Open Bar

I’ve given this bar multiple chances, but the behavior of the bouncers has consistently ruined the experience not just for me, but for many of my friends as well. Last night, there was a long line and my friend was visibly intoxicated. I politely asked if I could step out briefly to make sure she got into her Uber safely and then return. Instead of a professional response, I was told my idea was “stupid” and repeatedly shut down without explanation. The lack of basic courtesy or concern for safety was shocking. This isn’t the only incident. I’ve previously been kicked out after taking a shot and reacting dramatically to how gross it tasted while fully sober. Despite calmly explaining this, I was dismissed and removed anyway. On my birthday, all of my friends were allowed in, but I was denied entry because a bouncer claimed I had an “attitude.” There also seems to be no consistency in enforcing policies. The bar advertises that local restaurant workers can skip the line, yet on one occasion a manager abruptly told my friend “we’re not doing that tonight,” and told her to go wait in line. Again, unnecessarily hostile and unprofessional. I actually enjoy the atmosphere of this bar and want to like it, but the behavior of most of the bouncers has repeatedly made both me and my friends feel frustrated and unwelcome. The bouncer, Sam, is the one exception. He has always been respectful, calm, and professional. Unfortunately, the rest of the security staff has overshadowed what could otherwise be a great spot.

Loved Tyler so much ✨ He made the night inviting and a great first experience. Never been here before but got an amazing first impression. Vibe was great, pool games were fun to watch and drinks were perfectly made. Cheers! 🍻

This place is always an awesome visit when we return every year. Great staff and awesome beer prices, but sometimes the cashews are steal but at least they are available lol. Best atmosphere in PB! Note to self, don't trust their website for accuracy.

This is a Sports bar one block away from the beach. Cold beer, lots of locals.

I have been to this bar 3 times in the past few months and each time I had a bad experience. I went with friends and the bouncers are so rude and favor the people who kiss their feet. The staff is old for a college crowd and they overcrowd the bar so much it is a fire hazard. The bathrooms are so small there were girls going to the men's room because the line for the bathroom was halfway into the dance floor. This place is not meant to handle the crowds that they get and they hire people who are deeply insecure and take it out on the women in line. Do not recommend unless you're into a frat-type scene.

The bouncer at the door had me hand over a hot pink pepper spray and said that I could get it back at the end of the night. Once the bar was closed, I went out and found the same bouncer to ask for my pepper spray back. When I asked, he said he had not taken anything from anyone and did not have my belongings. He patted through his pockets and kept saying he did not have my item, and lifted his hands up to offer me to pat him down to find my own pepper spray which is completely inappropriate. Essentially got stolen from and then was asked to pat a staff member down.

I went to the bar with my friends on Halloween in 2025. I waited an hour and a half just to get in. I did nothing wrong and just like everybody else, when I showed the bouncer my ID, he didn’t let me in and said not tonight and gave me no reason at all. Yet he let everybody else in my group in. Within my group, there were multiple people who were far more intoxicated than I was. But apparently that didn’t matter. They all protested and said that I was with them and I should be let in and the bouncer threatened to kick them all out if they didn’t stop. And despite all of that, I saw the bouncer let in people who could barely walk straight both in front and behind me in line no questions asked who were clearly very drunk.

Ah this is a great little dive bar with friendly staff and locals, I was visiting Pacific Beach area saw this place walked in and stayed for hours. The bartender Angie was super friendly and professional!

Dive, DIVE, DIVE! I like Divvy Bars with loud 80's music, uninhibited patrons that want whiskey or beer, and friendly bartenders. Here you will find my concept of Bar Perfection. Have Fun!

