San Diego proper has two major Night Life districts The Downtown-Gaslamp area, which is mostly raunchy Pubs, small one-floor dance/bar spots, and some multi-level, multi-room LA-style clubs. Pacific Beach is the other, and it consists of mostly college/surfer style cantinas, several sightly larger dance/bar spots, without any major multi-level clubs.
Entries shall have a
Name
Description:
Women:
Price:
Access:
Location:
PACIFIC BEACH
I live in Pacific Beach and go out to the nightlife about 3 times a week, either alone or wtih a pivot/FB. One thing to keep in mind is that pacific beach can be SURPRISINGLY busy mid-week. Locals who also live in PB will go out to Garnet quite often. You can encounter long lines and crowds on Wednesdays, Tuesday taco nights, etc. Cheaper to have a good time here than Downtown and you get slightly younger, more "fun" girls. The clubs and bars and meat markets and everybody knows it. Lots of college girls. Warning: my alma SDSU has a high rate of STDs and many of these girls go to PB. Since I've moved to San Diego, i've slept with about 200 girls picked up locally and I have never had an STD(I always use condoms). Many of my friends have gotten quite a collection, however.
YOU MUST USE CONDOMS IN SAN DIEGO.
Australian Pub
Description: Single floor friendly pub, usually brightly lit, has several "bar games", no real dance area, an outside patio, friendly(mostly male) staff. Food is decent, the drinks are pub price(not expensive)
Women: Mid-20s non "upscale chicks", but cute surfer girls, girls who consider themselves "one of the boys".Not exceptionally target rich, usually crowds of couples, sports bar crowd
Price: Low
Access: ID, no cover(that i've seen)
Location: Grand and cass
Pacific Bar and Grill
Description: The flagship dance spot for Pacific Beach. It is a restaurant by day, and the restaurant area becomes the "lounge" area when the dance floor section is opened. The dance floor area has one medium sized floor and is ringed by a slightly higher section of danec floor. Has 3 major bars when open for night, 2 near the dance floor. If you can't decide where to go, go here.
Women: Probably the most target rich in Pacifc Beach, ugly girls aren't afraid to go there, but there will be many hotties, mostly white, lots of asians, too. One of my most consistent pulling grounds
Price: Weekdays can have cover charges of 5 bucks, weekends are usually free. drinks are average price, not expensive at all.
Access: Line can be very long, come early and get stamped and then come and go as you please IMO
Location: Garnet between Mission and Bayard
Moondoggies
Description: Restaurant and outdoor patio bar. sports bar but has an upscale feel, no real dance floor, great spot to use a lot of conservation pickup
Women: Similar to PB bar and grill, but slighter hotter on average, or less uglies/fatties. WARNING: can be a sausage fest because guys rush it thinking it has the hottest chicks. It has consistently been the worst ratio'ed place I've seen in SD
Price: Decent, will have a cover at night, 10 bucks i think
Access: Long lines at night.
Location: Garnet between Mission and Bayard
Typhoon Saloon
Description: Restaurant by day, opens up a pretty large dance area in the back when the nightlife time hits, it has a pretty large bar in both sections. More dress code picky than the other spots mentioned for PB for no real reason, will want you to check hats and coats. Tied for best dance spot in PB easily with PB bar and grill
Women: Very good, gets a mix of big girl groups with their token UGs, but It has supplied me with some of my hottest chicks from PB. Ratio is usually very good. Has some of those "attention whore" cages for ugly girls who think they are hot to dance in. It pops mid-week on wednesday.
Price: usually a cover at night, 10 dollars I think, i get them all confused
Access: The cover keeps the line somewhat not too long and people often pass it by because its storefront is small, but it has large in the back
Location: Garnet between...Dawes and Everts.
Tavern
Description: A bar that has a few bar games around the edges, a small outdoor patio, and a mild dance "area" between the tables, it's pretty kicked back but gets a damn large crowd. One of the better mid-week spots in San Diego, period. One chick I pulled from here was a reality show star from "Flava of Love", so the crowd varies from college frat boys to wannabe singers
Women: Mostly white, has a lot of hotties, but their UG CBs will be in tow. great spot
Price: Drinks are cheap, can have a 5 dollar cover on busier weekday nights.
Access: Line can get long, but not terribly long
Location: Garnet and Everts i think. Lil bit east of Typhoon and across the Street
Bar West
Description: PB's newest and most posh spot. It tries to be a Downtown club in PB. Not working well, IMO(I'm friends with the company that owns it and Stingaree as well). It's sectioned oddly, with a much too-large VIP area that takes up half the venue. The
hired guns will be the hottest girls there, it doesn't have a big buzz yet and it will be a sausage fest. The music selection has been poor as well. I would avoid it until it gets a buzz, maybe summer will be better
Women: Nothing special but from the outdoor it would seem like it would be great.
