Thanks (once, again) to Yelp, we've not only discovered a new area of San Diego... University Heights, and found another fabulous drinking & dining destination! Jason quickly greeted us upon arrival, making us feel comfortable -- like we were regulars -- from the start. Fabulous Happy Hour (Thursdays - Sundays, 3-6 PM). We enjoyed their $7 cocktails (strong-&-tasty; impressed by the big, clear ice cubes!) and Seasonal Flatbread, $13 ( chockfull of fresh-&-colorful ingredients atop a thin cracker crust, served with a fresh-&-flavorful homemade sauce). In addition, the Potato Cake,$13, was deliciously savory. Off the regular menu, their Shrimp Corncake, $17, was rich and had a wonderful marriage of flavors, served with a refreshing side salad. We'll most certainly return when in the area -- just wish it was closer. read more

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Great little corner spot in North Park with a solid happy hour. We had the margarita, flatbread, and chicken pesto sandwich -- all were really good. Jason was amazing and such a great presence at Hangout. He really highlighted the food and the chef, which made the experience even better! read more

The Hangout absolutely nails the aesthetic. The space is cozy, the restaurant and bar look amazing, and the food presentation is beautiful and very Instagram-worthy. Unfortunately, that's where the positives ended for us. We went on 2/22/26 without reservations and were seated immediately, which was great. However, it took about 20 minutes just to receive water. After placing our order, we waited nearly an hour for our food. It was busy, so we expected some delay, but there was no communication from our server about the wait. Service felt minimal and disengaged. Our waitress approached the table with, "Are you ready?" took our order, asked a couple of quick questions, and left. We didn't see them again until the food arrived. They asked, "Everything good?" waited a second, and then walked away. Normally I'm pretty easygoing about service, but the lack of communication and follow-up stood out. The food looked incredible but was underwhelming in flavor. Two of us ordered the Veggie Power Bowl, which unfortunately tasted bland -- like canned green beans, cold zucchini, tostada salsa, and pre-packaged avocado. The taro hash lacked flavor. The other two in our party ordered pancakes that tasted like batter that was just cooked through enough to resemble pancakes. Overall, it was disappointing given how great everything looked. Based on our experience, I'd recommend trying somewhere else. read more

We went there for brunch on Sat and were able to find parking right away. There's also a small parking lot in front. We sat in the outdoors seating area in front of the restaurant, which has a little roof over the patio area so it created some privacy from the public and felt intimate. I ordered the Mediterranean fried rice and it was so good. I wasn't super hungry, but because it was so simple and easy and tasty to eat, I was able to finish most of it easily. For dessert I ordered the tiramisu pancakes and it was well worth it. Wasn't too sweet and super easy to eat, highly recommend. Overall, service was fast, seating was nice, parking was easy, and price was surprising pretty affordable. Would go there again. read more

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The next-door liquor store bought out a former cafe and turned it into The Hangout which is now a brunch-focused restaurant in the University Heights neighborhood. I think you can use the parking lot of the liquor store, however I didn't try because there were open curbside spaces on Adams Ave. There was a large covered front patio for outdoor seating while an inside dining area including a bar could hold a smaller number of customers. A copy of the brunch menu and drink menu were placed on a stand in front of the patio. I sat inside at a table across from the bar. After perusing the brunch offerings, I selected two items of which I took one home for leftovers. The first was a Short Rib Crumpet made up of short rib, sunny side up egg, butter lettuce, beet sauerkraut, and caramelized onion. The ingredients were sandwiched between two griddle cakes (i.e. crumpets). The spongy griddle cakes resembled English muffins and were quite dry. The egg and onion were the best parts of this item. What I saved for later was the Savory Crepe Cakes. They could be ordered with chicken or short rib. Since I already had the latter protein in the crumpet, chicken was my selection. An onion spread was mixed in with the white meat inside the layered crepe cakes. A mixed salad and creamy mushroom bourbon sauce came with the order. The savory sauce was very good and tied the specialty dish together. The service from the waiter was decent. I think he was covering all the tables and was also the bartender during the mid-day shift. The crepe cakes were definitely the superior item which I rated with four stars. The crumpet was not as good as the ones I tried while visiting the Seattle area. It brought my overall rating of The Hangout down to a three star level. read more

