CUCINA urbana's bar on Laurel Street in Bankers Hill, San Diego, the 2009 Cal-Italian room with daily happy hour and a retail wine program at minimal corkage.
Food program: Cal-Italian sharing plates, late-night menu Fri-Sat
Address: 505 Laurel St, San Diego, CA 92101
Madison on Park on Park Boulevard in University Heights, San Diego, a Mediterranean kitchen and cocktail room in an iconic mid-century space with seasonal drinks.
Signature drink: Seasonal Mediterranean-inspired cocktails
Food: Mediterranean small plates, brunch on weekends
Sycamore Den on Adams Avenue in Normal Heights, San Diego, the 1970s rec-room cocktail lounge with leather banquettes, a deep amaro list and den-room snacks.
Signature drink: Modern takes on 1970s classics, deep amaro list
Food: Bar snacks, no full kitchen
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
False Idol tiki speakeasy in Little Italy, San Diego, the CH Projects hideaway behind Craft and Commerce running classic Don the Beachcomber recipes with rum fountains and storm walls.
Signature drink: Don's Special Daiquiri, classic and modern tiki
Food: Polynesian-inflected bar snacks from Craft and Commerce
Polite Provisions on 30th Street in San Diego's Normal Heights, the apothecary-style cocktail bar with house-made sodas, shrubs and a 30-tap classic cocktail wall.
Signature drink: Sodas, shrubs and bitters made in house, classic cocktails on tap
Food: Soda Bar burgers and snacks from the kitchen next door
Raised by Wolves cocktail bar at Westfield UTC in San Diego, CH Projects' Art Nouveau library hidden behind a spinning fireplace, featuring a 442 World's Top 500 ranking.
Signature drink: Carbonated and aged cocktails from Erick Castro and Chris Patino
Food: Snacks, bottles for sale, no full kitchen
