Craig W.
Yelp
This review is for the Solana Beach location.
The happy hour scene here is fantastic. It doesn't hurt that, on Wednesdays through Fridays, happy is between 5 and 7 p.m. I mean, those are great hours. Good luck finding a spot at the bar (and the bar is huge and wraps from the inside to the outside). But it is very much worth trying to snag a spot.
The happy hour food portions are, like most places, on the smallish side, but they are ample and not tiny. Everything we had was excellent. The Idaho Parmesan Fries are superb. Get those, for sure. I could have eaten 50 of these fries. The Mini Maryland Style Crab Cakes are very nice. The Wagyu Meatballs (you get three good-sized meatballs, served over garlic mashed potatoes) are also a winner. I wanted to lick the plate to get all of the mashed potatoes I could.
The drinks are also very good. For those interested in mocktails, the Side Porch Shrub, made with blackberries, is excellent. It is very fruity and delicious. I am not normally a mocktail guy but I would absolutely order this drink.
I almost never order a bar's own cocktail creations but I tried two of their "Signature" cocktails here: the Dirty Cola (Gentleman Jack, Coke, vanilla, and oat milk--yes, oat milk) and a spicy margarita (I can't recall the exact drink name). The Dirty Cola was fine but, honestly, a little strange with the oat milk. The margarita was very spicy and delicious, if you like spicy margaritas.
The bar and restaurant itself are very attractive. The design is super cool and there is lot of wood and great lighting.
It's a gorgeous, lively place and based on what I tried so far, I would gladly return for happy hour or dinner.