RAISED BY WOLVES @ UTC LA JOLLA…read more Raised by Wolves is located inside UTC La Jolla, tucked away in the very back of the mall near the Din Tai Fung area. I would definitely recommend parking around Corner Bakery or near 24 Hour Fitness for the closest way in. This was my very first time going to Raised by Wolves. I made a reservation on OpenTable, and if you are reading this right now, I highly recommend booking one. When we got there, the wait was two hours for people without a reservation. I booked for 9 PM on a Saturday night with my friends after dinner. We actually arrived at UTC earlier than expected, so we let the host know and they let us in about 20 minutes early. As for parking, they do not validate here. Parking is free for the first hour and then two dollars per hour after that, so just be aware that you may end up paying for parking when you visit this bar. It is set up like a speakeasy, which is really cool. You get to see where the actual bar is hidden. We ended up ordering a bunch of cocktails and the drinks were super great. I really loved the vibe overall. It was lively and chatty, and the staff was super friendly. The ambiance is very dark and classy. Keep in mind they do not serve food here. It is purely drinks only. Overall, I would definitely recommend stopping by.

Finally came to visit this bar, after reading other reviews both good and bad, I figured wth. We…read morewaited about 10 minutes for reservation, sat on the revolving fireplace and sat at the bar. You can essentially sit wherever, but the bar is the best seat in the house IMO. The scenery was cool and had the prohibition era feel to it, however the music was current and WAY TOO loud. There is nothing more annoying to have to shout to the person sitting over the next barstool for a conversation. So there's that. We ordered the Island Old Fashioned, which sounded interesting, but...alittle disappointed. I wanted to order another cocktail, but we had dinner reservations. The bartender(s) barely spoke and if they did, we wouldn't have been able to hear them, you know, because of the loud music. Maybe we'll come again for other cocktails when we visit San Diego again. Until then, RBW is a "check off the list" kind of thing.

Came here with a party of four and an 8:30pm Wednesday res. Amazing ambience and quality of drinks,…read moredefinitely a fun overall vibe... but disappointing experience. With a two hour table limit on a weekday, we were confused by the extremely slow service. I understand taking time for the complexity of the drinks, but only being able to order two rounds was a bit ridiculous. It felt like a majority of our time was spent waiting for our server to come back around and staring at our empty glasses. I've been to plenty other extremely busy tiki bars with two hour limits and have never felt like I was really waiting around for a server to check on me/the party i'm with. Super bummed.

Make a reservation. Make a reservation. Make a reservation. Yes, it's that serious and yes, it…read moremakes all of the difference. We made a reservation and were sat at a table right away, water and menus given immediately. If you do not make a reservation, you will have to stand in the middle of the floor with nowhere to put your drink other than your own hands. I saw one barrel that people were brought to and there is bar seating but you will only get that if super lucky. Our server was pretty attentive and went around the whole room. As it got busier, we did have to wait a bit longer for drinks but that wasn't too much of an issue. The drinks are excellent. A great iteration of Tiki drinks. We ordered mostly off the originals menu but my hubby's last drink was a classic. It was perfect and just as it should be. The ambiance is fun, with a ceiling full of floats and blowfish. The walls were fun and the servers outfits screamed Tiki. The only thing I didn't like was the bathrooms. I'm usually excellent with directions but the sheer amount of doors in the hallway was wild and I did not want to walk outside by myself, half drunk, so I had my husband open the exit door for me (which they ask you not to do.) Sorry!!!

From the food to the service, and the ambience, everything was amazing and our waiter was so sweet…read moreand really made my Birthday dinner Feel so very special.

This is a the ultimate IG date night spot. They remodeled this place and it is epic! The bar looks…read moreamazing! The walls look like a starry night. You really get immersed in the ambiance here. Caesar was really good and a big portion! The dressing was nice and creamy with a hint of lemon. It wasn't overbearing. The tartar was delicious! It came with chips which was really good! The chips needed a little flavor tho, it was bland. The mozzarella sticks came with caviar. We got the steak sample which came with 4 different types of meats. We had 4 people and It was nice because you can try a piece of the different cuts. The jidori chicken was pretty juicy with this au jus sauce. We went pretty side heavy lol The twice baked potato is a must get with the steak. Broccoli and mashed potato was just good. The broccoli was a little soggy too. Carrots was a pass. Flavor was good but was overcooked and soggy. I think the food was good and some dishes were misses but still a great experience to enjoy a nice drink and hang out.

