A rooftop night in Del Mar / Solana Beach →
2 stops, all within a short walk
1
0.2 mi
5:30 PMSunset drinks
2
7:00 PMDinner
← San DiegoDate night guide · San Diego
Best rooftop bars for a date in San Diego
Go up for sunset, come down for dinner.
18 spots · Jump to the list
A rooftop is an easy opening move: the view gives you something to talk about, and a drink at sunset sets up the rest of the night. The good ones fill up around golden hour, so aim to arrive before the sun goes down. Some are bars on top of a restaurant; all of them are worth the trip up for a drink, even if dinner happens somewhere else.
This guide ranks 18 rooftop bars in San Diego, from Gaslamp Quarter / Downtown to Del Mar / Solana Beach and Little Italy / Middletown. Editors' picks come first, then the rest by rating, and the plans below build a whole evening around the best of them.
Make a night of it
Routes around the top spots on the list, with the best-rated places nearby for the rest of the evening.
A rooftop night in Pacific Beach / Mission Beach →
2 stops, all within a short walk
The list
Editors' picks first, then by rating.
RestaurantSbicca
4.5(11)Del Mar / Solana Beach · $$$
BarSandbar
4.4(18)Pacific Beach / Mission Beach · $
RestaurantIl Fornaio Del Mar
4.4(5)Del Mar / Solana Beach · $$$
RestaurantLumi by Akira Back
4.3(23)Gaslamp Quarter / Downtown · $$$$
RestaurantCannonball
4.3(16)Pacific Beach / Mission Beach · $$$
RestaurantMonarch Ocean Pub
4.3(8)Del Mar / Solana Beach · $$$
Rooftop BarThe Nolen
4.2(11)Gaslamp Quarter / Downtown · $$
Rooftop Bar & Cocktail BarBorrego Rooftop
4.2(6)Gaslamp Quarter / Downtown · $$$
Rooftop BarBorrego Kitchen & Cocktails
4.1(15)Gaslamp Quarter / Downtown · $$
Rooftop & Cocktail BarThe Rooftop Bar
4.1(9)Oceanside / Carlsbad · $$
Rooftop BarCormorant Boutique Hotel
4.0(21)La Jolla
BarFirehouse
4.0(18)Pacific Beach / Mission Beach · $$
Rooftop BarThe Pool House
Little Italy / Middletown
Rooftop BarTower39 Rooftop Lounge
Oceanside / Carlsbad
Rooftop BarTopSail
Little Italy / Middletown
Rooftop BarSunbird
Little Italy / Middletown
Rooftop BarLily Rooftop
Gaslamp Quarter / Downtown
Rooftop Bar & RestaurantSea & Sky
La Jolla · $$$
Good to know
- What's the best rooftop bar in San Diego for a date?
- Our top pick is Sbicca in Del Mar / Solana Beach, rated 4.5 out of 5. Sandbar and Il Fornaio Del Mar round out the top 3.
- Which San Diego neighborhoods have the best rooftop bars?
- Gaslamp Quarter / Downtown (5), Del Mar / Solana Beach (3) and Little Italy / Middletown (3) have the most spots on this list.
- Are there affordable rooftop bars in San Diego?
- Yes — Sandbar, The Nolen and Borrego Kitchen & Cocktails are all $$ or under.
- What should we do before or after?
- Make it a rooftop night: sunset drinks, then dinner, then something sweet. The plans on this page pair each top spot with the best-rated places within about a 20-minute walk.