Open Bar is a total dive bar. It's definitely a "get wasted and maybe hook up" kind of spot. The place is grimey, and it feels like it hasn't been cleaned in a while. The only reason I end up here is for the $5 pitchers after watching NFL games across the street. I always get here before the deal is up and so getting here for the last 30 minutes to have cheap drinks is hard to pass up. But, man, the atmosphere isn't much to brag about. The pool table in the back is decent if you're into that, but don't expect much else. It's located right on the corner of a busy street, so if you're sitting out on the patio, you're just getting hit with noise from all sides. They have a few TVs around the place. No closed captioning though. Honestly, if you're looking for a chill bar with good vibes, this ain't it. But if you're just trying to get hammered and don't care about much else, it does the job. The bartender is cool. You show them respect, and they are good to you. The bouncer is not.

Nasty bar. Bugs in my water. Not a good bar to drink at. I don't recommend. Not good at alll.

Great local bar . Great service , open late even on mondays. What more could ya ask. When every place closes its open . Hence open bar. Even free snacks

Tim is the best bartender! He makes the best drinks in San Diego and always has a smile on his face :) Isaiah is also the best security guard and keeps everyone safe and having fun. Come here for chill vibes and the best peanuts!!!!

Bouncer was extremely disrespectful when showing my ID when I entered he almost didn't let me in, because he suspected my ID to be fake because of my photo being zoomed in. The bouncer asked me for another form of identification even though my ID was real and the flashlight going through the ID showed the bear and CA state, proving it was a real ID. Please train your bouncers better when checking ID's! I shouldnt have to worry about carrying my birth certifcate or passport book just to prove my ID is real. On top of that he was extremely disrespectful to my friend when all she did was asked what was going on.

Bar itself it's great, been a million times. Went in this early afternoon and the bartender was a complete douche for no reason. Big guy, red beard. Walking in and walked out because of his poor attitude. Hope he was just having a bad day or something. Someone's gotta check him

The people who work here are horrible and treat people worse than at any other bar in the area. I'd rather spend money at the 7/11 than this place. I've never felt so discriminated against. I could stand and do nothing and they'd give me shit about it. This is such an unprofessional way to run a business. And how much do you want to bet that they're blacklisting people who give them bad reviews?

Free warm peanuts are so good. I love this dive bar. We cycled here while celebrating a Friends birthday

Ginger bartender said he was not gonna do the NYE Bar Crawl deal cause we were at bar for two hours. We were at bar for less than that time and left immediately after.

Came here on a Monday. Bartender was quite nice to look at. Wine was cold. Will return

Would rate 0 stars if possible. Terrible. Not fun. Regardless of it being no fun, they kicked me out for pressing no tip on a SINGULAR SHOT. Terrible. "She pressed no tip I want her out" and the bouncer escorted me out. Don't support this place.

My iphone was stolen last night 11/24. Super shitty having to spend your Sunday at the Apple Store. Saw another review from 15 days ago with someone saying the same thing. Just hold onto your belongings here bc it seems to be an issue.

Don't do it. I came here for a good time and I left crying because I got my phone stolen tonight

Nice place with an outdoor type of feeling because of all the windows and a PB locals spot.

The DJ does not take song requests. The food is also terrible and they have super overpriced drinks. Terrible service too

Your standard dive bar! Cheap drinks, music vibe changes a lot so sometimes it's really fun and sometimes its not the best. Bartenders are nice, I like the outdoor patio for air too. It's definitely a good stop if you're barhopping in PB! Can get really really busy on the weekends, especially when college is back in session!

Long story short, just AVOID. There's so many other bars that are friendlier, do not smell, are not packed af, and make actually decent drinks. With our entire family, at least 10 plus, they let everyone in except my fiancé who is an international citizen from England. He showed him his drivers license, but the red headed beard bouncer would not allow him to come in without a passport. (Also who would risk their passport on a night out drinking? Especially when his ID worked everywhere else we went.) I asked where the policies were and they clearly state "international citizens must provide Driver license and/or passport." And I pointed at that and he told me to "Eat a dick." My whole family of 10+ took our money elsewhere.

