The Best Happy Hour Deals in 8 San Diego Neighborhoods

Whether you find yourself in Gaslamp, Ocean Beach, or Little Italy, here’s where and when to get discounted drinks and grub.

You don’t have to look far to get a good deal on apres-work drinks and noshes in America’s Finest City. From beachside hangouts to sleek urban oases, San Diego’s restaurants and bars know how to provide atmosphere alongside can’t-beat dining deals. We’ve done the legwork for you so you don’t have to waste your precious leisure time sifting through the interwebs for the best deals. From Little Italy to Oceanside, here are our top choices for happy hour deals across San Diego:

Provisional Kitchen, Cafe & Mercantile
Photo courtesy of Provisional Kitchen

Happy hour: Wednesday–Friday, 5–7 pm
Situated in the ultra-modern Pendry Hotel, Provisional Kitchen’s executive chef Brandon Sloan reflects his Italian influences and favorite flavors in his menu. Happy hour showcases Italian-inspired bites paired with aperitivo wine and cocktails, with highlights like an Aperol Spritz and Apple Negroni, or a glass of wine for $8. Classic artisanal formaggio and salumi plates, Baby Kale Strawberry Salad, Veal Meatballs, and Alla Benno with calabrese, pineapple, calabrian chiles, ranch, mozzarella, and Bianco DiNapoli tomato sauce provide savory pairings, or have dessert first and get tiramisu for $10 each.

The Switchboard
Photo courtesy of The Switchboard

The Switchboard

Oceanside
$$$$

Happy hour: Daily 3–6 pm
Once a communication center during World War II, The Switchboard Restaurant in the historic Fin Hotel showcases founder Kevin Shin’s family history and culture in a Korean-Hawaiian fusion menu. Grab a $10 select cocktail like Mr. O’side, Old School Mai Tai, Local Number, or the Mo’ Bettah, along with half-price pu-pu’s, including Kalua Pork Fries, Seared Ahi Wonton Crisps, and Korean-fried Chicken and Waffles. Wine Wednesdays highlight half-off discounts on select wine bottles.

Monkey Bar
Photo courtesy of Monkey Bar

Monkey Bar

Mission Valley
$$$$

Happy Hour: Monday–Friday, 4–6 pm
An expansive outdoor patio, firepits, and swaying palm trees provide a gorgeous, mid-century chic backdrop for decompressing after the workday. Enjoy $6 draft beers, house chardonnay and cabernet, or let their signature cocktail, The Drunken Monkey, whisk you to the tropics for just $11. Scratch-made bites and Asian-inspired shareable plates, including Sticky Short Ribs, Shrimp Shumai, Lamb Meatballs, and $10 woodfired pizzas. On Wednesdays, bring your pup for Yappy Hour with Good Boy Dog Beer Crotch Sniffin' Ale and Pooch Creamery vanilla or peanut butter doggie ice cream, or relax to live music Wednesday-Fridays starting at 5 pm.

Ocean Beach Brewery

Ocean Beach
$$$$

Happy hour: Monday–Friday 3–6 pm
Take advantage of the relaxing third-floor rooftop just a stone’s throw from the Ocean Beach Pier at OB Brewery. During happy hour, they serve craft beers for $3 off, and take $2 off “Happytizers” like Tres Tres Nachos—house-fried tortilla chips topped with spicy, beer-brined chicken breast, house-made nacho beer cheese, sour cream, and pico de gallo—plus deeper discounts on Mozzarella Sticks, Onion Rings, and Pickle Poppers, while you enjoy all the free hippie vibes and glorious sunsets you can handle.

Happy hour: Monday–Friday 3–6pm, plus other daily specials
Happy hour here gets you half-off all appetizers, plus daily specials like $3.95 tacos all day on Tuesday and Thursday, and six oysters for $6 on Fridays. Drink in the deals on weekends with $3 mimosas, $5 bloody Marys, and $8 bottled mimosas, or weekday specials including $7 Patron margaritas, and $5 glasses wine or drafts, depending on the day.

King and Queen Cantina

Little Italy
$$$$

Happy hour: Monday–Friday 11 am–6 pm and 9 pm–close; Saturday–Sunday 2–6 pm and 9 pm–close
King and Queen Cantina brings the atmosphere of a Latin cantina to Little Italy—with plenty of happy hour options and skyline views of downtown. Bottled beers are $5; house wines and sangria are $8; well cocktails are $10, and rocks margaritas in flavors like tamarindo, cucumber, and pomegranate run $11. More than two dozen food options, from oysters on the half shell to smashed burgers range from $6-10.

