Mothership — Restaurant in San Diego

As more and more immersive experience bars pop up you always have to approach these with some hesitation given the track record of many, but Mothership holds its own amongst them. It helps that their concept spawned from the people behind Kindred bar only a few blocks away. A death metal like vegan bar with a very bougie look, they have some experience already crafting a good bar program with stylish decor. This time around they opted for a more futuristic and galactic approach to the trivial cocktail game with the help of Notch Designs.

And the devil really is in the detail! This place definitely has a more permanent and lived in vibe to it than other immersive bar experiences have. The design is akin to a Disney ride or other immersive bars like UnderTow and Century Grand. The bathroom has even become a prime selfie spot.

Every thing down to the water glasses and menu (and merchandise) have been conceptualized to look like they came from a spaceship in the future. And the drinks which many are riffs on classic tiki cocktails, show complexity and innovation considering they are holding to their vegan roots. Cashew base Gradenia mix for the Dive Simulation, a riff on the Pearl Diver, is a perfect example of how an old classic drink can be modernized into something deliciously new. It’s been a reservation based 90 min experience which still has some kinks. I was late by 10 mins driving down from L.A. on my second visit and lost my table. And considering I drove down specifically to eat their vegan food there, I left rather quickly after a few drinks in search of something to soak it all in before the long drive back up. (The bar doesn’t serve food).

While they do take walk-ins as well, the wait for one would have have me waiting 4 hours before something opened up. Even though there were many tables there that had opened up well before their 90 mins were up. Many of which didn’t actually order food.

These are just kinks that I’m sure will work themselves out over time so I’m happy to wait until the hype dies down a bit.

Overall a great opening to a fantastic bar in the San Diego...

First of all I want to say this place is worth checking out for the enjoyment of the decor and the overall concept, it is soooo fun!!!!!

I’m rating based on my personal experience. There was reservation confusion, reservations online seemed to be booked, so I had a smaller party than I had intended. I left a note asking if we could please do a reservation for 8 (since I could only do 4) and a special note that it was my birthday. I did not receive a call or a message to confirm if the 8 could be done or not, but I suppose I should have emailed to ask, as calling is not an option. When we were seated, several tables remained opened during most of our “90 minute experience”, which is the limited amount of time you get to be there.

The drinks are tiki-bar-esk and the food is more like small tapas. I was happy they had non alcoholic drink choices, and my drink was very delicious. It was however, mostly ice, as well as the drinks of the people with me. They chose the strongest drinks, and strong tasting they were. They did not taste good. The food was quite tasty, but for the prices of the drinks and the food, I was expecting a little more pizzaz, a little more wow factor, garnish, etc. You can tell there was thought put into the drinks and food, but I was expecting more.

There was only one bartender at the time so drinks took a while to make. Food comes out as it’s ready. We saw our drinks sitting for 10 mins before they were brought to us. It didn’t seem that busy at all, but maybe there were things going on in the kitchen that we weren’t aware of because our server had very long stints of not checking in with us. Lastly, if you make a reservation for a birthday, do remind them in person so you can receive a birthday treat, as I did not receive one even though my reservation read birthday, so I assumed they didn’t have one. Not a big deal, just a reminder.

Overall it was fun and I’m glad we went, but we probably won’t go back unless we make a friend or someone comes to visit that loves...

Think a tiki bar, with a space theme instead of the tiki theme. That's how I view this place. I meant to go here on a previous SD trip and finally made it in this time. Glad that I did!

If you just check out a few photos of this place before hand, you'll most likely know right away that the main draw of the place is the theme, and how much effort they put into the whole space, alien decor. Luckily the drinks themselves were actually pretty good, and the bartenders were even better.

I'm somewhat versed myself in cocktails and making drinks, but these craft cocktails with there more unique ingredients had me thrown off to an extent. Mainly because I can usually discern what the overall flavor is an choose a drink but these more uncommon ingredients threw me for a loop. The bartenders where very helpful in providing guidance thought. I find it helpful to let them know what you like in general (sour, sweet, bitter, etc) and then go from there.

My favorite of all the cocktails I had was the "Away Mission" which I altered with Vodka. It had a good balance of being able to taste the fruit withe a little sour and not overly sweet. Most the drink seems to be made with rum which is why I kept thinking of a tiki bar. These are not the cheapest drinks (average of $16) but I've definitely spent more on drinks.

It seems like a pretty popular place and the hostess right asked if we had reservations. I think you need to have reservations to get a table and the bar is just walk ins. It's mainly a bar thought and I prefer to sit there for the best and immediate service. I got lucky thought since there were two seats at the bar open and I don't think saw any others open up during my time there.

I usually drink less mixed drinks, but I can see myself coming back here just because of the fun theme and great service. Also, the drinks themself were not at all bad and are a good break from the common...