Soda & Swine

I can’t believe my search for the best spaghetti in San Diego wasn’t found in Little Italy, but instead here in north park.
Food: Came here late night with a friend to get dinner and a beer from PP next door (of course). We both got our own meatballs, me, the swine, and him, the Hen. And shared an order of Dirty Fries. This can be shared by at least three people. We definitely had leftovers.
I’ll definitely be back for the spaghetti. It was AMAZE-​balls! They make their own marinara sauce there, AND the meatballs were incredible. This will be an item I’ll be regularly ordering from now on.
Soda: As a root beer fanatic, I gotta say I’m a fan of the root beer here. Better than Dr. Brown’s. I think they have two selections of root beer too.

Was staying with my college friend (now a first year med student) in San Diego for the night and she took me here for dinner, her favorite restaurant in all of San Diego. We found street parking nearby then entered this cool-​named restaurant. There was already a moderate line, as it is a popular place. The main dining area has mostly wooden tables, including a long one in the middle for communal-​style seating. You can also sit in the neighboring bar/​fountain area next door; I believe it is the same owners. That’s what we did, because it is brighter and more fun in the bar area.
Once you enter, you look at the menu and place your order at the register. You are then given a number to put on your table, and they will deliver food to your table when ready.
This was my first time dining at a restaurant specializing in meatballs! You can choose one of the premade kinds, or customize your own (pick a meat, sauce, and cheese to combine). You also have to decide how you want your meatball served (there are four options ranging from sliders to prepared with pasta).
I decided to order a custom meatball as a slider, plus a side of dirty fries (fries with meatball meat chunks, cheese, gravy, chopped jalapeños, and two aiolis/​sauces). Everything was great although on the salty side. There are also a ton of side dish options, but they are all a la carte as nothing comes with your meatball. I opted for some vegetables and got a side of broccolini.
Prices were moderate, and varied depending on meatball preparation style, plus whether you add sides.
It’s worth checking out if not just for the novelty of creating your own meatball!

This place is way too good for its own good. Can you believe it can take up to 30 mins just to order? Perhaps opening another register would relieve the pain of waiting. Regardless, everything on the menu is delicious! They also have some very champagne slushies (genius!) that come in a variety of fruity flavors. Can’t ever go wrong with the Brussel sprouts and classical meatballs.

One of the major things that I really liked was the great customer service we received! We went to just try the meatballs we had one pork… one chicken and one chorizo with regular marinara sauce and we got a sample of the chipotle sauce to try… hands down the pork meatball was the best… will be going back for sure. Thank you for the great service!

I am definitely coming back to this cute and cozy eatery. We had the Burger Special and the Roasted Brussel Sprouts… it was omg-​delish. A must visit and they’ll even bring your food over next door at Polite Provisions if you want specialty cocktails. Outdoors and a fireplace too! Love it!

How do you feel? Really. I couldn’t tell. You had a little too much fun last night, nu? Ouch. Well, I’m sorry to hear that. Breathe with me… in, out… in, out… oops, it looks like you exhaled a little too hard. Well, good thing you got most of it in the bucket, although unlike horseshoes and hand grenades, close doesn’t count on hardwood floors.
Lets get some meatballs. Yes, you. C’mon, up and at em! Here, drink some of this, take a couple of these. Don’t you feel better already?
Yes, I know its nice in here. I like the way the light comes through the tinted skylights too, settling over hardwood rafters, don’t look outside, the light will hurt you, look at the living wall instead. Better, right? Go ahead, use one of the bathrooms, they’re very nice! I’ll order. Yes, I’ll order. You can’t be trusted. Shit, I’m not even sure you can read. Are you actually illiterate? No?! Your Facebook posts seem to indicate otherwise.
You’re back? Good. I ordered us some Dirty Fries. What are they? Perfectly crispy fries topped with mushroom gravy, pork belly, jalapenos, and a couple of chorizo meatballs. Seriously, try some, have some with a touch of sriracha aioli. Aren’t they awesome? Aren’t they perfect? Don’t you feel better? I’ve heard the polenta is wonderful too, and the pizza knots? Fantastic. Not today though. Not today.
I got us some sliders too. The Banh Mi? Not so banh miesque, but man, those pickled vegetables. The Hog? Good greasy, savory fun. The mozzarella is a nice touch, don’t you think? I even ordered you a vegan. Pretty damn good, right? You dated a vegan once, didn’t you? How does this compare?
You know what you need? Some pie. Apple. Its got a fantastic, flaky crust. Maybe some soft serve, in one of those cardboardy kiddie cones? Trust me, bro.
What am I drinking? Well, I started with a local beer by Stone, and moved on to a boozy slushie. You might want to stick with one of their sodas, they’ve got a million, you’re sure to find one you like. How about a sasparilla? Or a cherry vanilla? There there, is your tum tum better? Great, lets get another order of dirty fries and go next door to Polite Provisions, its already afternoon, and they let you take food in, and we’ve got a lot of drinking ahead of us.
Five Stars.
Extras:
Public Transit accessible: 2, 11.
Seriously, do take your food to Polite Provisions.
Nice day (no hangover?). Sit outside!