Davanti Enoteca

Little Italy
$$$$

Happy hour: Daily 3–6 pm
Some happy hours have great drink specials, some have enticing deals on food, but when happy hour turns into dinner, Davanti has you covered with both. Their excellent burger, a juicy patty topped with bacon jam, confit tomato, arugula, aioli, and griddled cheese curd is a budget-friendly $11, and it comes with a generous pile of parmesan shoestring fries. Boozy drinks of your choice, like the namesake spritz, draft beer, house wine, wells, sangria, and a martini are priced at a measly $5–$7.

Dirty Birds Liberty Station

Liberty Station
$$$$

Happy hour: Monday–Friday, 3–6pm, plus great daily specials
A perennial favorite on various “Best Wings'' lists, Dirty Birds offers 37 different wing sauces, and at the half-price happy hour, you can afford to try all of them, plus you can add select pitchers of beer for half-price too. Daily specials include $21.95 all-you-can-eat wings on Mondays after 6 pm and all-day happy hour on Tuesdays. Other Dirty Birds can be found in Pacific Beach, College Area, and Ocean Beach, and UCSD venue, which has an abbreviated menu and different daily specials.

The Presley
Photo courtesy of The Presley

The Presley

Liberty Station
$$$$

Happy hour: Monday–Friday 3–6 pm
The Presley makes the most of its nearly 2,100-square-feet of dedicated outdoor dining, with a menu that features classic American fare and playful beverages incorporating twists on classic cocktails. Happy hour specials include $5 Buena Cerveza, Presley lager, and house wines, plus all flatbreads are just $10. Wine Wednesdays feature half-priced bottles all day.

Upper East Bar

Gaslamp Quarter
$$$$

Happy hour: Monday–Thursday, 5–7 pm
This rooftop pool bar is beautiful day or night, but for a luxe experience at bargain prices, their happy hour pours $8 well cocktails, $6 draft beers and house wines, and $5 canned beers. On Thursdays, bring your pup for Yappy Hour, with discounts and specials on drinks and food. Feeling flush with cash? Poolside loungers and private cabanas can be booked through the chief concierge at 619-819-9583 for a daily fee, which includes pool access and amenities.

The Blind Burro
Photo courtesy of The Blind Burro

The Blind Burro

East Village
$$$$

Happy hour: Monday–Friday 3–6 pm
The Blind Burro serves authentic south of the border street food with a modern flair and flaunts an extensive collection of tequilas, mezcals, bacanoras, and raicillas. Hit them up at happy hour for $4.50 Buena Cerveza, $5 well drinks, $6 house wine, and $8 house margs, plus TJ dogs and fries, fish tacos, crispy calamari, and more for $6-11 each. Taco Tuesdays run from 6 pm to closing and include $9, $10, and $11 taco twofers, $7 margaritas, and $9 Corralejo Blanco tequila shots.

Half Door Brewing Company
Photo courtesy of Half Door Brewing Company

Happy hour: Monday–Friday, 4–6 pm (except on Padres home game days)
This charming Irish countryside pub serves up more than fifteen fresh brews that range from saisons to barleywines. During happy hour, house beer is $5, along with well drinks and wine for $6, specialty cocktails for $8, and bites like Mac and Cheese, Truffle Fries, and Sausage Flatbread for $6-$9.

Blade 1936

Oceanside
$$$$

Happy hour: Tuesday all day; Wednesday–Thursday and Sunday, 4–6 pm
Housed in the old Oceanside Blade-Tribune and News building, Blade 1936 offers modern takes on Neapolitan cuisine, along with stunning ocean views. Sip house wines for $7.50, alongside shareable bites like Margherita Pizza and Arancini Siciliani for $8-$12.

Cantina Mayahuel

University Heights
$$$$

Happy hour: Monday all day; Tuesday–Friday, 12–6 pm
Introduce yourself to smoky, sexy mezcal at Cantina Mayahuel, where over 100 different mezcals, sotols, bacanoras, and racillas line the wall behind the bar and happy hour is one of the longest in the city. Modelo Negro and Tecate cans are a mere $3; margaritas, palomas, and shots are just $5.50 and can be made with tequila blanco, reposado, or mezcal joven. Order a couple of plates of street tacos at three for $8 and you’ve got the quintessential San Diego happy hour experience.

Puesto
Photo by Mandie Geller, courtesy of Puesto Mission Valley

Puesto Mission Valley

Mission Valley
$$$$

Happy hour: Monday–Friday, 3–5 pm
Puesto Cerveceria in Mission Valley is the neighborhood’s first brewery, focusing on Mexican lagers. Happy hour specials include $9 Puesto Perfect Margaritas, $5 Puesto drafts, $7 wines by the glass, and half-priced snacks and shareable plates like chicken or potato taquitos, Esquite, and Chicharrones. Reservations aren’t required, but can be made via OpenTable.

Mary Beth Abate is a San Diego-based freelance writer by way of Chicago and Los Angeles. Her hobbies include yoga, pickling and fermenting stuff, reading cookbooks and drinking fabulous gin. Keep up with her experiments @MaryBeth_Abate.