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Lowkey a bit confusing when you come here because the Cafe 21 sign is still outside the location so unless you knew Cafe 21 became The Hangout or read reviews online, you come here very confused. They have both indoor and outdoor seating here but the outdoor seating here is nice, shaded, and has lots of plants. I was surprised that this place wasn't that busy on a Saturday because the food here was actually soooo good!! My friends and I ordered the Mediterranean fried rice, short rib omelette, potato gallete, and short rib crumpet. The potato gallete was sooo buttery and had layers of onion in between all the thinly slice potatoes and it was sooo crispy!! FYI the crumpet is so delicious but be prepared for very messy hands, worse than a burger LOL. Everything was very flavorful and well seasoned. Food was nice and hot. Everyone enjoyed their food overall! Only thing is instead of short rib for the crumpet and omelette, we received lamb kufta instead. Not sure if they were out of short rib but it would've been nice to tell us they were out of it and giving us lamb kufta instead. I might've ordered something else. I do wish there was also more attention to refilling water since we were only one of four groups there and several empty tables. But besides that, very delicious food, nice vibes. One of the servers gave me extra sauce to go for my potato gallete. The parking lot is a bit confusing because it looks like the liquor store right next door owns all of it? But I would be back and hope this place gets more business! read more

The Hangout - Potato gallete w/sauce (it's not spicy but it's good!) - Cocktail Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

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This place is such a hidden gem the service food and drinks are impeccable jason the bartender and server is what makes this restaurant stand out he creates a great atmosphere definitely recommend read more

The Hangout - Cocktail Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

Cute brunch spot along Adams. Friendly service, although it did feel understaffed for the volume of customers they had. Shared the chilaquiles, short rib crumpet, and shrimp pesto sandwich. Flavors in each dish was great. Short rib was overcooked. My favorite was surprisingly the shrimp sandwich. Shrimp was cooked just right and bread was buttery crisp. read more

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Food, drinks, specials, happy hour, brunch. Good service, friendly. Check it out! Highly recommend. I had an old Fashion, raspberry daiquiri. Went for early dinner, but turned out it was Happy Hour, so I ate off that $1 wings, 5 flavors, $3 sliders, 3 diff meats. My daughter had a pesto chicken sandwich. She enjoyed it. Dinner is $17-19. Lots of drink concoctions with funny names. read more

One of the best Happy hours, because they offer happy hour menu 4-6 during the weekend! They also have a lot of cocktail options, including French 75, which I liked a lot, I had two, both quality and quantity was great. My husband enjoyed the beer, and whiskey. We tried their happy hour wings in pesto and lemon pepper flavors, sliders and potato cake, all of them taste good. I really like their lamb protein options for potato cake and slider. My baby loved the meats and bread from the sliders as well. This is definitely a new good place for this neighborhood. The service is sweet and fast. The space is comfortable and cozy. read more

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Hidden gem!!! Mediterranean forward menu - in-restaurant baked sourdough, lamb fried rice, eggs and tomato (Shakshouka), potato pancake, crumpets., and oh so much more!! Thoughtfully crafted cocktails and coffee drinks. And the service team is amazing - it's our first visit and I feel like family. It's called the hangout because you won't want to leave. read more

The Hangout - Espresso martini & sangria - Cocktail Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

