The Shack

This is our go-to spot when we vacation in La Jolla. Kayla is our favorite! She makes sure to get the Nachos right!

Kayla is the best bartender I’ve had since moving here. She makes amazing drinks - she’s personable Get lemon drop!!!

Kayla was an excellent server. Great vibes all around. Great time.

The Shack is a whole in the wall , local bar with a down home atmosphere. Great food! Tots were very tasty. Kayla was a terrific server/bartender/cook. Great personality. Will definitely stop again!!!

We were traveling from Texas and an old navy officer recommended. Amazing place to eat. Truly a gem and they have fantastic burgers (1/2 pound) and great wings. Marissa was wonderful and the place has a cool vibe! We loved everything except for the limited parking.

Kayla is the best bartender I could ever ask for!! So funny and so attentive I will be coming back here just to see here <33 love this bar

We were headed to a local taco shop but this was a great find, very pleased with it. Had the Tuesday Shrimp Taco special, and the Mrs had the Spicy Chicken and tater tots, with a couple of $5 house Margaritas to top things off (very well mixed btw)!. Good food, great service, nice vibe, reasonable prices, and fur friend friendly! Oh, and a good game of pool to top off the evening. Next office lunch or dinner meeting for @ytfmarketing will be here when we’re in the area!

I believe this is La Jolla's only dive bar but it's an awesome fun spot, seen surfers/tennis players/bikers here and everything in between. Bartenders are kind and quick to make you drinks. The lady got a whiskey sour and I got a beer, both great - couldn't be happier that a place I used to pass over a thousand times growing up is now a fun spot we can frequent regularly. Can't wait to come back! Plus...when it closes Rigobertos is across the street to fill you up.

D G

We were traveling from Texas and an old navy officer recommended. Amazing place to eat. Truly a gem and they have fantastic burgers (1/2 pound) and great wings. Marissa was wonderful and the place has a cool vibe! We loved everything except for the limited parking.

YTF Marketing

We were headed to a local taco shop but this was a great find, very pleased with it. Had the Tuesday Shrimp Taco special, and the Mrs had the Spicy Chicken and tater tots, with a couple of $5 house Margaritas to top things off (very well mixed btw)!. Good food, great service, nice vibe, reasonable prices, and fur friend friendly! Oh, and a good game of pool to top off the evening. Next office lunch or dinner meeting for @ytfmarketing will be here when we’re in the area!

Hal Jurgensen

I believe this is La Jolla's only dive bar but it's an awesome fun spot, seen surfers/tennis players/bikers here and everything in between. Bartenders are kind and quick to make you drinks. The lady got a whiskey sour and I got a beer, both great - couldn't be happier that a place I used to pass over a thousand times growing up is now a fun spot we can frequent regularly. Can't wait to come back! Plus...when it closes Rigobertos is across the street to fill you up.

I came in to celebrate my birthday, and the experience was truly elevated thanks to kayla ]! From the moment I sat down, she made me feel welcomed and celebrated. The drinks were perfection, crafted with care, creativity, and serious skill. Not only did she nail every cocktail, but her energy, attention to detail, and great conversation made the after even more special. You can tell she loves what she does, and it shows. Thank you for helping make my birthday one to remember! I’ll definitely be back!❤️

Love The Shack! Always try to stop in here when I make my way to La Jolla. Favorite spot to go after hanging out or catching the sunset at the beach. Chill vibes, pool tables, and yummy drinks and food. Everyone is so friendly!

Nothing to complain about. The food, service, atmosphere, and weather were perfect. We came from out of town and honestly, I’d come back before I leave. The drinks and food were perfect and I’d gladly recommend this place to ANYONE 10/10

I love a tiki bar. This isn’t really a tiki bar, but the vibes are on point, the service is great, and the happy hour is a good deal with a beautiful view of the sunset. I judge a bartender by how well they make their Mai Tai. This passion fruit Mai tai is one of the best I’ve ever had. I mean that. Give this place a try.

Kayla was amazing. Great customer service! The chicken nachos are exceptional! Last year we stayed down the street at the hotel and found this place after a long day at the beach. We come here every year now to get them!

Amazing ambience at The Shack brought to you by Kayla. Enjoyed the Midwest hospitality during the holidays as I’m missing home. Great mix of energy jokes and pure entertainment from the soul.

Great neighborhood bar with superb food. Our bartender was fantastic and super nice. We will be back.

