SILO in Makers Quarter

Tucked away in that dark corner of East Village called Makers Quarter, lies SILO. This little space is home to all sorts of community events ranging from Unilocal events all the way to beer & spirit festivals. It’s a bit of an urban development mixed with art which almost makes it a living piece of urban artwork. As a result, this makes it a great, outdoor event space.
Suffice it to say, all the events that I have attended here have been excellent. It’s a pleasant outdoor venue with some relics of old and elements of new. SILO brings some new life and a fresh face to a bit of a dated and somewhat neglected area of East Village.

Came here for the Do Over event on the 4^th of July.
Great open space. Except your shoes will get dirty. It’s just a plot of land with dirt. The soles of my shoes were white coming in. I came home and they were a darker color with all the dust here.
Sure it’s a great place to hold an event for a lot of people. Except maybe not in the summer when it’s a bit hotter and dust is just everywhere. It’s not like people won’t walk around to avoid the dust, right?
And not sure if it’s the venue or just the vendors they had. But the flyer said it’d be a BBQ with a variety of cuts of meat off the grill. Yeah. No. And definitely not paying $ 10 for a small plastic cup of beer.
We ended up taking an Über to a bar to get our drinks in and then came back. Again, probably not the venue’s fault. But the organizers for the event should probably be more aware that people came for a «full bar» and not super bottom shelf stuff. People also came for a «BBQ». Where was that anyway?

This place is such an asset to East Village! I work nearby at Form15 so whenever I describe Silo to the unknowing, I say that it’s mainly a local art collective and venue space. They feature everything from live theater productions, local bands, beer festivals, food truck Fridays and more. Silo is a staple in the EV community and they are fighting the good fight to keep this neighborhood lively and funky! Much love!

I came here for the Tacos & Tequila event 5÷2÷15. I’m pretty sure most of the people attending bought VIP tickets. When I got there around 1:20pm the line wrapped around the venue. I guess they didn’t start pre-​checking like they do at a lot of the festivals. It took some people 20+ minutes to get in while waiting on line. Once you got in, you got right back in line for a taco or a margarita. In fact, most of the event was standing in line, then once you got your taco/​margarita, you got back in the next line. There was limited shade as well. By 3pm, some vendors had run out of food. By 3:30, most had run out. By 4pm, there were no more tacos… At a taco festival! … At an unlimited tacos festival! No bueno.
There were some good tacos while they lasted. The Ballroom’s tacos were a crowd favorite, and the chicken for the one chicken taco place was very good.
The lines for margaritas and beer went faster than the taco lines. D the guy with the dreads was awesome. He had my favorite margaritas.
The organizers totally oversold the event. It was too crowded and the waits between each food and drink item were way too long, especially after 2pm till they ran out of food.
We ended up sticking it out for a while and once everyone else have up and left it became more enjoyable with the music and the short drink lines.
The venue itself was ok. They had some interesting tables and seating options, but obviously not enough for the size of the crowd that the event allowed. There is also limited shade and in some areas a gravel or dirt floor. If you wore flip flops or sandals, you left with dirty feet.

This review is for the Tacos and Tequila event at Silo on May 2^nd. It is obvious they didn’t plan and oversold this event. It was advertised as unlimited beer, tacos and margarita from 1 – 5 but by 3pm all but four taco stands were out of food. This caused the lines to be outrageous so we left to grab food outside of the event. Due to poor planning and perhaps selling too many tickets this event failed to execute as advertised therefore I am giving 2 out of 5 stars. Next time prepare and bring enough food or set a limit to how many tickets are sold that way your guests aren’t left disappointed.

Tacos and Tequila Festival should have been named Take Your Money and Run Festival. Paid $ 35 plus fee for ONE frickin’ taco! Total rip off. They ran out food by 2:00ish when the general admission came in. NEVER AGAIN.
Not ONE drop of Tequila for the paying customers… but the vendors (who only provided enough food for the first hour of a 4 hour event) were treated to all the beer and tequila they wanted by the event volunteers.
To add insult to injury, they are deleting all the negative comments off of Facebook. But you can’t stop people from talking. Ran into a couple at Cozymels today at lunch and they were telling the waiter about the horrible event. I told them about my experience too. If they think people aren’t going to remember what a rip off this event was, they are sorely mistaken. BLK OWL events should be avoided as they are nothing but a scam.

