heART on CenterAlbie’s Beef Inn
1201 Hotel Circle South,Mission Valley
www.netsv.com/albies
An authentic piano bar with stiff drinks and 1960s portraits of semi-nude women (PSA stewardesses) on the walls, painted by Larry “Vincent” Garrison.
Blue Agave Night Club
6608 Mission Gorge Road,Mission Valley
www.blueagavenightclub.com
One of San Diego’s proudest Latin nightclubs, this is the place to swing like they do south of the border.
Camel’s Breath Inn
10330 Friars Road, Mission Valley619-281-1722
The six-foot fiberglass camel stares down at the bartenders. Sometimes the employees get so rattled that they over-pour the booze, so you can get a good buzz for cheap.
Club Rio
1299 Camino Del Rio S., Mission Valley619-299-3544
If your thing is paying a cover to shake yo’ tail feathers to the sounds of salsa and merengue while thinking you might get shot at any minute, then come on down. Just make sure to take a Ritalin and a Go Girl energy drink chaser—this Mission Valley staple is open till 4 a.m.
Dave & Busters
2931 Camino del Rio N.,Mission Valley
www.daveandbusters.com
How to make a Dave & Buster’s “Snow Cone”: Pour equal parts DeKuyper Watermelon Pucker, Malibu rum, cherry vodka, Blue Curacao, Sprite and pomegranate syrup over shaved ice.
Gordon Biersch
5010 Mission Center Road,Mission Valley
www.gordonbiersch.com
In doing research on the chain brewery that specializes in German lagers and ales, we discovered this bit of beer trivia: Among Bavarian royalty, Hefeweizen was once considered a “breakfast or after-church beer.”
In Cahoots
5373 Mission Center Road,Mission Valley
www.incahoots.com
Yes, this bar still has line dancing lessons every day. No, we don’t know how it’s still there.
JT’s Pub & Grill
5821 Mission Gorge Road,
Mission Valley
www.myspace.com/jtspubandgrill
This is a bar with free wi-fi access, so if you take your laptop and start the weekend early, your boss will never know.
Kelly’s Restaurant & Irish Pub
500 Hotel Circle West, Mission Valley
www.towncountry.com
The steaks and chops are for the well-to-do, but the piano bar sing-alongs are for everyone.
The Library Tavern
7459 Mission Gorge Road,
Allied Gardens
619-583-5839
The person who answered the phone at the Library assured us that it’s very clean. They also mentioned how good the jukebox is.
Longhorn Café
6519 Mission Gorge Road, Grantville
619-283-0831
Sure, it’s in a strip mall between a dry cleaner and Tae Kwan Do joint. But this is Mission Valley, and if you can find a good watering hole like the Longhorn, don’t be too picky about the exterior.
McGregor’s Grill & Ale House
10475 San Diego Mission Road, Mission Valley
619-282-9797
McGregor’s is probably the best place in San Diego to sneak off for a long lunch and a baseball game.
Pal Joey’s
5147 Waring Road, Allied Gardens
www.paljoeysonline.com
One of the featured bars in our 2007 issue, the charming dive closed for awhile for a bit of a makeover. Happily, the place cleaned up real nice. Great bartenders and live music on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
San Diego Brewing Co.
10450 Friars Road, Mission Valley
www.sandiegobrewing.com
The brewer here has won two gold medals in the last year for his Double IPA. They’re bringing it back this month, so hurry before they drink it all.
Second Wind
8515 Navajo Road, Navajo
www.secondwindbars.com
If you want to hear live classic rock, hard rock and blues on any night of the week, this is the place.