VERY cool casual little place in La Jolla. Great prices, solid bar food, just the right vibe. In this bougie part of SD it's so necessary to have real neighborhood type places like this. Bar staff is great!

Kayla welcomed us as soon as we was liked in the door. She gave us recommendation of the Shack Burger. The burger is amazing, size, not too big, but enough. And don’t forget the tater tots. Amazing taste and the sauce is amazing. Kayla checked in on us throughout our lunch. I recommend the Shack bar & grill in La Jolla. From Mi Kasa Hot Springs

Doug Kimpton

Great neighborhood bar with superb food. Our bartender was fantastic and super nice. We will be back.

Royal Washington

Amazing ambience at The Shack brought to you by Kayla. Enjoyed the Midwest hospitality during the holidays as I’m missing home. Great mix of energy jokes and pure entertainment from the soul.

Brittany Schlesinger

Kayla was amazing. Great customer service! The chicken nachos are exceptional! Last year we stayed down the street at the hotel and found this place after a long day at the beach. We come here every year now to get them!

Melanie Loria

Love The Shack! Always try to stop in here when I make my way to La Jolla. Favorite spot to go after hanging out or catching the sunset at the beach. Chill vibes, pool tables, and yummy drinks and food. Everyone is so friendly!

Scott Schuur

VERY cool casual little place in La Jolla. Great prices, solid bar food, just the right vibe. In this bougie part of SD it's so necessary to have real neighborhood type places like this. Bar staff is great!

matthew beaudoin

Kayla welcomed us as soon as we was liked in the door. She gave us recommendation of the Shack Burger. The burger is amazing, size, not too big, but enough. And don’t forget the tater tots. Amazing taste and the sauce is amazing. Kayla checked in on us throughout our lunch. I recommend the Shack bar & grill in La Jolla. From Mi Kasa Hot Springs

Lyndsay Mosser

I came in to celebrate my birthday, and the experience was truly elevated thanks to kayla ]! From the moment I sat down, she made me feel welcomed and celebrated. The drinks were perfection, crafted with care, creativity, and serious skill. Not only did she nail every cocktail, but her energy, attention to detail, and great conversation made the after even more special. You can tell she loves what she does, and it shows. Thank you for helping make my birthday one to remember! I’ll definitely be back!❤️

Fish tacos were really good. Big pieces, golden brown and delish!! Mule was pretty good too!

Casual bar & grill with Pool tables inside & a covered outside terrace. Good selection of drinks & food on offer. Worth popping in after a day at the beach.

A local favorite - dimly dive environment. Food is good, staff is colorful, pool tables are worn in. Indoor and outdoor seating options. I’d hit this place a few times a week when I lived near by, it’s a chill spot but not a spot for a date unless they’re definitely into that scene.

It has a nice atmosphere, outdoor seating, and quirky decor. You seat yourself but when I went there was only 1 employee who was bartending and waitress. She was really sweet though and was actually very attentive. The food wasn't the best however, bland fries and even blander chicken. Kinda disappointed.

Good people. Decent food. Nice waitress. Shirmp tacos with slaw doesn't work. Need fresh onions or guacamole with lime. Sauce was good.

We loved the Shack so much we returned the next night. Great fish tacos, burgers, fries, happy hour specials, etc. I loved that as a party of 7, they brought out each dish as it was ready, rather than wait and let dishes go cold. Friendly service, a nice outdoor seating area, bar & pool table.

If you're looking for standard pub grub, this is the place. No frills, pretty basic and tasty for what it is. This place is definitely for atmosphere. Great vibe, fun patio nice pool table and near the beach. Service wasn't good, but then again they were slammed with only 2 people to run the whole thing. Even with that considered, I feel like it could have been better in terms of the service. I'd go back, but if you're not a patient person, this could post a challenge. I do live the vibe if the place though.

Was pretty good food I got the fish and chips but my fish were all kinda stuck together the chips a queso were really good I thought it would come with salsa instead it was more like pico de gallo all and all a good experience 200 bucks tip included for 6 people Little pricey but what isn't these days ....they only got 4 stars cause of parking and food otherwise a great establishement

The food was delicious and service was great! Wide variety of different types of burgers, tacos, chicken burgers, and salads. However, the only was downer was the flies (which I know is out of the restaurants control) flying around the tables and food. Other than that, yummy food! 😊

Great place for luch and a quick drink with friends. Food is great quality very decent price. You can just walk inn and seat. They have a great patio.

