Silver Dollar

Went there first time to watch NBA tounament. Got treated right Friendly bar. Got free soft drink refills for me and another non drinking friend Not very common in a bar

I know 2 of the bartender chicks here. They’re the only young ones I know. The bar gets mixed ages. Some are upper 20s and most are 30+. 1 pool table and jukebox to play your own music but that’s it for this bar. Oh, cash only. If you’re in chula vista, think about heading towards stoneys or diamond Jim’s.

Been coming here for 8 years. Since the last bartender has left its gone down hill. Security sucks. They card you and you can clearly tell your over 21. Their dicks. But let their friends come what happen to carding… Really. How about you treat your long time customers with respect. I think the new security… Steven should be fired. If your going to card, card everyone. No favorites …

It’s perhaps my favorite dive in all of the South Bay. You don’t have to worry about having a dress code. So you can always be yourself at anytime.
I come here for one reason: DJ Mike Beer. He’s got the oldskool approach with his karaōke catalog along with mixing up upbeat songs.
Depending on either a Friday or Saturday, he will always cater to every karaōke singer their song choices. If the timing’s right, he’ll let you sing back-​to-​back.
The bar tender can be iffy. I’m not here to blast anyone, but perhaps turn down any attitude and service the regulars without coming down the hall smelling like grits.
Anyhow, there’s a very decent sound system. With laser beams and posters of Hollywood greats, you are sure to have a great time.
The fat: Parking is plentiful.
The skinny: Cash only but ATM available.

I love the karaōke the DJ is awesome and very accommodating. He really makes sure you have a good experience and there’s dancing what more could you want! On the flip side it sucks that it’s a cash only bar and the bar tender is very slow and not very good at making drinks. They need a second bar tender…

I stopped into the silver Dollar today (Jan 29, 2015) on a quest. That quest was to find the bar that my Dad drank in, back in the late 40’s while stationed in San Diego. I was attending a fire department seminar at the san diego civic center, my dad knew I was going and he mentioned the «silver dollar» and something about a lady bartender way back when, who had a pair of propeller tat’s on her tush.
I stopped in today, and told my story. Jenny the bartender, along with a regular named Walter, did some research and found that the bar has been in business since 1939. When I told her the story, Walter took my picture in front of the bar and then drew two propellers on napkins that Jenny was nice enough to tape to her backside (outside her pants of course) I took that picture and sent it to my Dad who was absolutely gobsmacked that I was there and that they did that. To Jenny, Walter, the lady who was working the jukebox today and the other folks there, thank you for putting up wth me and thank you for making my Dad’s day!!! You guys are truly the best of the best!

Ive been to silver dollar quite a few times, being that I live in Chula Vista and there’s no other bars to go to.
But after last nights horrible experience, I WILL NEVER GO BACK! The older blonde bar tender has some serious issues. After waiting for a drink for about 15 minutes (she was no where to be seen) she finally made my drink and before she handed it to me she rudely told me not to f**king throw up on her floor. Then to top it off, I asked her for a glass of water an hour later, she said that they don’t give out free water and that I had to buy a bottle for 3 bucks! I’ll take my business elsewhere thanks!

I see a couple of good posts, Been going to The Silver Dollar for the past 4 years. To inform everyone. Colleen D. personal comments are due to the fact that her friend was fired and the D.J. Beer was hired. As far as running out the good singers… That was done by her friend… If you want to have fun, sing, dance and have a good time… The Silver Dollar is the place to be on Friday and Saturday nights

Great spot.

I went here for the first time to meet some friends for a birthday celebration. The atmosphere was ok, not really my type of scene. They have a nice size dance floor for the size of bar. The age range was between mid 20’s to early 40’s. People seemed to be enjoying themselves, singing karoke, dancing and simply mingling with others. At one point, my friends and I went up to the bar to get a drink. After 40 min waiting for the ONE bartender lady they had behind the counter we finally gave up and walked down the block to another dive bar called Docks where we were served immediately. Sometimes I don’t mind waiting but I do mind being skipped when the bartender ‘chooses’ to ignore me to serve others that she’s friends with even though I’ve been waiting much longer.

No tap beer :/​Pool table and some good music makes up for it tho. Cool décor and everyone here seems laid back. Comfy dive bar… and It’s actually clean too, which is rare for a dive bar. Overall… I’ll definitely be back :)

This place is a lot larger than it looks. It’s a dive bar with cold beer and friendly people. We had a few very well made filithy martinis. The bartenders were fun to talk to and engaged all their customers. You don’t have to feed the meters in front after 6pm but this place has a large parking lot in back.

Angela is a great bartender. I was here in December of 2011, and it seemed like they were going through different KJs. Really great value for the drinks. I would recommend the Silver Dollar.

