Monkey Paw Pub & Brewery

Monkey Paw Pub & BreweryMonkey Paw Pub & Brewery
Monkey Paw Pub & BreweryMonkey Paw Pub & Brewery
Brewery, Bar, Eatery

805 16th St
San Diego, California, 92101
United States

// CLOSED //

Closed 8/27/18
BEER STATS
Average:
3.83
Beers:
45
Ratings:
299
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.24
Reviews:
27
Ratings:
75
pDev:
8.96%
View: Beers | Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by StoutSnob40:
Photo of StoutSnob40
Rated by StoutSnob40 from California

4/5  rDev -5.7%

Apr 09, 2014
More User Ratings:
Photo of BeanBump
Reviewed by BeanBump from California

4.19/5  rDev -1.2%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4 | food: 4.25
One of my go-to's in SD. In recent months, theyve revamped their menu to carry about 80% of their own beers but in the past it was closer to 50%. Not a bad thing at all, as they make quite the variety in-house. In addition to about 30 beers on tap, they also have a full bar and a kitchen that serves up a variety of bar-friendly, mostly fried fare.

They make a ton of beers and theyre all top notch. If I had to pick some favorites, Id go with Ashes from the Grave, Coffe w/ Cream or Monkey Gose Bananas. Can get crowded on Padres game nights and it can also get pretty loud.
May 30, 2018
Photo of chrisjws
Reviewed by chrisjws from California

4.44/5  rDev +4.7%
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.25
Vibe is very dive bar. Dark, wood paneling and the like. Large open windows looking out into the street. Several TVs playing the typical sports and... do my eyes spot college hockey? Okay, they get an extra point in my book for that.

Don't let the dive bar appearance fool you, they have a top notch beer selection of in-house and mostly local brews on tap. In bottles/cans they have dozens more. Wide range of in-house beer styles is much appreciated, add to that stuff from Pizza Port, Burgeon, Beachwood, New English and a lot more.

Food is cheesesteaks that are tasty but a lot smaller than I was hoping for.

In a city with a plethora of beer options, this is quietly a very strong option that could easily be overlooked.
Mar 26, 2018
 
Rated: 3.85 by kjkinsey from Texas

Dec 03, 2017
 
Rated: 4.07 by mkyer from Connecticut

Jul 25, 2017
 
Rated: 3.67 by DVMin98 from North Carolina

May 09, 2017
 
Rated: 4.34 by Gagnonsux from Texas

Mar 12, 2017
 
Rated: 3.71 by Mebuzzard from Colorado

Feb 05, 2017
 
Rated: 4.28 by Avatar113 from California

Jan 14, 2017
 
Rated: 3.56 by Tinska from California

Dec 30, 2016
 
Rated: 4.42 by sd123 from Georgia

Nov 28, 2016
Photo of WestCoastLibations
Reviewed by WestCoastLibations from China

4.7/5  rDev +10.8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5
I come to San Diego once a year and each time, try to visit a new brewery. Although Stone and Ballast Point are, of course, delicious, I aim to find something on the smaller side, and here, Monkey Paw delivered. An incredible selection of their own taps (15!) plus an equally great offering from other local breweries both on draft and in bottles. If you want good, small-batch beer, this is clearly the place to get it.

The day I went they were releasing a Triple IPA, "Muriqui", which I sampled, along with all of their other (in-house) offerings, ranging from dark to light, and from 5% to 10%+. Each beer was different than the other; complex with obvious thought put into the brewing process. As far back as 2013 I could get bottles of Ballast Point on sale in Korea(?!), while at Monkey Paw, I couldn't even get a bottle to go out the door. Although I would have loved to sip on one of their beers after having left San Diego, there is something to be said for their small-operation production, as Monkey Paw really does "stay true to the craft"...
Sep 30, 2016
 
Rated: 5 by deniserat from California

Jun 15, 2016
 
Rated: 4.28 by Junichi from Texas

May 27, 2016
 
Rated: 4.07 by bumchilly25 from Canada (BC)

Mar 27, 2016
Photo of TheKlevin
Reviewed by TheKlevin from Michigan

5/5  rDev +17.9%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 5
Awesome beers on tap, cheap greasy food. An awesome hidden gem in SD! Definitely smaller than what you might expect, but they more than make up for that with an awesome draft selection and awesome bottles beers too!
Jan 31, 2016
Photo of mrcraft
Reviewed by mrcraft from California

4.25/5  rDev +0.2%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.25
Monkey Paw is located on the outer fringe of the Gaslamp District. This place had a nice edge to it. They had a bar area with tables and seating on the other side. There were tables along an open window to the street. It was packed when I went, so it took a few minutes for a bartender to grab my order. She was nice and apologetic though for my wait. They had some monitors with sports and a movie on. They serve food, I believe you order in the back around the kitchen window. I didn't order any food but it looked pretty good.