Brandon Gibson

If you're looking for standard pub grub, this is the place. No frills, pretty basic and tasty for what it is. This place is definitely for atmosphere. Great vibe, fun patio nice pool table and near the beach. Service wasn't good, but then again they were slammed with only 2 people to run the whole thing. Even with that considered, I feel like it could have been better in terms of the service. I'd go back, but if you're not a patient person, this could post a challenge. I do live the vibe if the place though.

Vincent Freeman

Was pretty good food I got the fish and chips but my fish were all kinda stuck together the chips a queso were really good I thought it would come with salsa instead it was more like pico de gallo all and all a good experience 200 bucks tip included for 6 people Little pricey but what isn't these days ....they only got 4 stars cause of parking and food otherwise a great establishement

Isabelle Lizarraga

The food was delicious and service was great! Wide variety of different types of burgers, tacos, chicken burgers, and salads. However, the only was downer was the flies (which I know is out of the restaurants control) flying around the tables and food. Other than that, yummy food! 😊

Sandra Luviano

Great place for luch and a quick drink with friends. Food is great quality very decent price. You can just walk inn and seat. They have a great patio.

Sophia Vargas

It has a nice atmosphere, outdoor seating, and quirky decor. You seat yourself but when I went there was only 1 employee who was bartending and waitress. She was really sweet though and was actually very attentive. The food wasn't the best however, bland fries and even blander chicken. Kinda disappointed.

The burger was just average. The fries were seasoned well but not really my kind of fries and we're dry. It was a good portion of food. The atmosphere was cool but it was pretty empty. At one point I was the only customer. The waitress was friendly but I didn't get offered a drink for a while. I was very pleased that they had non alcoholic beer at this establishment as I don't drink but enjoy the taste of beer. This is also a pokemon go stop with a gym. I probably won't be going back because the price was pretty high for average food.

Food was ok and the happy hour deal on drinks was good. It's a fun place to hang out with friends and play pool. Service was good.

I went in for lunch. Had some fish tacos and an old fashioned. The fish in the tacos was good. The overall taco was not impressive. Dry and tastes like gringo Mex.The old fashioned was not prepared in the traditional way. The flavor was weak like simple syrup was used and a lack of bitters. It is close to work so I may give it another chance and try something different on the menu

The Shack Bar and Grill was a little spot my husband and I stumbled upon while visiting La Jolla Beach. At first, it wasn’t the best start—it took about five minutes before a waitress noticed us. But once she started taking care of us, the experience turned around, and we were glad we stopped in. We shared the fish and chips, which were delicious! Tip: eat the fries right away while the fish cools down, because the fries lose their heat quickly. This place doesn’t have any bells and whistles—it’s simple, casual, and all outdoor seating. Just keep in mind it can get hot sitting outside during the summer months. Overall, I would say that if you are in the area and want a local pub vibe this would be a cute place.

Heidi’s Gotta Tell Ya

The Shack Bar and Grill was a little spot my husband and I stumbled upon while visiting La Jolla Beach. At first, it wasn’t the best start—it took about five minutes before a waitress noticed us. But once she started taking care of us, the experience turned around, and we were glad we stopped in. We shared the fish and chips, which were delicious! Tip: eat the fries right away while the fish cools down, because the fries lose their heat quickly. This place doesn’t have any bells and whistles—it’s simple, casual, and all outdoor seating. Just keep in mind it can get hot sitting outside during the summer months. Overall, I would say that if you are in the area and want a local pub vibe this would be a cute place.

