Craft & Commerce
Restaurant · San Diego ·
Taxidermy & old books line walls of hip gastropub
Taxidermy & old books line walls of hip gastropub
"Channel your best Ernest Hemingway before entering this place, designed to the hilt and a feast for the eyes with its library-meets-hunting lodge look. From its mounted trophies to the taxidermy specimens on loan from the Natural History Museum, this may not be the wisest pick for your PETA-supporting pal, but it definitely appeals to the trendy set.The kitchen dishes out contemporary comfort food with glimmers of Asian influences. The menu is packed with hearty selections. Dig in to a dish of plump mussels in a thick red Thai coconut curry studded with pan-seared fennel slices, roasted garlic slivers and fried spicy chorizo. Bone marrow with Fresno chili relish and toasted milk bread or confit duck leg tacos up the ante." - Michelin Inspector
"A feast for your eyes awaits at one of Little Italy’s beloved outposts — a dimly-lit corner outpost with towering bookshelves and a tableau of taxidermied lions and animal heads sourced with help from the San Diego Natural History Museum. This Michelin guide restaurant and bar features happy hour from 4 to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday, plus from 3 to 5 p.m. on Friday. Specials include $8 cocktails, $2 off all draft beers, and shareable dishes like the C&C sliders — swiped with a secret sauce and crowned with caramelized onions — alongside fries for $3.99 each, as well as blistered shishito peppers with crispy, crunchy garlic." - Roxana Becerril
"Head over to Little Italy to take in its holiday decorations and sip on eight new cocktails that have been dreamed up for the season, including the Jingle Juice Spritz, made with lemon, cranberry syrup, genepy, tequila, and topped with rose, and the Nutcracker Of, a blend of Atlantic Bitters, pandan syrup, Woodlands Amaro and Monkey Shoulder Whiskey." - Candice Woo
"One of Little Italy’s foundational bars features 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. happy hour Monday through Thursday, and 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, offers cocktails for $8 and a variety of specials on food including the C&C Slider, bone marrow, and chicken wings." - Candice Woo
"With borrowed taxidermy from the Natural History Museum decorating its walls, this bustling restaurant by Consortium Holdings is one of the area’s foundational cocktail bars which serves a food menu highlighted by wood-fired oysters with fennel harissa butter, mussels, and raclette fries. For a more intimate experience, check ou False Idol. the tiki-themed speakeasy hidden within the space." - Helen I. Hwang