Hamilton’s Tavern

Definitely coming back for the beer, food and awesome people watching. Watch your step though, the floor dips in spots and can be dangerous is you’re distracted by the food and drinks.

It’s not their fault that they have a horrible crowd. Otherwise their beer and food is 5+ stars. Sorry.

Hamilton’s needs no help from me, but a few tips for you:
1. The loaded grilled cheeses are the way to go, people, get on my level.
2. The sheer number of beer options can be paralyzing. Go in with an idea of what you want and consult with the bartenders, or go Brad B.‘s route. If you are just searching for something that sounds good, you’ll be deciding for hours of precious beer-​drinking time.
3. Puppies!
4. Make sure you specify how you want your burger; they may not ask. See #1.
5. The shuffleboard table tilts toward the wall. Adjust accordingly.
I only wish it was within walking distance :)

There’s everything you need here and more. Great food, great beer selection. TV’S for those that need them. Sports are on when it’s time. Pool tables, shuffleboard. Etc. If you haven’t been here– make a note to visit.
Love this and all Blair bars!

It’s a classic, an anchor of the neighborhood, and still one of the best in town

Shout out to the bartender who made me and my friends feel uncomfortable tonight. I have nothing bad to say about the beer choices because they are all great. My problem is that we were on our second round of drinks when he came by and accused us of etching something on the table we were sitting at even though it was there long before we sat down. I’ve been there twice before and both times that bartender has been rude to us or uncomfortable to order from. I honestly like this bar, so I’m bummed I had such a bad experience.

Why 5 stars? Because my kind of beer bar is hard to find out west.
— — —
I love most things about the west coast. Except three of the things:
1) The cost of living.
2) Sporting events starting at 4pm. (This happened while I was here and it freaked me out.)
3) IPA’s reigning with extreme supremacy.
It’s hard to find a brewery or beer bar that remembers those who are adverse to hops. Hamilton’s Tavern is my fresh well-​water in the barren desert.
They have plenty of IPA’s, but they have plenty of everything. German stuff. Belgian stuff. Other cool stuff.
It’s a dive bar that happens to have some fun games and a large selection of delicious beers. 5 stars is the only amount of stars applicable.

Definitely coming back here for the beer selection and the grilled cheese sandwiches!
The selection of craft beers on tap is definitely better than many pub hangouts in San Diego. The beers are not only San Diego beers either!
The food was also too good to be true. I had the WIMPY’S REVENGE with tater tots and no regrets!

Amazing beer list (they had Pliny the Elder on tap) and friendly service.
Food wise the tater tots were so crispy and perfect that I regretted getting fries with my burger. As far as the burgers go, the buns are a little too bready for my tastes and they cook their burgers pretty well done, and I’m more of a medium rare kinda guy. The flavor was good though.

Went here yesterday night for the second time. I dont know what it is but I do like this bar. I like their wings. I like their beers. I like their jukebox. I like the pool tables. Something about this bar makes me feel like it’s a chill place to go grab a beer and just relax after a long day at work. It’s a dive bar. When Im in here I feel like I can run into a group of people named Robin, Marshall, Ted, Barney and Lily. If I lived in the neighborhood I would definitely come in more often.

Dive– Yes&No
IPA-​Paradise– Yes
Monday-​Packed (Fried Chx sold-​out @6:15)
Dog Friendly– Hell yeah
«You don’t get it until you get it» I got it!
I walked in after having walked from Upas&30^th. Everything was dead but I had a mission: Find Hamilton’s & see if it is an urban myth or reality. Real it is! Walking into a speakeasy of sorts, from a bright evening into a dark mole-​hole of hops & smiles. This place is «Cheers» for the 25 – 35 age range. Pool, MNF, & real people. Most importantly– UNREAL BEER SELECTION. I could go on but Y don’t you just stop in and see for yourself. For me– Rip Current III IPA-​$ 4.75 Happy Hr (this is an $ 8 beer & you would b happy to pay that)
ps-​some1 just shared the Fried Chicken w/​me! GET IT, Awesome!