Yum! I didn’t spend a lot of time in S&S per se, but I did sample a bunch of their food while in Polite Provisions next store.
I had two sliders with the chipotle mix. It was d’lish with mozzarella and marinara sauce. And those cute little buns really made the whole dish. So many sides, too little time! There was broccolini, Brussel sprouts, mac n cheese, fries, and garlic bread. All wonderful. So I guess I would recommend a couple sliders per person and then GO CRAZY with sides.
The service was absolutely amazing. The cashier was so nice and carried a conversation with me despite being busy. It is those small touches that takes a business to the next level.

Ordered the dirty fries and the polenta to help me offset the super strong cocktails of Polite Provisions. When I walked in here from the connecting hallway, I saw their large list of sodas and I was almost tempted to get a soda, despite the fact that I was already feeling the cocktails affecting my mental state!
The dirty fries with the meatballs and pork belly were exactly what I wanted to eat and I didn’t even have this before. The only downside was that I couldn’t try anything else like the spaghetti or the mac and cheese. Places to go yo.
Since I plan on coming back to Polite Provisions on a future visit, I’ll be coming back to S&S as well.

Soda & Swine is backyard picnic meets a little of this and a little of that!
Trust me, I love big portions but sometimes I wish I could try a little bit of this. and a little bit of that. Soda & Swine fulfills my desires for this. I thought their food was really good, and the variety I was able to add to my meal really added to my experience. I loved the vibe of the backyard picnic type of feel with the long picnic tables and the outdoorsy feel. This is a place you order at the window and then pick up when your number/​order is called. The sliders are just that… sliders. I would recommend getting 1 – 2 and then trying some sides so you can get .a little bit of this and a little bit of that…
The low down goes like this:
1. Pick your favorite item (meat (pork, beef, chicken), quinoa, or vegan meatball with the specific sauce that comes with it
2. Pick your style (slider, sub, meatball, or spaghetti)
3. OR build your own (choose your meat, sauce and cheese)
They also have awesome sides such as spaghetti, fries, dirty fries, smashed potatoes, scotch egg, polenta, garlic bread.
PS: They even have apple pie… don’t forget to add ice cream!

3.5 — 4 stars: To be honest, I think this place was a little too hyped for me… I may be a little biased because meatballs aren’t always my thing.
Walked in on a weekday afternoon, which was perfect because we were basically the only few inside. Love the atmosphere during the day because the sun shines through the ceiling. They have paper menus when you walk in, which you might miss… I definitely did — I was looking at their soda menu on the wall and was like, «umm…where’s the food?» Eventually found out hahaha
Ordered the Swine Meatball Submarine, which is 2 smoked pork meatballs inside a sub sandwich with melted cheese all over. Tbh I only enjoyed the first meatball, then eventually just removed the second meatball and ate the sauce-​soaked cheesy submarine bread by itself, which was basically my favorite part. But can you trust me? Because like I said, I’m picky with my meatballs.
What I wholeheartedly enjoyed was the DIRTY FRIES, which had chopped meatballs, pork belly, cheese, and gravy. BOMB and loaded! Definitely recommend to share, it’s huge.
I also loved their selection of sodas, which means a lot because I don’t usually order soda. Went with the Shirley Temple, which washed everything down so well.
Bottom line, the submarine wasn’t exactly to die for, but I did enjoy my visit despite my high expectations. I think I’ll probably enjoy their sliders better.

