The Local Eatery And Drinking Hole

Downtown, this is my go-to happy hour bar, and it has become my favorite. Di, Chiante, and Nick always make me feel incredibly welcome. They are not only nice and attentive but also friendly and fun—especially Di; she never fails to crack me up. I'm grateful to have found this place, and whenever I'm here, I truly feel like a local.

I’ve came here for a Packers bar and found early Christmas. Packers, ASU and Porters within walking distance! It’s like someone made a bar just for me. Service was quick and amazing. Food pressed the right buttons and the beer selection showed me the world. You’ll probably make new friends like I did. Dogs welcome, which is always cool. This is the new designated watering hole.

We walked over to The Local after a recent event at The Civic Theater. We specifically picked them because they were listed as being open longer hours than other establishments in the area and we wanted to eat. Upon walking in we noticed a sign to seat ourselves wherever we liked. We started walking toward a table before being rudely pointed over to the bar. It was apparent the waiter wasn’t interested in waiting on more tables and had already done a lot clearing of condiments from the tables. So needless to say it wasn’t exactly a positive first impression but we were hungry so we followed his pointing and found a couple of seats. Needless to say, I’m glad we did because the bartender, Kiante, was great and made up for the rude start. The only reason I’m giving 4 stars for service in this review is due to the initial waiter. Kiante would be deserving of five stars if he were to be rated by himself. He greeted us promptly and helped me pick out a drink. We ordered a Brew Pub Burger and a Grilled Romaine salad to split. The Brew Pub Burger was fantastic. It is a short rib burger cooked to perfection and loaded with all sorts of toppings and a healthy serving of crispy fries. It makes my mouth start watering just thinking about it again. We would definitely order that again….and again. The Grilled Romaine Salad left a lot to be desired. It was served with a Tzatziki dressing, tomatoes, fried chick peas and onions. The dressing was minimal and didn’t add much taste - it was bland and boring. We would not order it again which is a shame because it was plated well and sounded good when reading the menu. To drink I had Turquoise Barn Passion Peach Cider. That was also really good if you’re into hard ciders. Overall Kiante, the Brew Pub Burger and the cider saved this visit from the off-putting first impression. If I were to give management one suggestion it would be to pay attention to when there are shows at Civic Theater and plan accordingly. It turned out the waiter did end up having to take additional tables as we weren’t the only people who walked over after the show and there wasn’t nearly enough room at the bar for so many people. I’ve since read in other reviews that our experience wasn’t the only bad first impression so there’s definitely room for improvement.

Awesome menu, huge beer selection and plenty of space during the madness of SDCC. Definitely keep this place in mind if you want delicious food and to get off your feet. Server was on point and took great care of our party of 8. I'll be back next year. The pretzel balls and cheese and fried cheese blackened shrimp burrito were particularly tasty.