What’s there not to like about Hammy’s? Tucked away in South Park, Hamilton’s is a small but super cool and fresh neighborhood bar. It’s gotten very popular and attracts a lot of people on the weekends, but it helps that the atmosphere is completely chill and not pretentious whatsoever. The décor is also very unique; the first thing you’ll notice when you walk in are the thousands of tap handles shooting out from the ceiling. It certainly adds to the coolness factor of this pub!
Hamilton’s would not be known for who they are without their craft beer. They always have a super fresh lineup of beer and it’s always extraordinary. They definitely cater more to the IPA lover, but do try to mix it up here and there to satisfy different kinds of drinkers. Quite often, they have tap takeovers of local brews as well as favorites from other breweries outside of SD. I haven’t been here for a Pliny the Younger release, but know they are one of the few bars in SD who receives a couple of kegs of it every year. So when February comes around, be sure to follow them on social media to learn about the special release of this rare and killer IPA!
You can never go wrong with Hamilton’s and in addition to grabbing a beer, Hamilton’s is a great place to hangout. They have TV’s at the bar, a juke box holding countless classic rock n’ roll hits, pool tables, shuffleboard, and food. I certainly would not give their food 5-​stars, but I won’t even dock stars for that since Hammy’s somehow makes all of it work. If you’re in South Park, do not hesitate to pop on in!
As a side note: They are also dog friendly! Would not recommend bringing fido along on a busy Friday or Saturday evening, but it certainly adds to the charm.

You can always count on Hamilton’s to be open til 2am!
They have TV’s at the bar, for big games. There’s also a shuffle board, my kinda game. And 2 pool tables. Hang out at a booth, one of the side tables or at the bat.
If your hungry they also serve food, until a certain time (maybe 10pm???). Their burgers are pretty tasty, and you can never go wrong with their tots!

Hamilton’s is one of the best craft beer bars in America, hidden in the skin of a ordinary dive bar. Though it can be dimly lit, inside hides one of the best tap lists around with a surprisingly pretty top notch menu of cheapish pub grub. The weekend tap list with the firkin tappings will showcase the reasons that California is one of the best states for craft beer. And the prices? Holy shit, are they affordable. This is also one of the few bars I ran into in SD this year that had Pliny on tap.
Note that you should get there early on a Friday or Saturday if you’re planning on eating. Tables and bar space fills up fast. About half of the place is pool tables and shuffleboards.
Also, this area of 30^th in South Park is chill AF. I wish I could ride my bike here and make it my neighborhood bar.
If you like beer and are in San Diego, go to Hamilton’s.

For the craft beer lover, Hamilton’s is an institution. After enjoying a cold beer on the patio over at South Park Brewing Company next door, my friend and I wanted over to Hamilton’s for another beer. Entering into this dark bar, you immediately notice the crowds of people filling the place with an energetic vibe. As we wandered over to the bar we noticed that it was Pizza Port tap takeover, so they had an extensive list of offerings of craft beer not normally found. I settled on the Port Shark Bite Hoppy Red Ale while my friend chose the very unique mango inspired IPA on nitro that was complex while very drinkable. You will not beat their prices for amazing craft beer. While many places are starting to charge $ 7 or $ 8 for pints of craft beer, Hamilton’s range more like $ 4 – 6 per pint. Luckily, we were to find two seats at the bar in front of the beer case, where they offer additional rare, imported beers in bottle.
The aroma of busy kitchen could be detected wafting from the rear of the bar. My friend told me the grilled cheese is the way to go, so next time I am in there I will need to give it a try!

–stumbled upon this low key spot during a walking tour during south park walkabout.
–there is a tiny patio outside and a dark, unpretentious but more upscale bar area inside. limited seating if that worries you.
–love the ceilings decorated in draft beer handles (or whatever they’re called).
–juke box was a perfectly loud volume of awesome old school hits; classic pearl jam!
–it was super busy but the bartenders were so nice and attentive despite us only stopping in for a quick drink. they recommended the perfect beer for everyone and were fast!
–there were about three dozen local and small batch craft brews on tap (almost all california) ranging in alcohol content up to 10+% and it seemed like it changed regularly (list was clearly written on a chalkboard behind the bar)
–the crowd was great; everyone was having a good time and really friendly
–the food sounded good; very meat focused… might have to go back for some

