The Collective

The Collective was the PERFECT space for my 30th Birthday Party. Kristi was an absolute pleasure to work with, as was grant who helped work the bar that night. Everything was smooth and seamless, and it was the best night! Karaoke (which collective offers for free) was a huge hit. Food and drinks were also great. Can’t recommend this place enough for your special event!

We hosted my mom’s 50th birthday party at The Collective in Pacific Beach, and it was absolutely perfect. Kristi and the entire staff were incredible from start to finish—so accommodating, organized, and genuinely kind. They made the entire process stress-free and ensured everything ran smoothly the day of the event. The space itself is fantastic—clean, modern, spacious, and set up perfectly for hosting a celebration. The value is unbeatable for everything you get, making it an amazing price point for anyone looking to host a private event in PB. We also had food catered from Taproom, and it was a huge hit. Everything was delicious, fresh, and perfectly suited for a party atmosphere. I can’t recommend The Collective enough for birthdays or any special event. We had an unforgettable experience and would absolutely host another event here again!

Had the BEST time celebrating my 30th at The Collective! From start to finish, everything was seamless thanks to Kristi. she was amazing and made sure every detail went smoothly. The customer service was top-tier and the food service was great. The venue itself is such a fun vibe, and I loved that I could set up a cute photo backdrop it made the whole night even more memorable. Truly couldn’t have picked a better place to celebrate. Highly recommend for any event!

The Thursday night open mic list signed up when I had arrived, really nice people, and good beer! Get here early if you want to perform.

The perfect venue for our chill, small wedding reception! Super affordable, food and drink were great...and karaoke was *included* ! (Karaoke was a must for me and my partner at our reception. 😊) So happy we found this place!

I cannot thank Johnny and Michael enough for hosting an incredible surprise birthday party for my wife! I would highly recommend their bar and service for everything from a chill afternoon beer to fancy cocktails late night to hosting awesome private events like ours! It was so easy to reach out, figure out dates, logistics, and Michael and co were helpful every step of the way. Johnny is a fantastic, welcoming bartender who took some incredible photos of our crew at the party which were appreciated! We've lived in PB for 8 years, and had our wedding afterparty at Barrel Republic with Taproom PB pizza in 2019. We were so bummed when Barrel Republic closed, but were stoked to hear Taproom was opening this bar. We're even more thrilled now that we've made another special memory at this cozy, rad spot. It’s also clutch that you can easily order food from Taproom PB next door! Cheers to the team at The Collective Bar!

We have our Collective Comedy shows here. Love this venue. Great drinks & food. Awesome staff. Check it out every month on the 1st Wed & the last Sun.

Great atmosphere and open mic on Thursdays with the best sound anywhere and great drinks at great prices. And you can order food from a great restaurant next door.

I've hosted 2 birthday parties here and they were perfect! Great service, great space, great food from The Tap Room next door, reasonable food and beverage minimum, no outrageous limitations! Can't recommend them enough!

The girls and I gathered on Sunday night to support our friend for comedy night. We got lucky and found parking across the street, but having to pay until 10:00pm wasn't fun. This venue is so cute. I love the natural and rustic aesthetic look. We sat at a high top and seats we're comfortable. Tables were kind of close together, I brushed elbows with my neighbor more than once. Drinks were good, ambiance was good and the talent was both painful and hilarious. I commend them for braving the stage. I like that you can tip the comedians via Venmo!

Great spot for venue drinks are a selective staff is friendly. Always a great time doing open mic here.

Came here for live music and beers. Interesting spot! A little awkward walking in while someone is performing, but overall a good time. I wish there were more cider options!

Stopped by to watch a band that my friend plays in -- pretty cool place to check out local talent while drinking a cold one. Unique and fun.

A lot of fun. Great spot. Good food. Good drinks. Good service. Always fun. Definitely a highly recommended spot for garnet.

Hosted my wife's birthday party here and we couldn't be happier. Kristi and her team made the process easy and all of our guests are raving fans! Hand tossed pizzas, lobster Mac and cheese, custom bar drinks, and the band was ripping. Everything went smoothly and we would definitely host another event here. Kudos to Kristi and staff for making it a memorable and fun evening!