Yummy!!! I’m a health nut so I don’t come here too often but it’s definitely cheat meal worthy;-)
Perfect date night material b/​c:
Cute and cozy atmosphere
Quick service
Good size portions (perfect for sharing)
Great location to stroll around after you eat:)

I love them. So. Much.
I have been to this place a few times already, but recently (¹²⁄₁) went here for a date. The atmosphere is awesome for a first date, btw.
I had the chicken meatballs with their I-​could-​eat-​on-​everything mushroom sauce. I was a little bummed not to see the asparagus — not in season obv — but I ordered their Brussel sprouts and they did not disappoint!
I had some fruity beer — I am not a beer person — it was good, just dont ask me what it was called. Just ask for the ‘most fruity beer ever’ and I’m sure they will let you taste it, if you like sweet beer.
The people who work here are always cool as hell and I will obviously be back. I really should try something else next time…

This place is great! Fun flavor combinations, unique concept, and quality products. S&S is great for groups and is even better if your group likes to order different items and share due to the various options offered on the menu.
The environment is cool and the proximity to Polite Provisions makes it a great partnership of quality food and drinks. It is also a good option for carnivores and herbivores alike, as there are quinoa balls and a vegan option, which are actually quite tasty.
Great place for a snack or a full meal, for a small group or large one. Not super expensive and has something for all palates.

Exploring North Park, I came across a crowd on Adams. I found that this line led to Soda & Swine, so I figured that it must be a popular place. I nabbed a slice of table for me and my cousins, so it worked out perfectly.
First, let me start with the champagne slushie. HOW HAVE I NOT TRIED THIS BEFORE? This will be my go-​to brunch drink.
I ordered the Swine, the Grain, and their special meatball with turkey and cranberries. ALL were great. I had a side of brusselsprouts which I wasn’t too keen on (I tasted fish sauce), but the broccolini was spot on in tenderness and seasoning.
Don’t be miffed by the size of the line. You can get you meatballs and go if you don’t want to sit at the communal tables.

I had been wanting to try this place for some time and when my husband suggested a date night I brought up this place.
It is very casual, order up front and your food will be brought to your table. While scanning their menu my husband noticed that they were only a beer and wine place. He suggested going next door and waiting for our friends there while having some drinks.
While we were next door we were pleasantly surprised to be told by our server that we could go next door and they would deliver to the bar! Hurray!
I ordered the Hog on a sub with the goat cheese smashed potatoes. I absolutely love goat cheese and it was a very nice touch on the mashed potatoes. My sub was a little dry but that is to be expected with Chorizo so I didn’t mind it too much. My husband got the dirty fries with spicy nacho cheese and aioli. They were delicious! I must come back and actually eat at this location when it starts getting sunnier.

This review is way overdue! I’ve been here a few times and I liked it, but I can’t see the hype about it. I mean, if all you make is meatballs, and serve them on a bun as a slider, and a couple others, that will get old quickly. I mean, it’s gonna get boring really quickly if that’s all you make and sell. Taste was nothing fab.
I like variety on a menu, and this place doesn’t have it. Not my thing.
Really now… sides sucked, too.
It’s pretty inside. Lol.
FOUR STARS!!! :)

Located in North Park next to Polite Provisions. I was surprised that it wasn’t an actual wait service type restaurant. So pretty much you order at the counter then find a seat. The place was tiny. The menu at first was confusing cause I didn’t know that they specialize in meatballs. You can order their burgers or choose the type of meatballs and choose how you want it served — mushroom pasta, tomato basil pasta, bahn mi style, sliders, and some other way but I forgot haha.
I ordered the mushroom pasta meatball and that was a very tasty combo. It’s an interesting flavor and something different than your usual tomato/​white sauce pasta combo. Pricing wise it’s not bad. My total bill was under $ 20 for a good portion size of pasta with 3 medium size meatballs. Also, I got their grapefruit champagne Slushie for $ 7. I wanted their pomegranate flavor but they ran out. Grapefruit was still good too and not too bitter!

