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San Diego Area (mostly vintage) Bars and Restaurants |
freddiefreelance
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Feb 15, 2003
Posts: 2908
From: San Diego, Ca.
|  Posted: 2006-01-23 11:50 am
In preparation for the upcoming Tiki Oasis, and with the help of The Jab and while under the influence of Mr. Smiley, I'm starting a list of San Diego area Restaurants & Bars. Feel free to add your own favorites:
Imperial House: 505 Kalmia St., SD, Ca. Phone: (619) 234-3525 Website: http://www.imperialhouse.net/
After 3 & a half decades of service this is one of San Diego's last bastions of Traditional Continental Cuisine. They're famous for their Old World service, classic dishes (such as Imperial Pepper Steak, the Fresh Seafood Platter, Mock Turtle Soup a l'Anglaise, and Rack of Lamb), and tableside flambés for classic dishes like Steak Diane & Cherries Jubilee. Or you can sink back in one of their red leather chairs in the Lounge & listen to the piano player.
Bully's East: 2401 Camino Del Rio S., SD, Ca. Phone: (619) 291-2665 Website: http://www.bullyssandiego.com/
From it's beautiful dark wood barback, to it's Prime Rib, to it's Seafood and Surf & Turf combos, this location's been a San Diego institution for about as long as the Imperial House. There's also a Bully's del Mar (1404 Camino del Mar, Del Mar, Ca. Phone: (858) 755-1660), and a Bully's La Jolla (5755 La Jolla Blvd., La Jolla, Ca. Phone: (858) 459-0663) with much the same menu if you are in their neighborhoods.
Red Fox Room: 2223 El Cajon Blvd., SD, Ca. Phone: (619) 297-1313
In the Lafayette/Inn Suites Hotel. This is one of The Jabs favorite San Diego Piano Bars, I haven't been there, but I believe the menu's supposed to be of the solid Steak & Baked Potato style, and the drinks are strong & inexpensive.
Albie's Beef Inn: 1201 Hotel Cir S (at the Travelodge), SD, Ca. Phone: (619) 291-1103
More classic dark wood & red leather, and in business for 40+ years! You might come for the Steak, you might come for the double well drink happy hour, heck you might come for the gilt framed nudes on the walls, but do stay for the Piano Bar.
Hernandez Hideaway: 19320 Lake Dr., Escondito, Ca. Phone: (760) 746-1444
There's nothing fancy at this funky old roadhouse on the outer reaches of Escondido, just plenty of filling Mexican home-style cooking at easy-to-swallow prices, and Albert Hernandez' signature Margarita.
Cask 'n Cleaver Steakhouse: 3757 S Mission Road, Fallbrook, Ca. Phone: (760) 728-2818 Website: http://www.caskncleaver.com/index.htm
Mmmm, deep fried Avocado tempura! Add well aged Steaks, strong drinks, music acts on weekends, and an Old West theme... did I mention the deep fried Avocados?
Bali Hai: 2230 Shelter Island Dr, SD, Ca. Phone: (619) 222-1181 Website: http://www.balihairestaurant.com/
"Bali Ha'i may call you/Any night, any day/In your heart, you'll hear it call you:/ 'Come away...Come away.'" 'Nuff said!
Islands Restaurant, and Sushi & PuPu Bar: 2270 Hotel Circle N. (in the Red Lion Hanalei Hotel), SD, Ca. Phone: (619) 297-1101 Website: http://www.islandssushi.com/
Located in the Red Lion Hanalei Hotel, this is the last place in Mission Valley to enjoy a fine meal in a tikified setting. You can either eat in the Islands restaurant or in Islands Sushi and Pupu Bar. The Island's restaurant has kept more of the Mid-Century feel the hotel had in years past, and many of it's tikis came from Steve Crane's Luau in LA! It's not very tiki in the Sushi Bar, but you are right next to the restauran,t and the prices are cheaper. While you're there, please check out the tikis on the grounds of the Hotel.
Hob Nob Hill : 2271 First Ave., Sd, Ca. Phone: (619) 239-8176
Homestyle Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner served since 1944. Waitresses in uniforms with aprons freshen your coffee when you need it while serving you Waffles, Omlettes & Pancakes, Chicken & Dumplings, Turkey Croquettes, Meatloaf & Mashed Potatoes, and all breads & muffins are baked on the premises. What's not to like?