My husband and I recently spent some days in San Diego. He found this speak easy and we decided we…read moreneeded to try it out. This was definitely the highlight of our trip. From the spooky, dark, skulls old school ambiance and decor, to the experience of not ordering from a menu, everything about it made it feel unique and curated making it feel like a true individualized experience. As mentioned, there are no menus. We sat at the bar, the bartender makes casual conversation with you regarding the types of drinks you enjoy. He curated something for both my husband and I based on what we shared we enjoyed. The drinks were delicious. The entry was very cool! It felt as if you were entering a hidden spot - which you do. When you enter the restaurant, you let the hostess know you're there for the Noble Experience. She let us know to head to the wall with the kegs (which is actually a door). You enter and there's a small waiting area where you're greeted by another hostess. This place is a 20/10. We can't wait to return on our next visit to SD.

Drinks are hit and miss. No menu bar is more gimmicky than anything…read more I'm sure there's some set menu that the bartenders just play off of and quality of the drinks really really just depends on who's your bartender. First round was great, not exactly what we ordered but still quality cocoktail. Second round was not good at all. And especially not what we ordered lol The wait on off days can be 5-10 minutes. Busy days it can be 1-2 hours. Drinks: 5/10 Service: 6/10 Atmosphere: 7/10 Value: 4/10

We've been wanting to check out Mothership for a while, so we finally made it happen during our San…read moreDiego trip. Definitely make a reservation. It's a pretty small place, and I can see how it could fill up quickly. We lucked out with a great corner seat where we could pretty much see everything happening around us. The whole space is themed like you've stepped onto another planet or into some kind of spaceship. The lighting, the decor, even the cocktail menu fits the theme. Make sure you check out the hallway and restroom area too. They really put some thought into the details. We ordered a few cocktails and appetizers, including the bao buns, and just hung out enjoying the atmosphere. The drinks were fun, especially the Mindkiller, which came in this crazy-looking glass. The staff was friendly, and we had a good time. I will say, I was expecting a little more to happen based on some videos I'd seen online. There wasn't really anything extra going on during our visit. It was more of a cool themed bar where you sit, have drinks and some food, and enjoy the surroundings. Nothing wrong with that, just a little different from what I expected. Would we go back? Absolutely... It's a fun spot, especially if you love themed bars. I'd definitely give it another visit and see what the experience is like next time.

Very cool concept bar, one of those places you can visit once and check off your list. It can be…read moretough to get a reservation here so just plan ahead. Staff was friendly and informative about the menu, had good recommendations. Food was tasty, we tried the bread & sandwiches + cake. I think everything on the menu was vegetarian if I'm not mistaken. Sandwiches were made with jackfruit. Really enjoyed the flavors of the dipping sauce that came with the bread. Drinks were tasty & well made. They do monitor your time pretty closely, I think for a party of 3, we had maybe 1.5 hours or 2 at the most to enjoy our time. So if you're not someone who likes to give up their table within a set time frame, I would not recommend this spot because they do make it clear they need the table back.

