Editorial
San Diego knocks off early and drinks outside, and the after work hour spreads across the city rather than crowding one district. The uptown neighbourhoods of North Park and University Heights hold the cocktail rooms locals walk to, Little Italy and the Gaslamp keep the downtown crowd, and the waterfront from Pacific Beach to the bay gives the view drinkers somewhere to land. We built this route to take in the uptown rooms, the downtown bars, and the water in one easy evening, and these are the eight after work bars in San Diego we send people to first. Each one is verified and covered by the local press, from the San Diego Union Tribune to Eater San Diego and The Infatuation.
Start uptown, where the city's best loved neighbourhood bars sit within walking distance of one another. This is where San Diego goes for a proper drink after work, close to home and away from the tourist core.
Downtown and just beyond it, the after work crowd fills Little Italy and the Gaslamp before the night gets going. A short walk or a quick ride links the cocktail rooms to the lively pubs.
The coast is where San Diego ends the day, with the after work hour stretching into sunset over the water. These three trade on the view as much as the drinks.
If you have one evening, start uptown at Polite Provisions for the city's model cocktail room, work down through Little Italy and the Gaslamp while the after work crowd is still fresh, then end at the water with the skyline view from Island Prime. The uptown rooms are walkable together, and the coast is best timed to the sunset. San Diego drinks early and outside, so aim the patios and the waterfront for that hour when the light drops and the day finally lets go.
Sofia Reeves maps cities by their bars. She writes the route, not just the list, and has spent years working out where a night should start and where it should end.