Chicken Pie Diner: 14727 Pomerado Road, Poway, Ca. Phone: (858) 748-2445 Website: http://www.chickenpiediner.com/
If you remember the classic '50s Diner, or if you want to, this place's menu is swell: Yankee Pot Roast, Hula Burgers, Mac & Cheese (with real cheese!), Meatloaf ("like Mom used to make, but better!"), or regional favorites like Georgia-style Slaw Dogs, Philly Cheese Steaks, & Buffalo Wings, plus real hand dipped shakes & malts, big enough for 2, and flavored Pepsi (chocolate, vanilla & cherry).
Rudford's: 2900 El Cajon Boulevard, SD, Ca. Phone (619) 282-8423
Fries & a Coke, 24 Hours a Day, and it's not Denny's!
Turf Supper Club: 1116 25th St., SD, Ca. Phone: (619) 234-6363
You cook your own Steaks, Chops & Kabobs on the central comunal grill while listening to the piano players (Sundays from 7-Mid.) or playing something nice from the Sinatra stocked juke box. The drinks are strong, the dance floor tiny, and there's open flames in the middle of the room, what's not to like?
Islands Burgers: 8 locations around San Diego, check the Website for locations: http://www.islandsrestaurants.com/
The decor is big on surfboards and tiki touches, the bar has a thatched-hut roof and the atmosphere just screams out for drink made with rum and pineapple juice (not that you want your drinks made with them, that's just the feel of the place). More Parrothead Chic than Tiki, but you'll find a couple in some of the locations.
Pacific Shores: 4927 Newport Ave., SD, Ca. Phone: (619) 223-7549
"Walking into this small, dim bar is like stepping into a giant underwater aquarium -- filled with extremely hip fish." An underwater mural faces a long, curving bar with comfortable swiveling stools and lit by dark blue neon while '40s & '50s standards play on the jukebox. If you tend toward pick-up lines, leave the horoscope ones at home. Here, baby, everyone is a Pisces.
The Lamplighter: 817 W. Washington, SD, Ca. Phone: (619) 298-3624
A classic old style tavern, full of regulars who are full of booze, updated with a Karaoke machine. You can get loaded & sing "Son of a Son of a Sailor." Not that I would, but you could if you like, and I mean thaty in the best possible way. 
Lancer's Cocktail Lounge: 4671 Park Blvd., SD, Ca. Phone: (619) 298-5382
Stop in at this tavern and you can sit at the long padded bar, play pool, or relax in one of it's couchettes. Little has changed in here since it's opened back in the '60s except some of the records have worn out in the jukebox & been replaced and the smokers now have to go outside.
Nunu's Cocktail Lounge: 3537 Fifth Ave., SD, Ca. Phone: (619) 295-2878
Looking like something the Rat Pack dragged in is a good thing here. The barstools could hold up Jackie Gleason at his booziest, the round booths lining the walls are made of button-riveted, industrial-strength naugahyde, and the fireplace looks like it belongs in an Old School Tahoe Snow Bunny lodge.
The Whistle Stop: 2236 Fern St., SD, Ca. Phone: (619) 284-6784
With a good selection of Beer & Cider on tap, a train station theme, an indoor smoking area, and dogs always are welcome, what more do you need? How about Kick the Reverb and his band like to play there? That's good enough for me.
Hong Kong Nite Club:1030 Broadway, SD, Ca. Phone: (619) 239-4798
A classic Dive Bar that is not only not a Night Club, it has nothing to do with Hong Kong! With 2 Pool tables, cheap drinks, and a jukebox that runs the gamut from Led Zeppelin to Patsy Cline, this is a good place to start or finish a night of bar hopping.
Joor Muffler Man:302 E Valley Pkwy, Escondido, Ca. Phone: (760)746-1877
Not that you need a new muffler, but this's a classic piece of roadside Americana.
_________________
Rev. Dr. Frederick J. Freelance, Ph.D., D.F.S
[ This Message was edited by: freddiefreelance 2006-01-23 11:57 ]
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dogbytes
Grand Member (6 years) 
Joined: Mar 24, 2002
Posts: 2228
From: seattle, wa
| Posted: 2006-01-23 12:44 pm
hey.. is the northern Chicken Pie shop associated with the one originally in hillcrest? (it moved 10 yrs ago near to Rudfords) ?
Chicken Pie Shop of S D
(619) 295-0156
2633 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92104
thanks for the list!! we're native San Diegans, with some favorites we'll list later on..
i'd kill for 3 rolled tacos with guacamole and jalisco tainted cheese from any 'Bertos... (they dont have rolled or even cripsy tacos in Seattle, cuz i refuse to count preformed shells...)
