Best Happy Hour in Pacific Beach
Updated Dec 01, 2023
Pacific Beach is a place heralded for its gorgeous weather, attractive residents, beachside culture, and incredible hospitality. It’s considered one of the best beaches in San Diego for good reason. This oceanside location in San Diego is home to a community that loves the sunshine and the outdoors… which is probably why you’re considering going there to have a cocktail. Truthfully, what’s more cathartic than the California sun, ocean breeze, and a tasty peach-gold Mai Tai?
It’s the type of thing they write about in the novels. It’s winter’s greatest fantasy. It’s the anecdote to any and all problems in life. And you’re about to realize it. Read on while we guide you on a San Diego tour of the best happy hours in Pacific Beach—so you can live the California Dream. You’re guaranteed to have a good time without breaking the bank.
Duck Dive
Photo Courtesy: Duck Dive
Ever seen a surfer duck dive? The graceful form, milky hair, and fitted wetsuit melt into one melodic motion. You stare in awe, wishing you could be so talented. Have you ever seen a kook dive and get washed onto the beach? You stare at the sand; your stomach cramping and your laughter brazen.
So why all this talk about ducks and diving? Because the Duck Dive is a place modeled after this very art, tipping its hat to the surf culture of Pacific Beach. And because ducks are one of the only species in the animal kingdom that love Vodka Lemonade. This place has both tasty drinks and food. Not to mention, Duck Dive has brunch and bottomless mimosas daily, so you can mosey on in for a boozy brunch by the water.
- Tell Me How To Happy – Alright, so you’re going to happy from 3 pm to 6 pm Monday through Friday. The best part? Aside from the happy hour specials for drinks, all appetizers are half off.
Drink Suggested Cocktails Based Off Circumstance
- If you love giraffes and ducks: My Neck My Quack
- If you breakdance: Tropic Like It’s Hot
- If you love the movie Bad Boys II: Pistol Whip
- If you’re a swimming fruit connoisseur: Peach Beach
What’s the Crowd Like?
Rowdy. Eclectic. Beautiful. Welcoming. Full of youth. Scientific.
PB’s Backyard Kitchen & Tap
Photo Courtesy: Backyard Kitchen & Tap
The Backyard Kitchen & Tap is located where Garnet Avenue meets Mission Boulevard (the heart of Pacific Beach). They’ve curated their menu and award-winning beer list to “meet the desire of any palette.” Basically, they have it all. If you’re looking for a dog-friendly, breezy, lovely outdoor patio with firepits, then mosey on over and cozy yourself in. Their happy hour deals are is extra happy—aimed specifically for those of you that want to eat and drink as four for the price of one.
Also, be sure to use your vocal cords and ask about their daily specials, as they run well past their happy hour. Our favorite is their “Wine Down Wednesdays,” where shockingly all of their wine is discounted.
- Tell Me How To Happy – Alright, so you’re going to get happy from 4 pm to 6 pm on Thursdays and Fridays. Take a seat, enjoy some company, and order a thousand of their delicious cornbread skillets.
Drink Suggestions Based Off Circumstance
- If you want to stand out: A Martini
- If you want to stand in: A Craft Beer
- If you’re a bubbly politician: Champagne Campaign
- If you love trees: Foliage
What’s the Crowd Like?
Lovely. Joyful. Filled with mirth. Intelligent. Calculated.
Firehouse American Eatery + Lounge
Photo Courtesy: Firehouse
Firehouse is a local legend amongst Pacific Beach, a place that harmonizes the old ways of the area with the new. Their natural lighting, ocean views, panoramic glass doors, and world-class chefs make this a location you need to visit. But we know what you’re really looking for, Thirsty Shirley, and we promise we’re getting to it. We’re just explaining that the place is beautiful as is, and after your third Sauv Blanc you might begin to believe you’ve stumbled into Narnia once you see the amazing rooftop view. And if you happen to catch the view from here during sunset, you’ll see why this is one of the best bars in Pacific Beach.
Plus, they don’t believe in happy hour, they believe in happy hours. As a true best happy hour in Pacific Beach, you can enjoy an assortment of great deals for whatever you’re craving.
- Tell Me How To Happy – Alright, so you’re going to happy from Monday to Thursday from 3-6 pm with discounts on wine, beer, well drinks, and frozen drinks (prices subject to change!). Go here. Stare out at the ocean. Appreciate the architecture. Experience Aristotle’s enlightenment.
Drink Suggestions Based Off Circumstance
- If your outfit is fire: Smoke Alarm
- If your feeling dangerous: El Diablo
- If you have something against fruit: Berry Smash
- If you like your wine from Antarctica: Firehouse Frose
What’s the Crowd Like?
They’re like you. Amazing.
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Most PopularThe Tavern
Courtesy: The Tavern
Calling all San Diego craft beer lovers. Paging everyone from Portland. Phoning craft brew junkies and homebrewers. If any of you are looking for the best happy hour deals in Pacific Beach that specializes in beer, this is likely your Mecca. The Tavern has 30 draft handles to pull from, and we’re willing to bet a few of them will scream your name upon entering.
Additionally, they make one of the best burgers in San Diego, they’re blocks from the sand, home to a street-side patio that married the gentle California breeze in 1997, and they spark some of the liveliest conversations in all of PB. Truly, the Tavern is a remarkable experience both in ambiance and culinary design.
- Tell Me How To Happy – Alright, so you’re going to happy from 2 pm to 7 pm, 7 days a week. It’s that simple. From half off drinks and $2 starters, this is a happy hour that keeps on giving.
Drink Suggestions Based Off Circumstance
- If you love Ron Burgundy: Baxter! You know I Don’t Speak Spanish!
- If you like tequila: El Choncho
- If you write because it burns and you need to get it out: Tavern Old Fashioned
- If you like puns about great baseball players: Babe Rose’
What’s the Crowd Like?
Eclectic. Eccentric. Esoteric. Expert. Elated. Ecstatic… and you learn this Emmediately.
The Best Happy Hour in Pacific Beach
Pacific Beach is a place that fuses happiness into the lives of everyone who visits it. An area where the last way you want to travel is by car. From great happy hours to even better Taco Tuesdays in Pacific Beach, this is definitely the place to be. So, take your shoes off, put your sandals on, and waltz into one of these pristine establishments to quench your thirst and enjoy the gorgeous beachside of San Diego, California. And while you’re sipping on a craft beer during a Pacific Beach happy hour, remember this quote:
“Good people drink good beer.” -Hunter S. Thompson
If you’re interested in the best happy hours in other parts of the city, be sure to check out our guides for Downtown San Diego, Little Italy, and La Jolla.
Written by: Melissa
Melissa hails from San Jose, CA, and has been a San Diego local for five years now after a 10-year long pit stop in Los Angeles. In L.A., she began her writing career crafting digital content for a wide range of clients, including The Real Talk Show, Sharon Osbourne, Hank Azaria, Time Life, and Cardinal Financial. She’s excited to be able to use her passion for writing to introduce people to some of the best spots in San Diego, many of which she has already frequented or has on her ever-expanding list of things to do … In her spare time, she enjoys taking her puppy Milo to all of the best dog beaches in SD, grabbing a glass of wine or a cup of joe at new places, and hosting watch parties for The Bachelor/ette TV show.
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