Sidecar wants their cocktails to be enjoyable and not a long process or delay for consumption. You won’t find any stemware in-house, as they like to keep their cocktail consumption casual, simple and focused on what is inside rather than what is being held.
Sidecar 1310 Morena Blvd San Diego, CA 92110 619.230.5715 www.sidecarsd.com
As you approach Sidecar, you are greeted by a small parking lot and sign that hangs above the building that says, “Today’s Soup is Beer.” Dark windows and dark wood enclose the space with a single, large sign off to the left declaring its name, so you know exactly where you are. For first timers, you don’t really know what to expect when you walk inside. Entering the building, the bar opens up to a large space with plenty of moving room, dark wood floors and a “speakeasy” kind of feel. Tim Girsch and Matt Guilbert, who are known for their beer-centric bar concepts they co-own, Regal Beagle and Regal Seagull, wanted to open up a third concept. Partnering with Jesse Melton, they created a craft beer and “honest” cocktail joint combined with arcade and classic bar games to entertain the locals, which they eventually named Sidecar. When deciding the name for their new concept, it began with four guys on a group text trying to settle on something they liked. Originally, it was going to be “Rat’s Ass,” but now that’s what they call their mule cocktails. They took over a former live music venue, which they remodeled, giving it a more classic cocktail bar feel. They expanded the bar area, providing more bar space to offer as many seats as they can to their locals and regulars, had new floors and furnishings put in, along with new TVs to host your favorite sports games. Because they had already created two popular beer focused bars, they wanted to take a straightforward cocktail bar approach to fit in and complement the neighborhood, providing quality product for their customers.
P DRINK UP: When asked about their cocktails, they focus on bringing what they call an “honest” cocktail to the table. Their list is all about creating modern classics, with three to four steps and fresh, local and house-made ingredients. Sidecar wants their cocktails to be enjoyable and not a long process or delay for consumption. You won’t find any stemware in-house, as they like to keep their cocktail consumption casual, simple and focused on what is inside rather than what is being held. You will find their most popular cocktail being their version of the Penicillin cocktail, PCN rx, incorporating fresh, house made ginger syrup and fresh squeezed lemon juice with
Monkey Shoulder Blended Malt Scotch Whisky and a Montelobos Mezcal float for a smoky, finishing touch, garnished with a fresh lemon twist.
P GAME ON: Now that you have gotten settled in the bar and ordered your beverage, there are many different choices to choose from when it comes to entertainment. You can watch sports, which are always playing on the televisions or indulge in one of the games they have lined up for you to play. If you head to the back of the bar, you will find a pool table, with plenty of arm room so you aren’t fighting (or struggling) for a good shot. There’s a real dart board for you dart fans that like to play the one-handed game while holding onto your drink of choice. At the front of the bar is where the arcade games are. Here, you will find Big Buck Safari and Pop-A-Shot, the most popular game of them all, which Sidecar takes advantage of to host tournaments for the competitive. For the classic arcade lovers, don’t worry, they have a set up with Pac-Man and Galaga.
AT THE FRONT OF THE BAR is where the arcade games are. Here, you will find Big Buck Safari and Pop-AShot, the most popular game of them all, which Sidecar takes advantage of to host tournaments for the competitive. LIVING LIKE A LOCAL: Sidecar loves to support local. They provide ingredients sourced from local farms, make their syrups and fresh squeeze their juices daily and constantly carry local breweries’ product and local spirits from Ballast Point. Another fun fact? They don’t have a kitchen to provide food for their hungry patrons. Instead, they partner with popular food trucks so you can grab some local gourmet food and bring it in to accompany your drink of choice.
NATIVE KNOWLEDGE: Sidecar is open seven days a week, providing happy hour Monday through Friday with $1 off all beer, wine and cocktails. On Mondays they have a “double happy hour” with $2 off all drinks for the entire evening; head over at 7:30pm on Tuesdays for trivia night and Wednesdays for $4 mules.