Waterfront

While Little Italy has boomed into a mass of high-class condos, The Waterfront Bar has been preserved as a historical landmark. That sound? It’s the long-time aficionados of the antiquated dive breathing a sigh of relief. The bar, legendary owner of San Diego’s oldest liquor license, is an artifact of a sleepier time, when the bustling metropolis was little more than a fishing port. Seafaring adornment and sand-sprinkled floors help create an unhurried, leisurely atmosphere, much like a casual harbor cruise out on an old, weathered dinghy. While the ultra-glamorous Gaslamp Quarter is just a few blocks away, The Waterfront offers good food and cheap, cold beer with a minimum of embellishments.