Gilly’s Bar

I should document my next few reviews the «Man Whore Diaries». So I met this girl at my job and hit it off. Needless to say when I got off I had about ten text from her trying to see me. Went home, showered and told her to come over. We ended up walking .2 miles to this establishment.
Her, editor of a fashion magazine in la, and myself typical San Diegan walked in and kind of were shocked. Interesting clientele to say the least. Mix of all ages and ethnic groups. They had karaōke which was absolutely horrible. The place is small as is, and the pool tables take much of the free space. Save some room for people to mingle. she loves dives and was even excited to leave.
I’ll give you another chance Gillys, but for now I’ll keep my night caps at Polite and Red Fox.

Their really polite, I was faded with my compas and still had a great time, even though wrote this review wile still faded at the spot. Good times.

I have no idea how to rate Gilly’s.
Note: I come here pretty frequently on either Fri/​Sat for karaōke, but have never actually gone on any other nights. Always karaōke forever.
Sometimes it is packed, sometimes it is quiet. Really hit or miss as to what type of crowd you’re going to get, but everyone is always awesome and friendly.
Service can be slow (but bartenders are nice), and the bathrooms are usually a mess. There is also almost next to no seating, and 2 pool tables make things pretty cramped.
BUT, it’s fun and dive-​y, and I keep coming back sooooo…

When I’m into hittin a neighborhood dive bar this is the one I can walk to and stumble home.
but pretty much only go on Saturday because I love having Dawn make my drinks. after watching her handle a very mixed crowd I’m always impressed.
The bar is exactly what you need for a good drink after a rough day, it’s not about pretty. it’s about drinks and stories.
Except Dawn. pretty, funny as hell and makes everyone feel welcome She gets 5 stars in my book.

Great drinks! Great prices! Gorgeous bartender! I’ll never forget Dawn! :) been following her around for years since Kadan! :) miss that place, but Gilly’s is just as good. Thanks Dawn! :)

Go here. It will change your life. The staff will become family. Chalon is one of the fastest, funniest, most professional family members you will ever have. She’s new, which automatically creates a tough crowd, but she’s on it. Michelle– don’t even think twice about Michelle… having her serve you a beer will be like you mom tucking you into bed at night. It is nothing short of magical. UNICORN magical. Tadas??? Well, what can be said about Tadas… he has a lazy eye but he doesn’t let it get him down. He can look two places at once and send a beer bottle flying in two different directions with the precision and accuracy of a SWAT team sharp shooter. The prices are cheap, the decorations are «meh,» but we wouldn’t go anywhere else.

The staff was friendly and the bar was fun. It was a dive, but if you’re worried about what classification label a neighborhood bar falls under, you’re probably a jerkoff anyway.
The 1 – 2 star reviews made the writers sound like hipster trash, so I wouldn’t worry about them…

New management is awful. I will never come here again. They fired all of my favorite staff

This is no dive bar. A dive bar knows it’s a dive bar and has some winking self-​awareness. This place doesn’t. It’s straight white trash. Especially on Tuesdays which are apparently steak night or something. And of course everyone orders their steak well-​done.
Interestingly, I didn’t have a problem with the bartenders. They were quick, silent and accurate. But the clientele…
If you want to see a watering hole for the true lower-​working class, come here.

There is a difference between a dive bar… and a shithole. This place is a shithole!
I live in north park, within walking distance of many MANY places you can grab a drink. Unfortunately I chose this place.
Let me start by saying 80% of the floor space is taken up by the two pool tables. Four people get to enjoy the game, while the other dozen patrons are grossly inconvenienced.
The biggest complaint is the dickhead bartender. I didn’t catch his name, but when I asked if they had any porters or stouts he said «uhh…we’re not that kind of bar» Wait. you don’t serve beer? I then asked for a grey goose and red bull, which he bitched about too. He asked why I wouldn’t use a cheaper spirit. I’m paying for the drink, shut up and make my drink.
Fuck Gillys. Learn how to treat customers and get some new bartenders.

Disgusting dive. This place smells terrible, and the thing is they act like it’s some 5 star restaurant. I might have to pass. The drunk people grindin on you at 8pm gets a little old.

Simply put, this is the best bar I’ve ever been to, and I’ve run the gamut: total gutter punk dives, trendy speakeasies, yacht clubs with dress codes, justifiably elitist brew pubs, etc. Gilly’s doesn’t even lie on a spectrum with those places. It transcends categorization. It’s the beginning and the end of the definition of a bar. It’s got drinks, it’s got people, and it’s got all the great things that the combination of those two can bring about (and notably, not a lot of the bad things). It has no theme, no preferences, and no pretense. I’ve gone there to celebrate with a huge group of friends, and I’ve gone there to drink alone. I’ve gone there dressed to the nines, and I’ve gone there in sweatpants and a shirt with chicken grease on it.
The Gilly’s Pale is a good beer.
Sonya’s karaōke is easy and fun.
They mix a decent manhattan.
I hear they’re open during the day too.

