Bailiwick

I absolutely adored our experience at Bailiwick! BF and I only had one night in San Diego so I had to make sure the places we hit were spot on, and Bailiwick was spot on!
When we walked in, I was immediately impressed by the décor with its white clean lines but touches of rustic charm. HH had just started so the place was empty and the bartender welcomed us in with open arms. It was laid out like a library and the drink names followed suit as book titles. The bar manager was charming and helpful, creating concoctions for us throughout the night. And even though the kitchen was closed they managed to whip up a cheese and charcuterie board because we were hungry. The cheese but especially the meats were delicious.
My favorite drinks were 1984 and a clockwork orange — both unique in its mixes. Arsenic and lace is a dangerous one (hence the name) while the bourbon smash is lighter like a mojito but with bourbon (obvi). Their mules are also good and come in copper tins like they’re supposed to!
My new favorite bar in gaslamp when I want a good cocktail and an actual conversation.

Ehhh I wasn’t too impressed with this place. The service was not terrible, but wasn’t great either. The food was lacking flavor, and seemed bland. The Moscow mule, tasted like lemonade, and over all, this place was not as great as I had hoped.
Came on a Sunday, wasn’t busy when we arrived, so my wife and I were seated right away. The female who seated us was very pleasant and helpful. We were seated right away, however waited for what seemed like forever to order a drink. We received our mimosas and ordered s’mores french toast and the chilaquiles. The chilaquiles came with Pico all over (which we asked for it on the side). So again we waited. The female server was apologetic and made sure we received our corrected food. Came out fairly quick, however did not taste as good as it looked. The s’mores French toast was different and clever idea, but tasted like it lacked a main ingredient. We ate, got a box for the food, then waited 10 minutes to see our server again, and another couple of minutes to get the check. The female server was kind to us, apologized for the food mistake, didn’t charge us for the Moscow mule we didn’t drink, and took $ 4 off for the inconvenience. Because of her great service she provided, I gave this place 2 stars. Everything else is just ok. I won’t be back that’s for sure.

Incredible atmosphere with drinks and food to match. The brunch offerings here are super scrumptious, and the bottomless mimosas — where you can have your pick of different fruit juices served in tiny carafes — are definitely the way to go.
But yes, it’s definitely about the atmosphere. Even in the middle of the day, they’ve got thumping beats reverberating throughout, plus blackout curtains on all the windows, making for a truly intimate candlelit environment. And while all the bartenders and servers here look like they’ve walked right off a fashion runway, they’ve also got the poise and service skills to match, right down to traipsing triumphantly through the venue with lighted sparklers in hand to celebrate quite a few customers’ birthdays.
All in all, an amazing experience combining both style and substance.

We came here by accident on a busy Saturday night after being turned off by the large lines in many of the clubs.
This place had no coverage to get in. The place was clean, decorated well, and inside wasn’t very crowded.
The drink prices were well priced. And the place had decent amount of seating areas to sit and lounge. Bartender was attentive and got our drinks right away.
Only issue I had was that it was loud! I got the feeling that the place was more of a hipster lounge. No one was dancing so loud the obnoxiously loud music. I personally would have like the music tad lower so I can hear my conversations with others. Other than that, good place to get a drink and hangout until you can’t take the noise.

The best bottomless mimosa around… get in here!
I love this place. I’ve been here at least 5 times in the last couple of months and can’t say enough about the service, the bartenders and the brunch. And helllllo, bottomless mimosas for $ 20! I love that they actually leave the bottle of champagne and a variety of juices on my table… like I don’t have to wait for a repour… thanks! Genius, really, because it keeps me coming back, bringing friends and I’m always recommending Bailiwick to anyone who’ll listen.
I had the Fat Kid omelet plate last week and wow… so much awesomeness for $ 12! Perfect bacon, omelet with a whole half an avocado, toast, tater tots (they ran out of their yummy potatoes!) and fresh fruit. It was enough food to be considered 2 meals and one of the best breakfasts I’ve ever eaten. It was the morning after Halloween, I was way hungover, but within minutes of drinking mimosas, tasty coffee and having brunch I was feeling a-​o-​k again. So there ya have it: Bailiwick cures hangovers!
A few weeks ago I was in late in the afternoon and the server gave us free snacks… some frozen grapes infused in Syrah Raspberry Vodka served in a champagne glass. Bailiwick, I love you, those grapes were so darn delish!
Did I mention bottomless mimosas?!?

I came to Bailiwick on a whim when a group of friends and I were walking down Gaslamp during a night-​out. I think the primary appeal of Bailiwick is the detailed décor. Overall it’s pretty kitschy/​feminine but still fun.
I was looking for good drinks and saw the positive Unilocal reviews so we decided to stop in. However, I was pretty disappointed with the booze. They had a special menu and everything. It looked like it could maybe be a craft cocktail spot but alas, I was played a fool. I tried one of their signatures and a good-​olé Moscow mule. They weren’t very good. I mean, not awful but nothing special. I’m not sure if the Gaslamp area is really the kind of place for quality drinks but what do I know!
However, it looks like Bailiwick might be a great place to stop by and grab lunch/​brunch during the day. If you don’t care about the drinks than this place is fine! Unfortunately that’s all I want.

