The 16-block Victorian historic district downtown: Fifth Avenue cocktail rooms, hotel lounges, late-night taquerias and the Noble Experiment speakeasy hidden behind a wall of beer kegs.
La Puerta in San Diego is the Gaslamp Quarter Mexican kitchen on Fourth Avenue, the after-bar carne asada fries and Taco Tuesday institution that anchors downtown's late-night Mexican map.
Signature: Carne asada fries, Taco Tuesday, Margarita pitchers
Order: The carne asada fries to share; Taco Tuesday $3 tacos until close.
Tip: Open until 1am Fri-Sat, midnight other nights; the back patio runs heater-and-fan year-round.
The WestBean Coffee Roasters on Broadway in downtown San Diego, the small-batch roaster supplying 20-plus local restaurants and pouring at Liberty Public Market.
Sources from: Direct-trade Latin America, Africa
How they serve: Espresso, Filter, Whole bean retail
Noble Experiment speakeasy in San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter, hidden behind a wall of beer kegs at Neighborhood, with a pre-Prohibition cocktail program from CH Projects.
Signature drink: Bartender's Choice from a pre-Prohibition spirit cellar
Food: Cocktail snacks from Neighborhood next door
The Tipsy Crow on Fifth Avenue in San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter, the 1874 Spencer Ogden building running three levels of cocktails from the main bar to The Underground.
Signature drink: Pre-Prohibition cocktails on the main bar, draft beer downstairs
Food: Sliders, pretzels, bar food
So Diego's Brothels, Bites and Booze tour of San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter, a daily four-stop tasting crawl through the neighbourhood's post-Gold Rush history.
Sidewalk Food Tours' Gaslamp Quarter walking food tour in downtown San Diego, three hours and five tastings across Mexican, Greek, Thai and ice-cream stops.
IMPASTIAMO's pasta class in downtown San Diego, a 2.5-hour cook-and-share workshop with welcome drink, chef-led pasta lesson and a communal dinner after.
Noble Experiment in San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter, the keg-wall speakeasy where pre-Prohibition cocktails run until 2am behind the Neighborhood beer wall.
Try: Bartender's Choice cocktails, snacks from Neighborhood
The Tipsy Crow on Fifth Avenue in San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter, three levels of cocktails, sliders and a downstairs dance floor open until 2am every night.
Try: Cocktails, sliders, late-night dance floor