Encinitas Elks Lodge #2243

This review is for Friday dancing, not the Lodge itself. This is a split review with rating being averaged between 5 stars for the intended audience and at most 3 stars for dancers like me.
Positive side: guaranteed live music weekly for just $ 10 for a drop-​in, a good danceable mix of music, adequate level of skills (advanced beginners and above), good wooden floor, an almost even mix of leads and follows.
Negatives: floor is too small for the amount of dancers (60+). This makes leading more fun, of course.
Personal negatives: obviously large social component (not exactly a singles bar, yet mid-​way to it), fairly advanced age of most of the dancers, especially the leads, not all music is useful to a swing dancer.
Overall: if you are single and retired (or even thinking of retiring), this is as good as it gets. If you are a retired couple, this is also a truly excellent venue. If you are a mid-​age follow with at least some skills (not sure, but it seems that there are no lessons here) looking for skilled yet gentle leads, this might work well for you as well. There are better venues in San Diego for younger or more athletic swing dancers.

If you are looking for a place to dance, with plenty of dancers who really know their stuff, the Encinitas is the place! Every Friday night they have a GREAT band, and it’s only $ 10.00 to get in — $ 5.00 for members. On Sundays they also have a «Big Band» which is a lot of fun. People here are the friendliest you’ll find, and if you want you can get as involved as you’d ever want, with Bingo, dinners, events galore and more!
The Elks club brings us back to a time when people knew their neighbors and everyone in town was a friend!

LOVE the Elks! Very friendly place to relax and experience the community. Go just to check it out and consider becoming an Elk. Lolita’s pot roast, bingo (not a fan but hear its great — if you are), ridiculous cocktails, Pittsburgh Stealers fans outnumber Chargers fans on Sundays but its cool, many live music evsnts and special occasions. You just gotta check it out!

If I lived in Cardiff, everyone would know where to find me on Wednesday nights, here at BINGO! Olive (the BINGO manager) is wonderful. She took my mom, sisters and I (BINGO novices) and helped us to understand how to do things right! She was so helpful, but not condescending. It was my sister’s birthday, and she was treated like a star! We all agree that this was one of the highlights of our «Girl’s Trip». Everyone was so kind and friendly! We will be back!

Live music on the cheap! If you love to dance or watch live music this is the place for you.
Friday night bands start around 7 and play till 11. Cover on Friday is $ 10 for visitors and $ 5 for Elk’s members and up to 3 guests.
Currently, on Sunday nights the most awesome Big Band performs for the dance crowd. Sunday includes dinner at 6pm for $ 15 cover, band plays 7 – 9. From what I have heard from people who attend every Sunday, the Big Band has not repeated a song since they began playing the Elk’s.
Great place to come with friends or alone as everyone is sooooo friendly and there are plenty of dance partners. Drinks at the bar are very reasonable. For most music events, the crowd is a bit older, but the newbies are definitely bringing the average age down.
One could easily enjoy a fabulous night out for under $ 20.

GREAT Lodge! — Friendly and fun. I enjoy the BINGO — Every Wednesday (6:30). The caller Dave has a good voice and is really funny! No one can read the Bingo rules like Dave!
The Bingo manager is a Hoot! She is efficient and effective, but when she makes a rare error she goes into her «dumb blond act». With a voice like a song bird it is a pleasure to hear her sell the pull tab games… you can win up up $ 400 on several of them
The food is GREAT… and priced «right».
I really look forward to Wednesdays and the possibility of winning BIG!

Great place and everyone is super nice! There is Bingo every Wednesday night and home cooked meals on Thursday nights. The drinks are cheap and the selection is good! Also a large screen TV at the bar great for sports events. The bartenders are very nice and treat you like family!

Who woulda thunk that this place would be a place of reverie for anyone but local drinkers in their sixties? Well times have changed and #2243 is movin’ up in the grand scheme of local watering/​lounge/​entertainment/​bingo halls. Fred Flintstone move over…
Not exactly glamorous but you can actually have a fun time if you are under or hovering around 40. I think the local young people wanted a place to walk to so they moved on in. I’ve been to some smashing gatherings here and met some really interesting people. Of course, BINGO does showcase every Wednesday night. Occasionally they hold kids events such as the recent candyland adventure with real live board members. They also do fundraisers throughout the year to benefit local programs and community stuff.