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La Jolla, CA

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Shack Bar & Grill

3.7 (411 reviews)
Closed • 11:30 am - 2:00 AM (Next day)
Updated 2 months ago

Shack Bar & Grill Photos

Business Info

SHACK BAR & GRILL ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Juke Box
Moderate noise
Casual
Outdoor seating

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Steph H.

STEPH JUDGEMENT: Endearingly scruffy bar established in 1995. We came for the happy hour. It definitely leaned hard into the beach shack aesthetic, inside and out. The general atmosphere was very laid back, the bartender and patrons alike. We felt very comfortable here. We got some basic beers and I tried their peach Paloma spritz--surprisingly good. We didn't think we were hungry, but couldn't resist a pretzel, which was amazing: served warm and buttered, accompanied by mustard and hatch chili queso--a winner! A chill place for good times.

Menu as of 9/21/25
Jessica S.

My boyfriend and I came here for a drink as we were in the area. Spontaneous night out to watch a football game. It's located next to a 7-11 and across of Rigoberto's Taco Shop and The Promiscuous Fork on La Jolla Blvd in La Jolla. There is a lot of free street parking around the area. The exterior was kind of nice with the bar looking like an actual tiki shack but with no tiki styled drinks. It was small bar with a pool table in the middle of the space. Would be fun once more drinks were in us! This was definitely one of the local bars with its ambiance of regulars and stickiness of the bar. My boyfriend and I each got Stella Artois, and Garlic Fries to share. The fries had Parmesan shavings on top! And the aioli dip was sooo good. YUM! It was definitely a casual night out. The biggest downside of this place was the fact that the smell of cigarette smokes can get into the bar even though the smokers are outside. Those who go in the back to smoke brought in the smell. Luckily, my boyfriend and I were just about to head out as the person smoked. Causal local bar without too much people traffic. Good place to watch sports games as well. P.S. one of the workers brings her dog (about 50 lb?) who just lies down the entire night to people watch. The dog was so cute and friendly!

Grilled fish tacos
Celeste T.

Been coming here for years, recently my man was looking for the BEST fish and chips in the area and I think he has found them. The pieces of fish are huge and plentiful with lots of crisp and crunch! It's served with tons of fries. I usually have the grilled fish tacos. I wish they made homemade tarter sauce but I understand that bars are busy. Great outdoor atmosphere and the servers are always nice.

Bar area
Sonny G.

Stopped by this little shack bar, and for a spot that doesn't get a ton of business, it was an awesome experience. Had the Shack Burger--the beef had great flavor, the bacon was crispy, and it hit the spot. What really made the visit memorable was Kayla--hands down one of the best servers around! She kept my water refilled, checked in on my food, and even handed me a napkin when she noticed I had cheese in my beard (now that's attention to detail!). Super friendly, fun, and just great energy all around. Also love that this place is fur-baby friendly--definitely a nice, laid-back spot in the middle of fancy La Jolla. Will absolutely stop by again next time I'm in the area!

Beef Nachos, Buffalo Wing, Chicken Skewers with a ton of Tots!
Carolyn C.

Best nachos around - wow were these amazing. Chips are homemade and we had the beef added which was very tasty. We also tried the buffalo wings as they were in the happy hour menu - meaty and good sauce. Last item was the chicken skewers (I'm trying to eat a hella lotta protein daily) which came with three nice sized pieces and a TON of Tots which were cooked just right! Great service by the bartender - we sat out in the patio and enjoyed it. First timers and we will certainly be back - especially for those nachos!

Great place to watch Sunday football.
Michelle M.

I love this place. Definitely brings the old school La Jolla Beach vibes. Services was outstanding and I love that you can bring well-behaved dogs. I ordered the battered fish tacos and they were outstanding. I would highly recommend. This is the place you go on a lazy day and just enjoy the vibe.

This way folks!
Steven O.

Every Beach Town has to have a Surf Theme Bar right, it's the rule! Well these guys are Killin'It! Look at photos-the spot is Uber Cool and super cozy! Patio seating,open fire pit, pool tables and great drink and happy hour specials! Kayla + Morgan= best service award! We visited a couple times while we stayed in La Jolla. Food yeah it was fricken fantastic! I ordered the Burger of the Month and I can't get it outta my head! Green Chili and Cheeses all melted over an Angus Burger and oh boy it was Delicious! Not sure how else I can portray it... just make sure you don't miss this Great Bar!

