Sidebar

EPIC! Always a good time, Vinny is the Man! The negative reviews are people you wouldn’t want to share a club with anyway!

IDK why this place says closed. this place is my fav Wed night spot! Check it out, Ask for Errol the bartender!!! he is the BEST!

Sidebar is back. I can’t believe the last review was over 2 years ago… Anyway…
I went to Sidebar with my homeboy on a Friday night and has a pretty good time. We got bottle service, so I can’t comment on the bartenders, but the bottle service was excellent. The girls kept our ice bucket full and all of the mixers fully stocked. The VIP Manager was very attentive to us and stopped by every so often to make sure we were having a good time. The decore was nice, and the staff let us remove the cushions and dance on the couches, which I love because drunk fools can’t get too close, bump into you and spill your drink on you. Overall, the club did almost everything necessary to make me a happy club-​goer.
Now let me tell you why I only gave Sidebar 3 stars. The music wasn’t terrible, but it certainly wasn’t good. The selection got pretty bad. It was your standard hip-​hop/​house/​mashup combo, but the problem was the DJ was playing songs that were too old to be refreshing, but too new to be classics. I don’t wanna hear «Up in the Club». It came out in 2003 and I was tired of hearing it then! Also, I can only fault the club a littile bit for this, but… There weren’t enough good-​looking girls there! I only saw a FEW 7’s– 8’s and NO 9’s. That does NOT make for a good night for me. I need some quality! Like I said… That’s not TOTALLY the club’s fault.
Overall, I had a pretty good time, and I’ll give Sidebar another chance some time. I just hope the music and the talent selection improves dramatically.

Too bad it closed it down. It had one of the coolest interiors I’ve seen, and was one of the hottest spots. It really had potential.
But when I had gone the few times, definitely, there was a vibe of that «holier than thou pretentiousness.» then again, what hot bar isn’t.
Overall, if not for friends, I wouldn’t have liked this place completely. Good drinks but I thought they were really over-​over-​priced.

This downtown hotspot closed its doors this past Saturday. The week long celebration was not promoted heavily due to the small occupancy. Saturday night was the culmination of this complete with an open bar and a count down for atendees. It was a great time. The spot will undergo renovations as the owners prepare the location for a facelift along with a new name.
This was their original bar, so I think it will be interesting to see what they do with the small space. They have not set a date to re-​open, but the adjacent Cieros pizza will remain open.

I hereby declare that on one particular night last week (Wednesday), for about 45 minutes — - hands down, I was THE HOTTEST GIRL AT THIS BAR.
THE HOTTEST.
(What I am leaving out, that you really don’t need to know, is that for that portion of the night, I was also the ONLY girl at this bar, but that is not pertinent information.)
And then the go-​go girl showed up.
OK, now that chic was REALLY hot.
I’m big enough to admit it.
I am, of course, just playing with you here. There were girls here, but at one point in the night, it was a huge guy to girl ratio is all, but it evened out soon enough. All good — — more eye candy for me!
Drinks were good, patrons seemed to be having a good time, and it was nice crowd.
The music was good — and with the middle of the bar empty, it was a good area at which to dance… not that anybody was.
Bathrooms have the tip lady so take cash with you to the bathroom or it will be awkward. She might hold the soap hostage. (Actually, she was really sweet but do take a buck or two with you.)
And while the bouncer was HEAVILY enforcing the «MUST HAVE ID» rule — — in the haste of changing purses that night, I forgot to move my ID over to the purse I was carrying that night. Hence, Grace had no ID. The people before us were asking why they needed to be carded, they were much older, etc. He said he had to, it was the rule, the law — that was that. I knew, FOR A FACT, that BECAUSE of me and my stupidity, we were not going to get in. But my motto is that it never hurts to ask — — so after my friends were carded, I explained my situation. He asked my age — — and I told him my birthyear. He asked how old that makes me and I told him 35. He smiled and let us all in.
Now I realize I don’t look 21, and that I am *almost* double that age, but sheesh — — he didn’t have to be so agreeable. Doubting me for another 10 seconds or so would have been NICE! :-)
I’m reading here on Unilocal that there was a cover… uh, not on the night I was there, for the guys OR the girls.

i don’t really understand what all the hype was about. i’ve never had to pay to get in here (nor would i ever), so i’m not sure if there is a cover or not. either way there shouldn’t be. it’s a pretty small venue. the music is only a pinch better than all of the other gaslamp bars/​clubs. douchebags galore, the drinks are expensive, and it’s pretty much a swordfight going on in here. lol (lack of ladies).

