Piano Bars
By Erin Chambers, San Diego Editor
From dueling bars to old-school jazz by candle light, anyone can appreciate the soothing sound of the piano. No matter the melody, these San Diego piano bars will light up the night.
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Turf Supper Club
1116 25th St, San Diego, CA
Get in early to snag a bar stool on Sunday evenings when rotating piano players pack the house. If you're lucky enough to get a table near the communal grill, have your request list ready, as you'll be among the only folks within ear shot of the piano player. -
Anthology
1337 India St, San Diego, CA
Bar flies beware: This is not the place to shoot tequila and sing your cares away with the house piano player. Anthology's three-story stage is acoustically designed for world-class jazz acts, many of whom fly in their own personal set of ivories. There are two dinner seatings nightly (ask for a half-circle booth), and dancing into the wee hours on weekend evenings. -
The Shout! House
655 4th Ave, San Diego, CA
It starts off innocent enough, with dueling piano players battling it out over Billy Joel and Elton John classics during dinner seatings at 5pm and 7pm. But after 10pm, when the bar is bustling and the drinks are flowing, the on-stage acts get downright raunchy. If you're looking for an adults-only spot to whoop it up, this is it. -
Martinis Above Fourth
3940 4th Ave, San Diego, CA
It's one of Hillcrest's more sophisticated men's lounges, with cocktail tables dotting the center room and plush booths wrapped around the outside. Piano players and tempos range from spunky jazz or latin tunes to more smooth, easy-listening classics, and the bartenders make a mean martini. -
Jack's La Jolla
7863 Girard Ave, La Jolla, CA
While single scenesters mingle down in the grill and lounge areas, La Jolla's upper crust gather upstairs in The Dining Room at Jack's, where guest pianists tickle the ivories during dinner. It's more background music than a feature presentation, but since dinner will set you back at least $200, it's nice to get a little entertainment on the side. -
Inn At The Park
3167 5th Ave, San Diego, CA
An ever-changing line-up of pianists take the stage on Wednesday-Sunday evenings in the hotel's moody, subterranean lounge. Fridays and Saturdays used to play host to a mostly older, gay clientele, but nearby Banker's Hill hipsters are slowly catching on to the cool, retro scene. -
Red Fox Steak House
2223 El Cajon Blvd, San Diego, CA
We're glad to see new owners bring this old-school steakhouse out from the seedy doldrums of "The Boulevard's" past, but we're even more glad that they kept a few of the classic elements like the piano. Separated from the restaurant, the piano bar brings old regulars and young hipsters together for rousing renditions of Billy Joel, John Coltrane and Ray Charles. Beware of the bartenders, too, as they serve up a stiff cocktail. -
San Diego Wine & Culinary Center
200 Harbor Dr Ste 120, San Diego, CA
Starting at 5:30 on Friday evenings, enjoy Jon Sandoval on the piano in the lounge area, plus $5 glasses of wine and discounts on seasonal wine flights. It's a popular happy hour with the 92101 crowd, and in the summer months, dogs are welcome out on the patio.
