Swan Bar

update: burgers tasted as great as they smelled :) the jalapeño cream cheese was a winner. great happy hour (cocktails on draft only)! originally stopped by cuz the line @ polite was way too long and we’re glad we did! food smelled divine, will have to come back

One of my favorite bars in all of San Diego! They have an incredible happy hour with $5 cocktails, including delicious espresso martinis. Pete, the owner, is a friendly and caring guy—him and his team of bartenders are a wonderful crew.

Alexandria O'Bard

The whole atmosphere to this place is a 10/10. I went around Christmas time when they had the eggnog drink and it was amazing. I literally ordered two cause it was so good. The decor is bright and chill. Def a nice hang out spot. The bartender Pete was hilarious with his Santa fit too!

Tushar Mali

We came to the Swan bar after hearing some good things about the place. It was super decked out for Christmas. We thought going a bit early we’d best the crowds but we were wrong. Place was super packed and there was a 10 minute wait. The bar has lots of space to sit and a great seasonal drink options. We had 1 of almost everything on their menu. The atmosphere was super chill. A must do on any list of bars to check out. We will definitely come back here after the holiday season to check it out again.

Virginia Huffman

We stumbled into this gem and were greeted like regulars—which is always a good sign. The decor? Think funky meets fabulous. We cozied up at the bar and weren’t disappointed.Yes, the happy hour martinis are premade—gasp!—but even my husband, who treats martini-making like a sacred ritual, gave it a solid thumbs up. I went for a hand crafted mezcal cocktail, asked for “not too sweet,” and the bartender understood the assignment. Great drinks, cool crowd. Definitely worth a stop if you like your cocktails well made and your bars with velvet paintings on the wall. If you desire an outdoor patio experience. They have that too.

richard jordan

Swan bar is exactly what you want awesome atmosphere! Drinks new and old 🔥… that bugger will get your date,friend or family ignored for a good 15/20 minutes so yeah go in and say hi they’ll say hi back !

Andrew Rogers

Ordered the Yellowstone Burger, which has bacon and onion rings on top. Hands down, it was fantastic. I tell all my friends about it. Also, shout out to the waiter who gave us free fries after the table next to us forgot they ordered them and left (you pay at the bar so… yay!)

Henry Bayer

This place is epic! Super rad interior vibes, incredibly friendly staff, and great food & drinks. Happy hour is from 4-5 with $5 beers. I came around 7 and had the Juarez Weekend cocktail and a single cheeseburger. The cocktail was smooth and the bartender was very knowledgeable and efficient. The burger was really really good and almost reminded me of the burger at Hinano in Venice but better! The sauce was mental. Definitely coming back often. Thanks!

Sam Daygo

First time at this bar and I couldn't have felt more welcome then that night, it was a little slow so got into a great chat with the bartenders and they were very friendly and very helpful. They vide was great with alot of great patrons, drinks are strong and a selection. Unique flavors and more important delicious. I wanna come back as soon as possible

Sheesh Simon

Happy hour here is so fun… It’s really nice that they have the drinks on tap because sometimes when there’s good happy hour and few bartenders you spend most of the time waiting for drinks. but HERE? U can slam 5 of those bad boys in 5 minutes if you really wanted to and i respect the hell out of that. That’s what happy hour’s all about baby! The fast and dirty is straight liquor, i’m sure you could power Jet Planes using a few of these puppies if you tried. Great drink to get things started. Also got the chili cheese fries and you get a lot of food for a solid price of I think $13. 10/10 recommend I’ve been twice in the last week.

