Convoy Music Bar
Bar · San Diego ·
Intimate bar with vinyl nights, eclectic cocktails & Japanese whisky
Intimate bar with vinyl nights, eclectic cocktails & Japanese whisky
"To get to Convoy Music Bar’s elegant lounge, head down a nondescript strip mall’s dark back alley and past a couple of garbage bins. Inside, the furniture is velvety and emerald, with the kind of balanced, atmospheric lighting bright enough that you won't have to use your phone's flashlight to see the cocktail menu. The acoustics are excellent—it is a listening bar, after all—and you could easily spend hours conversing with your date over a savory tomato gimlet while enjoying vintage R&B on the crisp sounds of its high-end sound system. But keep in mind you’re limited to an hour and a half most weekends, so the people waiting behind you can actually have their turn at one of the city's best cocktail bars." - Ligaya Malones
"Sneak behind the Convoy Court alley, pass the dumpsters, and head to the single red light above the unmarked door. Herein lies the entrance to Convoy Music Bar behind Taco Stand. Behind the door lies a surprisingly sleek and elegant bar, decorated to pay homage to Tokyo-style hifi listening bars, featuring a vinyl soundtrack and a drinks menu that emphasizes Japanese whiskey. Dress in cocktail attire to adhere to their dress code, which also prohibits hats and flip-flops. Reservations are recommended, but walk-ins are welcome when space is available. The time limit is 1.5 hours, so pace accordingly." - Helen I. Hwang
"With a hidden entrance off an alley, this is an elegant space that takes after the jazz kissa listening bars of Tokyo. A place where hi-fi is celebrated, the vinyl record soundtrack is transmitted through a custom-built sound system imported from Japan, providing a vibey, stylish setting for cocktails that focus on the classics. A product of Showa Hospitality (Taco Stand, Showa Ramen), this listening bar offers a range of highballs — like the plum with hojicha tea and plum wine — and cocktails to choose from such as the Tijuana Bible with mezcal and blueberry rooibos pisco. The three-year-old bar’s menu has slowly evolved over time to include dishes like a watermelon ceviche with leche de tigre, grilled sandwiches, and caviar that can be ordered with a side of kettle-cooked chips and sour cream for dipping. Pro tip: Sometimes the bar adds cocktail “playing cards” — similar to trading cards — to the menu that feature an illustration and listed cocktail ingredients that guests can collect and take home." - Roxana Becerril
"Music may come first at this Convoy District listening bar, modeled on similar establishments in Tokyo where the sound is as important as the mixology. That said, the cocktail menu is every bit as detailed as the calibration of the sound system. For example, the Bet on Black is a mix of Westward Whiskey, a brown butter rum blend, two types of bitters, and a touch of saline to brighten it all up. Top it with a chocolate-filled cherry, and it’s worthy of quiet celebration." - Vox Creative
"Tucked into one of Kearny Mesa’s busiest dining complexes and hidden in the alley behind the strip mall next to the latest Taco Stand on Convoy Street, Convoy Music Bar opened Friday, May 13 as an intimate, elegant 40-seat Tokyo-style listening bar. Created by Showa Hospitality (the team behind Himitsu, Showa Ramen, the Taco Stand chain, and several upscale Japanese restaurants), the bar was built to pair high-quality sound with a high-end yet relaxed cocktail experience: Kenrick custom speakers from Japan transmit evenings’ soundtracks drawn from a vinyl collection curated by Showa’s Yuichiro Edamatsu and selected by different nightly DJs. Bartender Michael Rougas leads a team serving refreshing, spirit-forward cocktails in delicate glassware sourced from Japan, often using Asian ingredients like hojicha-infused scotch, matcha-pistachio orgeat, and passionfruit–Szechuan peppercorn syrup; highlighted cocktails include the Red Bottom Sky (a negroni variation with gin, rum, cacao-infused Campari, Barolo Chinato, black currant, and raspberry vinegar) and the tiki-ish Double Bird (mezcal, sherry, dark chocolate balsamic, grilled pineapple juice, and lime). The bar is currently walk-in only and serves no food yet, though they plan to add Japanese-influenced bar snacks in the future; hours are Wednesday–Monday, 6 p.m. to 2 a.m." - Candice Woo