Monday 14th of July 2014 02:29:49 PM

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As a recent emigre to San Diego -- and a home-town boy returning after many years away -- it was exciting to see the town sported a sister to one of my "have-to" beer bars.

I'm in the September of my years and spent many of them discovering new beers. You can imagine how the craft beer revolution thrilled me to no end!

And in all my years of searching, researching and experiencing new places and brews, one of the sites that has eluded me so far is Toronado in San Francisco. Everything I've read about this beer bar sounds marvelous! It remains near the top of my own "must try" list!

So, when I re-located back to my home town -- now acknowledged as one of the top beer meccas in the nation -- and saw Toronado a scant 3 miles from where I grew up, well...needless to say, I was thrilled!

Wish I could report my continued excitement.

Can't.

A sunny Sunday found the Normal Heights area crowded with cars and no parking for blocks around (although we got very lucky and grabbed a spot a half-street away); young people spilling out of the Toronado door-way (some escorted by the beefy doorman!); most of San Diego crowded around the bar with empty glass in hand salivating over a re-fill. This is not the way wife Persimmon and I want to spend any part of our relaxing weekend.

That coupled with the tap list. Extensive, yes -- but this is a beer bar. As such, I expect to find brews that might be rare or not readily available in the area. Instead, what we're presented with is a menu of San Diego beers, many of which can be had at the brewery not 15 miles away!

Really? This is someone's idea of what a beer bar is supposed to be? A quick glance at Toronado's SFran web-site shows brews from Northern California, yes...but also Southern California (including San Diego which is understandable!)...New York, Belgium, Massachusetts, Oregon, Delaware...even Canada. Now THAT'S a selection.

Too crowded...too loud...too restrictive...number two Toronado leaves a lot to be desired.

A lot.

Wednesday 3rd of August 2011 01:28:30 PM

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Here's a name I am certain with which you are familiar. It is a sister bar to the *fabled* Toronado bar in San Francisco (which is on my bookmark page).
Let me put it this way. You know that the beer drinking experience is going to be elevated here. Quality staff. Quality brews. Below average pricing. The difficult part here is marshalling which beers you will have. You could spend five hours a day here, five days a week; and you still wouldn't get to most of the beers on offer (and some you had intended to taste would have gone off while you were tasting another).
I had three beers on draft here. I would have had more, but I wanted to visit at least one more venue on the crawl.
To swipe from another sport; Toronado San Diego is a slam-dunk five-stars. Not visiting here when in San Diego is the equivalent to not visiting Quenchers when in Chicago.

Tuesday 4th of August 2009 05:46:03 PM

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Toronado is the San Diego outpost of the well known San Francisco beer bar. There are about 30 taps of craft beer of all varieties. They have always have a great selection of Belgians. There aren't many food options here, but as it's primarily a beer bar, that's not a complaint. Plus the location puts it smack in the middle of North Park, with many great restaurants within walking distance, including Sicilian Thing Pizza which is just a few doors down (they serve up some great slices). The biggest thing I don't like about this place is the atmosphere. It's nice enough inside, but to my tastes, it's a little too light and bright. But all in all it's still one of the best places in San Diego to get a pint.