Kamon is a craft cocktail bar inspired by the Taisho era of 1920's Japan. It's also a speakeasy…read morehidden inside a Japanese bakery on a corner of San Diego's East Village. Reservations can be made on OpenTable if you are fast enough. We weren't... on our last trip to San Diego. So when I found availability for 2, I made a special trip down to San Diego just for this speakeasy. After 2 and a half hours of driving, I reached San Diego. I miraculously found street parking on the same block as the bar and made my way inside Asa Bakery. My friend was already waiting for me at a table. He, a San Diego local, told me that he took the bus to avoid the parking situation entirely. Smart man. We were still quite early for our reservation, so I had a latte from Asa Bakery while we waited. During this time, we were trying to figure out where the speakeasy was located. Then we saw a couple enter Asa and press a handicap assistance button near the door to the bakery. A big section of the wall opened up and revealed a swanky looking bar behind it, complete with hosts wearing sleek black vests, button ups, and bow ties - a complete vibe change from the modern bakery we were sitting in. Once it was our seating time, we also made our way over to the secret entrance. Kamon itself felt like a rift in time, as if we were stepping straight into the 1920's. The room was heavily inspired by the Taisho Roman era, the period when Japan was influenced by European romanticism. Decor featured visual harmony between traditional Japanese motifs, such as screen doors and woodblock prints, and influences of the Western Roaring 20's, such as glamorous Art Deco chandeliers, red carpet, and lounge chairs. We were seated next to a beautiful zen garden. The concept of the menu is "omiyage" or souvenirs from different regions of Japan. My friend started with the Tokyo Banana, inspired by the iconic Tokyo Banana cream pastry found all over souvenir shops in Tokyo and Haneda Airport. The spirits in this cocktail were Suntory Toki and rum. I started with the Yame Matcha, inspired by the city of Yame in Fukuoka prefecture, which is reveled among matcha snobs for producing matcha with nutty flavor. The matcha was prepared as a cream top, a nod to matcha lattes, and sat on top of a spirit base of mezcal, Mizu green tea shochu. This drink was so fun and creative. I would've never thought about pairing matcha with mezcal, but surprisingly, it worked very well. The smokiness of the mezcal paired well with the creamy, nutty matcha top and roasted genmaicha flavor.  Because of the amazing theme of the menu, we couldn't resist ordering a second round. My friend got the Ao Ichigo, featuring strawberries from the Tochigi prefecture. The spirit for this was a reposado tequila and vodka. This is good if you want a light, refreshing, sweet drink. My second drink was the White Lover, inspired by Hokkaido and its dairy and pastry culture. The spirit for this drink was Sotol, which was also quite smoky. The body of this cocktail was composed of kefir and Calpico, with notes of yuzu and croissant as well. This drink also comes with a "surprise," and to maintain the integrity of said "surprise," I won't tell you what it is! This was probably my favorite drink of the night. As an alum of Asian American college party culture, I have had many drinks mixed with Calpico, so this was my favorite drink of the night because of how close to home it felt. You could almost call it an "omiyage" of USC ahaha... However, I was not the biggest fan of the food here. We both weren't that hungry, so we just got some appetizers, but honestly, I don't remember the food menu being that big anyways. We got the tuna tartare cannolis and the karaage. The tuna tartare was a bit weird for me. I kinda expected it to be fresh and light and silky, as a tartare should be, but I would describe this as more of a... tuna salad? Heavier than I expected... and creamy. And strange. I think it's the mayo. I just didn't like it very much. And the cannoli presentation was fun, but I don't think it's needed. I think just a classic tuna tartare would have been more enjoyable. And the karaage was fine. Not good, not bad. I wouldn't get food here again though.The drinks at Kamon, however, are phenomenal. I love the theme of 1920's Taisho Japan. The ambiance is impeccable. The theme is even integrated into the menu's concept. There's a story behind each of the signature drinks, giving you a glimpse into what makes each featured region of Japan unique. I definitely want to return to Kamon one day.

Such a fun speakeasy and the perfect way to end our date night!…read more Bar Kamon is hidden inside Asa Bakery in East Village. The space is inspired by 1920s Taisho-era Japan, so the whole concept carries into the decor, Japanese ingredients and cocktails. Their menu gets pretty creative with Japanese whisky, shochu, sake, highballs, clarified cocktails and small bites. After bakery hours, finding the entrance wasn't difficult. Just enter through Asa Bakery and you'll see where to go. Reservations are recommended, especially on weekends. We were able to grab one the night before for a Friday without any trouble. We had already eaten dinner, so we came for drinks with a small appetizer to share. We ordered the Karaage, Tokyo Banana and Yame Matcha. Service was incredible throughout the night. It took a little bit to get seated since nobody was standing at the host area when we walked in. Someone eventually spotted us through the curtain then quickly came over to help. From there, everyone was attentive. The Karaage came out first. I wish the outside was just a little crispier, but it was still really good. The slaw was actually my favorite part because the acidity paired perfectly with fried chicken, especially while sipping on cocktails. The Yame Matcha was so decadent. It had this beautiful matcha cloud on top with a deeper roasted flavor underneath, almost smokey, that lingered after each sip. Definitely not your typical sweet matcha cocktail. The Tokyo Banana was my favorite. The presentation alone was gorgeous. You get that banana flavor right away, but it still tastes like a proper cocktail rather than a banana dessert. It was definitely strong, so this was one I slowly sipped throughout the night. The hojicha mixed with the banana worked SO well.

