Nunu’s Cocktail Lounge

It was only my first time here but I knew this place deserved 5-​stars! it is extremely divey and definitely more than a little dark even in the middle of the day. This place encompasses the best aspects of being able to hang out without being judged. You want a bunch of that fake shit, head downtown. You want some realness? Make this your stop. Great place to get the party started or to end your night. Loved it

best local bar heads down! you want stiff cocktail and cheap… here you go. Great stuff and the french fries are the best. Im secretly trying to turn it into a hockey bar. and all the bartenders always put the game on when I ask. Nothing is better then a bar that makes you feel like its snowing outside. Its hillcrest’s Cheers.

I love everything about this place, from the old school exterior to the old school interior. It’s everything you want in a dive bar… great bartenders, stiff drinks, nice prices. But it also has fantastic burgers, which could either be the best or worst thing to encounter when boozing.
I’d probably give it another star if it was full of cute gals who thought I was sexy, but I will let management work on that challenge.

i love this place! me and my hubby have been going to this place at least 2 – 3 times a week.
i love the bartenders! Keith –Jarrod — Leigh Anne — Jeremiah… food is awesome and drinks was never disappointed. we are so sad we have to leave san diego for work to seattle.
i miss you guys!!!
Greetings from us Tina and Steve!

I would like to tell you how great Nunu’s cocktails are, what their happy hour specials are like, and what I snacked on from their menu, but I’d only be guessing. I walked in at about 4:15 on a Monday and found a few patrons scattered around the bar. Classic dive bar atmosphere and I like a good dive so it ticked my box, two stars for that. I sat at one of the comfy stools and looked around for a bartender. Unfortunately, there wasn’t one but I was waiting for my husband and wasn’t in a rush. Legit 10 minutes pass and there’s no one still. My husband shows up; we wait another 5 minutes while the guy next to us impatiently leans over the bar in hopes this will magically make someone appear to close out his tab. I wish buddy, I wish. We leave and head for greener pastures and cocktails at another Hillcrest establishment.
I get it, bartenders are people who go to the bathroom and get emergency phone calls just like everyone else but you can’t tell someone on the kitchen staff that you have something to do that’s going to take more than a quarter of an hour and «hey man, can you please cover for me just this once?»

Quintessential Whole in the Wall Neighborhood Bar!
Cheap, strong drinks and cool atmosphere… gets pretty lively any given night. Not necessarily the bar you meet a bunch of people but if you go with a group you are bound to have a good time. I took a bunch of people there for my birthday and we had a good time.
Great benefit is the kitchen… they make amazing affordable burgers… often times take longer than they should but well worth the wait. Unlike the actual bar the kitchen portion only takes cash.
Only suitable for locals.

I love NUNU’S! My Beau and I always come to grab drinks on our date night and we always get burgers! Michael makes THEEEEEE BEST BURGER EVERRRR! The bartenders are always loving and friendly and make sure we know all the drink specials!!! We are always happy when we leave NUNU’S thank you for staying true and keeping the neighborhood happy!

My favorite Dive bar in San Diego! And Best bartender is LEANN ! This place is fun ! Jukebox is really cool too! You can use an app to play songs ! Food is good bar food. This place is busy on the weekends !!

Nunu’s is a great local dive bar and I’m already looking forward to my next visit. My husband and I came last Friday night and really enjoyed our much needed date night out. Playlist was early 90’s throwbacks (rap, R&B) and the drinks were cheap and strong. Ended up inviting a friend to join us for a few more rounds of drinks and when the bill came it was so low! We should’ve keep going but we we’re onto the next spot. (Tajima LOL)
We will definitely be back for more. Thanks Nunu’s!

Tuesdays are a perfect time since wells and domestic beers are cheaper. For a virgin, yes after living in San Diego for more than 10 years, this was my first time to Nunu’s. I might have attempted to visit once but it was too crowded so decided on going somewhere else. But on this Tuesday evening post Unilocal event, it was the perfect place to satisfy cravings for some more food and drinks.
It has a very neighborhood feel which probably what attracts most people. Unpretentious and not really a dive bar. It is what is advertised, a cocktail lounge. Not for hipsters but regular folk. However, I am sure it’s always on the list of some hipster blog. Lounges like this are best appreciated for their simplicity and not because it’s the bar of the moment.
Will surely return on another Tuesday for drinks!

Fantastic local dive bar with strong, cheap drinks and good bar food late at night. What could be better!
Let’s be honest, I was a little, a lot hungover. I got the grandpa’s grilled cheese. So yummy! There were tomatoes and bacon inside and the fries were delish. My friend got the wings and they were good too!
People were so drunk when we were there but everyone was in good spirits and it was funny. Fab place to check out.

That doner… Street car for the win. Call it a dive bar. Walk past it. Your loss. This place has GREAT food. And it’s cheap. And it’s San Diego so relax, there are like 10 craft beers on tap.
Love this place. Eat here. Rare to find a bar that does food better but this place should be considered a restaurant not a bar. I want more gyros.
EDIT-​Whoops. I was hammered when I wrote this and accidentally tagged it to the bar next door. I’m sure nunu’s is great but I’ve actually never been there. Love the Mediterranean place across street though!

The drinks were cheap, and the food was hot! Our bartender was super friendly and was very attentive :)
We split a burger, which was on special, and it was delicious. The regulars in the bar were super friendly and quite sociable. I will be back here very soon!