Aprils margs! The best

Where do I begin....it all starts with April. She has been a shining star in this dark world. I was having a horrible day and then April came along. She made the BEST margarita I've ever had. Don't sleep on this place or you'll regret it

Margarita

April makes the BEST margaritas in town hands down!!! Came here after a stressful day at work and she instantly lifted my spirits with her signature spirit :)

Dixie Bell
DeAnna L.

We popped in on Christmas Day to find the vibes high and the staff in a great mood. Danny waited on us as we played cards on the deck with our Frenchie with us. We enjoyed our time in this casual beachside shack.

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4 months ago

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Morgan P.

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6 months ago

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2 months ago

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Daniel O.

Thank you stopping in! Come back soon!

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10 months ago

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1 year ago

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Morgan P.

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1 year ago

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nikki l.

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2 years ago

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Morgan P.

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5 months ago

Love the place! Friendly bartenders, great food! Come to the shack! My favorite bar ever!

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6 months ago

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2 years ago

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Morgan P.

The nachos are always a hit! So glad you loved everything! Thank you!!

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5 months ago

Best place in La Jolla to play pool and have fun , food is great and the bartenders are amazing specially Morgan !!!

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1 year ago

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Morgan P.

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2 years ago

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Tyler V.

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7 months ago

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7 months ago

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7 months ago

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8 months ago

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2 years ago

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Morgan P.

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8 months ago

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10 months ago

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Tyler V.

Thanks JP! I’ll be sure to let Aimee know, serve you again soon! :)

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11 months ago

Lovely atmosphere and incredible service! Shouts out to Kayla for being such a treat! Happy early birthday girlyyyy

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1 year ago

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1 year ago

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5 months ago

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1 year ago

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Morgan P.

Grateful for your amazing review!! See you next time!

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1 year ago

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Morgan P.

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1 year ago

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Morgan P.

Our tenders are top tier! Breaded in house :) Thanks for coming in!

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7 months ago

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1 year ago

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Morgan P.

So glad you had a great time here! :)

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1 year ago

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Morgan P.

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2 years ago

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Morgan P.

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2 years ago

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Tyler V.

thanks for stopping by Renee!

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1 year ago

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Morgan P.

Thanks for the great review, Joslyn! We will see you next time. :)

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1 year ago

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Morgan P.

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1 year ago

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Morgan P.

Thanks for coming in! See you again soon!

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1 year ago

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Morgan P.

Thanks so much, Marie! We will be glad to have you back soon! :)

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2 years ago

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Morgan P.

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11 months ago

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11 months ago

Kayla was a rockstar and always on top of it when i needed something. great vibes, great music and a great time to be at.

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2 years ago

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Page 1 of 11

Ask the Community - Shack Bar & Grill

What time do you stop serving food?

10pm

Is it kid friendly?

Yes! We are kid friendly. After 9pm it is 21 or older but during the day and early evenings we have many families enjoy our restaurant. Although we do not offer a "kid menu", there are many options for your children: baked pretzels, tator tots, hot… 

Are there any gluten free options?

Hi Jennifer, While we don't specifically have a "gluten free" menu, there are options and adjustments we can make. For example, we have great fish tacos, our fish is Sea Bass… 

What are suggested, healthy vegan options (ideally gluten free)?

View All 5 Questions

Hennessey's La Jolla - French Fry Sampler

Hennessey's La Jolla

3.9(309 reviews)
0.9 mi•La Jolla
•$$

This place has been on my list for a while. I love Irish pubs, and I actually celebrated one of my…read morebirthdays in Ireland not too long ago, so I was especially excited to finally check it out. I also noticed they offer a complimentary entrée on the Thursday of your birthday week, which honestly made it the perfect excuse to go. There's a ton of seating options here. You can sit inside, outdoors by the fire pit, or in one of several different rooms. Our server was awesome, really attentive, and had great recommendations. I ordered: * Steak & Shrimp: this came over mashed potatoes with a side of spinach. The steak was huge, cooked perfectly, and seasoned really well. Everything on the plate was delicious. We hung out by the fireplace, had some drinks, and just enjoyed the vibe. They also run great weekly specials. I believe Tuesdays are buy one burger, get one free, and Thursdays they have $7 smashburgers that looked massive when I walked by. Overall, this place has a really fun, welcoming energy. My friend from Scotland tried the Guinness and approved, which says a lot. It's surprisingly hard to find a good Guinness in the States, and they nailed it here. Definitely will be back.