Awesome dive bar! They have karaōke every Friday and Saturday night so you can get your inner Diana Ross on. I also love to watch sports there, they have TVs outside. What is better than a chargers/​padres game, beer, and sunshine? Not much in my book. They have pool too, and great beers on tap.

Live close to this bar. As an openly gay man I was skeptical to go in but I did and NO regrets! Great prices, staff is really nice, and really open doors to all; yes they have Wi-​Fi. I will return.

$ 10 steak dinner on tuesdays! True you could easily buy a better cut of steak for $ 10 bucks but what’s the fun in that?
It is no doubt a dive bar so don’t come here expecting it to wow you with any trendy atmosphere or sparkling water. Come with some friends for a fun and casual, «backyard bbq» type of vibe.

It’s a dive bar. So what?
I heard a douche once described this establishment as a scene from The Cantina of Star Wars IV. In fact, he was right but he might of had a pig face and looked like a troll with that snout.
Depending on your favorite day and time arriving here, Gilly’s is a neighborhood bar. You run into the best bar tenders here. No doubt! It doesn’t matter what time of the day or evening, you will pretty much have someone cool behind the bar.
The regulars are why I return here. Good and great people to hang out with. Everyday of the week there’s something to look forward to. Usually start the week off right with Tuesday for Steak Night, followed by Trashy Trivia with host Fernando Jackson.
You cannot go wrong with Samarui Steve behind the grill. For $ 10, you can get a decent steak or chicken. Served with a salad, potato and dinner roll. Most regulars take their leftovers home with them, to enjoy the extra meat packaged in foil.
Head back of the bar, to the round tables. There’s plenty of space with HDTV’s showing live sports or anything worth appealing. This section also allows you to smoke and shoot the shit.
During the week nights, there is pool leagues. The tables are decent, which the sticks are generally in good condition along with NO DRINKS policy on the tables. If you are going to be leaving a drink on the counter, get ready for someone to tell you get your drink off the tables.
On Fridays and Saturdays, the karaōke evening begins with your KJ hostess Sonya. Now don’t give her a hard time. She’s always in costume, so make sure you tip your KJ and bar tenders.
They are all here to make your visit a memorable one. So don’t be a douche. Be the jedi master that you or deal with Tadas, Michelle, Amanda or Frankie to smash you back to misery.
The fat: Tony Danza’s only uncle is the doorman.
The skinny: If you cannot find walking, then you should of walked.

I’ve been coming here for years. Whenever I’m in town my friends and I are here for the strong drinks and karaōke. I give this bar 4 stars because the bartenders are awesome and the place has a great vibe! They lost thier 5^th star by employing Shawnee. She is the WORST karaōke hostess I’ve ever encountered and quite frankly, came close to ruining my evening last time we were in the bar.
This is a plead to management: please do not keep her on staff! Regretfully, I do not know the other girls name but she always keeps things fun and lively. She’s also not rude and is there to do her job and have fun as opposed to Shawnee whom is obviously there to be an attention whore. Because of my last experience, I’ll be calling ahead of time to determine whether or not I’ll be bringing my party here.

I don’t think you’ll be seeing a lot of newly 21-​year-​olds in here to party it up. It’s a very laid back bar. Bathrooms are clean and you can smoke, drink, or eat on the outside patio until 9 p.m.
I recommend Gilly’s Ale.
The pool tables were in use all day and seemed to take up more and more space as it gradually got crowded. Karaōke at night too. I’m pretty sure the group I was with were the loudest (and quite possibly most obnoxious) people there. I had a great time.

Cool place. had a beer here before going to eat dinner next door at the Russian Cuisine place.
Locals were cool. Bartender doesn’t suffer fools, I guess. If you don’t spit your words out quick he rolls his eyes and about nearly runs away. I, luckily got my $hit together fast and just before he split I blurted out the first beer I could think of.
It’s okay. I get it. it’s cool. You don’t have time for me to decide what I want. You got glasses to rub and spills to clean up. Whatever. It is what it’s supposed to be, «dive bar» right. not really sure what that means anymore. Seems many bars want this distinction but charge a premium. Gilly’s is just fine the way it is.
Did I here someone say, Helium Karaōke Night? You gotta be kidding. I gotta see… hear. I’m down with that.
see you soon I hope.

First Impression: fairly typical dive bar. Small, limited seating, and dark. Some of the crowd makes you hold the handbag a little closer to the hip (but i do this in dance clubs too). Pool table in the middle of the room makes it a bit awkward to move about.
The prices of the drinks were very reasonable and the beer selection was actually surprisingly good. There was actually a really a really good selection.
The night we went was karaōke night. This is always a bit awkward but fun. I had a good time. I would go for again for some inexpensive drinks and out of tune entertainment.