Coin-Op Game Room on 30th Street in North Park is the San Diego arcade bar with classic cabinets, pinball, craft beer on tap and a full cocktail program open to 02:00 on weekends.
Tip: Open from 17:00 weeknights, 14:00 weekends. 21+ all hours. Tokens for the cabinets bought at the bar; Mario Kart and Big Buck Hunter draw the queue.
Address: 3926 30th Street, San Diego, CA 92104
Parq Nightclub on Broadway is the Gaslamp Quarter megaclub in San Diego, an open-format weekend room booking hip-hop, Latin and electronic headliners with a restaurant up front.
Tip: Open Friday and Saturday 22:00 to 02:00. Reserve a table through Discotech for guaranteed entry; line wraps the corner of Broadway after 23:00.
Onyx Room on Fifth Avenue in the Gaslamp Quarter is the basement San Diego nightclub running hip-hop and Latin rooms on Friday and Saturday under one ticket.
Tip: Open Friday and Saturday 21:00 to 02:00. Salsa, bachata and merengue in the Latin room; hip-hop and top hits next door. 21+.
Sevilla Nightclub in the basement of Cafe Sevilla on Fifth Avenue has run Latin nights in San Diego's Gaslamp since 1987, with salsa and bachata lessons before the dance floor opens.
Tip: Dance lessons start 21:00 most nights, the floor opens 22:00. Cover varies by night; Latin Saturdays sell out fast.
Bang SD on Fifth Avenue, formerly Bang Bang on Market, is the Gaslamp Quarter sushi-and-club hybrid in San Diego with a Ryan Gosling bathroom shrine and weekend DJ sets.
Tip: Kitchen runs late; the dance floor opens 22:00 Friday and Saturday. Reserve tables through the venue site for bottle service.
The Casbah on Kettner Boulevard, founded by Tim Mays in 1989, is the 200-capacity San Diego punk and indie room that booked Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins and the Strokes on the way up.
Tip: Doors usually 20:30, some all-ages shows. Moved from the original 75-capacity room two blocks south in 1994; the current Kettner space holds 200.
Music Box on India Street in San Diego's Little Italy is the 13,000 square foot tri-level concert hall, opened 2015 in the former Anthology room, booking national touring acts.
Tip: Tickets through the venue site or Eventbrite. The mezzanine has the cleanest sight lines; floor general admission fills early on big shows.