While having a small interior, and not yet having an indoor TV, The Hangout has still become one of my go to spots, let me tell you why. But first, you may have noticed that I leave a lot of 5 stars reviews, and The Hangout is about to add one more to that list. "WHY?", you ask, there's several important reasons that lead me to frequently encountering happiness and deliciousness on my travels. *Keep in mind, your Yelp rating is not your rating of the "Pefection" of the restaurant, Yelp explicity tells you to "RATE YOUR EXPERIENCE". Here's how I encounter so many 5 star experiences. 1. I do my research. I always read reviews, look at photos, etc. before patronizing a restaurant. Occasionally, I even reach out to Yelp friends to seek their recommendations or input. It's important that I know what I'm getting myself into. This also includes thoroughly reading the menu items before ordering. Hello! 2. I take intentional actions to manage my own expectations. I'm not heading to Denny's expecting an exceptional steak, and if I do, it's me who deserves the one star, not the restaurant. This includes timing expectations. I shouldn't expect quick service at busy times, especially when a restaurant makes things from scratch. Oh and don't always fall for the Influencer hype. Influencers get exponentially more views, and often more money, from saying how a great a place is. 3. I aim to have a good time. I find that most of the time, you get what you give. I like to think of myself as a happy, positive, energetic, and friendly individual, so that's what I'm bringing to the table. Lucky for me, that's nearly always the vibe that I get in return. Try not to be a Crabby Abby or a Donnie Downer and just maybe things will start looking up-not always, but I certainly think it helps. 4. This last one is kind of a wholistic approach that is sort of a combination of all the others. I strive for value. We all know how forgiving we are when the food is free. It's as if all of a sudden our tastebuds change when we know we've gotten a deal. If I intrinsically don't value donuts, or believe that they are a inexpensive item, I'm less likely to be satisfied with a $10 donut, even if it is slightly larger than the competitor's. (You all know who I'm talking about...sheesh). 5. Be Kind. If I have an experience that is somewhere between a 3 and a 4, I almost always round up. If the service wasn't great or at least friendly, I round down. Okay, back to The Hangout. I was looking for an awesome happy hour and boy did I find it. As soon as I saw a Thursday to Sunday 3pm-6pm HH that included $1 wings, I knew I had to try it. What I didn't expect to find was delicious $7 Old Fashions and EXCELLENT customer service-THANKS JASON! I came for the wings, and I continue to comeback for those delicious parmersan dusted lemon pepper wings with fresh lemon juice, tasty $7 old fashions, and the comical conversations with bartender Jason. Although they don't have blue cheese dressing for the wings, what I've found to be even better-per recommendation from bartender Jason, is to add fresh blue cheese crumbles to the ranch for an ever dreamier blue cheese experience. This has become my favorite way to enjoy wings, yeahhh. The bar top usually has activity, but it's not too busy at all. What you'll find is a number of locals who patronize this bar often, often enough for Jason to know everyone by name. Even after just one visit, Jason recalled me by name, just another example of the excellent service here. There are currently two TV's outside so you can even watch sporting events here. The patio is large and of course they allow dogs on the patio. The menu is simple and doesn't have a lot on it, however, even though I've only had the wings, the happy hour flatbread at $13 looked large and bursting with toppings. I also saw the "mac and cheese" come out of the kitchen, don't order the mac and cheese, please...lol. Huge thanks to Jason, John, and the kitchen crew for reliably providing a great experience! See you soon! read more

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Eh - The menu though quite complex really did not excite my wife and I. Benedict with Turkey - i asked if i could substitute the meat - No and then told something about thanksgiving(?) I ordered French toast @ fruit. Being fair it was OK, good bread and the 2 little blocks of hard butter. My wife enjoys scrambled eggs - not available so she ordered Feta eggs. She was picking at it. I decided to dig in and the eggs found at the bottom were hard - sort of a bummer. I genuinely appreciate the Chef's menu selections which she/he embraces. Yet, surviving or flourishing comes down to being a little bit flexible is essential. I can say this having been an investor in a number of eateries over the years. The atmosphere is;welcoming, charming, and clean. They may want to split the volume controls between the inside and outside. While waiting for our brunch the volume of the background music went up a lot. We asked for it to be turned down and was bluntly told the outside wanted it louder - grudgingly it was softened yet not 5 minutes later it was up again. A split volume control will provide for both sides of your facilities clientele. I am not saying they are bad yet showing some flexibility to the people who re built this neighborhood over 40 years and live within a short walk should be considered. Give them a try it may be your cup of tea. For me though EH read more

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So, the name is apt because the music and furnishings are really comfortable. It's a place you really could feel yourself sitting in and spending time with a date or some friends. My Permanent Date had the watermelon margarita, which was delightfully complex, with the sweetness of the watermelon carrying the other flavors as a nice accompaniment. The meze platter is a fantastic shareable appetizer, and since the dips are seasonal, the ones I had might not be the ones you get, but they're flavorful, served with a nice assortment of brassicas, ribboned vegetables, and sourdough. My Permanent Date had the Hangout Burger with bacon, and that, in the words of Jules Winnfield, is a tasty burger! The sesame seed bun is house made, and it's just a super satisfying expression of a cheeseburger with all the trimmings. I ordered the short rib crepe cake, and I was expecting some kind of barbecue sauce involved, but it was a mild-tasting purée of short rib in between savory crepe layers. They serve you some slices, and it's saving you from yourself, because if you're anything like me, you'll eat the whole thing. The creamy mushroom "sauce" is more of a shmear. The mashed potatoes are a cheesy delight, and the side salad has a lovely light vinaigrette with lots of sesame seeds. Overall, it's a fantastic meal. read more