Price: Expensive drinks, not sure about cover
Access: Cover, dress code, unnecessarily filtered in order to give it that downtown feel
Location: Hornblend and Cass, right behind 24hr Fitness.
Johnny V
Description: A pretty big, single floor restaurant/dance club, Quite spacious but it is very hit-or-miss crowd wise. Sometimes it's the best place in PB, sometimes the worst. On good nights, it is tough to beat. It has several different enclaves within, so it's good for internally venue changing and makeouts behind some brick pillar. I've started to go here more often because I'm so tired of PB B and G and it has been pretty good. Attracts a lot of couples.
Women: Pretty good when jumping, very bad when it's slow.
Price: More expensive than most spots in PB
Access: Line gets long on busy days, Saturday tends to be its glory day.
Location: Garnet and Cass
More Pb spots to come, but I have to think more about the others, so I'll start with Downtown now.
DOWNTOWN-GASLAMP
Set toward the south of San Diego's downtown area, it is home to a lot of bigger venues but also a lot of "friendly upscale" pubs. It is a much more expensive night out than Pacific Beach. Often compared to Hollywood and Sunset, but I wouldn't make such a comparison. I lived in Hollywood for a time, and i go up to LA several times a month, Downtown San Diego has a very different Vibe. I think a better vibe. But I was born and raised in Jamaica, Queens, so maybe I just hate LA due to genetics.
Parking can be expensive if you don't get lucky and get a turned off meter(they go off at 6 and weekends). Downtown doesn't jump as much on weekday nights as pacific beach, but the volume of people out on weekends has to be seen to be appreciated. Just walking the streets without even going into a venue will confirm what you have heard about Southern California for women. When going downtown, the girls dress better, hotter. The biggest change is the different kind of male crowd. Downtown gets a lot of "I have a BMW baby" type of guys. You know what I mean.
You can catch a lot of "after work" crowds mid week, but because of the large number of venues, finding one with good targets can be tricky mid-week. Lots of tourists any day, which is bittersweet. Most venues tend to be loud.
Downtown consists of formally numbered streets that run North/South("First", "Second", etc) and lettered streets that run east and west(A, B, etc).
Henry's Pub
Description: A one-room but fairly sized spot that moves the tables at night to make a pretty sizable dance area. The bar is EXTREMELY slow and it is usually overcrowded Fri or sat nights. It has given me my best and worst experiences downtown, so I have a love-hate relationship with it.
Women: Pretty good but nothing amazing
Price: drinks are average for downtown, 5 or 10 dollar cover on weekend nights
Access: Get in early or don't bother. For whatever reason, it draws a huge line and it's not that amazing.
Location: On fifth between F and G(I think)
Whiskey Girl
Description: Similar setup to Henry's, mostly a large, one room, bar but usually keeps the tables at night so it has less dancing. better for conservations, but is pretty upbeat and fun. It doesn't get as crowded which leads to...
Women: Hot. Dunno why, but it's a "best kept secret" for hot chicks. usually hot professionals. Might be a good entry level spot for those new to downtown. Some of the best
hired guns in the City, but they will aggressively embarass you if you get blown out. Has a lot of the wannabe PUAs of San Diego in there for Downtown. Guys who know about it seem keen to keep their little prize
Price: No cover usually, but drinks are EXPENSIVE
Access: Usually easy to get into, it's a best-kept-secret ofr some reason
Location: Next to henrys, on Fifth and F
Stingaree
Description: The best if you can get in. One of the most upscale spots in San Diego, multi-level with a rooftop lounge, a jumping dance atmosphere on the first and second floors, it's pimp. Look around for a sexy black guy in a hot suit with a bald head and scream out "Sh0t", cuz that will be me.
Women: Top notch. For you picky guys, this is your spot.
Price: 20 dollar cover at night, drinks are outrageous, etc
Access: Can be hard for guys, lots of VIp parties, etc. I'm best friends with a few people who work here, so I have no trouble, but it can be quite tough on some days. If you can only do one spot, come here.
Location: 6th and J
Sidebar
Description: One floor, slightly sectioned bar/dance floor. A pretty good venue, I don't go here often, but has been nice each time. Pure dance spot for the most part, or rather, whatever you call it when you are packed in like sardines trying to move around
Women: Hot, quite a few older chicks though(unmarried professionals),
Price: Expensive. 10 or 20 dollar cover depending on night and gender(take a guess)
Access: long lines, gets crowded fast
Location: 6t and Market I think.
J Bar
Description: Rooftop bar/lounge, lots of "rich" chodes, gets the crowd tired of the chaos of other spots. If you club hop, make this one of your spots int he rotation. Older professionals.
