EUMERIKA

This is an addition to my earlier post about Garnet Avenue. Please click here to check out the first post about Garnet Avenue. 

We start our day on Garnet Ave San Diego at one of the best breakfast spots in San Diego. The Broken Yolk is very crowded on the weekends. There are reasons. The upstairs outdoor patio is perfect for a great breakfast. Freshly squeezed orange juice, fruit, waffles, omelette's, eggs and Benedict's in any style. With some healthy-latin influence in some of the dishes, this is mostly genuine American breakfast. The Broken Yolk is located near the corner of Lamont Street, opposite of the Pacific Plaza shopping center. This post will lead you from there, all the way down to the beach.
If you do not have enough time for a full breakfast, cross the street and buy a fantastic perfect tasting Bagel at Brueggers Bagels. The classic would obviously be the cream cheese bagel. Bruegger's has their own branded cream cheese in many different flavors. This cheese goes very well with the bagels. They support fair trade coffee or something similar if i am not mistaken. This means that if you buy your coffee there, farmers and growers that are part of it, will be paid a fair price, rather than being ripped off by greedy traders and alike. Take your coffee and your bagel and continue on Garnet Avenue towards the beach. Walking, cycling or riding are all valid options on Garnet Avenue. To explore Garnet Avenue, i would suggest to use a bicycle, bike, skateboard…This will make it possible for you to move around relatively fast and effortless. At the same time, you are slow enough to experience the interesting people, shops and venues that meet in Pacific Beach. Once you pass Ingraham Street, the road is slightly uphill before it goes down to the beach. Many PB favorites that i have described in my earlier Garnet Avenue post can be found here. Caffe Bella Italia, RT Longboards, Hoboken Pizza, Dolci Mango. There is an interesting music instrument store on 1380 Garnet called Elephants Music; definitely worth a peek. There is also a Starbucks if you crave another coffee or tea, i would highly recommend to get down to Cass Street and visit Cafe 976 instead. There are a few bicycle stores around if you need one. Personally, i ride skateboards, cabs and cars to get around. Sometimes the bus. A bicycle is more convenient than a skateboard as you have the opportunity to carry something, maybe a basket mounted on the front. Pacific Beach is not very large, most will be within a few blocks reach. There is no need to have a car if you only want to stay in Pacific Beach. You might even want to consider taking a walk along the bay or boardwalk down to Mission Beach (couple miles back and forth, take the bus or a cab back from Mission Beach to PB). Back on Garnet Avenue, we are now passing over Fanuel Street. There is an "American Apparel" store for those in need of casual clothes. They sell mostly essentials such as T-Shirts, sport clothing, yoga clothing… Opposite is the Tap Room. The Tap Room is a relatively new establishment that serves acceptable food and has an extensive beer selection for Pacific Beach. The name obviously indicates their focus on tapped beer and they do a good job. It is rarely extremely busy, crowd is very mixed I would describe it as a fancy new sportsbar with a sophisticated beer selection. Next door is Tropicoso, a latin music bar. Live music and DJ's entertain a mixed age crowd. Beautiful people from all over the world, many with latin american origins. The music can be anything from Salsa to Reggaeton. If i remember correctly, it can get crowded also during the week. I think Wednesdays are a popular day to socialize at Tropicoso. Continuing on Garnet, shop for Groceries at Henry's Marketplace and Trader Joe's as described in my earlier posts. PB Sushi at the corner of Everts serves Japanese cuisine. Tavern and Typhoon draw the huge crowds on busy days. The Tiki Bar is a genuine alternative. The owner is as authentic as the small bar, live bands play independent surf music in the background. This is a true Pacific Beach original, the owner included. Very friendly, honest PB crowds at the most part.  