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Wasn't too busy when we got there but for took a while to make. Shrimp pesto sandwich had good flavors but felt light on the shrimp. Short rib was shaved thin and not as juicy as expected. Flavors were good though. read more

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Very cool spot with a friendly, cozy, and comfortable vibe--perfect for grabbing a coffee, a drink, or a meal. The outdoor patio is especially inviting and pet-friendly, which is a big plus. Our server was fantastic: super friendly, funny, and a master at the upsell (LOL). He kept us laughing and truly made the experience fun. The food was delicious too--everything tasted fresh and well made. read more

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Visited for Mother's Day brunch and unfortunately the experience was a bit disappointing overall. We arrived around noon for our reservation and there was no one ahead of us when we checked in, though two parties with the same party size were seated before us. There was room for improvement on organization skills. That said, the overall aesthetic and atmosphere were very pleasant and made the restaurant feel welcoming. The food was okay nothing particularly bad, but nothing especially memorable either. Our waiter did have a great attitude and was friendly throughout the meal, which we appreciated. However, the service overall could have been more attentive and frequent. I understand holidays can be hectic, and I'm hopeful things improve moving forward, but unfortunately I don't think we'll be returning. read more

We came in with a huge party over 30 people and they didn't blink. Well I think they were overwhelmed but they killed it on the service side. The wings were some of the best I've had in a long time. Lemon pepper for the win. The steak was honestly very bland and not a great cut either. Room for improvement but give these guys a shot they work their butts off! read more

Best hangout spot! Menu variety is unique and food was gourmet at reasonable prices. And the drinks... don't get me started! Their drink presentation, simply unexpected with the with dry ice and dried fruit was a nice touch to go with the great taste. Awesome! I also love the vibe. Perfect hangout for friends or family. Thank you Nash for making sure that we were taken care of down the smallest detail. You have a great team of down-to-earth professional. Bravo. read more

Loved our experience here! Jonathan (our server) was so great and made it so much fun! The food was good. Very flavorful and is somewhat American fusion. We sat outside and the vibe was great. Will definitely come back. read more

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November 2025: As The Hangout gets its footing, I'm happy to say that this place is fantastic - it brings back the vibe Cafe 21 had before the pandemic. The Thursday - Sunday, 3 PM - 6PM happy hour is worth it! Where else can you find $7 mixed drinks in North Park? And Jonathan, at the bar, does a mighty fine job of making old fashioneds and margaritas. The happy hour drinks and food were great. It's hard to beat $1 wings and $3 sliders. I believe this tasty food is still being made by the Cafe 21 chef. read more

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Service was excellent the food came out almost instantly. Everything was super fresh and beautifully presented. We sat outside on the patio so that our dog could join us. This spot is an excellent study spot!!! Recommend for people that work from home or students that want to get out of the house. read more

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Great happy hour spot! The vibe is calm and relaxing not to noisy and you can hear yourself talk and interact with others. The food is Delicious and they offer different food selections during different times of the day. Breakfast lunch happy hour and dinner are all served there. They have a great bar selection. The service is awesome and the staff are very accommodating. read more

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It's so rare when we actually like all the food that we ordered! Mushroom Bourbon sauce was crazy good! Short rib crumpets and crepe cakes delicious as well! Beautiful serving and great personnel! read more

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Went here for a small birthday lunch. I almost don't want to tell people about the place as it's such a great little find. Yummy healthy food, connected to a liquor store, so very full bar and yummy creative drinks including their teas and coffee. The girl working was a delight and certainly talked us into returning for a great sounding happy hour read more

We stopped in for happy hour with a group of friends, and while the restaurant already offers a fantastic happy hour, what truly made the experience memorable was Jason. He's an exceptional server and bartender who made us feel genuinely welcomed from the moment we sat down. Jason was incredibly attentive, juggling orders, entering everything into the system, and crafting our drinks himself. Yet he never once made us feel rushed or overlooked. His upbeat personality added so much to the evening; he kept the energy fun, relaxed, and effortlessly enjoyable. If you're looking for a great spot to unwind and want service that really stands out, it's absolutely worth a visit. Thank you Jason we are definitely coming back. read more