I came here earlier tonight for trivia - I highly recommend going, they do it every Tuesday! You order at the bar and they don't serve food, but they do allow you to bring food from other places inside which is nice. It's a super cute ambience and vibe, walked by a million times but I never made it in here before.

Please consider another venue for a private event! Extremely dissatisfied with the event planning team, Michael and Kristi. Both individuals were extremely unresponsive leading up to my event. I initially decided to go with The Collective for my event venue, as I read on Yelp and other platforms that the service/space was outstanding. However, I was disappointed when calls and texts were left unanswered. Their unresponsive manner caused my party and I to find a new party venue the day before my event due to Michael and Kristi. We were worried that Michael and Kristi wouldn't have been on-site the day of our party (8/24). Please see screenshots.

They nailed the cozy chill vibe - guaranteed a great spot to hang out with friends or take a date. Decor is on point - local artists' work on the walls, wood keeping it warm, but a high ceiling to keep the sound from getting too loud and providing nice air circulation. It's a cool space. They've got a food menu from the neighboring Taproom - had a nice fresh veggie pizza and chicken strips with a side salad. I wish i could have tried more dishes but my friend is vegetarian (we shared the pizza) and I'm low carb and needed protein. I didn't realize until after that they have some extensive non-alcoholic options, but the drinks looked good and the bartender was really sweet to answer my questions about the food. I mostly came for the Thursday open mic run by a couple open mic veterans. Sign-ups are at 730p and go until 12am- what's crazy is that people get 15 min slots which is 2-3 songs. There's a drumset, but no keyboard/piano. Sound engineer was on point. Featured slot at 10-1030pm. They ask for your IG handle and put it on the marquee while you're playing. Very friendly music community here and great musicians. BUT WAIT there's also Free fresh popcorn from an old school machine WITH toppings including that melted butter stuff from the movie theater. I was surprised to see some negative reviews, but after speaking with someone, apparently they had a bad bartender and security awhile back who have since been replaced with waaay better people. It's great that they are listening to feedback. All in all I would 10/10 recommend the Collective - it's unique, it's cool without being pretentious, food and service are great and the live entertainment rocks. You can't go wrong. I don't live in the area, but if I did, I would definitely make this a regular spot to meet up with friends.

Location: on garnet next door to taproom parking: lots of street parking but we chose to walk there service: 10/10 we got there around 7:30-8 pm and we were the only ones there at first but the crowd picked up as the night went on. They have good music, lots of board games, jenga, and darts. Plenty of seating too. Michael the GM is very personable and let us know about upcoming events for the bar and all about the menu. Johnny the bartender makes a darn good drink. Knows his stuff when it comes to the bar and also presents the drinks very well. Also very personable and he's the only bartender but never fear you will not be waiting for a drink! Drinks: my fav drink overall was the "Love Me Two Times". It was sweet and reminded me of a whiskey sour with mango and pomegranate. My friend loved the "Black Magic" which is their take on an espresso martini. main takeaway: super cool new bar, worth checking out if you're ever in the area. Kinda has a north park vibe which I love. No food here but you can order food from taproom next door or just have a nightcap here.

Stumbled into the Collective for trivia on a Tuesday and we had so much fun. The vibes are laid back but artsy and cool! Drinks were delicious and fair priced, will definitely come back on our next visit to San Diego!!

Great beer selection and the local music nights are the best! Just what Pb has been needing! We love it here!

We held an event here over the weekend. Everything was great! The venue was clean and the ambiance is great. The staff here is FANTASTIC. Everyone was very helpful and hard working. We ordered food from taproom that came exactly when they said and it was delicious. We would definitely use this venue again!

My absolute favorite spot in Pacific Beach. Service is fantastic, the staff is friendly and knowledgeable. The beer selection is great and we'll profiled. The cocktails are so unique and tasty... not to mention very much "instagram worthy". The ambiance is awesome, they have fun events going on all throughout the week. Lots of fun games to play so it's a definitely a spot to bring a date. This place supports local artists which is another of many reasons to love it here. I could go on and on but I doubt anyone would read this far. Moral of the story is come to The Collective, you'll love it.

