A speakeasy night in Gaslamp Quarter / Downtown →
3 stops, all within a short walk
1
0.1 mi
5:30 PMDinner
2
0.4 mi
7:00 PMHidden cocktails
3
8:30 PMSomething sweet
← San DiegoDate night guide · San Diego
Best speakeasies for a date in San Diego
Dinner first, then the unmarked door.
20 spots · Jump to the list
Half the fun is finding the door. These are the bars behind a phone booth, a freezer, an unmarked stairwell — small rooms where the drinks are made slowly and it stays quiet enough to talk. Most are small, so go early or book where they take reservations, and eat first: few of them serve much food.
This guide ranks 20 speakeasies in San Diego, from Gaslamp Quarter / Downtown to Coronado and Kearny Mesa / Clairemont. Editors' picks come first, then the rest by rating, and the plans below build a whole evening around the best of them.
Nights people planned here
Published date nights with a stop on this list.
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 speakeasy night in Old Town
2 stops, all within a short walk
1
< 0.1 mi
5:30 PMDinner
2
7:00 PMHidden cocktails
The list
Editors' picks first, then by rating.
Young Blood
4.9(26)Gaslamp Quarter / Downtown · $$$
Prohibition
4.8(16)Gaslamp Quarter / Downtown · $$
The Noble Experiment
4.8(5)Gaslamp Quarter / Downtown · $$
Neighborhood
4.8(5)Gaslamp Quarter / Downtown · $$$
Oculto 477
4.7(21)Old Town · $$$
À L'ouest
4.7(19)North Park · $$$$
Craft Bar Kamon
4.5(26)Gaslamp Quarter / Downtown · $$
Realm Of The 52 Remedies
4.3(24)Kearny Mesa / Clairemont · $$
Raised by Wolves
4.2(6)La Jolla Shores / Torrey Pines · $$$
Carlo
4.0(14)Hillcrest / Bankers Hill · $$$
Room 56
4.0(6)Gaslamp Quarter / Downtown · $$
Forbidden Cove
3.8(23)Kearny Mesa / Clairemont · $$
The Bridge Speakeasy
Coronado · $$
Fallen Empire
Coronado · $$
Anigma
Encinitas / Del Mar · $$
THRONE ROOM
5.0(1)South Park / Golden Hill · $$
Bar
False Idol
Little Italy / Middletown · $$
Misadventure & Co
Oceanside / Carlsbad · $$
Three Three Seven
Little Italy / Middletown · $$$$
Candy's Boom Boom Room
Pacific Beach / Mission Beach · $$
Good to know
- What's the best speakeasy in San Diego for a date?
- Our top pick is Young Blood in Gaslamp Quarter / Downtown, rated 4.9 out of 5. Prohibition and The Noble Experiment round out the top 3.
- Which San Diego neighborhoods have the best speakeasies?
- Gaslamp Quarter / Downtown (6), Coronado (2) and Kearny Mesa / Clairemont (2) have the most spots on this list.
- Are there affordable speakeasies in San Diego?
- Yes — Prohibition, The Noble Experiment and Craft Bar Kamon are all $$ or under.
- Do I need a reservation?
- It depends on the spot. Book ahead for Young Blood, The Noble Experiment and Oculto 477, while Prohibition takes walk-ins.
- What should we do before or after?
- Make it a speakeasy night: dinner, then hidden cocktails, then something sweet. The plans on this page pair each top spot with the best-rated places within about a 20-minute walk.