It is open a few minutes longer than Typhoon / Tavern on certain days which can fill it up quickly. Well, nothing interesting here, just a couple of shops on this block. One unique restaurant of Pacific Beach can be found on this block of Garnet Avenue though, "The Latin Chef". I have been very excited about this place. It is relatively new, serves authentic Peruvian comfort food. I had a fried fish in sauce, with vegetables and a side of potatoes. My friends ate Peruvian beef stew and seafood antipasti. This is a unique restaurant that serves unique dishes in an extremely small restaurant. Worth a visit if you are looking for adventure. There is a psychic reader and P.B. Tattoo next door if you wish more adventure. Once crossing Dawes Street, get original sandwiches at EZ-J's. They are home to the Biter's Deluxe, a chargrilled chicken Sandwich with honey mustard and melted swiss. It is a great American style sandwich. Not so much on the healthy side but they also offer other alternatives. I usually eat the Biter's Deluxe. Several bars on this block. Plum Crazy is known to be populated by Hairdressers on Fridays, watch out for the unique hairstyles. Mostly local crowd. Heavily tattooed locals are on display. Next door is Cabo Cantina. Cabo Cantina is a beach themed sports bar. It has a large inside are and a outside balcony towards Gernet Avenue. They offer happy hour from 4-8 PM which draws in the crowds. Once happy hour is over, it slows down.
Bub's Dive bar serves famous wings, steak cubes and tater todds. Wednesdays are wing nights at Bub's. The wings are served in a spicy buffalo sauce. There are other sauces available, Teriyaki being one of them. The regular wings come in a spicy buffalo sauce that can be spice adjusted per drop. They have their own chilli oil, presumably made from the chilli kernels. One drop mixed in the sauce for the wings makes it incredibly hot. Back in the days, we were about the only people in there that would order it with 5 drops. Takes you about a gallon of water and an hour to recover. They have wing contests. More precisely, who eats the most or who eats the hottest. The most is 60 something i think. I do not know what the hottest was. Maybe 10 drops. I think at some point it does not get much worse, meaning that the top few drops do not create that much more heat. Still, this level of heat would bring many people to the emergency room for stomach and dehydration issues. Be careful and increase number of drops slowly for each basket of wings… Across the street is society, a billiard parlor with many pool tables. Not great but decent for a round of pool. The music can be a little loud sometimes. Passing Cass Street now,the Garage Salon is the newest and best hair salon in Pacific Beach. They use only Aveda products, are super-friendly and have a great location. Best of all, they know how to cut hair. Ask for Alli. Next door on Garnet is Zanzibar. Zanzibar is a great Breakfast, lunch and dinner spot in Pacific Beach. Click on the link to my Zanzibar review at the end of this post to find out more.
Limonz next door serves modern Mexican food if you like to grab a bite on the go. Buy a new Bikini at Sun Splash swim wear to be in style once you arrive at the beach. Johnny V is one of the newer, larger venues. It belongs to the same organization as PB Bar and Grill. Along with Bar West, it brings Downtown feeling to Pacific Beach. Bar West is more intimate and feels more exclusive compared to Johnny V. It is an approach to bring the posh dancefloor-lounges into Pacific Beach. Once passed PB Bar and Grill and Moondoggies, cross Mission Blvd. Kafe Yen invites you to thai-asian specialties. Chicken Teriyaki and Pad Thai is served in a small, beautifully decorated restaurant. It is not really authentic Thai. Nevertheless, it is great tasting food and makes a perfect lunch before heading down to the beach. Check out Crystal Peer and decide where to go on the beach when you stand at the end of the peer. You will be able to see which area suits you best. Surfers usually hang out on the north side of the peer. Personally, my spot is usually on the beach at Diamond Street. This is also where will be in a few moments to enjoy another beautiful weekend in Pacific Beach.

