The 12 Best Cocktail Bars in San Diego
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The best cocktail bars in San Diego, according to the experts: The Pinnacle Guide, The 50, and James Beard Awards have all weighed in, and their honors are what rank this list. The Realm of the 52 Remedies comes out on top.
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Part Time Lover and Happy Medium hold the next two places. The Infatuation shows up on more of this list than any other guide, with The 50 next.
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Rank 1. The Realm of the 52 Remedies
Cocktail Bar
The awards
- The Pinnacle Guide The Pinnacle Guide: 2 Pins
- The 50 The 50: #93 · North America's 50 Best Bars
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Bar
- The Pinnacle Guide 2 Pins
- The 50 #93 · North America's 50 Best Bars
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Bar
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Rank 2. Part Time Lover
Cocktail Bar
The awards
- Esquire Esquire: The Best Bars in America
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The 12 Best Bars In San Diego
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The awards
- Eater Best New Bar
- Spirited Awards 2025 · Regional Top 10 Honoree · Best New U.S. Cocktail Bar – U.S. West
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The awards
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2025 · Semifinalist · Best New Bar
- Spirited Awards Spirited Awards: 2025 · Regional Top 10 Honoree · Best New U.S. Cocktail Bar – U.S. West
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Best New Bar
- Spirited Awards 2025 · Regional Top 10 Honoree · Best New U.S. Cocktail Bar – U.S. West
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Rank 5. Noble Experiment
Cocktail Bar
The awards
- The 50 The 50: The 50 Discovery
- Difford's Guide Difford's Guide: Difford's Guide
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Rank 6. Polite Provisions
Cocktail Bar
A hundred-foot marble bar runs the length of the room, and the apothecary shelving, brass fixtures, and velvet accents make the whole place feel like a Victorian soda fountain that took a wrong turn into a Parisian atrium. This cocktail bar in Normal Heights has been an anchor of the San Diego drinks scene for ages, built around housemade bitters, syrups, and sodas long before that was a cliché.
The awards
- Punch Best New Bartenders · Dominique Muñoz
- San Diego Magazine Best Cocktail Bar in San Diego · The Best Restaurants in San Diego
- The 50 The 50 Discovery
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Rank 7. Convoy Music Bar
Cocktail Bar
The awards
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The 12 Best Bars In San Diego
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Rank 7. False Idol
Tiki Bar
The awards
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The 12 Best Bars In San Diego
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Rank 7. Kamon Craft Cocktail Bar
Cocktail Bar
The awards
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The 12 Best Bars In San Diego
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Rank 7. Same Same
Thai Cocktail Bar
The awards
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The 12 Best Bars In San Diego
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Rank 7. Understory Bar
Cocktail Bar
The awards
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The 12 Best Bars In San Diego
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The awards
- The 50 The 50: The 50 Discovery
- Spirited Awards Spirited Awards: 2023 · Regional Honoree · Best U.S. Cocktail Bar – U.S. West
- Difford's Guide Difford's Guide: Difford's Guide
- The 50 The 50 Discovery
- Spirited Awards 2023 · Regional Honoree · Best U.S. Cocktail Bar – U.S. West
- Difford's Guide Difford's Guide