Surf & Saddle

One of the things I was most excited about when moving back to the SB was my favorite cougar bar, the surf and saddle. CLOSED?!! WHY GOD? WHYYYYYYYY?
It’s time we all pitch in, and reopen this Solana gem! Who’s with me?

This was a fun place…
Went there earlier tonight to find that they had been shut down indefinitely! There was a letter on the window from the owner telling a great story — a morning bartender was selling drugs and happened to sell to an undercover officer! The way that licenses work, it puts the bar owner 100% at fault!
Bummer

NNNoooooo!!! I just heard the landlords for Surf & Saddle are not renewing their lease! Say it isn’t so!
While I haven’t always been the biggest fan, we all love to dive-​bar-​it-​up now and again…
I will have to get a few more drinks in before it closes…

For those that usually spend their time at the Yardhouse (not that there is anything wrong with that) this is a «DIVE BAR.»
When you are waiting for a table to open up at Pizza Port and beer alone does not get it done for you, come here for some booze and some well needed atmosphere.

To truly appreciate the Surf & Saddle, one has to have the proper expectations of the Surf & Saddle. The S&S is a *dive*, in every classic, dingy, delightful, frosty-​cold way. One must judge it for what it is. My last (but not THE last) trip to the S&S went like this:
Being unemployed, myself and a cohort convened for what we liked to call Unemployment Tuesday, where we gathered and bemoaned our station while we drank beer. Having just moved to North County, I suggested my husband’s favorite spot– the S&S– to raise our spirits. There was a grand total of four people in the place, and we were soon awarded two chilly New Castles ($ 8 total) for our efforts. We were complimented on our choice by two men with vaguely British accents who happened to have about 25 miniature statues of lighthouses lined up on the bar in front of them.
We skipped the Lottery games and the (what appears to be) Keno, and decided to play some pool (at 50 cents/​game). We were approached by another weekday drinker named Stan* who asked us if we were in town for the women’s pool tournament. Clearly, Stan hadn’t been watching us play. After we stated the obvious («No, we’re definitely not professional pool players.»), Stan proceeded to announce to anyone who walked in the door that TWO REAL LIVE PROFESSIONAL POOL SHARKS were in the house. We loved Stan.
We stepped outside so my friend could have a smoke (with Stan… and some other dude) and the question of where we’re from came up– as it always does in San Diego. Weirdest thing– Stan happened to be from the same place as my friend, and the other dude (who was, let’s just say it– who are we kidding? The other dude was missing some of his teeth) happened to be from the same place as me. All in all, we had a good laugh, several beers, and spent $ 40.
I love a story with a happy ending. I love the Surf & Saddle.

So I’ve only been here during the day and it felt incredibly scummy. Granted, it was probably the fact I was drinking a champagne cocktail at 12:30pm, but, whatevs. (Bit o backgroud: For some reason my friend visting from out of town was deadset on drinking during the day while our other friends surfed. Who am I to argue with a guest?)
The bartender was super nice and kept making my friend and I interesting cocktails that she was making up on the fly. Two or three older men were undressing me and my friend (female) with their eyes… wasn’t so much a fan of that.

Great place to watch a Padres game. Bartenders and patrons alike are knowledgeable and friendly.
During race season, you might share a beer with a «hot walker». jockey, or owner. Regardless of their «station», they all share a common theme; who’s gonna win in the third tomorrow?
Live music attracts a mostly under 30 crowd but all are welcome.
You have friends at the Surf and Saddle; you might not have met them, yet

For the past 4 years, I’ve been going to school up in Los Angeles, and haven’t really been out any bars in San Diego since I’ve turned 21. I came down to San Diego to visit a couple of friends that I grew up with and they suggested going to Surf & Saddle on a Tuesday night because of the infamous goldfish races. At first I was a little skeptical. Goldfish? Come on.
They told us to get there before 10pm — which was just enough time to put in the $ 5 for the goldfish and come up with some wickedly creative names for them. If you don’t know how it works, here’s the run down: the guy organizing the races lays out a tournament sheet with all the participants (about 40 when I went), and you’re scheduled against other racers for head-​to-​head elimination. You’re given a spray bottle to motivate your fish to move down a trough, and the first to reach a marked line wins the round.
I won 3 races before I was eliminated, which was enough for me to spend about 2 hours there and enjoy a couple of pints of Stone. I got way more into it than I thought I would, and the racing was pretty intense — because the fish are so unpredictable.
I would highly recommend trying this place out on a Tuesday night for something different. The people were all really friendly, and it felt like a fun group event between strangers once the races got started.

Went there on a Tuesday night just around 9 pm. This is, typically, a pretty slow time for bars. Not at this place however.
While there were very few patrons before nine, this game me a chance to look around, and chat with the bar tender a bit. I love good dive bars, and this one offered all the best a dive can offer, without the sleaziness.
At 9 pm, things changes, as all of a sudden, customers started pouring in. Turns out, Tuesday at 9, are the Gold Fish races. Customers pick out a gold fish from a bucket (for $ 5), place them in a long, narrow trough, and try to get them to the finish line with some goading from a water gun. Sounds stupid, but really provides a good reason for everyone to mix, as well as an instant ice breaker.

