Small Bar

I realize this is a bar, but it’s LOUDer than normal bars. Nice location, brew their own beer and have several on tap to choose from. They also serve food, to soak up of course. Parking isn’t bad but I recommend getting Über or Lyft for sake of.

Amazing beer selection, but even more amazing mules. They’re inexpensive and worth every penny.
Small Bar is ideal for those who want a relaxing night out with friends over a few drinks. One of my go-​to locations in San Diego.

Visited this place yesterday. It was very dark inside so I didn’t know to expect. But when I ordered the Fuego Melt and the Elephant Mule… Dude!!! That shit was legit and I will be back very soon for a fix!

+ clean bar + knowledgeable staff on craft beer +amazing beer selection
+ STEAK NIGHT FOR $ 15 AND YOU GET A BEER AMAZING
— the mens bathroom has had a leak for about 3 – 4 years now so there’s water always on the floor. or everyone always pisses in the same amount in the same spot

Best bloody marry I have ever had. Great friendly staff that will make you laugh. The food looks great hope to try it at my next visit!

Monday steak night is awesome. I recommend adding a side for corn of the cob too!
Impressive list of beers on tap.

A small quaint place that’s really chill. Came here for their steak special. It def didn’t disappoint, they do the steak right!!! The char on that meat, yessss!!! That’s what the fifth star is for. Compliments to the chef, cause not everywhere does that. The sides for a buck each is a good deal and it comes with a beer. There’s a nice variety of beer as well. The service was great! Not pushy but very efficient. Like its name, the place is small so come and try to grab a place to sit.

Went to try the ‘best bloody Mary’ in San Diego and I have to say I disagree. I really wanted it to say that it would be the best for me, but it just wasn’t. The bloody did have a lot of garnishes, the bacon was the best.
Came here on the weekend and there was no line which was great so the service was fast and the food came out quickly.
The beer selection is amazing
The food was average
The Bloody Mary was average
The price is good for a brunch option– $ 12 – 18 for breakfast that comes w a cocktail.

Love this place for it’s boozy, beery, and foody goodness.
Tap list is huge and rotating. Dollar off any brew between 5 – 8 p.m.
Get a cocktail or wine here too.
Haven’t done steak night yet, but I’ve done the brunch burger which is pretty amazing and intimidating to get through.
Small bar is a regular pit stop. Minus the creepy old guys that live in the neighborhood that try to hit on you, it’s a great place to keep coming back to.

Great tequila sunrises here… and I’m in love with the set up of this place. Kind of a pub but crate type of look with wood benches and outside seating. Very small inside though, and always crowded. The one star taken away was for the parking. There is only street parking no private lot or anything and it is hard to find a spot in the neighborhood. Mostly meters and 2 hour spots. My friends had to circle a few times to find parking. Thank God I live walking distance away so parking for me is not a problem. Customer service was great and we received food and our drinks very fast.

Went to small bar after hearing about their Monday Steak and a beer special for $ 15. The atmosphere was really friendly, everyone seemed to know everyone, and bartender was on top of it.
Definitely a fun little local bar and good place to chat with new faces.
And that steak did not disappoint. I will definitely be returning to Small Bar.

Absolutely, 100%, hands down recommend this place!
Every Saturday and Sunday they have the best brunch. I try something new every time I go and have never been disappointed!
Not only does the food taste good, but includes a beverage –alcoholic if you please– of your choice.
I always go with the Bloody Mary, that’s because it’s the best Bloody Mary in San Diego I’ve had so far (3 years of searching).
Now, there system is a tad different but it works. Order first, get a ticket for your drink, give it to bartender with your order, sit & wait for food to be served. And, as the name states… It is a «small» bar. That being said, get there early for brunch because it gets packed about an hour after they open!
To top it off, the staff is incredibly nice and welcoming!

By far the best bloody Mary’s I’ve had in San Diego and an excellent brunch as well. The brunch options are limited, and so is physical space but the atmosphere is unique, and makes you feel like you’re in a family guy bar. Also the music is really good.
I highly recommend you get there when the doors open if you’re going to want to get a seat.

I’ve been here several times for both brunch and dinner. This review is just for brunch.
I had to wait in a ridiculously long line to order food. They had 1 person taking orders and distributing food. I waited nearly 45 minutes in line JUST to put my order in. Then, I got a drink ticket which I had to take to the bar, where I had to wait again for the bartender to make my drink. I feel like there has to be a better system for this. Oh, and this is all considering if you’re lucky enough to snag a table.
Despite the long wait, their brunch combo is unbeatable — $ 15 for food and a drink of your choice (mimosa, beer, or Bloody Mary). The Bloody Mary is seriously a meal in itself. It comes with bacon, celery, pickles, tomato, shrimp, olives, pickled green bean, peppercini, carrot, and a mushroom. It is nicely spiced and the brim is coated in Tajin. I believe they even added a splash of Guinness in it which I’ve never seen.
The Fuego sandwich is the perfect greasy, hangover food. The sandwich is jam-​packed with flavor! It’s pretty much a grilled cheese stuffed with steak and jalapeño peppers with generous amounts of spicy aioli.
Tip: I highly suggest getting here around 10 – 10:30am to beat the rush. Otherwise, don’t even bother unless you don’t mind the wait.

