some late-night ish
9 February 2011 1 Comment
As discussed in the Tajima post, after midnight can be a ghost town when it comes to trying to find a place to eat in San Diego that doesn’t end in –berto’s or –in-the-box. Here’s a (non-exhaustive) list of interesting spots around town with kitchens open past midnight.
food until 1am
Alchemy, South Park. 1am. Great food and drink menu emphasizing local/seasonal fare. Late night happy hour nightly 10pm-close.
3rd Corner, Ocean Beach, Encinitas. 1am, tues-sun. Owned by Ed Moore, the original owner of the (much missed) Thee Bungalow Restaurant, this is a wine shop that also happens to have bistro food.
The Tractor Room, Hillcrest. 1am fri-sat, 12am sun. Lots of game meat and “creative” cocktails, as well as the (self-proclaimed) largest bourbon, rye, scotch, and whiskey selection in town.
food until 2am
West Coast Tavern, North Park. 2am. Set in a historic building (built in 1929) and attached to the lovely recently restored Birch North Park Theater. Great daily deals, including happy hours, Wednesday bourbon night, and drinks & a movie in the Birch theater.
Red Fox Room, North Park. 2am. Maybe not the best steaks in the world, but you must go here at least once for a late night steak dinner with garlic toast and fried shrimp – This place is small, red, dark; full of aging North Park octogenarians and young(ish) whippersnappers, with a tiny bar and an equally tiny piano lounge. Truly, it’s a unique and relatively little-known piece of Old Hollywood in San Diego that can’t be duplicated once its doors finally close for good.
food until 3am
Tajima Japanese Noodle House, Convoy. 3am thurs-sat. Cheap, hot, fast and open until 3 am. What else is there to say? (plenty, apparently).
food 24 hours (you animal!)
Brian’s American Eatery, Hillcrest. Open 24 hours fri/sat. Diner food that’s not that cheap and not always even that good, but hey, it’s 24 hours and the people-watching can’t be beat.
Studio Diner, Kearny Mesa. 24/7. Traditional diner sitting on the lot of a working movie and TV studio in Kearny Mesa (What? Yep, there is a studio lot smack in the middle of Kearny Mesa. Who knew?).
It’s a Taco Shop – Point Loma. 24/7. Yes, there are a million 24/7 taco joints in San Diego. Yes, this is a building that looks like a giant yellow and red cheese wheel. And yes, not everything here is stellar. But please do yourself a favor and order the carnitas tacos some late night – hot, greasy delicious mounds of pork, a bit of pico and a bit of guac, and lots of hot sauce. Thank you, sir, may I have another?
Feel free to add your favorite after-hours place in the comments.
a fine kettle of ish 