Quicksand Escape Games — Attraction in San Diego

I was recently in San Diego for a conference with a group of four other educators, and we decided to try out The Diner at Quicksand Escape Games. The group's experience was mixed...we had done anywhere from 0 to 8 escape rooms before. Every one of us had an absolute blast, and it ranks right at the upper tier of rooms we have done. It was so fun that we decided to tackle the Speakeasy room right afterwards! We were actually the first group to complete each of the rooms with 0 hints! Not too shabby for a bunch of Nebraskans.

The entrance was very professional looking and inviting, and the owners were extremely friendly to us, welcoming us to their business and then having a long conversation with us afterwards about escape room design. A+ for customer service.

The rooms themselves were pitch perfect in terms of themed decoration. The speakeasy looks straight from the 1920's, and the diner was meticulously crafted to give it a 50's vibe. A lot of care went into providing an authentic experience that was transporting.

The puzzles that we solved were some of the most creative that I've seen. Even though there was an abundance of locks, the owners painstakingly crafted the rooms so that you were never confused about which code went where (and any time that we were trying codes on random locks, it was our fault for not thinking). Red herrings were kept to a minimum, and all the puzzles were perfectly themed to the room (any puzzle from the Diner room would have seemed out of place in the Speakeasy and vice versa).

Overall, I think the Diner was a better room than the Speakeasy in terms of decor, puzzles, and overall narrative. Also, there was one lock in the Speakeasy that I failed to open correctly even with the right combination, and it wasn't until 15 minutes later when someone else tried the same combination on that lock did we make progress. It was ultimately my fault, not the room's (the owners SPECIFICALLY warned us about that lock, and we didn't heed their advice), but it still soured the experience a tiny bit. However, both rooms are absolutely...

This was my 57th escape room. There’s few of us that agree with my assessment on here, but it may be that those of us who have done so many escape rooms knows what you should except from an escape of this price and ESPECIALLY with this level of reviews and accolades…

We found this room to be just ‘ok’, for the most part the puzzles were relatively easy except towards the end there was a red herring that really made no sense, and we didn’t see it coming when all the other puzzles were pretty straight forward and it doesn’t help that the clue itself is extremely hard to read. No flash lights provided. All 7 of us couldn’t make out what it read. (Btw, no more than 4 people in the speakeasy room, 7 is waaaaay too many people, that’s something else they need to change. But charging $38 or something per person, why not try fit them in like sardines? A suggestion would be to lower the price somewhat the more people you have, but no more than 5-6 in this room)

Most of the puzzles are frayed and need to be updated/replaced. Poor/low quality. Even the intro video seems to be made by someone who’s not a professional on a simple video editing program.

The whole atmosphere of the lobby and even the entry doors leading into the escape are lacking that immersive feeling you’re hoping for when you go to an escape Room. This one is very basic and doesn’t seem like there’s that quality you’re looking for.

I gave this constructive criticism to the owner, but he made it fairly clear to me that no one else feels the way I do, and doesn’t really understand why I feel the way I do, but then said “your suggestions did not fall on deaf ears” … 🤔 ok…? So, either he contradicted himself or they really didn’t fall on deaf ears and he’s going to do something about it. Then I read other reviews, and it appears I’m not the only one.

I wish them the best and IF they take the suggestions of the minority (who’ve probably done a lot of ER’s) that certain things need to be updated/repaired/given a little more quality… then I believe these escape rooms can be a 5...

Flex your brain for an hour, and be a part of physical adventure game with a group of your friends!

Quicksand Escape Games is an escape room in the heart of Pacific Beach (note that it's on the SECOND floor of the building that they're in). The couple that runs it, Greg and Jenny, are friendly and welcoming and they seem like they want to ensure that each group has a positive experience.

What Is It? You sign up with a group of friends for a specific time slot. You show up together, and you're put into a room with several clues and puzzles hidden subtlety throughout the space. Solve the puzzles in under an hour to "find the way out." There's a screen in the room that shows your timer. Depending on how your group is doing, clues may show up on the screen to keep your group on track.

(Special Note: You're not actually locked in the room, and could leave through an emergency exit if you really want to quit and give up.)

There are currently two experiences you can participate in at Quicksand: "The Speakeasy" and "The Diner." They have both plans and room to grow, and I look forward to what they set up next!

PROPS: Quicksand has a good sense for how long puzzles should take, so if you ever get stumped at a particular spot in the adventure, you'll get a nudge in the correct direction. SLOPS: As there are currently only two experiences here, it limits repeat visits. Once you know how to solve a puzzle, it makes it MUCH easier the next...