The Lion's Share

"A mainstay of the San Diego bar scene, this downtown late-night spot is a favorite among hospitality staff, whose fun begins just as most people are heading home. Led by bar lead John Gibian, the team crafts cocktails with seasonally-driven, house-made ingredients like mulled plums and chai-infused blended scotch, making for a drink experience as dynamic as its after-hours crowd. For those looking for an earlier evening, the bar also offers an ample dinner menu to accompany the cocktails." - Kelly Bone

"For a safari-themed private dining experience, the Marina District restaurant has a second-floor hideout called the Loft. Decorated with taxidermy, the Loft space has a billiard room, arcade game, two cozy lounges, a balcony, an open kitchen, and a private bar. The upstairs space can accommodate 30 people, or both floors are available for private dining, holding up to 150 people. The inventive menu offers wild-game dishes, like bison tartare, boar Bolognese, and bone-in elk chops, along with more conventional items like wagyu steak frites and coq au vin." - Helen I. Hwang

"A daily cocktail hour, featured from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., extends to several of the bar’s perenially popular drinks, from a cucumber gimlet to classics like a Paloma, daiquiri, and vodka mule, all priced at $8. Pair drinks with bites from a robust food menu that includes $5 crispy scallion fritters, $6 chicharrones, and a wagyu-blend burger and Miller High Life combo for $15." - Candice Woo

"The Lion’s Share feels like a natural history museum: there are stuffed animal heads, a huge bearskin rug, and even a whole taxidermied peacock. Settle into the dining room’s leather chairs and start with the grilled oysters in coconut curry, and the little gem salad with wild boar bacon bits. If you’re with a group, split the wagyu steak frites with chimichurri butter, and elk flank rubbed in sumac and served with eggplant puree and sweet potatoes. Their excellent cocktails are the way to go, like the tamarind mezcal and fresno chile Cheeto Fingers which has a delightful, slow-burn kick. This is the kind of spot where you can take a date and test their sense of humor between the decor and asking if they ever read Zoobooks growing up." - ligaya malones

"A daily cocktail hour, featured from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., extends to several of the bar’s perenially popular drinks, from a cucumber gimlet to classics like a Paloma, daiquiri, and vodka mule, all priced at $8. Pair drinks with bites from a robust food menu that includes $5 crispy scallion fritters, $6 chicharrones, and a wagyu-blend burger and Miller High Life combo for $15." - Candice Woo