Toronado

 

Visited with my wife on a recent trip to San Diego and Los Angeles.

Tried the following:
18th Street Brewery Dank Diesel (sample)
Kern River Just Outstanding IPA (draft)
Russian River Pliny The Elder (draft)

Beers ranged from very good to mind blowing. Also had a tasty house-made pretzel with cheese sauce. My wife enjoyed her Great Divide Strawberry Rhubarb. Service was solid as the bartender was quick to grab our drinks and she did a commendable job of recommending a beer for my oenophile partner in crime. Comfortable, relaxing atmosphere at the bar during the day, with lots of natural light coming in. Our overall experience was magnificent, and we would definitely come back.

 

Afternoon visit, sat at the bar

“Dress code: three tooth minimum”

NCAA hoops on tv, plenty on tap , bottles in the fridge, great play list on the speakers

Beer steins, bottles , signs, posters- this place sells beer- Russian river, stone, allagash, society, bocker, Firestone walker, etc

The beer tender recommended the thin sliced ribeye sandwich = excellent

Great bar
Recommended
Repeatable

place is a beer mecca for beer bars. Had amazing tap list when I was there:
Society
Blind pig
Pliny
You name it, they had it.
Reasonably priced on the whole as well.

 

 

 

 

Dingy vibe, but don't let it fool you. Selection here is some of the best you'll find anywhere. Russian River among many other great choices. They don't have a fryer so don't expect bar food. Get the wings and a Pliny.

They have a lot of random old goodies and a pretty extensive bottle list.

Great craft beer bar, rustic and well-used. Place has a bit of a biker bar vibe. Around 30 beers on tap - stellar CA offerings - and an incredible bottle list. Quintessential San Diego beer bar.

Went twice on my trip, very cool laid back vibe. Bartender was awesome and very friendly since I was into beer. Great Cali selection and amazing to find Cable Car bottles. Expensive but sick bottle list. Average bar food.

A great bar and loved being able to order Cable Car but I actually preferred Hamiltons to Toronado.

 

 

 

 

 

I loved this place. It's a craft brew dive bar, and the selection for me (coming from the East Coast) was tremendous. Had my first Pliny the Elder here and my only wish is that I could have had more time to enjoy my time there over a few more beers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nat the bartender was super cool. Locals there gave us great recommendations for places to visit while on vacation.

 

 

 

 

Been to SD many times and had just seemed to miss Toronado. Had been to original SF location, and thought it about time to check it out in SD. Glad I did.
Old school beer bar vibe...somewhat like SF. Only here it was 30th street vs Haight. So your head is in a definitely different place when you head in. Once in...the vibe is more relaxed. More laid back and friendly. Staff took exceptional time to talk beer, quiz me on what I was looking for and offering many unsolicited tastes and trials. Also VERY impressed that staff asked my opinion on new beers they had tapped/were not entirely familiar with. Not just whether I liked or not...but the details. Not unlike T-SF the tap selection was very good, but nothing jaw dropping. Bottle list is extensive but only a few rare/special beers. SD has plenty of solid alternatives. So I would highly recommend a stop because of the staff and a much better than average selection list.

 

Stopped in here on a recent trip to San Diego and it was well worth it. A craft beer lovers bar. Lots of great taps and lots of great bottles. Even managed to get the famed Cable Car via bottle. My lunch was delicious and the bartender (Val) was pleasant and helpful.