Uptown Tavern

Consistent, personal, excellent service every time. Been coming here for about two years. They did a friends wedding reception in back. Updated, fun chic space. Great cocktails. Can’t speak highly enough of staff who are generous attentive and above all professional. Reliable. Great for groups drinks and all 3 meals.

I don’t think I’d come here to meet people. But if you already have friends you want to go out with and chat with you can go here and get strong drinks. They may or may not have a back room where dancing takes place. It was closed off when I was here

Great food and awesome service. Been here twice and would definitely go again!
Flatbreads are yummy and drinks are tasty.

For drinks/​or a night out this place is awesome. I went with an out of town friend and we had a blast. Good drinks, fast service, and clean bathrooms.
For brunch — well, I can’t write a review because after sitting down for about 5 minutes, reviewing menus, and having put in our champagne order, our waitress tells us that the brunch menu is closing in 4 minutes. The happy hour menu would only be available for the next hour… Too bad there are like, only 5 items in the happy hour menu. We were hungry and looking for actual food not wings and fries (though I do love wings and fries). We ended up leaving. This isn’t a huge deal but rather annoying. Wish we someone would have said something the minute we sat down or before our champ order went in. But whatever you live and learn.

I recieved a response on facebook that did not cover or do any research into correcting the deficiencies of the businesses views on my Guam ID. I will post it below but to sum it up. There IN HOUSE policy only accepts ID from CONTINENTAL US states (this means Hawaii and Alaska you better have a passport.), Guam is a FOREIGN country to them (even though it clearly say on ANY map Guam, USA; which if im correct it also says that for California, USA.) and that they have the right to refuse service (even though the right to refuse service would mean that i was not in the proper attire, to rowdy, or violating some law.) So to sum it up this business only really lacks education of what guam is and has no backing from any law that allows them to reject my ID. But read below for there more detailed

I’ve been here after some late nights as well as happy hours and brunch.
I am not a brunch person. Frankly I’m not a breakfast person, but I crave their chicken and waffles. I typically don’t eat fried food, but the chicken is so moist and yet crispy-it’s absolute perfection. The waffle is the real treat. Stuffed with cheese and bacon with compound butter topped with a Woodford syrup.
The bloody bar is nice if you can drink more than one. I’m a one bloody kind of gal but I came with male friends on football Sunday and they went back. I’d rather have the talented bartenders make me one good one vs whatever concoction I attempt.
I don’t know why I want chicken and waffles as I write this. I might need to make a trip back soon.

Love this place, great ambience, staff and food. The happy hour is amazing with great deals.
Today I had the Garden Hash for lunch and it was delicious. Fried eggs over sautéed veggies over hash browns!

The service was very friendly and welcoming. We came here for a birthday party and were able to snag the long table near the back left in front of the bar. This made it easier to chill and order drinks without having to walk too far.
The food wasn’t my favorite, but it was still good.
We ordered a lot, including the brussels sprouts, the truffle fries, hot wings, sliders, and the shrimp cocktail. The brussels were very good for brussels. The truffle fries, I wasn’t a big fan of. The sliders were pretty bomb, they put the hot wings’ sauce in them. The shrimp cocktail was good, but it didn’t catch my attention too much, it was huge though.
The drinks were pretty good. They have a lot of beers on tap, some San Diego drafts too.

Fabulous place… the staff is incredible, the drink selection is impressive, atmosphere is lively and spirited.
Most impressive was the staff… especially the manager Chad. GREAT. 5 STARS… 6 stars if I could.
I look forward to going back soon!

Omg the best brussel sprouts I’ve had, anywhere, and I’ve had a lot of brussel sprouts. Don’t be fooled when they tell you it’s a *small plate, it’s basically a serving bowl; enough to make a meal for at least 2 people. Our table made the mistake of ordering two of these, it’s a good thing there was about eight of us that night. Someone else at the table definitely ordered the Crab Mack and cheese, I believe there was a shrimp ceviche, and a pistachio bread pudding ended up at the table at some point, but for my money it doesn’t get any better then when those brussel sprouts are set in front of me.
Don’t be tempted by the fire, the struggle is real people, and those rocks burn. If you happen to be ‘suggestible’ and your pals tell you to grab a rock from the flaming pit of death, well, you’ll experience the same sensation I did that fateful evening back in Feb of 2015, if you, for some reason decide that it’s a good idea. Didn’t heed my warning? Well, life will go on, quickly head to the bar, order yourself a cold beverage, hold it delicately in the hand that grabbed the rocks.
The bar staff here knows how to pour a delicious beverage here, my go to was thwarted by a Four Roses and Luxardo cherry concoction, oh so good. I don’t always drink bourbon, but when I do, I drink Four Roses, I mean, at least I did that evening.
Seriously though, those brussel sprouts, seriously…
FYI, I came back again, and those Brussels are still oh so delicious!

This was a place I wanted to like. Who wouldn’t want to get down on some biscuits with fried chicken and egg and their chicken and waffles. Sadly, both were beyond disappointing. I went with the biscuits with fried chicken and egg. The biscuits were under cooked and I almost felt like I was eating dough. The chicken was bland and I was not a fan of whatever they batter their chicken in. Also sampled their chicken and waffles and once again the chicken just wasn’t that good on this particular day. I thought it was a cool place with a good atmosphere and I wouldn’t let this experience prevent me from eating here again, but with all the good spots in the area I can’t say I’d come out of my way to eat here.

