written all over it. Walked in and no music was playing and i was like uhhhh but the assuming guy i am didnt know there was a jukebox that was just waiting for some slaps to be played so some dude hit it with the bumps and we were on our way to ordering some drinks with some good music! Gabe at the bar has a super dope friendly vibe and the drinks are perfectly priced. Honestly i felt pretty comfortable here and if i lived closer i would come here on a daily basis, but saying daily basis would make me seem like an alcoholic so maybe like 2 times a week basis. Also Gabe the bartender recommended me a special Pilsner from Thorn brewing which i tasted and it was phenomenal. Try this place out super friendly and cool place! Will be back :) read more

If you blink you will miss this place. A coworker wanted to meet here and told me to meet him at the Watering Hole. My first response was " which watering hole, you gotta be more specific than that man. " I had no clue. To which he answered by telling me that its the actual name of the bar. Youre kidding. The name is about as creative as El Uno Bar in City Heights http://www.yelp.com/biz/el-uno-bar-san-diego. Oh well, I finally found it after I drove past it a few times. Its in the same shopping center as Little Sheep and next to a nail/ hair salon and a Baras thrift store. There was maybe 6-8 when I walked in. Full bar of course. Not a bad spot but not sure if I would make it a regular spot considering the fact that I live in an area thats saturated with quality watering holes and hoes. I will admit though, Id rather come here than Peter D's , Hungry Sticks or The Skybox. read more

Definitely the best bar in Clairemont. It's a hole in the wall that serves drinks up until 2pm every night. Place is guaranteed fun. I just hope it doesn't ever get crowded there like many other places. This place is for true Clairemont locals (younger ones). If you're older you should try out the Hungry Stick in the same parking lot. read more

Probably should be 4 stars but this gets a bonus for being within stumbling distance of my house. Let's not mince words- this is a dive bar. When you come in its dark and smells like a freshly cleaned bathroom. The clientele is generally an older crowd but you'll find more of a mix on busier nights. Everyone is pretty relaxed and welcoming and the regulars seem to know each other pretty well. Here's the game winner: 3$ well drinks, $4 for a double (which they call a tall for some reason). Cheap wells muddled with a very, very loose poor (so loose that the bartender is still pouring by the time you finish reading this sentence, sentence, sentence, ladedadedadeda anddddd FINALLY done). The owner of this bar clearly understands his market and clientele very well. He does what he can to keep costs low and passes the saving on to you, and at the end of the day when you come home for work and just want some cheap rotgut whiskey with soda and to relax in a respectable dive bar, this is the place to be. Oh, and there's a pool table and dartboards. read more

Total dive bar... but thats the point. If your not local to Clairemont, you will probably drive right by this place and never even have a clue you did. It's in a tiny, somewhat run down strip mall, though lately they have been seriously renovating the place. I don't remember them serving food, not that I would want to eat there anyways, good selection of games (pool, darts, etc..) and really cheap drinks. Not my normal type of place, but for the occasion, it served its purpose. read more

Great dive bar. If you don't want any fluff and are sick and tired of overpaying for drinks, head to The Watering Hole.

2nd pub in my Clairemont pub crawl after hitting Pete Ds. While Petes reeks of nostolgia cica 1970s, this place is smaller and a bit more polished and contemporay. its layout gives you the impression you are drinking in a dry walled garage bar man cave....and this is good! Cheap drinks, reggage pop and authentic island drops on the juke box, and two great bartenders made me feel like a young guy when I ordered a gin and tonic and they, in thier 20's said they were gin fans. Cool bar for sitting around playing pool and chilling with drinks and tunes. Not much energy, but thats typical of a bar whose focus is the pool table. More towards 3.5 stars than 4. Simple and basic...in a good way....and smoking fast free wifi! read more

One of my wives coworkers was leaving the state for school soon so we decided to get wasted. We met up at an irish bar nearby but left once we saw the crowd inside. We decided to go here and I'm glad we did, this place is a pretty bad ass gem. At night it's easy to miss and alittle spooky (rear parking/dark/construction all around.) Once your inside it's very different.The bartender was great/friendly (big guy, beard). The drinks were decently priced and strong. 5/5 would get drunk again. read more

Great dive bar that was open on thanksgiving after a fun day of turkey bowl football with the friends in the area. Welcoming and enough space for 10 thirsty footballers read more

Drink specials every day! NFL and MLB tickets! Open at 9 am on Saturdays and Sundays!! read more

The Watering Hole - Sports Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

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Place is a dump, moved in close by... Love me some dive bars, but this is a whole new level. It's so boring and dead - nothing but a bunch of old balls... Wanna be bikers, and just trashy people... Eh. No thanks. 2 stars for stiff drinks. read more

Walked in and the whole bar turned to stare and evaluate who just walked in. Was totally a locals only feel and no seating away from all the taken bar stools. Dingy and dark even as the bar seemed small in a big open space. Not inviting. If your an alcoholic and have to have a drink you might stay, otherwise you'll probably walk in then walk right out as I did. Bummer read more

Rachel is the best! A recommend for a quick drink or a long football game. Very attentive and great conversation.

