THE MESAS

Blarney Stone Pub

5617 Balboa Ave., Clairemont
858-279-2033
This suburban dive brings in an older crowd during the day, with live bands attracting a younger crowd at night. No dress code or cover charges, ever.

Blue Bayou Lounge

4766 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., Clairemont
858-565-0807
We don’t know much about this spot, but it claims to be “a neighborhood bar where locals hang out.” Unsurprisingly, that doesn’t distinguish it all that much from 217 of the neighborhood bars in this issue.

The Carriage House

7945 Balboa Ave., Kearny Mesa
858-278-2597
This comfortable cocktail lounge with shuffleboard, pool and karaoke offers group trips to the racetracks and local casinos.

Epicentre

8450 Mira Mesa Blvd., Mira Mesa
www.epicentreconcerts.org
One of a handful of all-ages clubs left in town, Epicentre regularly features pop-punk and indie acts looking to put their stamp on the local scene. No alcohol is allowed anywhere near the premises, but you can smoke all you want with the teenagers hanging out front.

The Filling Station

9522 Miramar Road, Mira Mesa
858-578-0757
As any Pendleton-cougar can tell you, this is the place to pick up some fresh jarhead meat, so slap on some lip smacker, make sure that Bumpits is sitting just right, splash yourself with your best Rite Aid perfume and head over to this, the best of suburban sausage fests.

Hungry Stick

4664 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., Clairemont
858-272-1412
This popular tavern, pool hall and sports bar has been a San Diego staple for more than 40 years, well known for holding billiards tournaments and pool leagues.

O’Brien’s Pub

4646 Convoy St., Kearny Mesa
www.obrienspub.net
They carry a wide variety of craft brews on tap, their food is excellent and their location is far off the beaten path. This is a beer snob’s utopia.

Padre Gold

7245 Linda Vista Road, Linda Vista
858-277-8681
If you’re not one of Padre Gold’s regulars, this place might come off as a bit sketchy. If you’re not down to ogle, or be ogled by, the folks perched at the bar, shimmy over to the dance floor to boogie barefoot under the disco ball.

Peter D’s

5149 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., Clairemont
858-277-3217
“She’s gonna sing a man-hating song, so I gotta sing a woman-hating song,” grins the same dude who just sang “Fly Me to the Moon,” as he points to a younger woman thumbing through the huge song catalogue. Peter D’s is a karaoke-lover’s dream, with a stage practically sitting on the bar and a packed room guaranteed to cheer you on.

Players Sports Bar

7061 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., Kearny Mesa
www.playerssportsbar.com
Players Sports Bar is kind of like a sports-themed Hooters, with a zillion TVs to suit all your sporting needs along with the usual bar food. Instead of owls, the cute waitresses rock referee-jersey stripes, though they still wear similar short-shorts.