We’ve been coming to P.B. AleHouse for a long time… In fact, so long that we were literally coming before it opened. Our family has been staying at The Beach Cottages during the holidays for the past 30 years. Our tradition calls for a dinner out the night before Christmas Eve, since we cook in-house the next two nights. Before the P.B. AleHouse, it was the Terrific Pacific.
AMBIANCE:
This place definitely has sports bar vibes, but more classy than divey. They rep flags prominently for both the Denver Broncos and the Iowa Hawkeyes, in addition to the Padres and more. Once inside, there is a bar area with seats, as well as high-boy style tables. If you turn left, you’ll get to the main dining room where you’ll find booths against the wall and plenty of additional tables for seating.
One thing there isn’t a shortage of, is TVs. There are screens everywhere, showing both local and national sports. They even have subscriptions to stuff like NBA League Pass, where they'll show multiple games on one screen.
There’s also an upstairs rooftop patio area, with an additional bar, heaters, and more screens. This is a great place to be during the sunset, or at night if it’s not TOO cold.
DRINKS:
One of the strengths here for sure. If you’re a beer fan, you’re in luck. They brew their own beer, and feature options like a sour wheat ale, blonde, red ale, Japanese lager, American stout, West Coast IPA, as well as other rotating taps. They love to show off the kegs of home brew in the back near the restrooms.
If you’re not feeling adventurous and want to stick to something you know, they also have options like Bud Light, Big Wave, Stella, Angry Orchard, and some stuff from Lagunitas and Firestone Walker on draft. A couple bottled/can options like Corona, Pacifico, Nutrl, Bucha, Truly, Surfside, and Suncruiser. For the drafts, they have multiple sizes available, allowing you to get a traditional pint, or more!
If beer isn’t your thing, they have white, red, and sparkling wine. There are also 9 craft cocktails ($17/ea), most of which we have tried. Some of our favorite cocktails include: Strawberry Fields, Basic Beach, Resting Gin Face, Just Mai Type, and the Prickly In Pink Mule.
Of course they have non-alcoholic options (soda, sparkling water, coffee, tea, and even some NA beers).
FOOD:
They open at 11am on weekdays, and 10am on weekends, which means… BRUNCH! This goes until 2pm on Saturday and Sunday. The menu includes both breakfast and lunch options (breakfast burrito, chilaquiles, biscuits & gravy, avocado toast, French toast, plus flatbreads, burgers, tacos, and more). If that wasn’t enough, they also have some additional brunch cocktails (Bloody Mary, a breakfast shot with bacon, and something called Tickled Pink, which has champagne with pink glitter).
Pretty much every time we come, it’s for dinner. The dinner menu is solid, and decently eclectic for a sports bar. They have some standard starters like chicken wings, fried calamari, with some more fun options like ahi tuna nachos, fried pickles, and a jumbo Bavarian pretzel. Salad options include a chicken Cobb, and a classic Caesar (with the option to add a protein for an additional charge).
Moving on, they have 3 flatbreads to choose from. For the main dishes, they have items like burgers, sandwiches, mac & cheese, fish tacos, fish & chips, salmon, and short ribs.
They also have a Happy Hour, which is Monday - Friday from 2pm - 5pm.
OVERALL:
We continually have great experiences when coming to P.B. AleHouse. The staff has always been friendly and accommodating to our groups over the years. Long gone are the days where we used to roll 30+ people deep and take over most of the downstairs dining room. These days we average under 10 people, though it’s still a place we look forward to coming to when we visit Pacific Beach every year. Shout out to all of the hardworking and awesome staff, both front and back-of-house. I definitely recommend stopping by if you’re in the area!
IG: @bbnem.eats