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freddiefreelance
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Feb 15, 2003
Posts: 2908
From: San Diego, Ca.
| Posted: 2006-01-23 1:11 pm
I don't think so, Elicia, unless the owner of the Chicken Pie Diner is related to the owners of the Chicken Pie Shop in some way (kid, nephew?). I think the owner of the Chicken Pie Diner's in his 50s, so he might be a younger relative. Next time I run into him I'll ask.
_________________
Rev. Dr. Frederick J. Freelance, Ph.D., D.F.S
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alohabros
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Feb 04, 2004
Posts: 533
From: westernus
| Posted: 2006-01-23 2:30 pm
... you cannot forget...
... china inn 877 hornblend street pacific beach...
... red sails 2614 shelter island dr...
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thejab
Grand Member (first year) 
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 2960
From: Forbidden Island, CA
| Posted: 2006-01-23 2:39 pm
Quote:
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On 2006-01-23 12:44, dogbytes wrote:
hey.. is the northern Chicken Pie shop associated with the one originally in hillcrest? (it moved 10 yrs ago near to Rudfords) ?
Chicken Pie Shop of S D
(619) 295-0156
2633 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92104
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I really miss the old one in Hillcrest. When I was spending all my money on records and beer it was the place for a cheap, very filling meal. I would go into food coma after eating there!
The one near Rudford's isn't quite the same, and I don't really like the fake 50s diner look of the one in the north county. Rudford's is the real deal though. We used to go there after punk shows late at night (remember, shipwreckjoey?). The food was cheap and hearty. A bit of trivia: the cops found the Versace killer there.
Thanks for putting this list together Freddie!
Roll tacos, aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh. Maybe we should compile a list of the best taco stands in San Diego next! My faves are Los Panchos and La Posta in Hillcrest, but any of the Roberto's, Alberto's, Hilberto's, Adalberto's, etc. are better then the taquerias here in the Bay Area.
When I was in SD recently I noticed the classic Chinese restaurant in Hillcrest Jimmy Wong's Golden Dragon was closed but they are keeping the great neon sign and will reopen (hopefully with better food). 
[ This Message was edited by: thejab 2006-01-23 14:42 ]
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Tikiwahine
Grand Member (6 years)
Joined: Apr 09, 2003
Posts: 3236
From: Victoria, Canada
| Posted: 2006-01-23 3:41 pm
wow, that's a great sign!
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mbonga
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Dec 04, 2005
Posts: 550
From: Los Angeles, California
| Posted: 2006-01-23 4:18 pm
The Islands Restaurant is still in business? I didn't see the sign when looking for it when I passed by on Highway 8 last year on a visit to San Diego, so I thought it was gone. My family used to go there quite a bit in 1969-1970, and it had a heck of a lot of atmosphere inside, a waterfall inside, tiki torches outside, lots of philodendrons and other tropical plants. I remember liking the lichi nuts and I remember that their food back then had so much MSG that we actually got a little dizzy and would swear the overhead lamps were swaying when in fact they weren't. That was before the big "No MSG" push. I'd like to see photos of that restaurant to see if it's the same, if anybody plans to go there soon with a digital camera, since it may be a long time before I can get out there again.
Jamar Restaurant in La Mesa is one of the few remaining restaurants I remember from that era. It's been around since 1946, and has never had particularly remarkable decor or notable cuisine, but I ate there 3 years ago on a California visit and the service and food were quite decent, good enough to keep them in business another few decades, so that restaurant stands out in my mind for those reasons.
The Islandia has been around since at least 1969, and has a view of Mission Bay and decent food, but we had an obsequious waiter years ago so we never went back. Still, it's another one that commands respect just because of its age. Those are the kind of restaurants I like.
Jamar Restaurant
7777 University Avenue
La Mesa, CA 91941-4950
(619) 469-7777
P.S.--Another vintage restaurant that goes back to at least 1971 that has always been good is Su Casa, a Mexican restaurant. My family used to eat there in 1971, there's a bar, there's interesting decor, and their octagonal aquarium there now has been there since I took a date there in 1989.
Su Casa Mexican Restaurant
6738 La Jolla Blvd
La Jolla, CA 92037
(858) 454-0369
[ This Message was edited by: mbonga 2006-01-23 16:20 ]
[ This Message was edited by: mbonga 2006-01-23 21:35 ]
[ This Message was edited by: mbonga 2006-01-23 21:42 ]
[ This Message was edited by: mbonga 2006-01-23 21:46 ]
[ This Message was edited by: mbonga 2006-01-24 10:07 ]
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thejab
Grand Member (first year)
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 2960
From: Forbidden Island, CA
| Posted: 2006-01-23 4:41 pm
mbonga: Yes, the Islands restaurant still has much of the original decor (in the main dining room anyway) complete with the clamshell/lava rock waterfall, ponds, foot bridges and tiki railings, skylight with huge glass floats, etc.
