NORTH PARK, SOUTH PARK & GOLDEN HILL

Alchemy

1503 30th St., South Park
alchemysandiego.com
This new wine bar and bistro was a long-time a-comin’ (fire caused a small setback), but that only gave the owners more time to hand-pick the wines and come up with signature cocktails like the “Keeps Pleasure II”: Skyy vodka, strawberry, basil and lemon. Yum.

Bacchus House

3054 University Ave. North Park
www.bacchushouse.com
Want to find out if your gardener Ramón is bi-curious, or if Elsa the tamales lady likes to get her scissors on? Head down to this bar, which is huge with the Mexican gay set.

Bar Pink

3829 30th St., North Park
www.barpink.com
There are many things to love about this place—among them are Tiki Tuesdays (especially when the Cheap Leis are playing) and fourth Wednesdays featuring old-timey tunes by Linnzi Zaorski.

Bluefoot Bar & Lounge

3404 30th St., North Park
www.bluefootsd.com
Once among the most notorious leather daddy bars in town, this place has become one of the neighborhood spots in North Park by hosting just as many art shows and performances as Chargers victory parties. Now, if we could just get Rob Halford to come back.

El Camino

3023 Juniper St., South Park
www.elcaminosd.com
Our first visit to this place prompted a trip to Tijuana to find a light-up Jesus. No luck. The décor is kitschy cool, the sangria and salsa trays are excellent and they serve micheladas in a glass boot.

El Uno Bar

3412 University Ave., North Park
619- 282-8959
Located between here and somewhere else, it’s a little taste of Revolución in the heart of mid-city. If you love Ranchero music, tostilocos and Tecate, this is your bar.

Gilly’s Bar

2306 El Cajon Blvd., North Park
www.gillysbarnorthpark.com
OK, so it’s technically in University Heights, but Gilly’s brings in the diverse North Park crowd for wicked karaoke (Thursdays through Saturdays), pool tournaments (Wednesdays) and “Steak Night” (Tuesdays).

Hamilton’s Tavern

1521 30th St., South Park
www.hamiltonstavern.com
This place helped launch San Diego’s craft-and-import brew craze. Check the website to see what’s on draft and what’s “on deck.” Second Saturdays mean free food and a featured beer.

L Bar @ The Lafayette Hotel

2223 El Cajon Blvd., North Park
www.lafayettehotelsd.com
Once called the Starlight Lounge (why change a good thing?), you can order a drink here and sip it next to the pool that Tarzan built.

Lips

3036 El Cajon Blvd., North Park
www.lipsshow.biz
It started off as a twinkle in a queen’s eye. Now, it’s a decade later, and thanks to the magic of duct tape, Uncle Roy’s Man-sized High Heel Emporium and National City’s discount fabrics superstore, Lips is San Diego’s premier destination for the ultimate drag experience. No risk of getting a cavity here, as the candy is always well hidden.

Mosaic Wine Bar

3422 30th St., North Park
www.mosaicwinebar.com
Spacious new spot offers a “Wine Tasting & Education” night on Wednesdays when seven bucks gets you five 2.5-ounces tasters selected by an in-house sommelier.

The Office

3936 30th St., North Park
www.officebarinc.com

 

There are two types of people in the world: Elvis people and Beatles people, Scolari’s people or Office people. But those old-schoolers who still mourn the death of the last puke-smelling dive in North Park seem to be outnumbered by the vast amount of hipsters who steadily flock to The Office every week to dance, hook up and sip Pabst tallboys like it’s going out of style.

Pecs

2046 University Ave., North Park
www.pecsbar.com
Many boys have become men at this fine establishment. Telling signs of this transformation include: a new appreciation for cargo shorts and armpit smell, propensity to hibernate and a heightened affinity for honey.

Radio Room

3519 El Cajon Blvd., North Park
www.myspace.com/radioroom
The décor may have been upgraded since it was called Zombie Lounge, and the music probably leans a little bit more toward punk than rockabilly nowadays, but this spot still retains much of the same rebellious feel as before.

Redwing Bar & Grill

4012 30th St., North Park
www.redwingbar.com
No truth to the rumor that Redwing is purposefully becoming a straight bar. Though it’s getting some spillover from Toronado, it’s still for sports-loving gay drinkers.

Red Fox Room @ Lafayette Hotel

2223 El Cajon Blvd., North Park
619-297-1313
Nostalgia drips from the dark-wood walls in this old-school piano bar and restaurant. If you’re lucky, the guy with the shark hand-puppet will join the piano player in a rendition of “Mack the Knife.”

Ritual Tavern

4095 30th St., North Park
619-283-1618
www.ritualtavern.com
Ritual’s bar is a place for adults. Quiet and comfortable, with a solid beer selection and a high-quality kitchen.

San Diego Eagle

3040 N Park Way, North Park
619-295-8072
www.sandiegoeagle.com
This bar celebrates the love that dare not speak its name. Bring along some Valtrex, anti-bacterial wipes, a jug of Wesson vegetable oil and your own tarp. Trust us, you’ll need it.

Soda Bar

3615 El Cajon Blvd., North Park
www.sodabarmusic.com
Despite the name, this isn’t where you take Suzy after the algebra test to get a rootbeer float from a guy wearing a paper hat. Nope, you go here to see the best in national and local underground bands while sipping on whisky shots and a great beer selection.

South Park Bar & Grill

1946 Fern St., South Park
www.southparkbarandgrill.net
Local musicians are the key to this placid, quiet bar. Expect to see someone strumming a guitar or crooning into a mic any time you go after 9 p.m.

Splash

3043 University Ave., North Park
www.asplashofwine.org
Perfect for indecisive wine drinkers. You start by purchasing a card that you insert into the contraption that dispenses the wine of your choice by the ounce. Full glasses and bottles available, too. Great flat-bread pizzas.

Tobacco Rhoda’s

2591 University Ave., North Park
619-291-7621
Rhoda’s is truly North Park’s last dive bar, hanging on despite waves of gentrification and a car that plowed through its front wall (thankfully, the wall’s been repaired).

Toronado

4026 30th St., North Park
www.toronadosd.com
From 6 to 10 p.m. on Mondays, all draft beers (something like 50 to choose from) are $3, which means you’ll have enough money left over to order yourself a tasty sausage.

True North

3815 30th St., North Park
www.truenorthtavern.com
You got a giant square bar, smooth cement floor, reverence for the television and enough room to pack a metric ton of anti-hipsters, if you stacked them like cordwood.

Turf Supper Club

1116 25th St., Golden Hill
www.turfsupperclub.com
Remember almost a year ago when the Golden Hill scenesterati got up in arms because they thought the Turf Club was going to get a North Park-style makeover when the landlord took over from the previous tenants? Well, nothing changed. It still serves up stiff drinks and has weird nature-scene wallpaper that’s peeling, and it’s still the best place for DIY dinner.

U-31

3112 University Ave., North Park
www.myspace.com/u31sandiego
This place still manages to pack them in with great local DJs, live local music and a mechanical bull night that’s embarrassingly entertaining. Oh, and what’s that? A little birdie tells us they’ll soon be serving up some tasty bar snacks.

Whistle Stop Bar

2236 Fern St., South Park
619-284-6784
www.whistlestopbar.com
A bar where you can consistently count on good entertainment, bartenders who know how to make a drink and clientele with whom you’d be happy to share a table.