Cool venue! It’s essentially a dirt floor area in the middle of downtown that can be rented out for events, concerts, and maybe a personal shindig? I attend a Unilocal Event here and it was pretty cool! They were serving alcohol so this place has a liquor license of some sort. They have this board on the wall that shows all the upcoming events. Bathroom option are porter potties… wahh! Regardless, it was a fun place to have an event, and it’s a lot larger than you’d expect.

Came here for my first Unilocal event. I went with my girlfriend. She had been here before. It was quite nice. I loved the paintings. And I have been told that they change regularly. Which is a treat. That means you need to go back to see what they have done. And it gives artist an opportunity to make big paintings. So far this is a good venue to have events and festivals and charity events. It’s a good location since it’s not with all the stuff down town that you can find parking. It looks like they are fixing up the area.

Came here for a Unilocal elite event back in December and it was an awesome venue. Very cool having this open air venue in the center of downtown.
I don’t know what other events go on here but I’m sure they are cool and I definitely want to check them out.

I had such a good time at my first Unilocal event. The food was on point… shout out to those Chicken & Waffle bites from Tin Roof and that to die for Ecstasy mac & cheese from Sublime. Thanks to all the other restos for all their fabulous contributions… there wasn’t a bad thing in the square. It was nice to meet so many restaurant owners too! Can’t wait for Sublime to open in North Park, will definitely be hitting up Hungry Bear in Vista for a sandwich soon and I’ll be returning to S&M asap! And OMG, thos
Lots of fun stalls set up for shopping too… got me some cool one of a kind gifts!
Alchemy did such an amazing job keeping the bars stocked and no lines. Free beer, wine and alcohol… whaaaat??? Awesome sauce! They weren’t skimping on those liquor filled drinks either… I had a hot buttered rum and as delicious and warm as it was it was so strong that I can’t drive for a week ;) Thanks guys!
Loved the champagne tower… such a great way to start the night.
Everything was amazing. I can’t wait to be invited to another event… kudos to everyone who made tonight such a fun evening.

This was a perfect little area to have the Unilocal event, making the experience very enjoyable! The small lot where the event was hosted was a perfect size and made it feel very accessible to every vendor.
I loved the Unilocal chapstick, keychains, and nail file. Very clever and extremely useful!
I came here on an empty stomach with my boyfriend and friend and left feeling full and content. The venders included different food, drinks, clothing, trinkets, and gift ideas. I enjoyed the chili, pizza, sandwiches, cupcakes, drinks, and company. The wine tasting area was very organized and fun! I even like how one of the vendors was there to give elite members a taste of the next event!
The must was great and the vibe was perfect!

Wow! First Unilocal event I’ve attended. Thanks to a Unilocaler who told me to RSVP. It was such a great experience to meet new people, vendors, food, drink and just socialize. It was full of positive energy from professionals of different ages, background, city, state, etc.
The amount of attendees was perfect for the festival, it wasn’t too crowded, the long lines for food and drinks went by fast. Come early for good parking, however I got really lucky and found one at the exit.
definitely worth the experience, I loved it!

I loved it! I had a great time with Jeff, Danimal, and Del.
We got here early (or right on time) and was able to try all the food and had plenty of free beers. I love Unilocal events, Unilocal is always so damn generous and people take Unilocal for granted complaining about how they had to wait in line or blah blah blah. No need to do that, this event was hosted for us. Vendors and restaurant come out to give us samples of their food and free booze! What more can you say?!
The best thing of the night: the cupcake guy in the back left corner. Delicious mini cupcakes. Other great things, salted caramel pudding from Spikes, variety of pies from Great Maple, spicy chili from S&M sausage, the long line for the sandwich and pizza place, and the delicious mac n cheese. They also had a «wine garden», it was beautifully set up and had a classy winter lady dancer. Had 3 beer options and some mixers. I don’t think I’ve drank that much on a Monday night. It was fun and good though.
Great talks and laughs with my fellow elites. I was expecting more people but I’m glad they didn’t overfill it. Need to do something with the parking situation, but I guess if you go there early enough you won’t have a problem.