Looking for a dive bar? This is the place. Came in for happy hour but my snooty self does not do wells but their HH prices seemed reasonable ($ 3 wells/​domestics). They had a good number of TV’s which seemed to me that this place would be good to watch games.
Had the wings and they were good. Ordered the garlic parm but the cook came to tell us they ran out of parm. Ok so we lived with an alternative. He also came afterwards to our table to ask how everything was… which was cool. You do have to order your food on the side.
Good place for a quick drink in a super dive setting. And enjoy the old
School pics while you are there to feel nostalgic of old San Diego.

I have a soft spot in my heart for this place. 20 years of patronizing here off and on, they have great cocktails and I loved the atmosphere here on the weekends back when I was single. Alas, I am now an old married lady and do not go out for COCKtails any longer HOWEVER, I do love lunch and I do love college football.
My colleagues and I stumbled into here because our beloved Jimmy Carter’s was closed all week due to a gas leak, feeling lost and forlorn, we were looking for another lunch spot. I tried the door of Nunu’s at noon and BEHOLD it opened! The bartender quickly told us that they were serving lunch and that it was basically word of mouth. What? NO Thrillist busses dropping of 20 to 30 hungry people with kids and no large group of Unilocalers? We were in!
I had a great veggie burger, it was good for what it was and I would definitely eat it again. However, I did feel sad when all of my colleagues ordered burgers, oh my gosh did they smell and look good. I gave sad puppy dog eyes to one of them so they gave me some of their crispy non-​greasy fries.
They have food specials over the weekend for college football. My Frank and I are going to head over there for the LSU vs Gators game and stuff ourselves on their wings. I loved the daytime atmosphere here. They beat The Dog House hand’s down.
If it’s too crowded at the Balboa Club, which it always is anymore, come here. Just don’t bring 20 or 30 Unilocalers. This place is small and I don’t think they are setup for that kind of thing…:)
Nunu’s I love you!

A dive bar to the highest extent… and I love dive bars.
After dinner nearby, I decided to swing in to Nunu’s around 5:30pm on a Friday. It was busy, but not packed. It had that slightly run down, dark feeling of any good dive bar. I knew right away I would like it.
My bartender was awesome — nice, quick, funny. She made me up a manhattan at first that was delicious and smooth. After that, I just had a Negra Modelo. For these combined, it was maybe $ 10? Not bad for San Diego!
The other patrons were super friendly. The bathrooms are small and cramped, and basically for one person only, so I could see that being annoying if it’s packed.
Food…didn’t try it, but it looked tasty.

Hasn’t lost it’s vibe, dank, dark, fun, stiff drinks, greasy food. I love this place. Never get here enough.
I had the Burger with american cheese, the wife had the BLT, both excellent. I drank an IPA before realizing that domestics were on sale because it was a college game day. Switched it up but the IPA ruined me for the night, couldn’t handle Poors light.
Definitely a neighborhood staple.

I’ve been coming here off and on for a couple of years now and have always enjoyed myself. I like to think of this joint as unapologetically divy. I like it. Once you walk past the drapes, you’re simply surrounded by locals who are all up for a good time. You seriously can’t go wrong with any of their drinks, which are often filled heavy and made to perfection.
I’ve normally just dropped in to grab a couple of drinks but on my last visit my friends and I decided to grab some food too. And whoa boy, was I impressed.
Chicken wings #bomb
Onion rings #bomb
Everything ranging from their alcohol and their food provides tremendous value. I am definitely a fan!

What defines a good dive bar? Low lighting. Check. Good music. Check. Cheap drinks. Check. Decent grub. Check.
Once you walk into the door and walk through the red curtains. You find yourself in a bar that have stayed the test of time. Old carpet walls smell of cigarette smoke that has survived from patrons of the past. Back in the days when you could smoke in a bar.
The bartenders with friendly smiles talk to regular customers. Regular customers talk to regular customers. The vibe is neighborhood friendly. Cartoons and sports play on different TV’s at the same time. Classic. In every sense of the word.
The beer selection and food menu are on separate laminated cards. Order your drinks at the bar and order your food from a small window near the kitchen. Pretty straight forward. Not too complicated. The burgers are bomb. Had mine with a egg sunny side up for a small extre fee. It was worth it.
This place is definitely 5 stars in my book. This place is kick arse. Pretty friendly staff. From the bartenders to the dude in the kitchen. Definitely can see myself coming here on a regular. One of the best dive bars I have been in a long time. I will be back.

Yup. It’s a dive bar through and through. Last time we were here, we were seated next to this elderly couple, who were reminiscing about the «good old times» they used to have at Nunu’s. Awesome!
Food here is not bad, the last time I came here (we managed to find a Groupon, too!) I ordered the BLT and fries. The BLT was pretty good, but the fries were even better! What I really like here to drink are the bloody mary’s. Saturday and Sundays until 6 pm they have the special ones with the shrimps in them baby! $ 7.00 and it’s for a double shot. Pretty darn decent!
Bartenders and staff here are always relaxed and friendly. The drinks are strong and cheap. No complaints here!
TIP: Order food in the back through the window… don’t sit down and wait to be served, haha. (I did that the first time. Waited 15 minutes like an idiot).