3 San Diego rooftop bars you must visit

San Diego was built for rooftop bars. From its perfect weather and range of views to its friendly locals and SoCal lifestyle, this city should have way more high-up open-air drinking spots. Here are our 3 favourite San Diego rooftop bars you must visit.

We’ve spent a lot of time in San Diego rooftop bars! It’s the city we’ve visited the most in the States and we love it there. It helps that we’ve got good friends living there who also love a good rooftop drinking venue.

The 4 of us have made it our mission to find ever more interesting and exciting rooftop bars in this beautiful Southern California city. As a result, we’ve got a pretty good shortlist of favourites.

3 San Diego rooftop bars you must visit

At a glance

1. Altitude Sky Lounge – 660 K Street

For views of the harbour, city and baseball stadium.

2. Bertrand at Mr A’s – 2550 Fifth Avenue

For amazing cocktails and the sight of jumbo jets flying between the city skyscrapers.

3. RoofTop600 at Andaz – 600 F Street

For the coolest venue, hottest fire pits and… wettest (?) pool bar in town.

In detail

1. Altitude Sky Lounge – 660 K Street

One of the first rooftop bars we visited in San Diego is our favourite. Right in the Gaslamp Quarter in downtown San D, this bar sits 22 stories above the city on top of the Marriott Hotel.

We love this place because it’s got an amazing view out over the harbour and the Coronado Bridge, out over the Convention Centre and down the coast to Point Loma.

It’s also an amazing venue to watch the baseball too. The bar looks directly down on Petco Park. It gets a bit crowded here when games are on, but the atmosphere’s great.

Like many San Diego bars, Altitude has an enormous fire pit. It’s awesome and all that, but it always makes me wonder. Why does a city with such an amazing year-round climate need so many fire pits?

Anyway, if you’re not staring out over the views from the balcony edge, the place to be is by the fire pit.

This bar is also cigar friendly and is in our San Diego cigar bar tour here.

Doors open at 5pm, which is when happy hour starts too.

2. Bertrand at Mr A’s – 2550 Fifth Avenue

Since the 1960s this has been a fine dining venue with dignitaries from across the globe coming to visit. We like it for the view!

The balcony bar at the top of the FCAC building is only on the 12th floor but it feels much higher. The view from up here is amazing, looking west towards the airport and south over the city.

And that’s the big draw card for this bar.

Yes, the drinks are immaculately made and yes the service is impeccable. But it’s when the planes come in to land that makes you stop and look. You see, the flight path to San Diego Airport is very unusual.

You descend in literally through the city.

Some look as though they’re going to hit a building. Others soar so low over Little Italy that you swear they’ve come in too low. It’s amazing.

And as the sun sets ahead of the landing aircraft, you sip your drink and watch the city lights come on.

Cocktail hour is from 2.30-6.00pm.

3. RoofTop600 at Andaz – 600 F Street

If it’s fire pits you want, then this is your Yahtzee! This enormous rooftop bar has loads of them. There’s also a pool if you feel like a dip – though when it comes to dips in bars, I prefer to stick with the guac and hummus kind.

The Andaz Hotel is only 7 stories high, but this is still high enough for this rooftop bar to give you some amazing views and a feeling of elevation – especially if you get stuck into their cocktail list!

This is also a cigar friendly venue to the point where you can even order from the bottle service menu a bottle of Don Julio tequila and 6 cigars of your choice to be brought to your table!

Definitely a bar to be seen at, Rooftop600 is pumping at the weekends and the events and special parties they have here go pretty crazy. But early in the evening and during the week, this is a great bar to relax with friends, enjoy a bit of fire pit action and watch the sun set over the Glasslamp Quarter.

They’re open all day every day but happy hour goes from 5.00-8.00pm Mon-Fri.

Where’s your favourite rooftop bar? Have you been to San Diego? Which is your go-to bar in America’s Finest City? Tell us in the comments!

Images by Mrs Romance.