Amanda Gossard

We went to Swan Bar for the soft opening last night and it did not disappoint! The service, libations, food, and ambiance were all top notch. I got their spin on an old fashioned called the Sweetleaf, which consisted of rosemary bourbon, angostura bitters, and barrel aged maple. It was delicious! My wife had their Black Manhattan, which is one of six cocktails that they have on draft! Draft cocktails?! That’s not even the coolest part. The coolest part is that draft cocktails are only $5 during happy hour! They have a selection of burgers to pair with your spirits, which were very tasty. Also, for how busy they were last night, they were still very attentive to my wife’s gluten allergy. The ambiance of the place was probably my favorite. I read that the owner was trying to go for Steakhouse vibes without the steak, and he definitely hit the mark. The bar area is open and welcoming with dimly lit booths to settle into. A lot of craftsmanship and love went into the patio area, evident by the detail in the wood siding and mood lighting. It’s a great new addition to Adams Ave and we can’t wait to go back!

Nicolas Koch-Gallup

One of my favorite bars in all of San Diego! They have an incredible happy hour with $5 cocktails, including delicious espresso martinis. Pete, the owner, is a friendly and caring guy—him and his team of bartenders are a wonderful crew.

Danielle M

** update HH drinks are now $7 Definitely check out their HH! $5 draught cocktails daily 4-5pm. I recommend an Espresso martini or the Fast and Dirty (dirty martini). The cheeseburgers and onion rings are also excellent.

Jun

update: burgers tasted as great as they smelled :) the jalapeño cream cheese was a winner. great happy hour (cocktails on draft only)! originally stopped by cuz the line @ polite was way too long and we’re glad we did! food smelled divine, will have to come back

Really enjoy this restaurant / bar / breweryish... ! Although it primarily feels like a bar when you walk in, the food here is excellent. I know it is kind of a fad right now but they have a smashburger that is delicious with sport peppers and some crisp dill pickles with crispy edges to the meat and a perfect bun it is very good. I always buy one to take home and it never makes it home. I have not had something there I would not want to eat again. They also have some pretty good drinks on tap, this includes an apple martini as well as my favorite espresso martini. Often when places have drinks on tap you wonder where the alcohol is, not here, these are both boozy and delicious! Highly recommend them for happy hour where they're draft cocktails are $7 which is fairly reasonable. Happy hour is only an hour though from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. The employees there as well as the owner Pete not only know their stuff but are excellent servers and attentive to your needs. It's a nice place to bring a date, or to meet friends, or to meet new people, or just to eat. Also they sometimes distill their own brand or a chocolate rumpleman drink called "coco-rumpie". Highly recommend!

THE best and coolest bar in town. Entire atmosphere and team are amazing, drinks that never disappoint. This city needs more bars like this, not more consortium Avantgarde BS.

Christian Silbernagel

THE best and coolest bar in town. Entire atmosphere and team are amazing, drinks that never disappoint. This city needs more bars like this, not more consortium Avantgarde BS.

A solid 4.5 score. Drinks were tasty, strong, and full of flavor. The people were great, energetic, full of life, and noise levels were great. The atmosphere was fluid, cool, and outgoing. The decor is fantastic, great, soothing colors , colors popped out. The patio area is large and inviting, and the main room was quaint and warm. Great place for a date night 🌙 for drinks and chit-chat. Next door is a great Chinese food place, great decor also! Parking is difficult but available.

Happy Hour Cocktails, yes and thank you! Came here on a sunny day and it was already buzzing for the one hour happy hour. The cocktails were strong, the bartenders were attentive and bar is definitely worth the buzz. Paid Parking lot around the corner cause that was the only issue.

I went twice. Great espresso martini for just $5 at happy hour. And the best damn bacon burger I’ve ever had: a smash burger with bacon added. Heavenly. Amazing but very strong garlic fries. Ambience was great earlier in the afternoon but too loud in the evening with people + music. Ambient lighting. Good vibes.

Javier Rosete

A solid 4.5 score. Drinks were tasty, strong, and full of flavor. The people were great, energetic, full of life, and noise levels were great. The atmosphere was fluid, cool, and outgoing. The decor is fantastic, great, soothing colors , colors popped out. The patio area is large and inviting, and the main room was quaint and warm. Great place for a date night 🌙 for drinks and chit-chat. Next door is a great Chinese food place, great decor also! Parking is difficult but available.

