San Diego Happy Hour Reviews - Sandbar Sports Grill

Sandbar Sports Grill

The Happy Hour Reviewer

By The Happy Hour ReviewerPublished 01/13/2009

When I visited Sandbar Sports Grill in Mission Beach on a chilly Thursday night, the interior was warm and cozy, with mounted television sets twinkling away above the bar. My dining partner and I chose seats near the first-floor patio, which offers direct views of the Mission Beach roller coaster.

Our server greeted us right away with friendly conversation and left us to look over the menus while we sipped on our beers. I chose the Happy Hour special, a $2.50 draft Bud Light, while my dining partner honored his Mexican heritage with a lime-stuffed Corona.

Our server let us know that appetizers are half-off during Happy Hour, and we decided on the Baja Cheese Fries, BBQ Chicken Quesadilla and Calamari. It was pretty decent bar food; nothing earth-shaking but tasty enough when washed down with cold fresh beer.

The calamari, originally priced at $8.50, is advertised on the menu as breaded and flash-fried rings served with homemade aioli. We should have read the “rings” part a little closer, because we were both disappointed that the dish didn’t include crunchy tentacles. But with a squeeze of lemon wedge and the tasty dipping sauce, it worked just fine.

The barbecue chicken quesadilla, originally priced at $8.99, arrived in thickly stuffed wedges filled with sautéed onions, grilled chicken, cheese, and chipotle barbecue sauce. There was barely room for the pico, sour cream and guac on the plate. My dining partner declared this dish his favorite, promptly wolfing down the lion’s share. It had a rich, sweet flavor that left me feeling full after one fat wedge.

The $6.99 cheese fries were my favorite, a kind of guilty pleasure. Before I go further, I should mention that I have a well-deserved reputation for enjoying healthy food. On many mornings, you can find me blending up apple juice, frozen açaí, blueberries and freshly peeled oranges for a delicious, nutritious breakfast.

But that didn’t stop me from dredging through my plateful of soft, pale French fries smothered with queso dip, splattered with chopped green onions and dunked in ranch dressing. I had requested the crumbled bacon on the side, but my dining partner sprinkled his side of the platter with the greasy brown bits and pronounced it delicious indeed.

Sandbar definitely scored with generous portions, affordable prices and genuine-feeling hospitality. Our bartender looked like she was having a good time laughing with the crew lined up at the bar, our server was competent and friendly and the security guy made a point to wish us a good night when we left.

The crowd seemed a little sparse and subdued with no noticeable evidence of college kids, but to be fair it was probably 51 degrees outside and many San Diegans were likely at home cuddling their space heaters.