We really wanted to like this place. It has a cool look, nice outdoor seating, pool tables and bar inside, dog friendly. A typical laid-back beachy vibe. The local recommendations did not mention it though, and now we know why. To begin, there’s a big sign saying to seat yourself, so we did. It was not too busy but wasn’t empty either. We sat for 10 minutes without anyone acknowledging us, despite the fact that we saw a female staff member in and out several times helping other guests. She seemed to not notice that we were there. After 10 minutes I finally got up to go find out what was going on. The same girl was heading out so I asked her if we did the right thing by seating ourselves, and she said yes. I said “oh i wasn’t sure because we’ve been here for 10 minutes already.” She said “sure would you like a menu?” I said yes and she quickly brought some. Shortly after a male waiter (receipt said 2 names, Dan and Dani) came and got our drink order. Then we saw and heard our male waiter greeting what seemed to be 3 either well known regular patrons or personal friends that were arriving. They were like “how are you brother? How’s it going?” with an exchange of bro hugs and hand shakes. I thought this was a good sign. After another 10 minutes we were getting scorched by the sun and still didn’t have any drinks to cool down with, so we moved to a more shady table. We soon saw our waiter returning, we made eye contact and he nodded to confirm he noted our table change. He was carrying a tray of drinks, but unfortunately they were not ours, they were for his friends, who as I said arrived and ordered drinks long after we did. We then saw another couple seated with drinks, I assume they ordered themselves at the bar, maybe that’s a better way to go here? Our waiter returned finally with our drinks and asked if we wanted anything to eat. We had planned on dinner, but were already becoming soured on The Shack, so we decided to just get an appetizer to go with our drinks, and we ordered the soft pretzel to share. We were just about ready to go inside to cancel the order and pay for our drinks and leave when the pretzel finally arrived. I doubt they make these from scratch so I’m not sure why it took ANOTHER 10-15 minutes to get it, by which time our drinks were getting warm and in need of a refill, but we didn’t want to spend any more time or money there. The pretzel was good, but it’s a soft pretzel, they’re pretty much all the same lol. The honey mustard sauce was good, the jalapeno cheese sauce was a good flavor but it had a nasty dried skin on top we had to scrape away first. It took another 10 minutes to let the waiter (the girl again this time) know that we wanted our check. All in all, we spent an hour here and spent $30 for a draft beer (“happy hour” price was still $7), a Moscow mule (which we admit was very good), and a soft pretzel. We left and went across the street to the “The Promiscuous Fork” where we had had an amazing dinner the night before. We enjoyed another delicious meal and spent $60 for 2 huge specialty burgers that each came with a delicious side, and 2 draft beers. That took less than an hour. So when there are options like that available, I see no reason why anyone would opt for The Shack, unless your have friends there that can guarantee you good service. Small, simple menu, not-so-special happy hour deals, slow and terrible service.

A. B.

We really wanted to like this place. It has a cool look, nice outdoor seating, pool tables and bar inside, dog friendly. A typical laid-back beachy vibe. The local recommendations did not mention it though, and now we know why. To begin, there’s a big sign saying to seat yourself, so we did. It was not too busy but wasn’t empty either. We sat for 10 minutes without anyone acknowledging us, despite the fact that we saw a female staff member in and out several times helping other guests. She seemed to not notice that we were there. After 10 minutes I finally got up to go find out what was going on. The same girl was heading out so I asked her if we did the right thing by seating ourselves, and she said yes. I said “oh i wasn’t sure because we’ve been here for 10 minutes already.” She said “sure would you like a menu?” I said yes and she quickly brought some. Shortly after a male waiter (receipt said 2 names, Dan and Dani) came and got our drink order. Then we saw and heard our male waiter greeting what seemed to be 3 either well known regular patrons or personal friends that were arriving. They were like “how are you brother? How’s it going?” with an exchange of bro hugs and hand shakes. I thought this was a good sign. After another 10 minutes we were getting scorched by the sun and still didn’t have any drinks to cool down with, so we moved to a more shady table. We soon saw our waiter returning, we made eye contact and he nodded to confirm he noted our table change. He was carrying a tray of drinks, but unfortunately they were not ours, they were for his friends, who as I said arrived and ordered drinks long after we did. We then saw another couple seated with drinks, I assume they ordered themselves at the bar, maybe that’s a better way to go here? Our waiter returned finally with our drinks and asked if we wanted anything to eat. We had planned on dinner, but were already becoming soured on The Shack, so we decided to just get an appetizer to go with our drinks, and we ordered the soft pretzel to share. We were just about ready to go inside to cancel the order and pay for our drinks and leave when the pretzel finally arrived. I doubt they make these from scratch so I’m not sure why it took ANOTHER 10-15 minutes to get it, by which time our drinks were getting warm and in need of a refill, but we didn’t want to spend any more time or money there. The pretzel was good, but it’s a soft pretzel, they’re pretty much all the same lol. The honey mustard sauce was good, the jalapeno cheese sauce was a good flavor but it had a nasty dried skin on top we had to scrape away first. It took another 10 minutes to let the waiter (the girl again this time) know that we wanted our check. All in all, we spent an hour here and spent $30 for a draft beer (“happy hour” price was still $7), a Moscow mule (which we admit was very good), and a soft pretzel. We left and went across the street to the “The Promiscuous Fork” where we had had an amazing dinner the night before. We enjoyed another delicious meal and spent $60 for 2 huge specialty burgers that each came with a delicious side, and 2 draft beers. That took less than an hour. So when there are options like that available, I see no reason why anyone would opt for The Shack, unless your have friends there that can guarantee you good service. Small, simple menu, not-so-special happy hour deals, slow and terrible service.