I had so much fun here! It’s a dive bar, for sure, it reminds me of the «saloon» in old town if you’ve ever been there. But the crowd here is so much better. Lot’s of younger kids, (and older too), pool tables, full bar, hot chick bartender.
Tonight there was a live band… or 2? I have no idea what was going on, i did my best to tune them out. I thought they were crap, but it was kinda cool having live music. I bet if there was a better band in there it would have been packed.
was relatively cheap too. all the drinks we ordered were $ 4 -$ 4.50 which I thought was damn reasonable, especially since i’m used to paying like $ 10 and up per drink.
they sell cigarettes behind the bar! oh temptation! Hehe, I thought that was awesome, the smoker in me appreciates bars that have cigarettes. :)
Overall, I wouldn’t mind coming back and getting trashed here again!
PS. Don’t trust that vending machine in the bathroom that promises sex secrets, games and novelties. It dispenses condoms, and expired ones at that — like September 2006 expired… lol. I was tipsy enough that I fed it a dollar to make sure that condoms was *all* that it dispensed. It really had my hopes up. I thought they had sex related toys in the bathroom! Like supermarkets with their lil eggs of plastic crap for kids. hehe. God that would have made me so happy, and it would have earned them a 5 star for sure!

I really dig this place, but I can totally see why someone over the age of ³⁰⁄₃₅ would hate it.
For the uninitiated, Del Mar and Solana Beach is one giant meat market after the sun goes down. It’s crazy. If you’re a reasonably attractive male and you’re looking to score an older woman in a dive bar, Surf & Saddle is about as close to a «sure thing» as you’ll get anywhere. There must be pheromones in the water up there, because it’s absurd how many people are looking to hook up in the area.
When I was single, the Saddle was my spot after the races. Now, I’ve got a cool chick with nice boobies, so I’m not looking to utilize techniques from the Pick Up Artist while I get my drink on. However, it doesn’t mean I’m not thoroughly entertained watching potential one night stands develop over $ 3.50 cocktails and cheesy cover bands.
Sexual energy aside, the Saddle is dope. I’m not a billiards guy, but they have a pool table to satisfy the need of «that guy» who loves to play pool in a crowded ass bar. I don’t understand why it’s fun to stab people in the gut with a pool cue, but to each is own, I suppose. They also have fun themed nights like Rock Band night and gold fish racing night. Drinks are always cheap and it’s typically packed on the weekends which leads to some fun observations.
Del Mar has a reputation for being a little uppity, but you won’t find any of that nonsense here. It’s a down and dirty dive bar, located smack dab in one of the wealthier areas of San Diego.
If you’re a Chargers fan, Nate Kaeding hangs here a lot. So, there’s a good chance of seeing some NFL players drunk.

The wife and I swung by here on the outset of our 5^th anniversary, and looking back, I wish we hadn’t. It was intended to be a silly little inside joke, about the «liquid courage» stop I made here a little over 5 years ago, prior to proposing. While our marriage has had a fantastic first five years, the same period of time has not been as kind to the Surf & Saddle.
In spite of some remnants of youth (a playful chalk board outlining the daily specials, and the continuation of the goldfish races), the rummies at the bar that afternoon were much more grimy than any we recalled from the only other visit. The barkeep was efficient, but almost non-​communicative. We sort of wondered if the heshers had bet him that he couldn’t serve us without uttering a single word.
Two quick margarita rocks, Captain Chatsalot.

There might be something that would make me go back, but I can’t think of what it would be. It’s just too scummy. And people are there at 9AM on a Tuesday, for God’s sake.
We call it the «Slurp and Straddle.» You can use your imagination to figure out why.

when is a dive, not a dive? there are so many sorts of characters here and i loved it. i usually don’t play pool either, but i found myself playing over and over and over again.
how many jack and cokes did i have that night? must be the good prices.
the funny thing is that this was my 2^nd stop of the night from some time spent at jake’s in del mar earlier. funny that surf and saddle was also the later stop of some peeps that i had seen at jake’s earlier too.
progressive anyone?

I’ve always liked this bar. Not a lot of space but friendly people and bartenders — definately best when the place is rockin’ with a good band. Don’t be put off by the name, it’s more of a beach feel than a racetrack feel.
A good locals hangout — give it a shot. Usually well tended and mellow. If I lived closer this would be one of my faves.

I only like this place when they have a good band playing. Otherwise the clientale leave a LOT to be desired. I’ve met some cute boys here. Boys being the operative word. But the drinks are cheap and the owner Patty is cool.

Is it fair to review a bar based on the cute boy factor? I think so.
In that case, Surf and Saddle gets one star for the one cute boy there. Okay, okay… I know I have to take more into account than that, but truly there was not much more. Jukebox is a plus and so is the classic game, «Photo Hunt.» Those two combined get it one more star. My vodka cran was practically clear, so that clearly warrants another full star.
Yep. Three stars is about right. Not horrid, not great. The company was 5 stars though, all the way!

Check out the goldfish racing on Tuesdays. They cover up one of the pool tables bring out their custom goldfish racing track (rain gutters i think). For $ 5 you pick a fish from the bucket and give it a clever name. Contestants use little water pistols to encourage their fish to swim in the correct direction. The races are one on one and the winner takes the pot. This is especially fun with a group of people so you can cheer on your friend’s fish.
I believe this starts at 10 but you might want to call or show up early. Last time I was a little late and the tournament was already sold out.

This little dive bar is the place to go when nothing else is going on. It’s been around since the rockin’ surf days of the 50’s and it still looks pretty much the same although I wasn’t around then I can only imagine.
What’s cool is that they have open mike night on Wednesdays and it doesn’t even begin until 9 pm. There is the occasionally live band and every so often free pool night.
Go to the Website to print out coupons for free bevies:

A good local watering hole. It is a small bar 1 block from the beach (hence the name Surf). You will find people that stop in for a cocktail on the way to or from the Del Mar Racetrack. (hence the name Saddle).
This is a hole in the wall kind of bar that has been in Solana Beach For well over 20 years. On the weekends they push aside the 2 pool tables and have fairly good live rock music. All this for no cover charge. Cool!