Gabrielle Shiozawa

I went twice. Great espresso martini for just $5 at happy hour. And the best damn bacon burger I’ve ever had: a smash burger with bacon added. Heavenly. Amazing but very strong garlic fries. Ambience was great earlier in the afternoon but too loud in the evening with people + music. Ambient lighting. Good vibes.

FanC

Happy Hour Cocktails, yes and thank you! Came here on a sunny day and it was already buzzing for the one hour happy hour. The cocktails were strong, the bartenders were attentive and bar is definitely worth the buzz. Paid Parking lot around the corner cause that was the only issue.

I’ve heard about happy hour here so i was excited to try it out. I arrived around 4:30pm and it was quite crowded. I ordered an espresso martini (in a beer glass). I was told that they ran out of martini glasses. Later on, I also ordered an Appletini and a mojito. They were all average but strong. I was a bit disappointed that these drinks were pre-mixed and served from the dispensers though. The price was good so I guess it’s worth the visit.

Came here with friends for a drink around 21:30. It was not really busy, but did quickly after sitting down at a table with our drinks. The bartenders were friendly and quick to serve people. I ordered the Espresso Martini, which was one of their draft drinks. It was actually good; good coffee flavor without having an overly alcoholic taste. The place has a slotted-wall patio area which has natural air circulation. The atmosphere was really dark and loud. It was difficult to have a conversation without having to get close or yell. We didn't try any of the food, but with it being dark, I would avoid for now. My friends and I likely won't come back.

Bonnie Ye

I’ve heard about happy hour here so i was excited to try it out. I arrived around 4:30pm and it was quite crowded. I ordered an espresso martini (in a beer glass). I was told that they ran out of martini glasses. Later on, I also ordered an Appletini and a mojito. They were all average but strong. I was a bit disappointed that these drinks were pre-mixed and served from the dispensers though. The price was good so I guess it’s worth the visit.

Gil Corpuz

Came here with friends for a drink around 21:30. It was not really busy, but did quickly after sitting down at a table with our drinks. The bartenders were friendly and quick to serve people. I ordered the Espresso Martini, which was one of their draft drinks. It was actually good; good coffee flavor without having an overly alcoholic taste. The place has a slotted-wall patio area which has natural air circulation. The atmosphere was really dark and loud. It was difficult to have a conversation without having to get close or yell. We didn't try any of the food, but with it being dark, I would avoid for now. My friends and I likely won't come back.

Greg

I've been here before and it was really good. I was looking to come back soon, especially since I'm in the neighborhood more often. That will not be the case after one staff member behind the bar- the guy with the tattoos and backwards hat and tats who appears to be a recurring character in the reviews- acted so rudely that I was waiting (in shock) for the punchline of him breaking character. Apparently he's just like that. I was walking in front of Swan Bar when a squirrel in one of the trees above me decided to pee on my arm. Bad luck, eh? It happens. Having had a good experience at Swan Bar before and knowing the vibe of their staff, I went in and asked if I could use their bathroom sink just to wash my arm off and the guy annoyedly looks up from his phone and curtly goes, "No. No public restrooms". I've worked in the industry for years and of course I get that policy, but I wasn't looking to use the toilet- I just wanted to wash my arm off in the sink. I explained what happened and he goes "No, you're dirty, get away from me" even though he was behind the bar. It wasn't busy or anything, but I had committed the unforgivable sin of interrupting his text- which he promptly went back to. I should have asked the other guy because he was warm with his greeting but occupied with another customer. My girlfriend and I were going to walk down the street for a date here next weekend but don't worry about it.

Rude and pretentious staff. Do not go if you are looking to have a good time or if you are in a good mood. Male bartender working the night of 9/30/25 refused my group service and kicked us out because my friend gave him a thumbs up. Not sure what his problem was but he doesn’t really seem suited for hospitality work

Connor Lairmore

Rude and pretentious staff. Do not go if you are looking to have a good time or if you are in a good mood. Male bartender working the night of 9/30/25 refused my group service and kicked us out because my friend gave him a thumbs up. Not sure what his problem was but he doesn’t really seem suited for hospitality work