Came here for a drink over the weekend. None of the cocktails sounded amazing so my boyfriend requested the bartender to make a special drink using champagne. I got a strawberry Bellini with some elderflower. Really refreshing!
He got a beer on tap, not sure of the name. I always loved the ambiance there so I’d happily drink in the champagne decorated room again!

My girls and I came here several weeks ago for a night in gas lamp and was so pleased with the atmosphere and drinks here.
I love the 20s, old fashion theme and the classiness of the environment. That in contrast with the edm music makes this a great environment to sip a nice cocktail and have great conversations.
Drinks were around $ 10, which coming form LA is a definite steel.
The best part? My group of 9 girls was offered a complimentary table and two bottles of champagne, gratis. It was a lovely experience and the staff here was amazing and very accommodating.
If i’m ever back in SD and want a nice place to chill and enjoy a couple of drinks before wandering the district, this would be the best place.

Sweet lil’ bar in gaslamp with a nice selection of whiskey! Their classic and their original cocktails were all great! We stopped by on a Friday night after dinner and it wasn’t too busy at all. Bartenders were super friendly and cool to talk to. Not sure what the occasion was when we stopped in but just as we were finishing our last round the waitresses brought around free glasses of champagne for everyone in the bar. Can’t beat that! Definitely worth a stop if ya stumbling around the area.
‘Til next time cheers!

Great atmosphere and amazing custom drinks

I am a big fan of brunch, not because of the libations, but more because the food and especially the breakfast items. I normally go for something with poached eggs, but this time around I went for a egger white omelet filled with spinach, mushrooms, and Manchego cheese topped with freshly sliced avocado accompanied with cup of fresh fruit and toast (
). For my refreshment, I just had to go with the French Press coffee that was delivered to my table (
). Great coffee by the way…
The omelet was very good but perhaps a little under seasoned, so I asked for some salt and pepper and added it myself (
). The egg white of the omelet was light and flavor, and I loved that they loaded it was freshly sauteed spinach and mushrooms (
). I really like Manchego cheese, which tasted very good in the omelet, however I just wished they put more of it, so that its flavor would of been pronounced throughout the omelet.
I enjoyed the toast and it came lightly toasted and buttered (
). It tasted great, and I liked so much that I ordered another order of it, and this time around, my server Lulu, brought me some house made preserve with it (
). The preserve was fantastic and had a great berry quality to it with just the right amount of sweetness (
). Also, with the same bread, I could not help myself and I made me a omelet sandwich. Great stuff (
). The fruit cup was great and I appreciated the freshness of all the fruit.
I have to admit, I was well taken care of during my visit. My server Lulu was very friendly and even though they were getting quite busy, she made sure I had what I needed and was comfortable (
). The floor manager Torri, provided great conversation and insight to the eatery, and she even stopped by a couple of times to fill me coffee for me (
): a great manager. I was very impressed by Marco who was running the pass, because the guy hustled the whole time I was there, delivering food to table with a smile on his face. Finally, to Diane who spent most of her time behind the bar popping corks and strategically jettisoning them across the room. She was quick on the draw, troubleshooted well, and kept those libations flowing, not to mention her friendly demeanor and pleasant personality.
It was just a well rounded brunch with great service and really good food.

Came for a «get a free drink event»
The interior is so cool modern, cool lines and lighting chandeliers, wall lighting.
Had the Kentucky mule in a copper mug fantastic.

This place was fantastic! Came around 10:30 for brunch — no wait but got busy soon after.
The Cuban Bennie was AMAZING! I really have a thing for creative takes on Benedicts. And I’m also a sucker for honey mustard so this was perfect.
My friend got the asada skillet with the cheesy potatoes. Not healthy but freaking delicious.
I also had a few of the mezcal sea drink. Very tasty.
Plus there was this super hot cop working (dressed up for comic con).

First time here and what a lucky pick! Greeted by friendly host who sat us at front open window seat lounge. Enjoyed bottomless mimosa and a great Bloody Mary.
Great looking staff who were very attentive. Very tasty ricotta pancake with seasoned chicken strips.
I will make it a point to come back here next time I’m back in SD!