My friends and I like to come here to get drunk and sing without caring if we sound good or not haha. Everyone here is very chill and friendly. The staff is very lax, so it’s a cool place to come to with people who know how to have a good time and just let go. Strong and cheap drinks. Dirty, creepy and divey lol, but if you’re low maintenance, then you’ll probably have a nice time ;D

I’m not one for dive bars, but I’ve been to some really nice dive bars and been proven wrong. But this place, the drinks here are terrible one of the worse places. My drink was not complicated it was a simple «Red Bull and Vodka» she managed mess that us, my boyfriend got a bottle beer and she served it incorrectly and all the taste was at the bottom of the beer. For being horrible drinks they were kinda pricey for the quality. The place is dirty and the music was bad too.
Will I come here again? Absolutely not.

Cool little Karaōke bar. One bartender can leave you a little thirsty at times but the strength of the drinks makes up for any wait time. You also meet some pretty cool people at the bar while you are waiting.
The karaōke set up was pretty cool! I wish I could sing like some of those peeps.
Just remember to bring cash! There is an ATM for nerds like me who forget to stop at the bank.

I think I found my new close to home spot. I’m not much of a karaōke singer, but I am a person that likes cheap drinks…
This is the place to go for cheap drinks, let me rephrase that, cheap and STRONG drinks. After I ordered a Vodka Soda Water the bartender said to me «Did you want more Soda Water in that?» My drink wasn’t even bubbly.
The singers here vary, there are some regulars. If you come on the right night you might even catch the group of guys that do routines to their songs, very entertaining.
Downsides are that Its cash only, and its probably gonna stay that way forever, and the location is pretty close to the CVPD so watch out.

Four+ stars to the soundsystem and the host who knows how to adjust it! The thick book didn’t have a lot of newer songs, but the DJ happily let me use my own CDs (much appreciated). The lighting is something to behold. If you are prone to seizures, consider this a warning.
I give a slight demerit for too much in-​between and «intermission» dance music. Oh believe me, I was gettin’ my little swerve on for the first three or four songs spun. But if I wanted to hear recorded music, I’d stay home and listen to it through better speakers. If I wanted to dance for an hour, I’d probably go somewhere else. And if I wanted to have a drunk couple fall on top of me… er, let’s just say, I wouldn’t ever want to have that happen again.
The service was fine. The crowd was an interesting mix. However, I believe one of the most animated singers was accusing me of taking one of his CDs. I couldn’t completely understand him (and I speak fluent English AND Spanish). Just to get him the hell away from my table, I allowed him to conduct an investigation of what I had. He then targeted the host as the possible culprit in the caper.
This is a spot I will visit again, probably arriving and leaving early.

I have had plenty of good times at this bar. But i think it’s a place where you should go with friends to make it fun if you go alone or with a date i’m not sure it’s as fun.
The one thing i really dont like about this place is that they only accept cash… I feel they are a little behind the times it shouldn’t be so hard to get the debit credit thing going… Having to stop by the bank befor going here is just a hasle.
But once there and after a few drinks it’s always fun to get up on stage and make a complete fool of yourself well thats atleast me and my complete inability to keep a note! lol
The bar tender is cool and on it she makes the drinks really good to… and keep an eye or an ear out for Spike he can definitely sing especially those area rock songs awesome and classy!

One thing I really enjoy about being in all the karaōke contests that I’m in, is that I do get to head out to karaōke spots I’ve never been to before.
Silver Dollar is an adorable little dive bar! There is so much to look at — old school celebrity photos (Marilyn, Elvis, etc.), random tchochkies, the kick-​ass lighting… really, it all made my ADD freak out a little bit.
I found out that 2 of my friends have actually been to this place many times before — one being a biker, and one being a fellow karaōke diva — so I had a feeling the clientel was going to be pretty diverse in this place. Which is was… and everyone I spoke with really friendly. Really a great vibe in the place.
The karaōke part of it was a lot of fun. The karaōke stage/​dance floor is nice and spacious. The sound system is great and they have lights like I have never seen before. The lights on the walls seem to simulate stereo equalizer bars. Laser lights that look like stars. Really impressive. The song selection is good, but doesn’t look like it has been updated with anything super-​super recent. But the songbooks are GIGANTIC, so it’s really unlikely that someone would be completely unable to find at least one song they’d want to sing.
The songs that the KJ played in between karaōke singers and during breaks were AWESOME. I’m talking about Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam, Stevie B, Digital Underground, Bell Biv Devoe, Expose’, Newcleus… the list goes on. I felt like I was magically transported back in time.
A few things that were not so great about this place: First, it is hot as hell inside. The place was busy, but far from being packed, yet we were all sweating like we were in a club. Thank god for coasters and karaōke sign-​up slips to fan yourself with! Also, I can’t speak for the mens’ room, but the ladies’ room is not that great. And by not-​that-​great, I mean that one of the stalls has 2 locks on it, yet neither of them worked. So you have to play the pee-​while-​I-​try-​to-​hold-​the-​stall-​door-​closed game. The other stall also had a non-​functioning lock, but at least the door stayed closed.
Overall, I had such a great time. It was only about a 15 – 20 minute ride from North Park, so I hope to make my way back here soon.