Security staff here needs to get over themselves.
The people here have small cock syndrome they spend a weeks worth of income to get bottle service to feel special.
I was told to take off my hat after I got throug the doors with it on. Isnt dress code issues the person at the doors responsibility. Also I was told after walking by every other security guard I was told by the guy at the back door I had to tuck in my chain to. My ¹⁄₁₆ of an inch chain with the inch and a half medalion on the end of it. So they want to cater to a high end clientele but dont wat to let people wear jewelry. Hmm sounds pretty retarded if you ask me.
Ok enough with the hate. Thursdays are cool Matty A and Ikah get the crowd going. Every other night no thanks… Well actually I heard Tony A spins on Wed. so that is probably pretty cool. But other then that too boujie for my liking…

I know the place gets lots of hate, but personally I have never had a bad time here. It’s owned by a bunch of mortgage brokers I think which is probably why I never come here and not see a group of people in the business.
Anyway, we were supposed to be on the VIP list which means no cover. We weren’t. The guy friend who put us on the list, well his friend sent in the list late. Nevertheless after me pulling out the blackberry and showing the guy my emails they let the 10 of us in without the cover. THANK YOU!
Fun, there is a main room with a bar, and a bunch of VIP, table areas which usually don’t fill up until way later. Then there is a smaller room, again with VIP area, roped off and then a narrow pathway that usually ends up being a dance floor. Music was great, we were drunk so of course we had fun. It helped more that the cutie bartender kept on saying nice things to me and buying me drinks even though I said I was married. Anyway the night was all about dancing and being with the girls and that is what we did. I always have fun here…
The crowd is better than at most downtown places, 25−35ish, stylish, and ready to party hard.

Sidebar is one san diego’s boutique type night spots. With very trendy décor and an upscale feel. You wonder how all that was packed into a nightclub of its size. (yes its small). Still they have in 2 bars. The DJ plays good music.
My favorite feature about Sidebar is their customer appreciation night where free* champagne is served to customers who arrive between 9pm and 11pm. Its a good way to kick off the night and save your wallet for later.
They also have an outdoor veranda where you can drink and chat with friends while still being a part of san diego’s busy gaslamp scenery. Which is sometimes a sight to see.
The cover is $ 10 but I would suggest getting on the guestlist.
Overall I give this one 4 stars

This place sucks. For the life of me, I dont understand the appeal. Its so freaking crowded that you are shoulder to shoulder with other patrons. Music is ok, but you can barely stand in the place, let alone walk around. There are so many other «SD Swank» places you can go.

One of my favorite places as far as downtown goes.
Good music cool lil place but you pay for it.

I must preface that I’m writing this from the perspective of someone who’s not into this sort of place. So if you’re not either, this is for you. Oh, also I was a little tipsy by the time we got here (Sunday night of Memorial Day weekend at like 12:30).
This place is dripping in downtownyness. The big, suited, pretentious bouncer with the ear piece was the first clue. The extra bouncer inside who made sure I went to the lady with the cash tray and paid my $ 10 cover (for an hour before closing time, natch) was the next part of the lovely experience. Then getting inside and having people indiscriminately and unapologetically bumping into me was my next reminder of why I loathe downtown. Then of course there were the expensive drinks, generic music, trashy (unattractive, at that) women, nearly-​all-​black standard-​chic interior, repeated testosterone competitions with guys walking by, etc.
I’m giving two stars because I know this just isn’t my scene, so it’s not fair for me to rate this for people who actually like this sort of thing. But for me, this place is a zero star.

Sidebar is a swanky, upscale lounge type club in Downtown. Its has its great nights and its so so nights, but Ive never had any bad nights there. At its best, the place is completely jumpin and the vibe is very hot. At its so so, the music just seems kinda recycled and dull. Sidebar is pretty small and intimate (like Confidential) which means sometimes its tight quarters in this joint causing quite a bit of people bumping and drink spillage. But overall, Sidebar is a fun joint with great bar staff and stiff drinks.

Sidebar, located in the heart of downtown, is a small yet sophisticated higher-​tiered club with a variety of crowds. Dress code is typical of another upperclass downtown club/​bar. The cover is $ 10 for girls, don’t know about the guys ($ 20?). Drinks range from $ 6-​$ 12.
The main nights to go to Sidebar are Thursday and Saturday nights.
I had a table for my 21^st birthday bash here and I had alot of fun. Despite the fact I was sick with a 102 degree fever and couldn’t have any alcohol due to antibiotics… it was still memorable.
I’ve been here several times and I highly recommend the table service, otherwise, you’ll get bumped and shoved by intoxicated passer-​bys. The tables are adequate with reliable servers along with booths along the walls. The outside area is refreshing, if you’re looking for some chlostrophobic-​relief after getting bumped around by the high capacity, or having a smoke.
There are two bars: one on the main dance floor and the second on the other «side». The walls are decorated with modern paintings.
Although they play really great dancing tunes, and you’re looking to get your groove on a Saturday night, I don’t recommend it here. It gets really crowded and people are spilling their drinks everywhere. If you;re looking to mingle, this place is where to do it.
The CIA-​resembling bouncers get anal about standing in the mid-​section between the dance floor by the front door and the main bar. I guess it’s a «fire-​hazard». I miss one of the bouncers, «Sidebar Shaun», he was always really nice.

