Tender Hooligan — Restaurant in Chula Vista

Tender Hooligan is a semi-new establishment on 3rd Avenue in downtown Chula Vista. It’s a bit of an all-in-one experience, featuring a record store and telephone vinyl listening booth, a cocktail bar, draft beer, a coffee and food menu, couches, and more.

The overall aesthetic and branding is super vibey—I love the hanging lantern covers, the black-and-white wallpaper in some sections, the refurbished British phone booths, and the atmosphere. It feels like a laidback remote work spot, a place to chill with friends for a bit, and does a good job of capturing 3rd Avenue’s long-standing entrepreneurial spirit.

I came here for an event somewhat recently and it was pretty cool. They had lots of vendors, DJs, and live poetry. Plenty of people showed up, making it an interesting artistic event with networking opportunities. I tried the London Fog and it was pretty tasty! I’ll need to come back to try other coffee drinks and food.

Update: I’ve been back a couple of times to try different drinks, a food item, and even play a show here. The owners are super hospitable and very friendly people. I always have a great time!

I recently tried the matcha lemonade, which I wasn’t sure about at first due to the mixture of tang with the grassiness of the matcha—but it grew on me as I sipped. It’s actually quite a refreshing pick-me-up drink. The Death Cap for Cutie dish is pretty good too—I liked the marinade on the shiitake mushrooms and the flavor profile when mixed with the jalapeños, green onions, and furikake. It’s...

I had been genuinely excited to check out Tender Hooligan after hearing great things, but my experience was so upsetting that I left in tears and completely lost my appetite. I arrived a little early before they opened and grabbed a coffee across the street at Mujer Divina while I waited. I was looking forward to supporting both small businesses, assuming this area was about community and uplifting each other.

Instead, I was met with hostility just for having a coffee from across the street. I was told I couldn’t come inside with a competitor’s drink—even though I was planning to order their coffee too, and come back for food once the kitchen opened. The energy was cold and judgmental, and I ended up leaving without even being given the opportunity to order anything.

I expected a much warmer, more welcoming vibe—especially from a business in a neighborhood that seems built on collaboration and community care. Sadly, I don’t feel comfortable returning if this is how the vibe is.

update on your policy: that’s not the issue. if I was told hey can you finish your drink or not bring it in here and leave it in your car or something that’d be different. i was told to leave point blank. it was beyond rude and reading past reviews it seems there’s definitely a customer service issue with one specific barista apparently so that’s concerning that everything else is great except...

cool concept, kinda douchey staff as anticipated - it’s another record bar in san diego, what else can you expect? came on a slow sunday morning and kinda knew what we were in for when we saw the cashier treat the two guests in front of us in an annoyed manner. asked her to describe the sakura drink and all she said was “it’s sakura”… yeah, no kidding!! last straw was that they weren’t even playing music. they just had rupauls drag race playing loudly on the tv screen. It’s a sunday morning at a record-themed bar - music would be nice idk just a thought maybe some oldies. everyone looked as out of place and uncomfortable as we felt. drinks were whatever nothing special. might come back for the vibes or for an event but not in a...