Overall: 4.5 / 5 Everything I'd want from a speakeasy bar…read more They have delicious drinks, great service, and a phenomenal ambiance with great speakers. Will def be going back for a special night out. Drinks: They have various drinks with different strengths to appease most any appetites. I loved the Vanna White. I love vodka martinis, and this was just the right bit of a twist to make it refreshing, strong and nicely mixed. Their addition of olive oil at the top was a unique touch. Will def. order another. Ambiance: It feels like a true speakeasy at the back of an ally with a small 'on air' sign. Also, standing out there for a few min. gives that exclusivity, but the service inside was delightful. After both visits with different servers, I do truly appreciate them taking the time to chat with the customers about their drinks, their desired flavor profile, and what makes the drink ordered particularly unique. The one drawback is their $30 per person requirement. While I understand from a business perspective, it does make it a bit restrictive and a bit 'boozy' cuz essentially that means each person is required to order 2 drinks, which can be quite strong. But, then it's just another excuse to have another.

So comfy and a sweet intimate spot!…read more A little tightly packed but didn't mind it. Parking on the street or nearby lot. Great music and every drink we got was so good. We loved that they tell you how strong the drinks are, based on how many diamonds they have. Also all are reasonably priced with fun names and illustrations. - Goblin (super strong) comes with gummies inside the fake apple - Lemon sour! delicious, not strong so great for light drinkers - Jonny loves you, comes with alcoholic infused boba - Plum highball, tart and delicious as well They also have a super fancy Japanese toilet Highly recommend coming here with friends, I had never heard about it before until a friend recommended it to me!

Part Time Lover is such a gem! I remember this spot from its Bar Pink days, and bonus points for…read morekeeping the iconic elephants in the women's restroom. Some things just deserve to stay! The entire vibe here is fantastic. The bartenders are friendly, know their craft, and make a seriously good drink. The Lion's Den #2 is absolute perfection. Add in the record store tucked in the back, cozy couches you can sink into, and the dark, moody ambient lighting, and you have the perfect spot to settle in and stay awhile. A little nostalgic, a little eclectic, and a whole lot of cool. Love everything about this place. Five stars all day!

I came to Part Time Lover last year after eating at a restaurant nearby. I don't drink alcohol in…read moregeneral so I had asked if they could make a drink virgin... They told me no. The only options then were "a fruity drink, a chocolate drink, or a bubbly drink" and so I asked for a fruity. It tasted like juice in sparkling soda. I honestly was underwhelmed and turned off by the fact they hadn't put any effort in thinking about customers who come for the vibes but don't actually drink alcohol. It was also a jam packed Saturday night and it was incredibly loud so when trying to talk to my friends sitting next to me I had to shout. Ended up straining my voice by the end of the night. This experience last year was probably 2-3 stars, not good. But fast forward a year and some months later, they have a "Free Spirited" section on their menu now!!! This time I also went with a fruity drink and it was actually really good!! I'm glad Part Time Lover has turned a new leaf and actually put conscious effort into their mocktails. We also came here earlier on a Thursday night so it wasn't packed, was very easy to get a seat and just hangout. This better experience bumped up my impression of the place, so 4 stars!

Polite Provisions is owned by Consortium Holdings, so you already know the decor, cocktails, and…read moreoverall vibes are going to be on point! Everything here is so nicely curated, from their book-bound cocktail menu to the beautiful marble and gold bar and intimate, moody lighting. I love all the little details that make this place feel special. It can get pretty packed, sometimes to the point where there's no seating available, so I definitely recommend coming early and taking advantage of their happy hour! The bartenders are usually busy, but they're still really good about checking in on you when you're seated at the bar. Such a beautiful spot to enjoy some well-made cocktails and soak in the atmosphere. Always love the vibes here!

You can order from the bar or your table. Lots of different seating options indoors and outdoors…read more Very extensive drink menu almost too many options. The drinks we ordered were good and service didn't take too long. Right next to Fortunate Son so you can order food from them and enjoy in their bar.