Tom Cat Bar & Grill

Terrible, rude staff. I have been here 3 times and have left on each occasion saying I would never come back. The female bartender is especially awful, rude, and made racist comments towards my black friend. Don’t give this bar your money. Go somewhere else. They don’t treat their customers with the slightest bit of decency. It’s amazing this place is even still open.

My friend and I came here for the free wings during Friday happy hour. Happy hour doesn’t end until 8pm and we got there at 6:30pm but the wings were already all gone! Also, the place was packed and we couldn’t find any seating.
We both got whiskey gingers but it didn’t taste that great so we left after that because we really wanted wings and had to go elsewhere to find them. I wouldn’t recommend getting mixed drinks there, only beer and shots.

Great drinks (& cheap!) & their wings!!! =) delish! Little hole in the wall bars are my favorite & this 1 makes the cut! All the bartenders are friendly too

So Duncan (the owner) had the women’s bathroom renovated. It no longer has a bad smell from the pipe. I actually don’t mind going to use it now, and I don’t have to by an air freshener any longer.
Still love that it’s a random mix of people, and a bunch of regulars. If you are new: ORDER AT THE BAR! There are NO WAITRESSES. We all go get in line for drinks. Get over yourself and stand in line like we all do.

Local dive bar. Couple pool tables with a pretty active local league vibe. A pinball machine, especially one with a few miles on it, always rates a one-​star bump. Mediocre game day TV situation, etc.
But what sets this joint apart is the kitchen, specifically their take on Chinese restaurant ‘salt & pepper’ wings… these cats (no pun) call them «Tomcat Wings» and they are daaaamn good. Spicy, super crispy, served with jalapeño chips that were fried in the mix… yowzer. My Death Row meal includes proper hot wings, and these, though not the saucy, traditional style, just might be my pick for my desert before the ‘lectric chair.
What lets this place down is the inconsistent service. Sometimes great, professionals are working the line… sometimes it’s the hipster crew.
Strange brew here, too, of patrons; Scripps Ranch dudes looking for beer and wings, Mira Mesa 20-​somethings, Qualcomm employees, a few sketchies, etc. Generally it all works well.

I didn’t really expect to like this place. My friend heard about their wings from his coworker and wanted to try the wings here and they didn’t disappoint.
Tom cat wings were pretty good but the cha cha wings are my favorite up here. We overheard many people asking for their wings well done and asked the bartender Shannon what it meant and it’s because a lot of people like their wings really crispy. I like that they don’t bread their wings here also.
They had a good BLT and frisco burger but def the wings here are a repeat. Great dive bar also if in need for a quick drink and the service is on point.

Best dive bar in SD. Were lucky enough to be within walking distance so we frequent this place often. You cant beat the prices and then food is really great. Their mozzarella sticks are insanely big. I call them «cheese logs».

I sometimes work nearby and like the place because it’s often got a good cast of regulars, no matter the time of day.
But the service can be terrible. It seems there’s only one person who can tend bar, and she spent most of the last visit yammering with regulars. That’s fine, except when new people are there, without a drink.
The nice barback kept apologizing When served, my drinks were plopped down next to a coaster and kind of out of range… like she couldn’t give a shit.
Once established, the barkeep never checked back to see if people needed refills… instead being social with other regulars. Was curious to eat but was never asked if I wanted anything, and when I politely asked for my bill, it was plopped down without a single thank you.
Now I’m a pretty simple guy who loves a good dive bar and doesn’t give a damn if the carpets need cleaning and the customers need decontamination. But I don’t care for a place that treats you with apathy and indifference. Maybe not all staff are like that, but it’s not my job to prove otherwise.

The pungent horrid odor was the first thing I experienced when I came through the door. The sausage fest was running the show when I arrived. Still can’t get over the horrid smell. The shitty kitty lives up to its name. this reminds me of what you would see in a movie with Navy guys. 75 guys and five girls. It looks like the beginning of a bang bus movie.

Great French Dip.
Cool place. heard they have great wings. I didn’t know when I was there but got several Unilocal friends saying so. Guess next time I’ll check em out. I’ll review many more words next time go.
Good beer too of course.

Didn’t serve us because one of my friend was drunk!!! What about rest of our group?
This is second time

This post is really about Monday nights. I’ve never been there any other time. It’s karaōke night, and had THE BEST karaōke mistress I have ever seen. She’s super friendly to everyone, full of energy and a great performer. The drinks and food here are fine; reasonably priced. The place gets 3 stars because of the staff and crowd– totally hit or miss. We have had wonderful service from staff and great social interactions with patrons (mostly late 30s +, «blue collar» locals). A few times though, people (including staff) were snarky and rude. So minus 2 stars for inconsistently — depends on who’s working and the crowd. But we have (and will) gone back again.