Sidebar is hit or miss. When it’s fun — it’s ridiculously fun, but when it’s not — well it kind of sucks. Luckily, most of my experiences there have fallen into the first category. This place is much smaller than a lot of the bars and clubs in downtown San Diego, but it makes it easier to walk around without worrying about losing whoever you came with (as opposed to places like On Broadway and Belo, where if you lose someone during the course of the evening, chances are you’ll never see them again.) The downside of this is that it can get ridiculously packed, making it almost impossible to walk around and if you don’t have a table, there are no places to sit or put your drink.
Although the guys at the door can be jerks, especially when there is a line, the bartenders are generally friendly, especially if you tip well and the music here is always great. The décor is really unique as well — I always seem to get mesmerized by the many flat screen TVs behind the bar, which are typically showing some weird combination of old-​school movies, artsy foreign films or random cartoons. I also like that they have a small outdoor area where you can smoke or people watch. On occasion I have run into problems with some of the girls here, who can be downright mean, and I’d say in general the crowd here is what you can expect of this area of San Diego — on the pretentious side.
My best experiences at Sidebar have been either when I was lucky enough to be with someone who had a table or with a group of girls.

I think this is a great example of a bar/​club hybrid. If you’re looking to go out downtown, want to avoid the pretentious, superclub enviroment, but still want something with a litte more to it than the standard bar scene, this is good place. Carries the friendly atmosphere of a bar, but with the energy/​feel of a club.
If you’re looking for san diego’s most ‘beatiful’, better luck perhaps somewhere else, like Stingaree. But, at least from a single guy’s standpoint, I always feel the women here are very friendly, approachable, and not all just out to ‘be seen’, which is refreshing for a downtown scene.
A little too closely packed for my taste and slight element of meetiness at peak hours (i.e. I like my space and not to feel out of place for not initiating dance session with girl next to me). They do have the option of VIP tables, but that’s overkill when out w/​just a friend or two. Also, not a huge fan of the music selection (seems like their always playing hip-​hop — w/​all due respect), but overall, a pretty good place.

Sidebar certainly has a cool factor going for it. I like it, but chic-​y lounge-​y clubs like these tend to be way too pricey for my tastes. True, you get to get dressed up to go place like this and the décor may give you some design inspiration, but after dropping 10 bucks for one drink, I get over the fancy-​shmancy interior of these clubs pretty quickly.
But on the other hand, I have gone to Sidebar and had a lot of fun. I went there on Wednesday night and the place had a pretty decent crowd and I got to meet some interesting characters. I would have had more fun, if I didn’t have to pay so much for drinks, but such is life.

There was no vomit, which was nice.
We’re not sure which of the things here were because this was San Diego, and which were specific to this place. (We’re from SF.) The bouncer took forever to let us in, and let in several large parties before us. Apparently the San Diego scene revolves around guest lists, and out-​of-​towners get the short shaft and the long line. Once you pay the $ 10 cover, you find a place that does not have areas to drink, dance, or walk between areas of the club. There is just one general area where all three types of people run into each other constantly. You start dancing, then someone crashes into you with a drink or a stiletto heel. You go to get a drink, and people bump into you trying to dance. Maybe the traffic patterns in the bathroom worked better, but we didn’t check.
Everything in San Diego closes at 1:30. What’s up with that?
The one good thing about this place was many guys over 6 feet, but the only thing they know how to say to me is, «How tall are you?» Apparently, «hi» is not an acceptable greeting here.
But hey, the weather in SD and the beach are good. As for the rest, well, I guess I’m a northerner at heart.

Aaah, the Sidebar. I remember going here for FM94.9’s Big Sonic Chill nights back before they moved to Airconditioned Lounge. This is a great little (and I do mean little) bar on Market, with the entrance just off Market. You enter, and the bar wraps around the corner of the pizzeria next door. Nice modern décor, and comfy wall couches. Cheap well drinks, standard selection of beers, and a nice selection of specialty martini’s all around the $ 5 range. I miss the free pizza from Ciro’s at midnight though. The staff, bartenders and DJs here are all great and friendly as well. This is as of yet the only bar I have been to where the bathroom attendant will recite Slam poetry at you while you are taking a leak.