Captain's Quarters

On our list of the best cocktail bars in San Diego.

Next door to The Grass Skirt in Pacific Beach, Captain's Quarters is a moody cocktail bar built to look like the captain's cabin of a 17th-century ship, with portholes showing underwater scenes and golden octopus tentacles worked into the decor. The bar runs a gin-heavy cocktail list alongside rum, mezcal, bourbon, tequila and vodka drinks, plus shareable bites like caviar-topped smoked salmon poppers and grilled prawns. It opens at five and runs late Tuesday through Sunday, and a reservation is recommended to guarantee entry.