I drove by Jamar last month and noticed it was being remodeled inside (ugh). There were boards on the windows and a sign said reopening soon.
Looking at their web site, it appears the Islandia was remodeled into that upscale faux Mediterranean look (yawn).
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alohabros
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Feb 04, 2004
Posts: 533
From: westernus
| Posted: 2006-01-23 6:22 pm
Quote:
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On 2006-01-23 14:39, thejab wrote:
...Rudford's is the real deal though... The food was cheap and hearty...
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... rudfords has a "50's" sign and the "50's" food is rank as can be... not unlike the pile formerly known as topsy's... 24 hours of pretty darn crappy bile... even children would comment on the mega-filth & grey burger patties & cold fries... 50's motif... it fools only a select few - those drunk, stoned or cut off from mom & dad's visa... remember, to be good, it's gotta be good...
... the real deal is dao son... 2322 el cajon blvd... talk about the goods...
... also, mama's lebanese deli 4237 alabama street... 'kine non-kosher noshin'... live wire neighbors...
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dogbytes
Grand Member (6 years)
Joined: Mar 24, 2002
Posts: 2228
From: seattle, wa
| Posted: 2006-01-23 7:10 pm
Quote:
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On 2006-01-23 16:18, mbonga wrote:
The Islandia has been around since at least 1969, and has a view of Mission Bay and decent food, but we had an obsequious waiter years ago and never went back. Still, it's another one that commands respect just because of its age. Those are the kind of restaurants I like. |
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don't waste your time or money on the Islandia.. the one at the Hyatt, right? we went there for a Sunday Brunch.. it was dead..and certainly does NOT have "The Hyatt Touch".. the restaurant isn't run by Hyatt, and it shows, in the food and service.
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thejab
Grand Member (first year)
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 2960
From: Forbidden Island, CA
| Posted: 2006-01-24 10:38 am
Quote:
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On 2006-01-23 18:22, alohabros wrote:
Quote:
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On 2006-01-23 14:39, thejab wrote:
...Rudford's is the real deal though... The food was cheap and hearty...
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... rudfords has a "50's" sign and the "50's" food is rank as can be...
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By "the real deal" I meant that it's not a fake 50s diner with pictures of '57 Chevys, etc. (which I can't stand) but it's an original 50s coffee shop. I didn't imply the food was the "real deal" as in a good value. I also said the food was cheap and hearty referring to meals I had there some 25 years ago. I have not tried the food lately.
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Satan's Sin
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jun 13, 2004
Posts: 729
From: Imperial Beach, CA
| Posted: 2006-01-24 1:27 pm
What about the Jewel Box?
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alohabros
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Feb 04, 2004
Posts: 533
From: westernus
| Posted: 2006-01-24 4:43 pm
Quote:
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On 2006-01-24 10:38, thejab wrote:
... I didn't imply the food was the "real deal" as in a good value...
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... understood...
... the visual at night time is pretty fair, though...
... all the old folks homes being built in the area should give the place a boost in patronage, too...
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Monkeyman
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 04, 2003
Posts: 2123
From: Vista, CA
| Posted: 2006-01-25 7:33 pm
El Indio Taco Shop
doesnt get any better.
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freddiefreelance
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Feb 15, 2003
Posts: 2908
From: San Diego, Ca.
| Posted: 2006-01-26 08:32 am
Quote:
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On 2006-01-24 10:38, thejab wrote:
Quote:
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On 2006-01-23 18:22, alohabros wrote:
Quote:
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On 2006-01-23 14:39, thejab wrote:
...Rudford's is the real deal though... The food was cheap and hearty...
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... rudfords has a "50's" sign and the "50's" food is rank as can be...
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By "the real deal" I meant that it's not a fake 50s diner with pictures of '57 Chevys, etc. (which I can't stand) but it's an original 50s coffee shop. I didn't imply the food was the "real deal" as in a good value. I also said the food was cheap and hearty referring to meals I had there some 25 years ago. I have not tried the food lately.
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Yep, The Chicken Pie Diner does have a '57 Chevy mural, and autographed pictures of '50s TV stars, framed copies of '50s magazine ads, a Hot Rod Cruise night, and other non-authentic "'50s Diner" items, but the foods great, the wait staff's friendly, and did I mention that the real ice cream shakes & malts are big enough for 2?
_________________
Rev. Dr. Frederick J. Freelance, Ph.D., D.F.S
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