Memorable experience! The name itself gives away this special place to be. Silo sounds like I would name my kid to be. European style market sets up under the stars. It’s a very organize venue, check ID and zap your pass. It’s that easy.
On the right, I could not help but smile with this lady on a giant like cake wearing golden costume. Below her are wine tasting from 12 areas in San Diego. You can get a pass to visit these places, by the sweet lady handing out plastic cups.
I walked my mile couple times with these neat, quaint, little shops. Stores that you prolly think it never existed. Don’t mind me while I stuff my face with sausage and meat. Drinks and food are everywhere. Each shop is just so adorable. From wood iPhone class to little wallets to clip on flower and hello kitty bow ties. Did I mention some dog bow ties too?! Must see and buy! Price tag…$ 50
Not done yet… so if you haven’t noticed the water tank was painted M for market and the word Silo right on the left. Across is a wall full of art from shark infested art to colorful genres of from different artist.
Hang on… need more wine. My fave was California fruit wine. Selling to your grocery store near you. Refreshing wine with 10% alcohol. Ahhh, delightful pineapple, cranberry and pomegranate… woooottttt!!!
Love the desserts as well from Great maple and cupcakes that melted in my mouth. No pics needed as this thing will go down in history. Nuff said folks… what can I say you just have to be there. By the way say cheese to the flying over drone and to end the night take a pic at the booth. Wear your fave hat.
Check out my pics. Ride on Unilocal,another great venue. Keep doing it!

Had so much fun at this Unilocal event. Got to try samples of food like sandwiches, pizza & the desserts. There were so many booths that were set up. This event was my first. Looking forward to the next event.
My husband & I bought some hair clips for our daughter. A lot of people showed up for this event. Great turn out!

First Unilocal event and I must say I was impressed! I loved the music, food, vendors, and alcohol. If I wasn’t an avid Unilocaler I now am. I really enjoyed the sandwiches provided by Hungry Bear, super excited to know that they are opening soon in South Bay. The yummy cupcakes were delicious!!! The Foto Box made for some cute keepsakes & prices for rental are very reasonable. Thank you for the invite & for making this Monday memorable. I Unilocal!!!

Wonderful event space… I visited for the Craft Beer + Bites during SD Beer Week and had a great time. While there was a pretty large crowed, there was still plenty of seating, room to walk around, and enough open space for a large game section. This was in addition to all the beer tents, vendors, and food trucks.
The one downside was that there was only 1 line for everyone, and it wrapped around the block. I had pre-​paid tickets in my hand, but still had to wait in line for people doing will-​call and people trying to buy their tickets at the door. I’m not sure if this is the SILO policy for these things or the event’s choice, but it would have been nice to have a second line for people that already had tickets so we didn’t lose over 30 minutes waiting in line.

This is an interesting outdoor space with graffit murals that is leased out for events.
But it’s a dirt lot so closed toe shoes are a must. And I probably would skip any event held here if it were raining.
It’s easy to get to with lots of metered parking.
Note: Lots of homeless in the area. Just something to keep in mind if you’re staying late.

I’m not sure how to review SILO. The space is interesting — essentially a vacant lot with some bleachers and couple of dozen plastic chairs. Wear long pants and a sweater — this place is outside.
But the play I saw, El Henry, was so bad that my friends and I left at intermission. Sophomoric script and inept acting.

I’ve been to three events here and each has been unique and fun.
It’s a great place to do a small fair or festival. I usually can find parking nearby since this isn’t in the heart of downtown. I’ve always parked in close walking proximity.
They held a Unilocal event here, a job fair/​foodie event and a basic music/​food fair.
Check it out if you’re looking for a unique event space.
Minus one star for the homeless that are always around each time I visit just because walking at night it can be awkward for a female who is alone. But it’s a good opportunity to get some food and shwag at the events and share with them when you leave…
Oh and ladies, it’s a dirt floor, so closed toes shoes might be most comfortable.