Love Is in the Air with the Best Date Ideas in San Diego

From tiki bars to trivia nights and beaches to breweries, these dates are a sure thing.

Whether you fancy a romantic walk on the beach, an intimate picnic in a secluded park, or an adventurous outing, San Diego’s perfect weather and the abundant options for activities can make choosing the perfect date scenario somewhat intimidating. Fortunately, you can have an effortlessly excellent date night (or day) by stealing one or more of these options, the best date ideas in San Diego. 

Bartender young woman preparing tiki drink behind a bar
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Food and Drink Date Ideas in San Diego

Food halls

Various locations
Food halls are the latest trend in casual dining, but they’re a far cry from the old mall food courts you used to hang at back in middle school. The Sky Deck at Del Mar Highlands Town Center, Market on 8th in National City, the Liberty Public Market in Liberty Station, and the Old Town Urban Market in Old Town host craft cocktail bars and nearly every kind of food shop you can imagine, from pizza to poke, so you can scope out your new crush’s culinary leanings while indulging your own whims.

North Park
Throw caution to the wind, skip dinner, and go straight for indulgence at Hammond’s Gourmet Ice Cream. It offers thirty–two rotating flavors of Tropical Dreams super premium Hawaiian ice cream and sorbet, but if you’re both having a hard time deciding between Chocolate Coconut Macadamia Nut, Lilikoi (Passionfruit) Sorbet, or Peanut Butter and Guava Jelly, opt for flights of your favorites in adorable mini cake or waffle cones, to share (or not).

University Heights
Introduce each other to the agave spectrum at Cantina Mayahuel, where over 100 different mezcals, sotols, bacanoras, and raicillas line the wall behind the bar. While mezcal margaritas are available (and delicious), aficionados prefer to sip it neat, and the friendly, knowledgeable bartenders will gladly guide you through your tasting experience. If mezcal isn’t your thing, there are also 250-plus varieties of tequila, including the house brand Don Lorenzo Reposado Reserva. The expanded patio can accommodate in-house drinking and dining on a first-come basis.

Carlsbad
Every Saturday at 10:30 am, hop on a 12-seater Pinzgauer and make your way to some of San Diego’s top breweries on a North County Brewery Tour. Relax and let your designated driver/tour guide chauffeur you to local hot spots like Stone Brewery, The Lost Abbey, Latitude 33, Breakwater Brewing Co., and more. A tour is $307 per person and includes pickup and drop-off, a highly qualified, knowledgeable beer guide, transportation, all tasting fees, and a picnic lunch from Phil’s BBQ. 

Speakeasies

Various locations
Everybody loves to be in on a secret, even when it’s not really a secret. There’s just something vaguely clandestine (and a bit naughty) about going into, say, Kilowatt Brewing’s Oceanside tasting room and finding the hidden passageway, where a “space elevator” beams you up to the planet Rillispore and The Space Pad, a 1950s Atomic Era-style spaceport. Open a door at the back of Common Theory in Kearny Mesa to visit a futuristic Chinese apothecary, the stunning Realm of the 52 Remedies. Sneak behind the walk-in refrigerator in Craft & Commerce for tropical libations at False Idol, or sit in one of the chairs next to the fireplace at Raised by Wolves for access to the opulent bar hidden behind. Reservations are usually required, so check the website before heading out.

Tiki bars

Various locations
Tiki culture never really left San Diego, so on those rare days when a romantic walk on the beach isn’t in the cards, fake it by sharing a tropical libation served in a cool tiki glass with one of those little paper umbrellas. Old school favorites Bali Hai, Kona Kai Resort and Spa, or Moray’s at the Catamaran Resort serve up classic (read: strong) Mai Tais, Zombies, and Scorpion Bowls, while new wave tiki bars like Mothership, False Idol, The Grass Skirt, and Forbidden Cove bring modern tiki interpretations that range from plush and fruity to refreshing and crisp.

Liberty Station San Diego
Photo courtesy of Liberty Station

Cultural Date Ideas in San Diego

Listening bars

Various locations
See if your musical tastes are in sync at one of San Diego’s listening bars, a concept that began in 1950s Japan and is designed to provide a perfect date night atmosphere, relaxed and intimate, with comfortable seating and low lighting. A combination listening bar and record shop, North Park’s Part Time Lover is a visually dazzling room with an open layout for optimal sound, cushy seating, a custom sound system built by Chicago-based Uncanned Music, and music chosen by San Diego’s own Folk Arts Rare Records store. The bar program focuses on Japanese highballs and amped-up takes on traditional cocktails. Convoy Music Bar in Kearny Mesa cultivates a chill atmosphere, decked out with a custom-built Japanese sound system for the best listening experience and specializing in Japanese whiskey. It’s somewhat hidden, accessed via the alley behind The Taco Stand (hint: look for the red light.) Owner Ernie Becerra recreates his grandmother’s home bar at La Bamba Room in Barrio Logan, repurposing her bar, credenza, original speakers, and even her favorite crushed velvet chair to bring a high-end listening experience to the neighborhood.