I like Joey the bartender and the pool table and the juke box. This place has regulars as well as newbies and isn't crowded to the point if making you feel invisible. You can bring your food and eat it here or bring your well behaved dog. .. they are cool here and the atmosphere is casual. read more

The Watering Hole - Dog friendly if....your dog is good. - Sports Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

Bartender was nice enough to kick the drunk man who assaulted my friends out of the bar. If you can look past Clinton and his band of bros who will critique you playing pool than by all means, have a good time. Pools a $1, the tequila sunrise was pretty dank. The bros in the bar will try and tackle the bathroom door down if you take too long. Be wary, but above all stick with a group and you'll be able to take care of one another. read more

My favorite local bar. Great specials everyday of the week, as well as awesome happy hour prices during the week. Great bartenders that treat you right. Don't listen to the guy that said its only a place for locals. As most of the people are, you don't have to worry about any fighting, unless your an asshole. Then there may be problems.....So come check it out, I am sure you'll like it if you love a great dive bar. read more

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Great price. Decent location and cool bartender. Don't live too far from here so happy there is somewhere to go that's walking distance

A fun lil dive bar been there a few times I disagree with a few of the reviews never had a problem with smells, this would be the one recommendation to the owner if he wants to pack the place ask the mall if he could park a food truck in front, and if they say yes I would try to hook up with one. Just a thought read more

I guess you'd call this a neighborhood bar. Small and in a strip mall, it caters to the local crowd. Yelp categorizes it under "sports bars" and they did have the UFC fight on when I was there. I'm not terribly familiar with the Clairemont bar scene, if there is one, so maybe this is par for the course. But IMO, definitely not a reason to go out of your way. read more

Went here for the first time last night and lucky for us Tuesday nights are $2 bud/budlight drafts. Sweet! The pool table was empty so I went to put my quarters in and its only 50 cents! Awesome! The place is small but for cheap beer and pool, I can handle that. The crowd was older and most likely the regulars. The only thing negative I have to say was there seemed to be a little racism in the building. As I was paying my tab I couldnt help but overhear one of the biker guys talking about how a swastika that he wears on his jacket represents peace. WTF?! I dont think so. read more

I've lived in Squaremont for what seems like 136 years (over 30 years) and discovered this place about a year ago. It's sort of hidden in the ultra shitty wasteland of the Diane Shopping Center. This is one redeeming element of that center. The place is small, cozy, and welcoming with a pool table, several TVs, an electronic jukebox, darts, lotto sales and even a lotto reader checker thing. The drinks are dirt cheap and they don't have rot gut well. This place is a dive bar in it's entirety and some fun and unusual characters frequent the place. If you're not familiar with the Clairemont area, it is composed of mostly middle class with a hint of upper scale, mostly normal, and then about 15% white trash. The mixture here is slightly different in ratio because it is a dive bar and it is located in a dead shopping center thats main occupant is a SDG&E solar place. Get my drift? Anyway, the regulars are some bikers (view gray haired ponytails, one earring, and leather vest), a few skanks, some total drunks, and the rest are normal friendly Squaremonters. The bartenders are all very accommodating and friendly, heavy on the pour, and nice people. I really like this place and you can meet some pretty damn nice and down to earth people here that will remember your name and welcome you the next time they see you. How great is that in this world? Add the happy hour Monday through Friday from 4 till 7 p.m. and you have a winner. read more

Just moved in down the street and I could not be happier that there is a place like this with great people and great drinks within walking distance to my house. Steve is a great bartender! Thank you to The Watering Hole! read more

One of the best bartenders I've ever had!!! Guy by the name of Steve. Immediate service, even kicked someone out that started gibing people problems...we all know that one drunk guy. The bartender had a vast knowledge of drinks that even inner city bartenders have no clue about. But nice bar all in all, small but definitely has that dive bar feel. For sure coming back to this bar in the future! read more

This is a true dive bar. It's a place where people come to die. I love it. The crowd is fun and the bartenders are great. Steve has been here for years and he's great. Keith and Joey are both awesome as well. Definitely worth checking out! read more

The new owners have done a ton since they bought the place a year ago!! Looks awesome... there are 8 tv's, and a brand new golden tee machine too! LOVE IT!! Best bar in Clairemont!! read more