Uptown Tavern — Restaurant in San Diego

Crispy Brussels Sprouts with Bacon tossed with roasted garlic vinaigrette, chili flakes, and topped with parmesan reggiano. This dish had a really strong aroma of garlic, Brussels sprouts, and bacon. Is there any thing better! The vinaigrette was perfect, added just enough liquid goodness while keeping the outer leaves of the Brussels sprouts crispy. The chili flakes added a touch of heat. A little more parmesan would have been nice as it got lost and would have added a great flavor addition. Thumbs up, way up!

Pork Belly Sliders are topped with housemade BBQ sauce, house pickles and garlic aioli. These are absolutely fantastic! You’ll definitely have an OMG moment or two! The pork belly is super-tender and just melts in your mouth. The housemade pickles were fantastic as well! I am not a pickle person but I definitely gobbled these up and they added a nice flavor to the pork belly – similar flavor as a small Persian pickle. The garlic aioli and sweet bread helped round out the package. Thumbs up, way up!

Grilled Salmon with rosemary & lemon-honey glaze served with market vegetables. Wow, the caramelized glaze added an Asian flavor profile to the fish, like a misoyaki glaze you would get at a Japanese restaurant. The fillet was grilled to perfection, succulent and buttery inside. The vegetables were sautéed perfectly with fresh green flavor still intact. Thumbs up, way up!

Pistachio Bread Pudding is egg bread based with salted caramel and topped with vanilla ice cream. This is really good bread pudding, very custardy. The pistachios added a nice crunch texture, but the star of this dish is the salted caramel sauce. It wasn’t too salty; just right and will remind you of toffee, in liquid form. It had the perfect viscosity, not too thick and not too thin....

Was physically assaulted by the female bouncer Ana. She did not have any grounds to put her hands on me, there was no violence needed. She aggressively handled me and I tried to get her off and she instead on kicking me out saying "by law I can kick you out" I asked her for what and no answer. She pushed me towards the fire pit and burned my hair. We were taking pictures with a light and she grabbed the drink I had just ordered (second drink) off my hand and grabbed my arm and told me I'm done. I don't even get to finish my food. All this because she was nosy in our conversation and didn't like us taking pictures. Please review all the footage from this incident, no one was violent and we were just trying to have a good time at a birthday. The bouncer seems like she was on something. We will be taking our business elsewhere in the future. She was on a power trip , the moment we walked in she gave me and our group dirty looks making everyone uncomfortable. I've never been to a bar where they dog you to get in. Was standing next to our group listening to our conversations instead of standing in her position. The owner then took her side, not listening to our side. They clearly have something together to defend her even in the wrong. She was laughing that she was getting away with her actions. Saying "your ego " When I stood up for myself. More than welcome to look at the footage you got so many witnesses who see the wrong in her actions. Let alone they still charged me for the drink and food I never consumed. Also broke my nail ( burned my hair ) . That's how aggressive she was...

Bottom line: Extensive cocktail menu, small bites to share, as well as a full dinner menu, and indoor-outdoor setting make a great happy hour spot. Dog-friendly patio. Brunch seems to be a major attraction, as well.

Details: We missed lunch after a long day at the zoo, so popped in at Uptown Tavern for an early happy hour and bites to eat. We had the Sutter Smash (delicious), and the Xocoveza from Stone Brewing. Our food took a little while, but we had fun people watching and nursing our drinks. The veggie sliders (beet patties with goat cheese) and fries were excellent, and I'd definitely order again. The 5-spice wings were a bit of a miss for me. I was hoping they'd be more spice-forward, but the Mister thought they were fine. Weirdly, they were served with pickled ginger, which didn't compliment the flavor, but it was easily picked off. I'd stick to the traditional buffalo wings. The rest of the menu looked promising, but we didn't want to spoil our dinner reservations for later in the night. Note that street parking is very limited, so allow for time to circle around if you're meeting friends. Overall, worth a visit if you're in the...