Dani N.
Yelp
The first stop we made when I was in town last was Mess Hall, reason being, it's got something for everyone. I'm a big kombucha beer drinker but I can also go for a sour, IPA, glass of Cab or silver tequila. My friends are a little more specific though and only drink beer or only drink wine, so Mess Hall was the perfect place to not only all get what we liked, but also try many varieties/local brands of our own individual favorite styles of alcohol.
They also host themed nights, have good bar snacks (i.e. San Diego Snack Co Mexican Chocolate Pretzels), TVs all around to play "the game," and a wide variety of restaurant booth options throughout the rest of the public market style building where you can order and bring your food to the hall to eat all together with your group. The theme here is variety and tons of quality options at that. There's tons of free parking all around the building complex, though I'd recommend Ubering/Lyfting if you don't have a DD because you're going to want to try all the drinks.
My favorite options here were the Juneshine kombucha beers, specifically the Midnight Painkiller flavor, though I've tried almost all of them and don't hate any of them. They also have Boochcraft kombucha beers and two other brands i'd never heard of before. The cider selection is larger than I'd ever seen and their beers on tap include a huge variety of local options you'll love. My friends and I all got a different beer, tried each others and had not complaints, though the orange flavored Modern Times was definitely the group favorite.
Checkout Mess Hall! It's a group group setting, first date spot, place to watch the game, and so on. This area has so much fun stuff to see and do, If you're a tourist I'd recommend giving yourself time to explore all the shops and food and beverage options. Not insanely kid friendly but not the worst spot to take them either; it can just get pretty loud in Mess Hall. If you're planning your visit ahead of time, check out their social media for cool upcoming events!