After my earlier nosh at El Zarape prior to the Unilocal Elite Event at Park & Rec Tuesday night, I was pleasantly surprised to see super Unilocal Elites Nette B. and Maria C. heading out to Small Bar to pre-​game a bit. They asked if I wanted to join them, and as I’d never been, I took them up on their offer.
As the name says, Small Bar is just that — a small bar that had the feel of a cozy dive bar. Despite the size, surprisingly I felt comfortable inside; I didn’t want to order a drink due to my future imbibing at the YEE, but I could see myself having a beer if I was in the area.
In terms of food, I sampled some of the fried pickles Nette had ordered; not too bad (especially with the horseradish dressing that Rianne D. had with her order of corn dogs). The way the ordering system works at Small Bar is that you ring a bell near the window, give your order and pay, and they bring it out to you. I’d heard about the Brunch Burger here courtesy of CityBeat’s Burger Week; now that I know where the place is, I’ll give it a shot once it comes around again.
Still, we had a good time pre-​partying at Small Bar (especially with all the fellow veteran Unilocal Elites that joined us while we were there), so this place rates a 3.5 in my book.

Had some friends visiting from out of town that I took on a little too long binge in Gaslamp the night before so this was my close by neighborhood spot to recover and get some Bloody Mary’s and food in their bellies. The brunch menu here includes your choice of various listed libations! I have posted before on Bloody Mary disappointment when they are gone in too few sips and sometimes overwhelmed by the accessories that come in them! Not here! The bloody Mary’s are the best thing going on here, large and just the hair of dog you need after a doozie of an evening out! I have had the breakfast with egg whites and Mars in the name… and have always found it pretty decent for an omelet. My friends had the cheese steak sandwich and then the sandwich with fried chicken and gravy, if I went back I would definitely go with the fried chicken and gravy sandwich… try to eat a little healthier usually, but that sucker is worth every fat and calorie!
Only disappointment is how dark the inside is and limited patio space when we get so many gorgeous days in San Diego. Would definitely go back. The staff is fun and walks around and mingles with the customers. If the juke box isn’t playing, you can bet they’ll be getting someone up to get the music and vibe going here. So next time you’re a little slow moving in the morning and not set on a pretty outdoor setting to have your brunch, this is your spot!

OMG THE FUEGO! Sooo good! It’s like a grilled cheese meets a cheese steak meets its namesake: FIRE! My coworker who lived in UH used to rant and rave about this sandwich to me on a regular basis… so naturally when I moved to UH and started exploring the hood, this was my first stop. I’ve been three times now and all three times I’ve had multiple strangers approach me to ask me what it is I am eating. Maybe I involuntarily moan while i’m eating this à la «When Harry Met Sally»… or maybe it just smells and looks as amazing as it tastes. Either way, I’m a huge fan of this sandwich, which consists of steak, cheese, tomato, and hot fiery peppers all sandwiched and grilled between two slices of bread and served over a bed of french fries. It’s heaven in a basket. And oh-​so-​perfect with one of the many craft beers offered by Small Bar to wash it down.
The bar itself is nice and dark and divey — just how I like it. While the bar is indeed a bit small (as the name implies), it happens to be very well endowed where it matters: in the beer and liquor selection — so it’s no wonder it feels confident enough in its manhood to print the word «Small» on its signs. The service has always been friendly and prompt, and the regulars seem to be a nice crowd… it’s a bit hipstery (real hipsters, not yuppie douche-​bag hipsters) and seems to be mostly a comfortable mix of 20 – 30 somethings. It’s a great neighborhood bar… which just so happens to also serve the most awesome sandwich ever.
Win.

Burger #1 for burger week.
It was between Small Bar and Home and Away, I kinda wish we went to home and away because this small bar burger was sooo unhealthy and greasy. Every fatties dream… I liked it! My friend on the other hand got kind of sick from it because he also got fries and they were sooo greasy that he got sick.
My burger tasted amazing. Like every dive bar burger. It came with a fried egg (you can tell its fried from a bad grease because the bottom was brown and crispy and greasy and sooo good) then some bacon and meat. I think I almost had a heart attacking eating it but hey I’ll risk it for burger week.
Beers– they have a good selection of beer, but not like ones you’ll see everywhere like sculpin. Or maybe they change it daily? The place was pitch black and had the very divey feeling.

CITYBEAT BURGER WEEK #8
They call it the «Brunch Burger», with over 1/​3rdlb of house ground beef topped with cheddar, bacon and a fried egg. It was pretty good, but felt like it was missing something, like a secret sauce. Compared to the other 7 burgers I had eaten during Burger Week, it even seemed rather bland.
If I lived in walking distance I’d probably over time morph into one of the local regular hipsters complete with moustache, beard, tattoos, and smoking something. But otherwise there’s nothing particularly special about this «small» beer bar to drive out to.

This has to be one of my favorite bars in San Diego. It’s small (hence the name) and really had that neighborhood feel. The bartenders know the patrons, and people see their neighbors on a regular basis. Has probably 20 – 30 beers on tap with almost all of them local craft beers. The highlights of this place has to be the cocktails and the food! They have an amazing selection of mules which are all delicious. My personal favorite is the peach mule made with peach vodka.
The food here is absolutely amazing. Greasy, cheesy bar food is their specialty and they do it well. Last night I got a steak sandwich and corn dogs. Both were cooked to perfection and came with fries that remind me of In N Out fries. I have also been here for brunch which is a great cure for a hangover. I highly suggest the Bloody Mary if you’re into the spicy, chunky kind.