Although the food was nothing impressive, the tea party décor, the bottomless mimosas, and the lively atmosphere definitely bring this place up a notch!
BOTTOMLESS MIMOSAS! (the most important part of the experience!):
For $ 20 a person, you get unlimited bottomless mimosas for up to 2 hours. They leave the bottle in an ice bucket on your table, and you have a choice of pineapple juice, orange juice, cranberry, or grapefruit. They allow you to mix the drinks, and you can try all of them if you’d like. Bloody Mary’s from the bar are also included, but we didn’t take them up on the offer. We chose to mix the pineapple & orange juice and it was yummy! The waitress was good on checking on our mimosa progress, and we ended drinking about 2.5 bottles (and these bottles are HUGE!!!). We were DONE after our brunch that we just went home and slept for four hours! It was baaaad. Now, that is my kind of brunch!
DECOR/​ATMOSPHERE (lively and chic!):
When you walk by this place, it is easy to see why everyone is so in love with the décor. The interior design is very light (light blues and whites) with big windows to let all the sunshine in. There is both indoor and outdoor seating, as well as a full bar. I think my cousin and I got the best seats in the house. They sat us at a table against the wall that was right in the front of the restaurant so we could see all the action. The seats were sooo comfortable and extremely cute. They were over-​sized armchairs that looked like they came straight out of Alice & Wonderland. We absolutely loved where we sat.
FOOD (ehh, I’ve had better):
I would say that the food is the only weakness of the place. I ordered the egg white omelette that comes with a cup of fruit ($ 10). I also ordered a side of bacon (an additional $ 5). The bacon was delicious!!! However, the cantaloup in the fruit bowl was stale (the melon was juicy!). I chose to put tomatoes and peppers in my omelette. Other than that, the omelette was very bland. I think they forgot to put salt and pepper, and there were no seasonings available at the table to adjust the taste. I was too tipsy to ask for some, so I just ate the omelette like that. Hey, at least it had to be healthy with the lack of salt, right?
My cousin got the eggs benedict, which I tried, and the portion was sooo small, and the egg was cooked fully, instead of being runny. That was interesting. Oh well, at least the bottomless mimosas were on point!
SERVICE (beautiful people!):
All the staff look like models (GORGEOUS!!), and they were very attentive.

I come here once or twice a week & LOVE it! The décor is very trendy & they serve your tab in a book, which I find super cute. The drinks are witty takes on books too! I always appreciate the well dressed atmosphere, bartenders included, which is refreshing in Gaslamp where there is a lot of clubbing riffraff. Tons of seating & plush couches & chairs make it a great place to come with friends for fancy cocktails or bottomless mimosas.
I was in yesterday around 5pm & I’ve never seen it so busy on a Sunday! My favorite bartender Ken was killing it though! Bing. Bang. Boom. Drinks were fast, tables were wiped, & we felt well catered to. I didn’t see anyone helping him (was he there alone??) & he was on fire getting everything done. I’m always pleased with my experience at Bailiwick, but props to Ken for doing an amazing job.

This place is like a fancy, well put together, classy day time club. Definitely without the disgusting sweaty outwardly drunk and obnoxious people that you’d see from a typical place that serves up bottomless drinks in the daytime. Who wants to drink if everyone around you are disgusting?
Its definitely bumpin and there are good looking people everywhere. I appreciate that they leave the champagne bottle in a bucket of ice right next to you when you order bottomless mimosas. These people know whats up.

I don’t know if this is a new place since I moved since August 2013 but it’s a snazzy looking place. There’s an open area to outiside, the doors are kept open, and there wasn’t any cover on a Saturday night! That is such a huge plus itself! I’d say the atmosphere is really trendy, classy, they serve cocktails and beers, and usually have some specials you can choose from.
Saturday night was pretty busy and had really loud music on so it was definitely more of a clubby feel to it, even though not everyone was dancing.
I think I’d like to come back and check it out when it’s less crazy, seems like a nice place to have an after dinner drink.

Best stop of the night on our pub crawl. The weather this past Labor Day weekend in SD was OUTSTANDING! The best 3 days this 2013 summer never had.
That said the vibe was set. The Gaslamp Quarter was booming and packed with idiots, but Bailiwick was only half full around 8:30PM. We got lucky and grab a comfy sectional in the back with a clear view of everything. With its inviting vibe, quality drinks, and a laid-​back ambiance, Bailiwick is a refreshing change from the Gaslamp sports bar scene.
Our server was Diane. Diane rocks. Diane Host, Serves, and is a damn good mixologist.

From the people waiting on you who are very attentive– but not overly– to the amazing presentation they’re okay in my book :)
I had the orchid drink which comes with an edible orchid! SO awesome– i love edible flowers as it makes the drink so different than a typical cocktail. It was gin so it wasn’t too sweet which made it incredibly drinkable. My friend, however, wasn’t a huge fan of hers which was meant to be similar to a moscow mule. I’m not a bitters fan so I wasn’t either :)
The place was really crowded for a Friday night (around 10) and very loud but the people seemed friendly and like it was the birthday place to go that night! They do the sparklers for people who buy a bottle of champagne and make a fun time for the birthday people. All in all, fun atmosphere for a semi-​chill friday night.