Women: late 20s who can't dance, more chill, will let you run game. If loud venues harm your game, come here. Frequently very very hot. can bea sausage fest because a lot of guys scared of the noise come here and can be very aggressive. I come here to practice interrupting pickups and stealing the chick acting as a rescuer. maybe I've done it to you?
Price: No cover but everything inside will require a loan
Access: Can be a bitch, but usually is pretty easy
Martini Ranch
Description: At Night, it has 3 areas. A downstars bar, with a sportsbar feel, an upstairs spot with couches and ambiance, and a downtairs dance spot. They remodeled recently and fucked it up in My opinion, so it's fallen a lot.
Women: Slim pickings these days, but not a sausage fest either USUALLY, so...
Price: 20 dollar cover past 9 on nightlife nights, drinsk are expensive, overpriced if you pay cover
Access: Pretty easy because people know it's a rip-off these days
Location: 6th and Market I think
Confidential
Description: Great spot. Owned by Andrew Firestone. Small, lounge-y, not as loud as other spots, the food sucks though IMO. Has specialty drinks that are pretty good for those who like to drink new things. Has a VIP upper section/balconey.
Women: Top notch usually. Gets a lot of girls that don't want to have to wonder around looking for their friends. Bring your group game, kick back, and you may find yourself with a super hottie.
Price: Expensive but it's a Tapa restaurant/lounge.
Access: Can get bad because of the occupancy issue.
Location: Fourth across from horton Plaza
Decos
Description: Club upstairs of restaurants on the streets, one of the most popular spots downtown. Overrated in my view, but it's pretty good. Gets lots of big groups. One of the better dance spots in Downtown but the music fucking sucks IMO. Expect drunken "drag aways". The crowd has changed a lot since I've been here, for the worse. Has several areas: a main dance floor, a smaller dance area with different music, and a patio/smoking area. Internal venue-changing very possible. Gets fucking HOT inside.
Women: Good but not the best downtown anymore. Used to be. Survives on the momentum of its previous reputation. Dancefloor grinding is big though, if you dig that. Has several attention-whore stage dancing spots
Price: 20 dollar cover,
Access: For guys, horrendous.
Location: fifth between f and G. east side of street
Thin
Description: Will surprise you, looks pretentious, but is a lot of fun. My main and I go here a lot to enjoy each other. Seems to attract a lot of bi-girls who grab on my chick's breasts. Plays pretty smart house/hip hop/dance music, one of the better DJ'ed places downtown. A step up from a lot of places in quality. Great for out of towners who want less Socal attidue to deal with. Exact opposite of Stingaree. Wanted to hate it, but i love it. Dress well. Has a "Thin Thursday" thing
Women: Ecclectic, hot chicks in some unusual ways, hard to explain.
Price: High
Access: Frequently guestlist only, very typical "we like people to stand in line so our club looks cool" kinda deal.
Location: Fifth between E and F(i think)
Bitter End
Description: Pretty damn good spot. Dancing downstairs, bar on the ground, lounge-y upstairs. Dress well or suffer. Major meat market.
Women: Pretty good. Good place to work, peacock.
Price: Slightly expensive but not terrible. One of the places in Sd that specializes in Black martinis
Access: Can be SHITTY.
Location: Fifth and E
I will post more later.
Some general notes about San Diego in general. Your peacocky hats might get you disqualified at several doors, some be careful. I've seen guys try to walk in with Mystery style hats Downtown and have to go put them in the car. Shoes are the number one Foul you will encounter. For those of you living in the pickup past, leave your New Rocks at home if you are going downtown. Lots of clubs will NOT allow them.
The lamer uniform in Downtown San Diego consists of a button'ed up dress shirt untucked with nice jeans or slacks. I never dress that way. Polos are big as well. My style for downtown is typically pretty nice flashy jeans, a fairly plain dress shirt tucked in with my fancy belt buckle of sometype boldly displayed and a fancy sports coat. Don't look like you just got off work.
Don't have the "sports bar" look either. You'll fit in, but that's not what you want, believe me. I've always dressed fairly different for SD, but my NWG(normal white guy) friends suffer for it when they are afraid to push it a bit. They want my results, but few will listen to what I tell them. No girl cares your nice but very PLAIN Boss shirt cost 200 bucks. It looks like every other shirt in the club. My 7 dollar necklace with 5 buck charms that have the Venus symbol costs a lot less, but works a lot better. Simple mathematics.
San Diego is a top notch playground. Many venues can be a sausagefest, but I use that to my advantage. The women here are hot, but well socialized. I'm sure many of you have been here before, so nothing new.
I frequently go out with just my driver's license to see if I can have fun/pull without spending a dime, and it pays off often. Like in LA, it is very easy to equate good time = spending lots here, but it's unnecessary for the game.