The Hangout - Cocktail Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

Great service and everyone enjoyed their meal. The spicy-Rita was yummy and hummus plate had great flavor! Comfy and low key. We'll be back. read more

The Hangout - Spicy-Rita. - Cocktail Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

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Service was good and drinks were fine! The wings were a good price, and pesto was the best. The sliders were so small and so bad, though. We thought they forgot the pattys in the sliders because the "meat" was so thin. The patty's were so thin they were see through. And the buns were tasteless and tiny, maybe 2x2 inches. They weren't worth it, at all. read more

This place was great!! The customer service was wonderful! Our waiter was hilarious, I was having a hard week and his humor was so appreciated!! I had a burger and it was SO good, the size was big! The ambiance was calm, there wasn't many people, we went on a Thursday afternoon. read more

Food was great! Ambience was cute. Service with a smile. Glad we tried it out! Cocktails exceptional read more

The Hangout - Cocktails! - Cocktail Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

Cozy atmosphere with great food and awesome service. Newly acquired from another owner with a new name but the same great service. Jason is amazing, attentive, fun, funny, and just provides A+ service! Group size read more

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I do not know if this place is going to make it. We went for lunch on Tuesday and there was one waitress for everyone and I think she was the bartender as well. There were maybe 10 people at the restaurant all together. Regardless service was extremely slow and spotty. It took forever just to get acknowledged and get some water. Our drink orders came after we already had our meals. We had our meals before we had any napkins or silverware. My Aperol spritz was standard and definitely shouldn't have taken that long to make since it's such a simple cocktail. I had the short rib crumpet and it was very bizarre. The crumpets are like inferior English muffins or biscuits. They were tough and kinda tasted like nothing. They were also huge and I think supposed to be eaten like a sandwich but it was too unwieldy to eat like that but also very difficult to cut through the crumpet with a knife to get a bite. The flavors of the short rib, egg, beet sauerkraut and caramelized onions did not work well together. I will not return unless the menu changes and service improves. read more

My favorite brunch in the area with the best servers! Make sure to try their shrimp corn cake and craft cocktails.

Dropped by on our way out of town and I'm glad we did. The short rib crumpet did not disappoint, and I tried the tiramisu pancakes just because. And they were phenomenal. The service was attentive and accommodating. We showed up without a reservation, and it was slow, so no problems there. And you can never go wrong with a patio, especially in San Diego. Highly recommend! read more

Formerly Cafe 21, I was interested to see the changes to this restaurant. The menu is still the same and very delicious. However the service was poor. It appears there was only one server working on a saturday brunch, she was clearly overwhelmed and confused. it took forever to get the check and it was hard to flag down a server. More staff would fix this issue. read more

Great new spot on Adams for cocktails and happy hour! My wife loved the made from scratch sliders. Happy Hour drinks were awesome and service was 5 stars. read more

My Man and I got a reservation for 8;45pm on Valentine's Day. Upon arrival they let us know the kitchen closed at 9 but not to worry and to take our time looking at everything. The bartender was super nice and recommended a lot of things, we got the flatbread and the wings and both of them were delicious and a great thing to share. Although they were very friendly and talking to us a good amount, they also gave us the space to enjoy and the restaurant was beautiful and clean. read more

Tomato and eggs, roasted eggplant crumpets, and flight of champagne. Great breakfast. read more

The Hangout - Tomato and eggs, roasted eggplant crumpet, and a flight of champagne. Great breakfast. - Cocktail Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

Both plates were really good. The Mezze platter was heavily seasoned which was a plus for me. Just wished they had a gluten free toast option but they don't have that yet. Service was great, and our party of 9 were seated pretty quickly. Everyone loved their food read more

The Hangout - Mezze platter - Cocktail Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

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Met a friend for happy hour and had a fantastic time! Jason is truly a legend and took the best care of us. The happy hour specials cannot be beat. Lots of great drinks for $7 and lots of delicious food, too. My friend and I shared a flatbread and couldn't even finish it! We sat at the bar, which is really nice, and spent a few hours catching up and enjoying ourselves. I immediately let my other friends know this is the place for happy hour from now on! Can't wait to spend another evening here. read more