City Heights · Best Dive Bars in San Diego
Tower Bar Review
Last updatedRanked #3 of 8 in Best Dive Bars in San Diego
The best small live-music dive in San Diego, in a building shaped like a tower.
Score breakdown
- Character94/100
- Drinks82/100
- Value92/100
- Crowd & service86/100
- Extras94/100
The verdict on Tower Bar
Ranked #3 of 8 — 90/100 in our Best Dive Bars in San Diego coverage
Tower Bar is a City Heights institution with a tiny stage, cheap drinks, and a booking calendar full of local punk, metal, and garage bands. It is one of the last places in the city where you can see three bands for under twenty dollars.
What to drink at Tower Bar
Across our coverage the recommendation is consistent: Beer and a shot during a set.
Shows are cheap and often local punk and metal — check the calendar before you go.
When to go
Bars and breweries in City Heights typically fill up on Friday and Saturday nights; a weeknight or early-evening visit is the easier way to get a seat without a wait.
Is Tower Bar worth the price?
Tower Bar sits at $ — the budget band for this category. We scored 4 other $ options on the same list, and Tower Bar outscores 2 of them. The bracket leader is The Waterfront Bar & Grill at 92/100, so compare the two before you commit.
Tower Bar FAQ
Is Tower Bar expensive?
Tower Bar is priced at $, which puts it in the budget band for this category. We scored 4 other $ options on the same list for a direct comparison.
Is Tower Bar worth it?
It scores 90/100, 1.1 points above the 88.9 average for its list. That's a solid recommendation within the category.
What should I get at Tower Bar?
We recommend the Beer and a shot during a set.
What else is nearby Tower Bar?
Mama's Bakery & Lebanese Deli (92/100 in our best mediterranean restaurants in san diego list) and Pho Ca Dao & Grill (90/100 in our best pho in san diego list) are also ranked in the same neighborhood, so it's easy to pair a visit.
What works
- Strong character — scored 94/100 in our ranking
- Strong extras — scored 94/100 in our ranking
- Strong value — scored 92/100 in our ranking
- Top-3 finish out of 8 spots we scored in this category
Know before you go
- Shows are cheap and often local punk and metal — check the calendar before you go.
The full review
Tower Bar is a City Heights institution with a tiny stage, cheap drinks, and a booking calendar full of local punk, metal, and garage bands. It is one of the last places in the city where you can see three bands for under twenty dollars.
On our weighted scale it earns 90/100 — good for #3 of 8 places we evaluated for best dive bars in san diego. We drink at the places we rank, pay our own tab, and re-score when a bar changes hands, moves or reworks its list.
What to drink at Tower Bar
Beer and a shot during a set
Typical spend: $
How we scored Tower Bar
Every score on this page comes from the same editorial rubric we apply to the whole category: character, drinks, value, crowd & service, extras. The criteria are weighted toward what matters most in the category, compared against every other place we ranked in the same list rather than against an abstract ideal. We drink at the places we rank, pay our own tab, and re-score when a bar changes hands, moves or reworks its list. Scores are editorial judgments rather than aggregated user ratings.