Belly Up Tavern

My favorite San Diego venue hands down is Belly Up! The sound is perfect, there is room to dance or sit and still see the stage. The cocktail service is excellent too!

The Belly Up Tavern is our favorite night out in San Diego! It is an intimate concert venue where we can see our favorite artists up close. The staff there is so awesome we have become personal friends with some of them. The waitresses and bartenders are the BEST! We love the summer tribute bands and the local talent in addition to some of our all time favorite artists! BELLY UP TAVERN ROCKS!

The Belly Up Tavern keeps winning best concert venue in San Diego for good reason: it's simply an excellent club. The size is large enough that you only rarely feel crammed in there, yet intimate enough that you can practically touch the featured band while they play (not that this is recommended). The venue offers a combination of theater-style, individual, and bar seating, small cocktail table clusters, booths, and a central dance floor. The bar features a few high quality local beers among its taps, and none of the drinks are offensively high-priced. The staff is mostly friendly and helpful without getting in the customers' way of seeing the show. Parking is a breeze; even if you can’t get a spot in their modest parking lot, plenty of free street parking is available and a spot can be found even during sold-out shows if you’re willing to walk a few blocks. And with features like their classic glowing-eyed shark, how can you not love the Belly Up atmosphere? Concert attendees are amicable, and the typical clientele reflect the attitude of the band playing each night; concert-goers for a Kenny Loggins show are a fun, older crowd while those at a Slightly Stoopid show are a young, though no more rowdy, group. And that might be the best part of BUT: they practically guarantee a genuinely great time without any chance of having to endure what could turn into a seedy or negative experience thanks to their combination of a laid-back environment, subtle security, and affable customer-base. Show prices are agreeable for what they are; most shows’ tickets go for 10 to maybe 25 dollars, with legendary performers of Willy Nelson or John Lee Hooker’s caliber going for upwards of $100 which, while steep, give you the opportunity to see them closer than you’d ever thought possible. And Belly Up boasts a great variety of acts, including pop, hard rock, comedy, reggae, singer/songwriter, and world music, and everything in between. While ideal, BUT is not perfect.