A speakeasy night in Gaslamp Quarter / Downtown →
3 stops, all within a short walk
1
0.7 mi
5:30 PMDinner
2
0.2 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 Kearny Mesa / Clairemont and Coronado. 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 speakeasy night in Kearny Mesa / Clairemont →
3 stops, all within a short walk
1
0.3 mi
5:30 PMDinner
2
0.3 mi
7:00 PMHidden cocktails
3
8:30 PMSomething sweet
The list
Editors' picks first, then by rating.
BarCraft Bar Kamon
4.8(26)Gaslamp Quarter / Downtown · $$
Cocktail BarYoung Blood
4.6(26)Gaslamp Quarter / Downtown · $$$
BarRealm Of The 52 Remedies
4.6(24)Kearny Mesa / Clairemont · $$
Cocktail BarRealm of 52 Remedies
4.6(20)Kearny Mesa / Clairemont · $$
SpeakeasyThe Noble Experiment
4.6(5)Gaslamp Quarter / Downtown · $$
Cocktail BarProhibition
4.5(16)Gaslamp Quarter / Downtown · $$
Cocktail BarRaised by Wolves
4.5(6)La Jolla Shores / Torrey Pines · $$$
Cocktail BarOculto 477
4.4(21)Old Town · $$$
RestaurantÀ L'ouest
4.4(19)North Park · $$$$
RestaurantNeighborhood
4.4(5)Gaslamp Quarter / Downtown · $$$
Cocktail BarCarlo
4.3(14)Hillcrest / Bankers Hill · $$$
SpeakeasyRoom 56
4.3(6)Gaslamp Quarter / Downtown · $$
Cocktail BarForbidden Cove
4.1(23)Kearny Mesa / Clairemont · $$
Cocktail BarThe Bridge Speakeasy
Coronado · $$
Cocktail BarFallen Empire
Coronado · $$
Cocktail BarAnigma
Encinitas / Del Mar · $$
SpeakeasyTHRONE ROOM
South Park / Golden Hill · $$
SpeakeasyMisadventure & Co
Oceanside / Carlsbad · $$
SpeakeasyThree Three Seven
Little Italy / Middletown · $$$
SpeakeasyCandy's Boom Boom Room
Pacific Beach / Mission Beach · $$
Good to know
- What's the best speakeasy in San Diego for a date?
- Our top pick is Craft Bar Kamon in Gaslamp Quarter / Downtown, rated 4.8 out of 5. Young Blood and Realm Of The 52 Remedies round out the top 3.
- Which San Diego neighborhoods have the best speakeasies?
- Gaslamp Quarter / Downtown (6), Kearny Mesa / Clairemont (3) and Coronado (2) have the most spots on this list.
- Are there affordable speakeasies in San Diego?
- Yes — Craft Bar Kamon, Realm Of The 52 Remedies and Realm of 52 Remedies are all $$ or under.
- Do I need a reservation?
- It depends on the spot. Book ahead for Craft Bar Kamon, Young Blood and The Noble Experiment, 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.