Definitely the worst review I’ve left any business… but I walked in with a friend late Sunday night, looking for one of the few places open to have a couple drinks before parting ways. When I got to the bar and showed my ID as prompted, I was told «Oh, you smell too much like weed. I can’t serve you.»
I thought she was joking, but she insisted and asked us to leave. I even mentioned my medical card, and she said it didn’t matter.
I know this could be interpreted as being asked to leave because perhaps I seemed incoherent or over inebriated in some way, but I’m very much used to marijuana. I was definitely of rational mind.
I’m inclined to think it had more to do with the bar being relatively empty and a little over an hour from closing time and just being too lazy to want to work. Judging by the cleanliness, I’m not super surprised.
Any excuse would have worked. Telling me I smelled too much like the medicine I’m prescribed to use, was what she went with.

I like this place. A little dive bar in a strip mall off of MM Blvd. A friend and I popped in on Easter morning (yeah, call AA) for some quick ones and I was impressed.
The service was excellent, the fellow patrons nice, brew selection adequate and prices just right.
But what I enjoyed the most were there wings. Daaaaaaaaang! They are definitely in the Top 3 Best Hot Wings Ever. They’re different than other wings, too. Jalapeños, onions… just a really good set-​up.
Washed down TWO orders with some Sculpin IPAs.
Highly recommended.

What a ‘terrible’ first impression of a business. I’m all about Dive Bars, but when there are two servers (well two people running around at tables) crappy service for a place that small is ridiculous. After about 5 minutes of sitting without menus, we go get menus from the Bartender. After another 10ish minutes of waiting and no one even looking in our direction, but serving the tables next to us, we finally left. Boooo, was looking forward to a local dive Bar!

Came in at 730 & it is crowded. Hardly anywhere to sit, literally waited 10 minutes before they helped me. I had to go to the bar to get there attention though. The lady carded me when I ordered wings haha. I said to order wings? Then let her know that I sitting there at table waiting for someone to come. She gave me some excuse and I walked back to my table.
Unfortunate that they so busy and yet don’t have rotating waitress. Took 12 minutes to get my cha cha wings.
Currently here and she still hasn’t come to my table to ask how it is or refill my drink. I guess they only care about people in groups or local bar flies.

This place serves alcoholic drinks and if that’s all you need, it’ll do in a pinch.
Place is horribly lit, looks really shady and janky, and carries a weird odor. I understand its clientele which dictates the environment. The bathroom is absolutely horrible, I can’t even. Staff is alright, but definitely favors the regulars.
I still come here when I need a quick drink with a friend, or want to catch a game really quick in Mira Mesa.

I’m not one to shy away from going back to local, neighborhood bars especially when there’s something good to be found. As with Tom Cat, it’s their wings!
Boy, did I like those… a lot. Now after having made a return visit for these, I remembered just how much I love ‘em! Their signature Tomcat wings are full of hot jalapeño garlic flavor! Oooh so good. It’s cravings aren’t ones that can be replaced by going to Buffalo Wild Wings. I wash those down with a cold domestic beer and it’s simple, good living.
I also use to come down here for a few football Sundays and would always get the bloody mary and machaca plate. Loved, loved it. If they have kept that same recipe, that’s one to try out. Always filling and delicious.
This spot definitely answers to a that pool table, pub food, cheap drinks, neighborhood sports bar where you’ll see regulars who pretty much all know each other. Though Mira Mesa isn’t an area that I venture out much to anymore these days but for those one of a kind wings… I’d happily make that northbound 163 drive.
.

I have to say I liked this place right away with $ 3 selected drafts and free wings during happy hour. Even though the wings were free, I still ordered their signature Tom Cat Wings named after the famed F-​14 Tomcat Naval all Purpose Fighter.
The wings at $ 6.95, came with 7 dry rubbed sauce less but well seasoned wings (
). In fact, it was the exterior crispy rub and seasoning that made these wings sing (
). They were very tasty and packed some good heat with a very good amount of tender chicken meat (
). The spicy green onions a fried jalapenos were a very spicy nice touch and garnish. Very good wings and I would order them again, even if they were offering free wings.
Speaking of the free wings, I had two different kind. One had a sweet sauce which was good (
), but the meat on these was a little dry (
), and the a few naked wings which were crunchy and had tender meat (
). For free wings, they were quite good, but not as good as the iced cold PBR for $ 3 (
).
For such a larger place, they do not have many servers on the floor, but the ladies did a great job while I was there. I do not remember my servers name, other than she was sweet and nice.

A wonderful dive bar in Mira Mesa, and I only say this because it’s exactly what you should expect out of a dive bar.
The majority of the people that go there are probably regulars and of an older generation just looking for a beer. Do not expect an upscale, high class bar because it’s far from it. They offer a few arcade games, a jukebox that sticks out like a sore thumb and pool tables. The place is quite small but big enough for a small group.
My favorite part about tom cats are the tom cat wings. Crisp, light and generous with the green onion and jalapeños!!!
Looking for a beer? Some spectacular wings? In the area? Stop in maybe before you go out somewhere else for the night or if you’re looking for a lowkey night but with some alcohol.