Best new spot in PB!! My husband spoiled me with a surprise birthday party here a few weeks ago and it was absolutely perfect. Every party guest commented on how great the venue was! Have also walked in a few times to have drinks with friends and am always blown away by the excellent service, great vibe, and awesome drinks. Absolutely worth checking out!

The collective is a great bar if you're just wanting something chill. It's beer and wine only. They have the liquor but it's like that Rice Wine Liquor or whatever it is. As they don't have a liquor license. It's a sister bar to TapRoom. They don't serve food here but you're more than welcome to bring your own and you can order from tap room and they bring it right next door to you. The bartenders are fantastic and so is the manager. They have a lot of board games they also have darts. There is stuff to do here every night whether it's trivia or karaoke or open mic night. So definitely come and check this place out it's a great spot to hang with friends if you don't want that noisy crowded bar scene. Parking is just street parking but since it's further up from the beach it has never been an issue. Also I believe it's pet friendly.

I'm in love with the vibe of this place! The staff is friendly, they support local artists on their walls, they have a great drink selection, live music and apparently you can book the entire venue for private events! It's just what the town of Pacific Beach needs!

**TOURIST BAE-CATION REVIEW** Drinks - 5/5 Service -5/5 Ambiance - 5/5 Strolling this strip and the doorman was promoting that they were spinning reggae tonight (Thursday night). Thinking appropriation... I'm now intrigued and ready to judge. 1st off they do not have bartenders they have mixologist so whatever your poison is it WILL be DELICIOUS!! The music glad there was an actual DJ and yes ye spun true reggae and great vibez this was not a playlist or jukebox selection so thank you. Whole place is picturesque but came of a little confusing as a collective. The have a whole bookcase full of games if your group need a little loosening up. I can see the pride these owners take in their establishment. HAPPY DRINKING!!!

The Collective is a unique & cool concept where both beer & cocktails are served on draft. Additionally, the ambience is cool, comfortable, & welcoming. I recommend introducing a non-draft cocktail list for folks that may prefer standard drinks.

Great service. Superior tap wall. Chill vibe in a great location. Great place to kick back after a long day.

We searched all over San Diego for a place to host our little wedding reception that had the complete package. We found The Collective and it was perfect. All we did was show up. The collective did everything else. We had such a blast at our wedding reception. This space is so unique and it has accommodations for everything we needed. Great food, craft beer and cocktails, a DJ and a big screen with a projector and a full sound system. It has a really cool interior perfect for our little micro wedding. They also have farmer tables so we didn't have to rent anything. We used their planner to design and set up our table decor and flowers. Easy peasy!

Awesome unique spot on Garnet. Had a great time watching open mic with great beers. Highly recommended especially if you like a more chill vibe without aggressive brobros trying to prove themselves to the world. TLDR go here for a beer to chill out on the PB strip.

Craft Beer! Vibing bar! Cool decor! Live music open mic night on Thursdays! Happy hours 6-8pm!

Loved the vibes here! The vibes are a lot different than the other PB bars. We went in for one drink and stayed for 4 hours playing games and hanging out. They do not serve food but you are able to get food delivered from Taproom. The cocktails were fun to try but not my favorite ever, I'll be content to just get beer or wine next time. We will definitely be back, especially when the live music starts in a few weeks

Extremely disappointed with the behavior of the bartender here (bartender with face tattoo). Seven of my friends and I came to this bar around 9:30 pm, and there was almost no one inside the bar. We were celebrating our friend's sobriety and were planning on ordering mocktails for the group-- something that should be completely acceptable at any bar. The bartender rolled his eyes, and said that The Collective "doesn't cater to the sober crowd" and that he would make only one mocktail for our sober friend as an exception. Basically stating that the rest of the group would need to drink alcohol or get out. We were willing to pay full price for the cocktails just without the alcohol. He said he "doesn't want the word to get out" that they make non-alcoholic drinks. His reasoning was because "we're a beer bar" which is not true because the bar has a full menu of cocktails. There was another employee witnessing this happen and did not say anything. My sober friend just wanted a reminder that she doesn't need to drink have fun, and this really put a damper on that celebration. It was really upsetting for all of us, and affected our night as a whole. It should be no issue to make a cocktail that you have on your menu and just not put the alcohol in it. This empty bar could have received 7 patrons and several rounds of drinks, but instead they got nothing and a bad yelp review. Shame on this bar for this behavior.