A casual Irish pub with indoor and outdoor seating. There are not a ton of casual spots in this…read moreneighborhood to watch sports. This is one of the few. They even roll out a big screen TV outside for major events like the World Cup. The service is usually fast and friendly and some of the happy hour prices are very reasonable. $5 23 oz Coors Lights. $25 bottles of prosecco. For food, you usually can't go wrong with the burgers. The fire pit seating with the Adirondack chairs at the left of the main entrance is a nice touch.

Photos
Hennessey's La Jolla
Hennessey's La Jolla - HH fried pickles cwd

HH fried pickles cwd

Hennessey's La Jolla - Chipotle burger and paddy's burger

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Chipotle burger and paddy's burger

THE LOT La Jolla - Ahi Poke Nachos

THE LOT La Jolla

3.8(1.4k reviews)
0.7 mi•La Jolla
•$$

A luxury movie experience one needs every now and then, this THE LOT location in LJ with upscale,…read moreclean, and comfortable environs perfect for serving that desire. The Lot is very unique in that they not only serve as a movie theater, but have a full-service dinner and bar area as well. Adjoining ASA Bakery is also on-site, serving creative, too-pretty-to-eat pastries and matcha drinks. Honestly, the $24 price tag for a movie experience might seem steep, but other movies theaters are in and around that price anyways. At The Lot, at least you're getting comfortable, plush seats, a seemingly private viewing experience with your partner in your recline-ready love seat, food and drink wait service at your seat (if you desire it), and superb picture with okay enough sound. On that note, some cons: -We recently watched The Odyssey and some of the scenes were blaringly LOUD to the point where my ears felt like they could bleed. They do not divulge their sound system either, only that it's "high-end". The sound could definitely use better balance. -Mentioned love seats are very apparent upon booking now, making selection easy with no confusion. The theaters do cater to them so if you're in a group, you'll feel far from them. -Try as we might to pay in person, we could not avoid the service fee applied to all sales. Service fees are my biggest gripe, enough to teeter this rating. The atmosphere though is rather spectacular, so some things are to be ignored. -No true matinee prices unless you're a member. $20-22, otherwise, on Wednesday's for non-members.

I really enjoy the experience of The Lot, but between this location and the one on Liberty Station,…read morethe service always leaves something to be desired. Each visit (three separate occasions), something I've ordered was either forgotten or brought out very late. On this particular visit (Fri, July 3rd), I went to see a movie for my birthday. Unfortunately, due to public transportation, I was unable to make it to the theater as early as I wanted. My movie started @ 1:30, but I didn't make it inside until about 1:40 or so. The trailers were still playing, but the lights were off inside and the other guests seemed to already have their food/drinks. So, I attribute some of the mishap to that. However, there were less than ten people in the theater. So, keep that in mind as well. I ordered poke nachos, a popcorn, and a soda. Pretty simple order, right? My "host" brought out the popcorn + drink pretty swiftly. The popcorn tasted stale, just like another time I'd visited. Even though I'm pretty sure their 1:30 movies are their first showing. About halfway through the movie, I pressed the call button because I still hadn't received my nachos. The host said, "They might be ready now. Let me check." Translation: "I forgot them." That was pretty annoying. Especially as this is the third time something like this has occurred at The Lot. And I've only been three times in total. Luckily, the popcorn was free because it was my birthday, which I had to remind the host twice before he tried charging me. Do not order it unless you enjoy stale popcorn. The nachos and ginger ale were tasty, though. Overall, the vibe/setup is nice for viewing films. I only which the service and attention to detail was better.

Photos
THE LOT La Jolla - Bar area

Bar area

THE LOT La Jolla - Chicken Tortilla Soup

Chicken Tortilla Soup

THE LOT La Jolla

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Sandbar Sports Bar & Grill - Fish tacos

Sandbar Sports Bar & Grill

3.9(1.2k reviews)
4.4 mi
•$$

Great spot by the beach! We came here on a Friday morning for brunch. There was a sign to wait to…read morebe seated but then we were told to sit where ever we wanted and we didn't need to wait to be seated lol the upstairs was closed which was a bit disappointing since we're by the beach, but I understand with staffing it can be difficult. Overall it was a good experience. The service was quick and staff members were friendly. Food came out pretty quick too! Everything was tasty! We also got 2 surf and turf tacos, which are not pictured. It was plenty of food for the morning Our drinks also packed a punch. It was nice that we got the leftover from the can for one of the drinks. Felt like it was 2 drinks. Would definitely come back here.