See you in the water… 

To see Garnet Avenue videos, check out my other Garnet Avenue Post here!!!

Details for my Recommendations:
(Click on the restaurant name to visit their homepage, click on the address to open a map)

The Broken Yolk (popular PB breakfast spot, outdoor patio, young crowds)
Address:1851 Garnet Avenue,Pacific Beach, San Diego, CA, 92109
Phone Number:858 270 9655

Bruegger's Bagels (Bagels and Coffee in Pacific Beach California)
Address:1886 Garnet Avenue, Pacific Beach California, 92109
Phone number:858 273-3836.

Caffe Bella Italia
Address:1525 Garnet Ave,San Diego, CA 92109
Phone number:858 273-1224

RT Longboards (sportsbar, Reggae on Sundays)
Address:1466 Garnet Avenue, Pacific Beach California, 92109
Phone number:858 270 4030 

Hoboken Pizza (Pizza and Beer until 2 AM)
Address:1459 Garnet Ave, Pacific Beach, CA 92109

Dolci Mango (Quality frozen yogurt and mango sorbet)
Address:1420 Garnet Avenue, San Diego, Ca, 92109
Phone number:858 483 6265

Elephants Music: (cool music instruments and more at this shop)
Address:1380 Garnet Avenue, Pacific Beach California, 92109
Phone number:858 272-1964

Starbucks
Address:1359 Garnet Avenue, Pacific Beach California, 92109
Phone number:858 273 8340

Better alternative coffee shop:
Cafe 976 (read review here!!!)

American Apparel (casual clothing)
Address:1280 Garnet Ave, Pacific Beach California
Phone number:858 274 2202

The Tap Room  (modern sports bar)
Address:1269 Garnet Avenue, San Diego, CA 92109
Phone number:858 274 1010

Tropicoso (Latin Music Bar)
Address:1261 Garnet Avenue, San Diego,  92109
Phone number:858 270 5100

Trader Joe's (Quality groceries at low prices)
Address:1211 Garnet Avenue, San Diego, CA, 92109

Henry's Marketplace (Fresh vegetables and fruits)
Address:1260 Garnet Avenue, San Diego, CA, 92109

PB Sushi
Address:1203 Garnet Avenue, San Diego, CA, 92109
Phone number:858 274 9755

Tavern (best sportsbar with dancefloor close to the beach, relaxed, friendly, loud, good mix of music through all genres, crowded everyday of the week after 10:30 PM)
Address:1200 Garnet Avenue, San Diego, CA, 92109

Tiki Bar (authentic, local, life music)
Address:1152 Garnet Avenue, Pacific Beach California, 92109
Phone number:858 273 9734

Latin Chef(Peruvian cuisine)
Address:1142 Garnet Ave, Pacific Beach, CA 92109

Psychic and Tarot Card Palace
Address:1140 Garnet Avenue, Pacific Beach California, 92109
Phone number:858 273 1709

P.B. Tattoo
Address:1148 Garnet Avenue, Pacific Beach California, 92109

EZ-J's Sandwiches
Address:1088 Garnet Ave San Diego, CA 92109
Phone number:858 483 0123

Plum Crazy (watch out for great hairstyles on Friday nights at this bar)
Address:1060 Garnet Ave, San Diego, CA 92109

Cabo Cantina (sports bar with happy hour from 4-8 PM)
Address:1050 Garnet Ave, Pacific Beach California,92109
Phone number:858 270 0805  

Bub's Divebar (divebar, wings, steak cubes, wing contests)
Address:1030 Garnet Avenue, San Diego, CA, 92109

Society (Billiard, Pool, sports bar)
Address:1051 Garnet Avenue San Diego, CA 92109
Phone number:858 272 7665

Garage Salon (Best hair salon in Pacific Beach)
Address:4502 Cass Street, San Diego, CA, 92109
Phone number:858 490 0363
ASK FOR ALLI!!!

Zanzibar (Good Food, good crowd, eclectic)
Address:976 Garnet Avenue, San Diego, CA 92109
Phone number:858 272 4762

LIMONZ Mexican Taco
Address:978 Garnet Ave San Diego, CA 92109
Phone number:858 605 0093

Sun Splash Swimwear
Address:979 Garnet Ave San Diego, CA 92109
Phone number:858 581 3400

Johnny V( Modern nightclub)
Address:945 Garnet Avenue, San Diego, CA 92109
Phone number:858 274-4833

Bar West (Modern lounge, nightclub)
Address:959 Hornblend Street, Pacific Beach Ca, 92109
Phone number:858 273 4800

PB Bar&Grill (large, outdated, large outside seating area, a classic)
Address:860 Garnet Avenue, San Diego, CA, 92109

Moondoggies (popular socializing spot, close to the beach, a classic)
Address:832 Garnet Ave San Diego, CA 92109
Phone number:858 483 6550

KAFE Yen (Thai restaurant at the peer)
Address: 4516 Mission Blvd, Pacific Beach San Diego, CA 92109
Phone number:858 373 3936

Crystal Peer

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