Wonderful brunch location! They gave NFL Sunday ticket if you’re looking to catch a football game, great service, fun atmosphere and a mimosa bar! Yes, a mimosa bar. You can buy a bottle of champagne or rose and then add you own flavors to your glass. Food portions are generous and priced well.

The veggie flat bread was delicious (and im not a vegetarian). The dough was very flavorful. With a little added salt n pepper, it was a great shareable ap. Wine ok for $ 11. Service was good. This place is probably great on a weekend. We were here on a Monday evening. Cool vibe. Nice décor. Definitely worth a try compared to bars in the area. Open late on a weekday, which is kind of a big deal in SD for an out of towner.

Surprisingly good food! I came here on a whim with a friend to get a drink and a bite, and I was really impressed by their dishes! The lamb sliders had great flavor, were cooked to order, and the gnocchi with short ribs was fantastic. Service was well above expectations for your average tavern/​bar– I would gladly come back here again. Prices were fair, atmosphere is open and relaxed– the little fire pits they have outside put out some really good heat so you can enjoy sitting outside even on a chilly evening!

Fun time, friendly staff and a surprise that we must’ve been there for happy hour because what I thought was a $ 10 drink was a $ 5 one. Win!
I like the atmosphere. It’s lively and laid-​back at the same time. I had a strawberry vodka drink, which was evilly delicious, sliders (cooked perfect), and the corn with herbed butter and cheese. My brother had the mac and cheese, which also was really good. They have a mix of bar food, flatbreads and a few more dinner-​type dishes.
We were there early enough that we got parking right out front, but anyone who knows that area of University knows that parking can be a pain. However, if you park around there, make the most of it and hit up a couple spots along the way.

Pros–
–Their happy hour is amazing
–5 Spice Wings
–Old Fashioned’s
–Good craft beer selection
–Bartenders are attentive and always nice
–They are always changing things up based on customer reviews, pretty cool
SUPER PROS
–Chad, he waited on me months ago and I have seen him literally every time I have gone back. He is nothing short of awesome, one of those guys that just seems to want to be there, to want to see Uptown succeed and to see is patrons happy, I don’t know him personally, but he just make the experience better. They really hired an amazing guy when it comes to him!
Take-​Aways
–Great place to go, eat, drink and hang. If you can sit at the bar, I have always had a better experience there. And if for some odd reason you are not happy, ask to talk to Chad :)

This place has a pretty decent HH. It’s right in the heart of Hillcrest & I often stop by as part of a pub crawl with friends. They have a nice selection of beer & some pretty decent food. I sampled their 5 spice wings (there must have been about 12 wings in the order min.). They were juicy & served in a sweet chili sauce with shaved ginger & a grilled lime. They were only $ 7 & change. We also had an order of truffle fries which made a great accompaniment for the beer. They have plenty of flat screens so this is a fun place to watch a game. Bartenders are friendly here.

We came here for brunch on Sunday around 10am, and everything about our experience here was wonderful! I could not have asked for a more perfect brunch experience!
Service: Great! Our waiter was friendly, helpful, came over often, was very pleasant to chat with!
Pace: No wait whatsoever when we arrived at 10am! And the food came out quickly too after we ordered too, which was nice.
Food: Delicious! I ordered the garden hash, which was absolutely delicious! I loved the addition of brussel sprouts to the dish, it really added something unique to it. I don’t normally see entire brussel sprouts in such dishes, so that was cool! The entire dish was just very flavorful, filling, and satisfying. I got a biscuit on the side, and it was VERY good. So buttery, flaky, dense. Get the biscuit, definitely. It also came with some grapes and watermelon, which was a nice touch. Also, the portions were huge, and it was kind of hard to finish, but it was so delicious that I had to eat it all! My friends all got massively-​sized meals, and enjoyed all their food.
Drinks: At brunch, they have this fun champagne bar that you should definitely take advantage of! You pay $ 20 for a bottle of champagne, and then you go over to the bar area and fill your glass with all sorts of candies, fruits, fresh juices, etc. And then you come back and fill up your glass with champagne. Word of advice: do not overfill your glass with goodies. I was so excited about the bar that I filled my glass to the brim with fruits and juices, some of which didn’t work too well with other additions. It left very little space for actual champagne, and resulted in a yummy albeit odd-​tasting drink. So, moderation is key! It was still super fun nonetheless, as was this entire brunch experience.
Price: Very reasonably priced entrees. My garden hash was $ 12 and enormous. Great value for the food.
I would wholeheartedly recommend this place. Great service, no wait, DELICIOUS food, and fun drinks! So much to love!

Loved the service loved the food!
The 5 spice wings are very flavorful and came to the table hot!
Gf ordered the Sangria & I had the all day long drink. Both were good & worth the price.
Tony our server was super friendly & invited us to come back. He explained all of the food/​drinks to us & suggested the wings. We went around midnight so we weren’t expecting much but was pleasantly surprised. There were atleast 20 other customers & more coming in. I love how you can go anywhere in Hillcrest and there’s always a party. We will def be back especially when they have their DJ night.

They guys have an awesome Brunch, c’mon they have Loco Moco! YassBitchYass!
Their menu is pretty sweet and they change things up, you can subscribe to their email list and they send out good recipes for either a dish or a cocktail. Since I love to cook this is relevant to my interests.
They have a pretty righteous drink menu and craft cocktails. On the weekend they put a Make your own Bloody Mary Bar, yes please.
For me I think it’s way too dark inside at night, you can’t even read the menu that would be my only gripe.