I'm in San Diego for a work trip and our first stop prior to our conference was Sandbar. It was…read morerecommended by our Lyft driver. Upon arriving, I saw the sign that boasted they have the best fish taco in San Diego, so I had high hopes We were seated immediately and were able to order pretty quickly. I got the taco plate with fish and carne asada. Upon tasting the fish taco, it was lukewarm and had absolutely no flavor. I tasted the steak meat and I couldn't even eat the taco. The texture and flavor was just not there to say the least. The guacamole and the salsa did not seem to be freshly made. The beans weren't even warm. For $23, I was expecting more. I unfortunately wasted my money since it was mostly inedible.

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Sandbar Sports Bar & Grill - Happy hour

Happy hour

Sandbar Sports Bar & Grill - Their "TKO Style" fish taco. It's award-winning for a reason!

Their "TKO Style" fish taco. It's award-winning for a reason!

Sandbar Sports Bar & Grill - Full bar

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Full bar

ZENTRL Kitchen + Bar - Margherita Flatbread

ZENTRL Kitchen + Bar

4.1(34 reviews)
0.7 mi•La Jolla

First time here and I thought the place was really cool! It's next to the LOT in liberty Station…read more The restaurant was big and there was plenty of seating. They had tables or booths and it was not crowed. They do reservations which is a plus. They have large TV's so you can watch any sport games that are on. It's really pretty in there and I love how much sunlight goes in there. Our server was wonderful! He was very patient and read back all of our orders to us just to make sure everything was correct. The food that I got was very bland and no citrus at all. I was expecting the citrus rice and the salmon to have more of a citrus taste but there was none and I was a bit disappointed in that dish. The beans were just okay. I was not expecting my dish to look like this. My friends foods looked good so i definitely want to come back and try something else off their menu.

ZENTRL Kitchen and bar in La Jolla is the restaurant within the same complex as the Lot movie…read moretheaters, with the other location in Liberty Station in Point Loma area. The restaurant offers a limited selection of popular foods and has a full bar. Its layout of incorporating the outdoors inside makes it spacious and airy. The restaurant bar lounge also has multiple large tv screens to view sports, news, etc... You don't have to watch a movie in the theater to dine here but that's what we did before the Devil Wears Prada II. Have dined at its sibling restaurant at the Liberty Station location but this was my first time dining here in this location. First although the views are nicer at the LS, at least there are no airplanes flying above you and the roaring noise, which is a major turn off. The restaurant decor is simple a tad elevated in style. From the menu we ordered: calamari, ahi tuna nachos and grilled salmon. The calamari wasn't good, too dry, sent it back. The ahi tuna nachos were ok but the ahi tune lack seasoning. The grilled salmon was good, but portions of the salmon and sides seem on the smaller side. The drinks menu had a good selection of wines but unfortunately many I wanted were not in stock...ie DAOU Rosé. Had to settle for Duckhorn Chardonnay which was good. There was only one staffer who was the host and the server. He did seat us quickly to our seating preference. But that quick action seemed to play throughout our dining time. The server wasn't too knowledgeable of the menu selections details; first telling us the salmon did have the skin and was baked. Later returning to correct himself, that the salmon did NOT have the skin and was not baked but grilled. We asked for the ahi tuna to be tossed in the dressing and instead were presented with the ahi tuna unseasoned with the dressing on the side. If this server had taken notes of our specific requests maybe mistakes could have been prevented. The server's made us feel rushed and this affected our ability to feel relaxed during our dining experience in such a negative way not 'Zen' considering that's in the restaurant's name. Due to abysmal service, did NOT feel any 'zen' vibes at Zentrl perhaps others will.

Photos
ZENTRL Kitchen + Bar - My pup Fendi, Duckhorn Chardonnay, Wall Art in the bar lounge and a view of the LOT movie theater lobby

My pup Fendi, Duckhorn Chardonnay, Wall Art in the bar lounge and a view of the LOT movie theater lobby

ZENTRL Kitchen + Bar - Pepperoni & Sausage Flatbread

Pepperoni & Sausage Flatbread

ZENTRL Kitchen + Bar - Chilaquiles Verdes

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Chilaquiles Verdes

Shack Bar & Grill - tradamerican - Updated October 2026

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