To dumbass bouncer who I allowed to not let me in today as I tame this fucking the lovely soul of mine I will own you the old ways gone bud still ridding the world of a curse placed a billion years ago but the no looking back !!I will own the this planet it's my right u can chuckle u can laugh but it and everything belongs to me have a nice day !!,,

Isaiah and Tim are the best , very accommodating and gave an amazing vibe it's my first time I'll be back.

ZERO stars is truly deserved! I'm visiting from LA for my 41st bday which is TODAY! and walked in there for a quick drink before starting our beach day. The second we walked in the bartender asked for our ID's. Not greeting, no drink order then asked for an ID. Then when she saw my facial expression of disgust, since I've been a bartender for 19 years and have NEVER greeted a guest like that she says "don't get offended I'm just doing my job" as if her approach was ok. At that moment I was DONE but my friend that I'm visiting is a local so she ordered a drink and I refused. Bc I don't want to support any business that hires this type of people to serve anyone. I also over heard her say "she's probably 21" after she literally just checked me ID that clearly stated my age was WELL over 21. I unapologetically have great genes. Still not a reason to be rude to a customer! Don't go here if you're looking for a good time bc apparently bitches behind the bar are a thing. I'll definitely be reporting this place to the health department as well since the fruit was moldy and there was flies all over it. If you go here definitely refuse any type of garnish. Never going here again and you shouldn't either!!

Worst place to go. I went out with buddies after being gone for work for a while, and wanted to be nice and order us all a drink, I understand it was busy but I waited a long time before they went to go get my order. It was expensive and because of the service I didn't leave a tip for my first drink order. After that he refused service to me when I went to get another drink and stated "I only serve people who tip" and went on to tell all the other bar tenders not to serve me. Horrible place and will never come back.

Security guard pushed my friends brother to the floor and his skull cracked open. As he laid on the floor the security watched him suffer and almost bleed to death. A by stander saw what happened and cops were eventually called. The ambulance took him to hospital where he remained in a coma for a week scariest moments of this family's life. Yet the security guard continues to work there without any remorse or repercussions. If you don't like being a security guard with drunk people around go find another profession and QUIT. #nomorecrackedskulls

super lame - avoid this place. they steal your data. don't give it to them. showing your ID should be enough. no reason to let them scan and steal your ID data

I don't even know how to start this. Immediately upon walking into the establishment, my friends and I were approached by a mega roach on the main bar. The bartender then flicked the roach onto my friend and giggled after. It's going to take years of therapy to process this event. Please keep my friends and I in your thoughts and prayers

There is a security guard who after two years of him having a bad attitude still won't let me enter. Rude to everyone from the get-go. I asked "why are you having a bad day" and the man with a beard took it to offense, and then his friend decided that was reason to kick me out... asked to speak to the manager as well and was denied that. MULTIPLE people came up to me saying that they were being unreasonable and rude to me, and even after apologizing for my apparently "sassy" comment, they refused to let me in. Even other security guards have said he's just mean that way and won't change his ways. You would think customer service was top of mind for such a mid dive bar. After tonight's impression, my friends and I will not be returning. I've already tried to speak to one manager who clearly he didn't listen to about this. Not to mention this guy has racist multiple allegations against him (not only my encounter with him and my friend but others tonight who had many things to say about him). I did absolutely nothing wrong to never be allowed entry again? Like grow up. I will continue to hate on this place until something is done about this guy. Even added proof of the original message from the manager at the time who said this is an ongoing issue and should not result in me being banned from this bar? Not sure who manages now but they keep viewing my message with no apologies or action taken. Save yourself the trouble in going here and go to an establishment that treats customers with respect and doesn't harass you because of their egos.

