Happy Medium — Restaurant in San Diego

I came to this bar hoping for a relaxing Sunday, but the experience was uncomfortable and disappointing. The service felt strange — I honestly couldn’t tell if the bartender was being passive-aggressive or trying to be funny.

I started with one drink and tipped $2 even though the wait was a bit long. The drink itself was mostly ice and didn’t have the “eyeballs” shown in the menu photo. When I politely asked if they had run out, the bartender suddenly grabbed an eyeball from a box, dropped it into my drink, and said it was the last one. It was awkward, since I wasn’t asking for one — just curious. I also asked, very nicely, if the drinks were typically served with that much ice, and he seemed annoyed by the question.

Later, I ordered another drink, which again had a lot of ice. To my surprise, the bartender took the eyeball from my finished drink and placed it on my new one, saying, “Don’t forget your eyeball.” I was honestly shocked — that felt unsanitary and unprofessional. I only drank the liquid portion of the second drink and avoided the ice on top where he had placed the reused eyeball. When I left, he repeated the same comment, and I told him, “It’s dirty, I’m not taking it.”

Overall, the service was weird, the drinks weren’t as advertised, and the atmosphere was uncomfortable. I regret tipping at all and definitely won’t be returning. I wish I’d read the reviews first — I’ll be taking my business somewhere that feels cleaner and...

So we couldn’t wait to try Happy Medium, which had opened up only a week ago… Christian‘s our favorite owner/bartender ever, and we’ve been a huge fan/friend of his for years dating back to his days at Nobel Experiment. We finally got a chance to come in and get a drink on an early Thursday afternoon, and it was PACKED! Good for Happy Medium, but we couldn’t belly up to the bar as we’re usually accustomed to, as all their barstools were occupied. It’s okay because Dana served us at one of their indoor high top tables and she was great! We ended up sharing their Chicken Milanese Sandwich & fries, which was outstanding by the way!!! For drinks, I got the Ward 8 (a Christian Siglin creation and a refreshing take on the TANG! orange drink everyone’s familiar with), my wife ordered their High Fashioned (which she also loved by the way). Our food was served fresh, hot, and without delay. Service was excellent, especially for only being opened a week prior. Ambiance was a cool, trendy, hip and a neighborly-like bar with both great drinks and great food! We heard that they’re adding a sandwich shop next door which will allow them to serve up even more delicious food items shortly to go with your drinks. Stay tuned… We also ordered a Chopped Cheese Sandwich to-go since we had plans shortly after our quick visit. Per the owner, all is good and they’re thrilled to finally be open! We loved it, and can’t wait to come back! It’s a 5+ out...

Great food but far from a great experience. Myself (a white heterosexual married male), along with my two friends (both bisexual), were enjoying dinner and drinks at this establishment. Seemingly out of nowhere, I was asked to leave for making other patrons feel "uncomfortable" by one of the bartenders. He even brought boxes for our food to expedite our departure. As a conscientious human being, I asked what I had said or done to make the other patrons feel "uncomfortable". The bartender refused to articulate what I had done wrong. He did, however, shift his stance and stated we could stay, but they would stop serving us. Owing to the bartenders lack of transparency with the situation, I cannot state for certain what my transgression was. There was a table adjacent to us with four ladies who repeatedly mocked me after eavesdropping on my conversation. I very directly told them to stop, after which they left and the bartender arrived to kick us out... Very unfortunate since our waitress was lovely and the food was excellent. A very pleasant evening ruined because of someone's sensitivity and subsequent intolerance. Sad day for such a...