This is where the food comes from… At least if you are either at soda & swine or polite provisions. We came to polite provisions for a drink and were hungry so we came on over to order our food. You order at the counter and they will give you a stand with your order number to bring back to your table whether it is here or next door at the connected Polite Provisions. The guy at the counter was friendly and cool while being patient with us since we had multiple different orders, and it was our first time there so we didn’t know how it worked with the menu.
Here is what we learned. For each of the options that you have with the meatballs, you can either go with what they suggest (listed at the top) as a combination of meat type, sauce and cheese or you can do a build your own and mix and match cheeses and sauce combos (but only 1 cheese and sauce type per dish. The bahn mi style is the exception. It is essentially the pork meatball with the bahn mi style toppings so you don’t really get other choices if you want one of those in your order. For the sub, you choose one type of meatball, for the trio you can choose three different kinds.
Here is a rundown of what we ordered
Meatball sub with «The Grain» (quinoa) meatballs — we kept this one the way they recommended with pesto, feta, and their sub roll. My friend enjoyed it.
Meatball trios — we had three different types. I got two beef (The Bovine) and one pork (The Hog) meatball. You could definitely taste the difference between the meats. I tipped mine with marinara and mozzarella to keep it classic. My friend got hers «Bahn Mi@ style with two pork meatballs (The Swine) and one The Hog (chorizo)
Mac and cheese — it was good. Everyone tried a taste of the Mac & cheese and it served as a great compliment to the meatballs.
Smashed potato — I tasted it and I did not taste the goat cheese and it looked like it had the skins in it, (which I don’t like but it was dark out) my friend however really liked it and she is a huge fan of mashed potatoes regardless of skins.
Brussels sprouts — my other friend got these. Being a vegetable i personally did not taste it, but she said it was good but was very «leafy.»
Good to know: you can only bring beer and wine in here from next door. No cocktails.

We decided we wanted an early lunch
and headed down to University Heights
to look for something new and different.
They have a lot of parking in the
back but I can betcha it will be
packed during high peak hours.
GET HERE EARLY!
It was much cooler outside than it
was inside the restaurant. There were
people eating inside and outside.
The line was pretty short with just
a few people and we didn’t have
to wait long to order and receive
our food.
The staff seems like a nice group
of people that puts out good food.
FOR ME:
I ordered two Meatball Sliders
which are named The Bovine! Beef with Marinara Sauce and Mozzarella cheese.
I opted out of the Mozzarella and asked
for Parmesan instead. The request was
answered.
I have never had gourmet meatballs like
this before. They were delicious. They
have other sliders you can get too which
I think next time I’m going to try out.
I haven’t had Spaghetti this good since
my moms recipe. NO ONE can make it
like hers but this place is an exception
and very close.
The noodles are perfect in shape
and size. They were cooked to a
perfect al dente. They had a very
good taste to them.
They weren’t over cooked because
they didn’t have a starch flavor to
them nor were they undercooked.
Which is my favorite
way pasta is cooked.
My MOM:
Ordered one of the Bovine
Meatball Sliders and as side
dish she had Mac & Cheese.
It’s very unusual for her to
order Mac & Cheese so I
was rather surprised when
she told me she liked it.
Personally, I’m a Mac & Cheese fanatic
and would love to try it but before I do
there are quite a few things I would like
to try too.
She wasn’t fond of the meatball
sliders and said she probably
wouldn’t order anything else here.
They have a bunch of side dishes
that look amazing so it’s hard to
decide especially when I saw them
on line.
It’s a small menu but there are
choices that are truly delicious
I recommend to look at the pics
on line. Everything looks super
delicious and wait till you eat
here. The pics aren’t deceiving.

I came here with my husband for lunch. A late lunch. When we first walked in we weren’t sure where to order. The counter is on your right. I tried the three meat balls and the brussel sprouts. It was very tasty with the exception of one meat ball. I ordered a chorizo meatball. I couldn’t eat it. Was not for me.
The décor is really cute. I do think they could do a better job at identifying where to order. I saw a mom and her kids come in after us and they struggled to understand if they should wait to be seated or where to order. I would come again just not ordering the chorizo meatball.