If you're a newer artist/musician, looking to start performing, the free open mics here every Thursday are a great place to start. The place and open mic itself are very new, so I've seen different people running it each time, not much of a crowd aside from the performers, and lack of standard open mic equipment (music stands, house keyboard). But the vibe, energy, and setting are amazing. I'm sure the things they are missing are only due to the spot/event being so new. You'll see a mix of people performing for the first time and seasoned professionals, spanning every genre and style. My first set there was a rap cover, country cover, then a jazz standard, and the variation was strongly encouraged! As a bar, the lace only provides beer and mixed drinks on tap, seemingly supplied by the TapRoom next door. The drinks taste good and are affordable, and happy hour is extended throughout the entirety of their open mic night. It's in a slower part of PB, near residential areas, and I haven't had any trouble finding free, and close parking.

Really liked the kiss of death and two doors down cocktails. Atmosphere was great. This place is a great addition to mission bay.

I cannot thank Johnny and Michael enough for hosting an incredible surprise birthday party for my wife! I would highly recommend their bar and service for everything from a chill afternoon beer to fancy cocktails late night to hosting awesome private events like ours! It was so easy to reach out, figure out dates, logistics, and Michael and co were helpful every step of the way. Johnny is a fantastic, welcoming bartender who took some incredible photos of our crew at the party which were appreciated! We've lived in PB for 8 years, and had our wedding afterparty at Barrel Republic with Taproom PB pizza in 2019. We were so bummed when Barrel Republic closed, but were stoked to hear Taproom was opening this bar. We're even more thrilled now that we've made another special memory at this cozy, rad spot. It's also clutch that you can easily order food from Taproom PB next door! Cheers to the team at The Collective Bar!

I would give this place zero stars if that was an option. We started our night here wanting to try out a new spot in PB, when we first walked in there weren't many people which we assumed was due to it being new but later discovered it was due to the horrendous service. The bartender was too busy flirting with anything that would talk to him than to actually serve drinks. Could have been a really cool place but definitely needs to hire a more attentive/friendly staff.

By far the best space to enjoy a craft cocktail/wine/beer, play darts, with an incredibly relaxing and vibey ambience in PB. The staff are so cool to talk to and make the environment very comfortable and welcoming. 10/10 recommend !

Fantastic drinks (with some spice), and great service. Went in with my wife to try a drink, and hung out for the night. Great vibe.

Cool bar, horrible service. With so many options in PB, you're better off at literally any other place than this one.

Rude bartender. Ruined our evening. We are locals that really wanted to like this place but won't return. Asked basic questions to bartender to be berated. We'll spend our money at other establishments that appreciate our business and treat customers more respectfully. So many other great places in pb. This place isn't worth it.

Don't even want to add a star. Worse of the worst. Bartender had serious attitude. The door guy tries I give him that (he was the only reason we went in). Did not like the music. Sign is small so hard to find unless you look up for a pair of lips. It's a one drink and out since they serve fake alcohol (bartender tried to pass it off as fermented but it was clearly soju). This was a little over a month ago when I was there. Not on my list of go to places when my girl and I come back this summer.

I recently went to the Collective for their Open Mic night and had a great time! All of the bartenders and staff were super friendly and nice, especially the drumming manager guy! He was crushing it! It's really nice and inviting inside with comfy plush chairs with backs which is a nice! Can you tell I'm getting older?! Lol. Overall the vibe was chill and they also sell wine which isn't always easy to come by in the bar scene. A friend mentioned to me that in the past there were unfortunately some not so nice people on staff which led to some negative reviews, but those people are no longer working there. Everyone I encountered was super welcoming and friendly! They have a good selection of drinks on tap, I was drinking the strawberry banana sour and it was delish! They don't do food in house, but they are owned by the same people that own Tap Room next door so you can order food from there. We will definitely be back!