The tap list was better than I was expecting. As you would imagine, they have their house beers, but the guest list was pretty good. I had an Alpine SD Surprise since I never had it before. It was alright. I was surprised they had Founders KBS on tap.

Once I hit the other San Diego area breweries, I'll be back. Nice visit. Cool place.
Jan 22, 2016
Photo of jjboesen
Reviewed by jjboesen from Maryland

3.98/5  rDev -6.1%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.25 | service: 3.75 | selection: 3.75 | food: 4
After a long day of East Village beer drinking, it was time to end the day with more beer drinking. What better place to end it than at this unpretentious little "dive," a term used with much endearment. It is rather small, rather dark and tightly packed, but it is well worth the trip. In addition to providing thirsty patrons with local SD crafts, they also brew their own beer. I quaffed pints of Diabolic, New English Bine and a delicious brew from Alpine called "Bad Boy." Yes, it was. Great bar food - I went for a pork roll. A wonderful place to have a few (but then, this IS America's "Greatest Beer City." ) This monkey cannot wait to return!
Jan 03, 2016
Photo of thepenguin
Reviewed by thepenguin from Massachusetts

4.3/5  rDev +1.4%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.25 | food: 4
Had a layover in SD and chose to visit Monkey Paw after a haul in the area. Nice selection of proprietary beers and collaborations as well as some other good local options, pretty good food, and not overly crowded or pretentious in any way. Great prices on their beer flights!
Dec 28, 2015
 
Rated: 4.25 by wethorseblanket from California

Dec 20, 2015
Photo of NateDyk47
Reviewed by NateDyk47 from Michigan

4.41/5  rDev +4%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.75 | food: 4
Stopped here while visiting San Diego. Great atmosphere at this place, good food, and a huge selection of their own beers along with guest beers. Beer and service were both great too.
Dec 13, 2015
Photo of MilwaukeeBeerMaker
Reviewed by MilwaukeeBeerMaker from Wisconsin

4.21/5  rDev -0.7%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5
Another stop on my tour of San Diego. This place had a nice vibe with good taps and some pretty nice bottles. Heard the food was good but did not get a chance to try it out.
Oct 27, 2015
 
Rated: 4 by Spreetaper from New York

Sep 30, 2015
Photo of Sara24
Rated by Sara24 from Colorado

4.75/5  rDev +12%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.75 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5
I wish I had a monkey's paw
Sep 07, 2015
Photo of RLM15
Reviewed by RLM15 from California

4.68/5  rDev +10.4%
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4.75 | selection: 4.75 | food: 4
One of my favorite places in San Diego to drink a beer. Super dark, divey vibes which are right up my alley. They will usually have about 5-10 of their own beers on tap along with another 20 or so beers from all over. Every time I come to Monkey Paw I see at least 5 beers on the tap list I am super stoked to try. Of the Monkey Paw beers I would recommend the i-5 with coconut and pink salt and the big smoke. great bar tenders as well. If you are visiting san diego this is a must hit, local spot.
Aug 24, 2015
 
Rated: 4.43 by Alpha309 from California

Jul 16, 2015
 
Rated: 4.19 by nesarebad from Massachusetts

Jul 12, 2015
Photo of Pawoto
Reviewed by Pawoto from New Hampshire

4.78/5  rDev +12.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 5
Stopped here during a 14-brewery San Diego visit after getting a tip from a local. The Taplist was incredible - Vietnamese Speedway, two versions of Angel's Share, Cuvee de Tomme, Red Poppy, lots of other great stuff. The Monkey Paw beers I tried were solid - Cornelius (the DIPA) the most memorable.

The Bartender had a shirt that said "Eat Pussy. Chug Whiskey. Hail Satan!" So I was a little worried, but he was super polite and attentive. So I probably shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but that was a pretty aggressive shirt!

Great spot - really glad we stopped!
Jun 16, 2015
 
Rated: 4.03 by mig100 from Texas

Jun 06, 2015
 
Rated: 4.11 by jaydoc from Kansas

May 17, 2015
 
Rated: 4 by dcbobcat from Ohio

Mar 29, 2015
 
Rated: 4.3 by Buck89 from Tennessee

Mar 14, 2015
 
Rated: 4.1 by Ucsbrandon from California

Feb 18, 2015
 
Rated: 4.14 by kingpin1010 from California

Feb 09, 2015
 
Rated: 4.67 by BoozyCollins21 from California

Jan 06, 2015
 
Rated: 4.75 by double2chin from California

Dec 14, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by DinoBlueShoes from Maine

Dec 09, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by kmanjohnson from California

Dec 07, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by Drink_LocalSD from California

Dec 05, 2014
 
Rated: 4.04 by fureousangel from California

Nov 24, 2014
Monkey Paw Pub & Brewery in San Diego, CA
Brewery rating: 3.83 out of 5 with 299 ratings