I have been here a couple of times and had no real lasting opinion, so I decided to pop in for a burger. (May 15, about 3:30 ish). I regretted that decision. The burger was terrible. I'm not sure how something can be both overcooked and served luke warm. The cheese wasn't even melted. The burger was either overcooked or it was a frozen patty covered in freezer burn. Either way, it wasn't good. It was gray, dry, and lacked any significant flavor. The tater tots, much like the burger, were either overcooked, cooked in bad oil, or freezer burned before they were cooked. Whatever was going on the whole meal was bad. At least the burger was edible, the tater tots were so hard I literally cut my gum on one. I would have made mention to the staff, but they were deep in their own conversation with each other and a guy at the bar who they seemed to know. The girl behind the bar already seemed bothered by me ordering, so I decided not to push my luck. $30 for a basic burger, some tater rocks and a Budweiser. I have had better food at the 7-11 next door.

Came here for the fish and chips They were inedible. The looked like fish sticks, were flavorless and mushy. The wonderful waitress happily exchanged them for tacos which were flavorless except for the large amount of pico. On a Thursday evening the place was packed and extremely noisy.

Mike Larson

I have been here a couple of times and had no real lasting opinion, so I decided to pop in for a burger. (May 15, about 3:30 ish). I regretted that decision. The burger was terrible. I'm not sure how something can be both overcooked and served luke warm. The cheese wasn't even melted. The burger was either overcooked or it was a frozen patty covered in freezer burn. Either way, it wasn't good. It was gray, dry, and lacked any significant flavor. The tater tots, much like the burger, were either overcooked, cooked in bad oil, or freezer burned before they were cooked. Whatever was going on the whole meal was bad. At least the burger was edible, the tater tots were so hard I literally cut my gum on one. I would have made mention to the staff, but they were deep in their own conversation with each other and a guy at the bar who they seemed to know. The girl behind the bar already seemed bothered by me ordering, so I decided not to push my luck. $30 for a basic burger, some tater rocks and a Budweiser. I have had better food at the 7-11 next door.

Sat down for lunch as a large group today and only service we received was to have multiple menus slid to us as server left to deliver drinks. Environment did not seem friendly and table was sticky so entire group left for better known options in area. Hopefully this doesn’t really reflect “fun, friendly, Southern California atmosphere” but that may be how some interpret fun and friendly in this area.. did not get the chance to try food or drinks so maybe that was at least adequate?

Me my wife and sister came in around 2pm for a little after beach food and drink. Whereas the food and drink came out promptly, we had to go up and order it from the bar because no one came to us and even gave a menus. We had to get our own paper menus after waiting for 5 minutes and put in our own order after 10. I wouldn’t complain about it if this was usual but we were the only ones there and got no service. We also noticed that as the place filled up after us, every party was greeted and handed laminated menus but for some reason we felt ignored completely. Not a bad place entirely, had a good time playing pool, food wasn’t that bad, just wish we got the same service that everyone else got.

Ok, it’s a bar and a grill. The score is based on the grill. Food is average, as expected. The service is the worst ever! From the time seated to someone coming to get the drink order, it was 20 min. We quickly gave our food order with the drink order. The drinks were 8 min and the food was 19 min. Even for this type of casual establishment, this is unacceptable. The decor is great and I love that they are so dog friendly (most of La Jolla is!). If you have a block of spare time and can pack some patience, it’s worth popping in for a drink.

Not coming here again. The male employee with the blond hair thought my ID was fake and took it from me (was a brand new ID). they held it behind the counter until i brought my credit card from my car which i had to walk back and forth for. The guy didn’t even apologize or acknowledge me afterwards. easily 0 stars

Morgan was so rude to me for no reason. she treated the rest of my party well except me. not coming back here again, she needs a few classes on customer service. so disappointed and upset.

No shoes no service which is fine, however it was shoutes to me from a foodrunner as soon as i walked. With a rude tone as well. Not like any of the other restauraunts in the area

aseel

Morgan was so rude to me for no reason. she treated the rest of my party well except me. not coming back here again, she needs a few classes on customer service. so disappointed and upset.

tvolz40

No shoes no service which is fine, however it was shoutes to me from a foodrunner as soon as i walked. With a rude tone as well. Not like any of the other restauraunts in the area