Live music

Various locations
Nothing beats seeing a live band, but tickets for the big names can get expensive. Fortunately, San Diego’s live music scene is as exciting and diverse as the venues that provide them. The Belly Up in Solana Beach welcomes acts ranging from Saharan folk music to alt-reggae, with a good sprinkling of legendary early rockers from the ’60s and ’70s. The Music Box’s three tiers of seating include opera booths with bottle service, two outdoor patios, bars on two levels, and a private VIP skybox overlooking the stage, as well as a menu that includes Kobe sliders, charcuterie, flatbreads, and cocktails on tap. See up-and-coming underground alt-rock at the famously divey Casbah, where past guests have included Nirvana and Smashing Pumpkins, or hit Winston’s Beach Club in Ocean Beach for a jam band/reggae vibe.

Liberty Station, Free
On the First Friday of each month, stroll through the trendy Liberty Station Arts District, and you’ll get to meet working artists, enjoy dance, theater, improv, and music performances, and visit museums and galleries. Cap the evening off with cocktails from The Bar at Moniker General, followed by dinner at Buona Forchetta, Solare, The Presley, or several other solid choices within easy walking distance. Check the schedule of performances.

Young couple preparing to a skating. Close-up photo of their hands tying shoelaces of ice hockey skates in a locker room
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Sports and Gaming Date Ideas in San Diego

University City
Lace up your skates and hit the ice together at UTC Ice Sports Center, located next to the food court inside Westfield UTC. Daily public skating sessions are available in two-hour sessions and include four hours of free parking with validation, so you can glide to your heart’s content and then grab lunch or dinner at one of UTC’s cafes, coffee shops, or fine dining restaurants. Rental skates are included, and helmets and lockers are available for a few bucks more.

Trivia night

Various locations
Intelligence is sexy as hell, and trivia nights are a great way to gauge whether your crush will still be as alluring tomorrow morning. Fortunately, you’ve got options for basically every night of the week. Belching Beaver in Oceanside pairs trivia with rotating food trucks on Mondays, groovy retro bar Sycamore Den in Normal Heights is a popular spot on Tuesday nights, The Regal Beagle in Mission Hills has Wednesdays covered, and the East Village’s Knotty Barrel Gastropub combines trivia with half-price bottles of wine every Thursday night.

North Park, Gaslamp Quarter
These arcades up their old-school game cabinets like “Ms. Pac-Man,” “Donkey Kong,” and “Mortal Kombat “with the addition of craft cocktails, punch bowls, a dozen or so beer taps, and inventive twists on classic bar bites. Both locations also have vintage pinball, but the Gaslamp venue has Skee-Ball machines and Super Shot Basketball games, both of which are classic date night staples. Right?

Balboa Park
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Outdoor Date Ideas in San Diego

Point Loma
The retro-inspired Pearl Hotel hosts a free Dive-in Theatre event at the sweet, kidney-shaped pool every Wednesday evening. Drop in early to grab a bite at Charles and Dinorah, named for the couple who owned the hotel for forty years back when it was called Sportsman’s Lodge. Après-dinner, grab a cocktail from the bar and a pool chair, or hop into the pool to view the show if you’re adventurous. Reservations can be made online or by calling (619) 226-6100. Walk-ins are welcome if seating is available.

Balboa Park
Not unlike human relationships, it’s easy to start taking even a treasure like Balboa Park for granted. Renew your love for both with a hand-in-hand stroll through the exquisite gardens and architecture, explore museums like The Nat, Fleet Science Center, Comic-Com Museum, or WorldBeat Center, hike one of the dozens of trails, or snuggle through a free afternoon concert at Spreckels Organ Pavilion, held every Sunday at 2 pm.

Various locations
End your daytime date with a gorgeous sunset and a cozy bonfire. While bonfires are only allowed in designated fire pits, over a dozen beaches supply them from North County to the southern border. Different beaches operate by different rules, even within the San Diego Park System, so be sure to read all the signs when you enter the beach or parking lot. Once you’re done making s’mores, be sure that your fire is out before leaving. Never dump hot coals in the sand—even if you cover them, they can still be red-hot hours later for some poor, unsuspecting soul to step on. Lastly, the Golden Rule of Beachgoing—leave things cleaner than you found them, and note that alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, vaping, and glass are prohibited on any beaches in San Diego County.

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Mary Beth Abate is a San Diego-based freelance writer.