Bouncer told me to "eat a d***" after waiting in line for an hour. Definitely would not recommend, especially since their drinks aren't even good. I also just had to contact t ABC since he almost exclusively only lets in underaged girls. I'd recommend going to The Local across the street instead of supporting the bouncer's drug habit.

i was waiting in line for 45 minutes and he let underage girls in, he took my ID for 1 minute and then wanted it back & told me to leave after i was uncomfortable with him holding my ID for an extensive amount of time while speaking to whatever girl he was letting skip the line. sorry, you shouldn't be holding my ID for more than 30 seconds. horrible bouncer who thinks he runs the entire bar... literally didn't let me in because i wasn't comfortable with him holding my ID speaking to his hopeful hookup of the night.. no respect

My daughter and friend who are both seniors at SDSU & UCSB both got grabbed last night very violently at this bar and thrown out. They stepped outside and had secure guard approve then got back in. Then they hunted them down like criminals and kicked them out. You can't treat young 21 year old like this. Bars like this can't be ran. You don't touch young girls like this. They did not cause a fight or drama. Your bar is a shit hole. You are lucky wealthy girls bring you business.

I came here on a Saturday night and let me tell you, they pack everyone in despite how much space there isn't. However, the music is good the limited dance space is enough to work with and there is a patio to hang out at. Despite the jammed messed you'll find yourself in if you decide to visit a weekend night, the service at the bar is outstanding. The one bartender on the patio side of the bar area is a master in taking drink orders and serving up drinks. I was noticing he alone can take care of that entire side by himself. More so, getting a drink on the dance floor side of the bar isn't as fast. Do yourself a favor and go around. No cover and close to the beach. Check it out.

Good vibes. I left my debit card there once and recovered it what seemed like months later. Bartenders always nice. The place could be cleaned up a little more in busy times as far as wiping tables go but I'd go again!

Went here are 11pm on a Tuesday, bar was empty. The bouncer and the bartenders were assholes from the moment we walked into the bar and started calling the guys i was with assholes for simple mistakes. Horrible customer service. Don't go to this bar if you want good customer service. Didn't even finish our first beer because of the bartenders and the bouncer. i'd give 0 stars if I could.

Anytime I come into town I always try to make my way to open bar! It's so fun and has decent priced drinks. Some nights they even have a DJ which is awesome and free pool ! The customer service is great.

Love the Open Bar, precisely because it is different from most of the other bars in PB. Open Bar has a relaxed atmosphere with people that are there to drink and have fun. The entrance is on the corner right next to a small outdoor patio. Once you enter, the bar is to your left. The bar is a large rectangle with seating on all sides. It has a wooden bar top with a large matching rail, but no footrest. Square padded stools with no back support surround the bar. Since the bar is square, there is no back bar, really, but there are plenty of HDTVs hanging along with pitchers and bottle shelves. Beyond the bar is additional seating, a pool table, and foosball. Most of the times I've visited have been during the daytime. As others have pointed out, the other patrons are more local and older (part of the reason this bar is better). I've had nothing but incredible. Though there are other great bars in the area, Open Bar is probably my favorite. Leans toward a dive bar, and that is perfect for me.

Best Dive Bar in Pacific Beach! Bartenders and door men are the best at what they do! Good spot for the locals and visitors alike.

Great service I was attended to immediately every time I went up to the bar I've never had faster service at a bar the vibes are also immaculate

This was my third time here and I will never return. I came with my bf, brother and father. I was completely sober thought we were walking out to the patio and this guy aggressively yanked me by my shirt and jacket to where I almost fell to the floor and yelled at me for walking outside with an open beer. I was clearly confused as I thought I was going to the patio. He could have easily told me I couldn't take my beer outside and we both would have realized it was a mistake. He then could have showed me where the patio was. When I asked for his name he refused to give it to me. I decided to leave because I no longer felt safe. This man also appeared to be on drugs or something and started trying to fight my dad outside. Disgusting behavior and will not support a business that hires employees to assault women and treat customers like animals or criminals.

