Restaurant Spotlight: The Tipsy Crow

Abandon your inhibitions at San Diego’s longest-standing bar. Whether you’re one of the locals or just passing through, Tipsy Crow invites guests to step out of the conventional downtown and into an old-world experience that is The Tipsy Crow. Blending classic décor, craft beers, quality cocktails and unique bites with years of experience and upscale service, this corner bar is the prominent destination on the most popular block in the Gaslamp Quarter.

The Tipsy Crow occupies one of the Gaslamp Quarter’s most historic buildings, the Spencer-Ogden building, dating back to 1874, exuding all the stimulation and excitement of a multi-level, vibrant venue. In exploring the three levels, the main bar, the upstairs Nest and the underground, guests will find an array of old-school games, entertainment, a great beer list, wonderful food, dancing and spots to unwind.

What We Enjoyed:

Sherry and Erin walked into the historic property and sat at a table complete with a lunch pail filled with Jenga Blocks and Connect Four boards. We perused the diverse and mouth watering menu and wanted one of each entree, but pared our lunch choices down to the following.

We both ordered the Lobster Roll. This succulent sandwich was filled with seasoned Maine lobster with a squeeze of lemon and tossed with just enough mayo served on a buttery toasted New England roll with a bag of Cape Cod chips and a shot of creamy homemade clam chowder! You can get the Lobster Roll any Tuesday for $5 with the purchase of a beverage!

Now if that wasn’t enough, we also decided to order the Grilled Cheese Board! (I think our eyes were bigger than our stomachs) The Grilled Cheese Board is a branded wooden cutting board filled with your choice of any 2 of the following grilled cheese sandwiches:

• The Perky Lil Pepper – Mixture of mild cheddar and cream cheese with roasted Anaheim Chiles
• The Caprese – Tipsy Crow’s take on a traditional salad as a warm sandwich. Melted mozzarella topped with fresh Roma tomatoes, basil, and balsamic all between French white bread.
• The Standard – Your choice of mild cheddar, Gruyere, New York sharp white cheddar, muenster or ghost pepper (not for the faint of heart) on either white or malted brown wheat.
• The Angry Goat – Goat Cheese, roasted red peppers, avocado and lightly dusted cayenne pepper on roasted garlic and Parmesan white bread.

We chose The Caprese and The Angry Goat which was perfectly toasted, with melted cheese and fresh vegetables served with homemade tomato bisque to dip.

Insider Tips:

• The Tipsy Crow has had General Managers for many years all from Massachusetts. That is why there is homemade chowder, Maine Lobster, Cape Cod Potato Chips and the teams to watch are the Red Socks, Bruins, Celtics and Patriots!
• The Tipsy Crow has a Drink Exchange! Believe it or not this is Gaslamp’s first ever guest driven happy hour! Buy low, drink plenty! Every Monday – Saturday from open until 8PM guests can look up on a screen and watch as the prices of alcohol decreases of Crashes every 5 minutes. Guests can take the opportunity to buy at a low market price. You have to see it to believe it!
• The upstairs “Nest” originally housed firecrackers which later led to an explosion in 1887. The Nest is now a cozy swanky lounge complete with a green marble bar, fireplaces, pool tables and even a law library.
• A past occupant of the building was a dentist who owned a chain of dental offices. He legally changed his name to “Painless Parker” in order to avoid claims of false advertising.
• The Spencer-Ogden Building is the oldest structure in the Gaslamp Quarter to be owned continuously by the same family.
• Tipsy Crow has a fantastic menu of Craft Beers.