Best cocktail bars for a date in San Diego
A proper drink between dinner and dessert.
59 spots · Jump to the list
These are bars you go to for the drinks themselves — a considered menu, careful technique, a bartender who can make you something that isn't on it. They sit best in the middle of a night: after dinner, before dessert, or as the nightcap. Restaurants with a strong bar are on the restaurant lists instead.
This guide ranks 59 cocktail bars in San Diego, from Little Italy / Middletown to Gaslamp Quarter / Downtown and Oceanside / Carlsbad. Editors' picks come first, then the rest by rating, and the plans below build a whole evening around the best of them.
The list
Editors' picks first, then by rating.
Sunbird
4.0(1)Little Italy / Middletown
False Idol
Little Italy / Middletown · $$
Good Night John Boy
Gaslamp Quarter / Downtown
Part Time Lover
North Park · $$
Urban Mo's
Hillcrest / Bankers Hill · $$
Wonderland Ocean Pub
Ocean Beach / Point Loma
The Pool House
Little Italy / Middletown · $$
The Meantime
Oceanside / Carlsbad · $
Misadventure & Co
Oceanside / Carlsbad · $$
Candy's Boom Boom Room
Pacific Beach / Mission Beach · $$
TORO
Gaslamp Quarter / Downtown
Showing 49–59 of 59 spots
Good to know
- What's the best cocktail bar in San Diego for a date?
- Our top pick is Sunbird in Little Italy / Middletown, rated 4.0 out of 5. False Idol and Good Night John Boy round out the top 3.
- Which San Diego neighborhoods have the best cocktail bars?
- Little Italy / Middletown (3), Gaslamp Quarter / Downtown (2) and Oceanside / Carlsbad (2) have the most spots in the top 11.
- Are there affordable cocktail bars in San Diego?
- Yes — False Idol, Part Time Lover and Urban Mo's are all $$ or under.
- What should we do before or after?
- Make it a cocktail night: dinner, then cocktails, then something sweet. The plans on this page pair each top spot with the best-rated places within about a 20-minute walk.