Ever seen the show Cheers? Where everybody knows your name... here's the West coasts beach version, friendly staff, best drink prices, best bar in the area

Great dive bar been several times we live here but once again the blond bartender there was rude af. I don't know if it's because I'm a woman or what but she was all lovey dovey with my guy but wouldn't even acknowledge me. we never come in when that person is working. When we left my guy said wtf was that about even

Wow.. what a POS spot. Garbage service, garbage staff, garbage everything. I'd rate it negative stars if I could. Was at the the bar for 15 minutes, trying to get a couple measly drinks. Some chunky dude bartending with a receding hairline decides to take the order of some random guy who showed up five minutes after me. Couldn't expect anything more from some random mid 40s bartender honestly so idk why I'm writing this 1-star review. But yeah, anyways.. go to this spot if you want the worst service in the WORLD.. can't wait to never go back here lmao

Holy smoking hot bartenders batman ! Every single one of them were eye candy . I was amused at watching the cougars flirt with them . The bartenders were all down to earth and polite about it . Pretty entertaining. The drinks are on the weak side , but that's probably a good thing , cuz you can get too hammered at other places in PB for sure . I enjoyed the good music they played and the dance floor. This is definitely a fun dive bar . One thing that for sure needs attention is the restrooms . They look like they haven't been cleaned in a long time .

I love open bar and now my post is going to sound like I'm a complete alcoholic. I live in PB and at some point during my "nights out" i always end up at freaking open bar. Is it the bartenders? Is it the free warm peanuts? Is it the cheap drinks? Is it the security? Is it the variety of age groups? Is it the ratchet 30 something year olds dancing to Lil Jon's song "low?" Or maybe it's finding that one place in PB where people honestly don't care . Don't come to open bar sober. Open bar is for the end of the night. I tried going sober once on a Friday night and i had to leave to return later. You literally have to go in there with no expectations. Expect to get treated like crap. Expect it to be musty and sweaty. Cant have disappointments if you have expectations

terrible service. I ordered a vodka cran and it was straight up just cranberry juice and after waiting for a while I eventually was able to get the bartenders attention. I asked if I can get it remade or add some more vodka, she said no so I then ordered again later with a different bartender and I was able to actually taste the vodka which means it was made incorrectly the first time. I never like to complain about things like this but it's something I paid for and wanted it remade. That's all.

I went to open bar last weekend and was served by a guy named Brendon. He was sooo sweet and gave us the best hospitality. Such a cool vibe and cool guy, really made our experiment better! Highly recommend this place as a good local bar in San Diego!

Brendon is the best bartender I have ever experienced in my 21 years of life. He gave us snacks, amazing music, and the best good time ever. We will be back every Monday for the rest of the year on my momma! Please come and show support for our San Diego local bars!!! Periodddd.....!!!!

I love this place!!! Free nuts and fast service, it's one of the few oldies left in PB. They have outdoor seating too so fuck ya on that. This is definitely your typical dive bar but in my opinion those are the best ones. If your looking for a good time, cheap drinks, cool bartenders and good people this will be your new favorite spot. The bathrooms are kept clean as is the rest of the bar. I had zero complaints and would definitely recommend stopping in for some drinks. Cheers.

Was here a few months back for a DJ Battle to support a friend that was competing. Location - In the heart of Pacific Beach right in the corner easy to find. Parking - Like any other beach destination the parking sucks and you have to drive around or park across the residential area. Staff - Security is nice and chill, and the bartenders are quick at making good drinks and getting people moving for fast service. Venue - In the smaller side but it is P.B. So not bad for the actual size with outdoor patio, dance area, lots of tv's, stage, and large bar area. Overall good experience and would come back again.

Just no. When walking in, feels as if you were being sucked into a wormhole. You're transported into a parallel universe in which you go from the usual level of PB bro-ness to a John Carpenter movie. I can't be sure, but I may have spotted teen-like adults with very long fangs. Maybe not. It was dark. I was confused. Please get me out of there.

The line sucked the bouncer sucked even more, let people in before us that just walked up while we were in line for 20 minutes, music sucked. Firehouse was 10-20 times better, sucky bar overall