Been to a few places in the Golden Hill area in the past to dine and hangout. The area just doesn’t disappoint. With the cool neighborhood vibe– pretty friendly people, dogs everywhere and well kepted renovated houses. Golden Hills is a place I like to go to from time to time.
One place I visited for the first time is Hamilton’s Tavern. On a Saturday, the streets where filled with home improvement vendors. A block or two were filled with hundreds of people looking at new windows and doors to furniture and any else house related. We were early and Hamilton’s opened at 1 PM. So we had time to burn so we looked at new front doors ourselves.
Once 1 PM rolled around. We saw a guy walk into Hamilton’s. So we took that as a cue that they were open because we didn’t see a OPEN sign posted. Not sure if we missed it or not.
Inside was a beer drinkers wet dream. A chalkboard on the bar wall lists the many beers on tap as well as two large big window coolers with bottles of more beer to choose from. The selection was crazy. Many of the well known craft beers and some not so well known are there to drink. It didn’t take long for the place to get filled. I am guessing mostly locals.
Hanging from the ceiling are taps from beers that they serve or have served in the past. A pretty impressive collection. They also had a couple of pool tables and a shuffle board. Also a few big TV’s behind the bar wall. So besides drinking. You can play some games as well as watch the game. On this day. The golf U.S. Open was on. Man, I loved golf more when Mickelson was playing better. Father Time seemed to have taken Phil’s game away.
As far as food offerings. The food was decent. The grub is burgers and hotdogs, tater tots, chili and fries in big portions. Definitely kills any hunger and soaks up all the beer you are drinking.
To order food, you had to go to a small window near the shuffleboard table. A bearded dude took my order. Wasn’t sure if he was having a bad day or he didn’t want to be at work or both but he wasn’t friendly at all. I guess he didn’t get the friendly Golden Hill vibe memo. Dude, it wouldn’t kill you to smile.
Overall, a solid neighborhood bar with tons of character. Okay food. Outstanding beer selection. Mostly nice people working there. The bartenders were very cool. Very dog friendly. Thinking about bringing Bella next time.

Ummm… how does this place have 4 ½ stars and over 1000 reviews!!!
We came in at 7:30pm on a Saturday… opened the door and there were lots of people but no music. So awkward.
They did have a lot of beer options and I tried one that was good, but did not purchase a glass because we left right away. Our group could just not handle the boringness going on inside…
Play your music Hamiltons!

Hamilton’s!!! One of my favorite bars in South Park. I hesitate to classify this place as a dive bar… its defiantly not ritzy, tis a little dark, and there are no windows. Maybe more of a divey Ale House?! Nailed it! Seriously tho Hamiltons has an incredible craft beer selection, tons of dark corners, an amazing history and pulls a great crowd ;)
This place has been around for over 75 years! They’re the oldest beer & wine licensed bar in all of the land of San Diego! If you’re looking for proof, feel free to just look up while your walking in. Hanging from their ceiling is a sea of old tap handles from all the beers they’ve served since they 1^st opened their doors.
There are two pool tables and a few TVs for people in need of activities or distractions. They also serve food which I have yet to sample! I’ve heard wonderful things about their burgers and whispers of tater-​tots which I plan to try soon. I love me a good burger! Add some tots and a sexy craft beer and I’m in heaven!
Over all its a great bar with a WONDERFUL local beer selection! I highly recommend it!

As far as dive bars go, this place is pretty awesome!
We stopped in for New Year’s Eve and were lucky enough to snag a small table around 8 p.m. As the night went on, the bar got slightly more crowded but never over-​packed. It was a great middle ground between staying home and going all out.
In addition to having a large beer menu, Hamilton’s also offers a couple of cider choices, which is perfect if you’re like me and don’t drink beer. My friends all love the beer though and I heard that Pliny the Elder was the favorite of the night.
Hungry? There’s a small order window at the back of the bar where you can place your orders for a variety of bar food that is actually a few steps up from regular bar food. The grilled cheese sandwiches were delicious! I stuck with the classic grilled cheese with tater tots. Although I asked for a side of ranch to go with my tots, I found that the beer cheddar soup proved to be a better dipping sauce. I highly recommend this $ 1 upgrade to any meal. The grilled cheese also tasted great dipped in the cheddar soup. More cheese!
There were a couple pool tables and a shuffleboard table too. If I lived closer to South Park, I could see this being a cool place to check out on the regular. Too bad that it’s a little too far for me in Del Mar.