Is there parking near The Tilted Stick in Ocean Beach?

Voltaire Street has street parking, though it can get tight during peak hours and weekends. The spot is small and popular, so arrive early or plan for a short walk if you're coming for dinner or late-night drinks.

What's the best deal on the menu?

The burger, fries, and beer special for $10-$11 is legitimately one of the cheapest rounds you'll find anywhere — and the portions are real, not skimpy. The five $5 cocktails on weeknights are also solid if you're not a beer person.

Do I need a reservation or can I just walk in?

Walk-ins only — this is a dive bar joint, not a reservation spot. It gets crowded and rowdy, especially weekends and late nights, so expect a wait during peak hours. Weekday afternoons are your best bet for a quick seat.

What should I order first?

Start with the burger and wings — reviews rave about both being surprisingly well-seasoned with fresh-cut fries. The beers are solid too, and bartender Bonnie knows how to pour.

The spot has outdoor seating where dogs are welcome, making it perfect for a casual neighborhood hangout with your pup in Ocean Beach.

What's the vibe like — is it more for groups or solo drinkers?

Both work here. It's been a neighborhood staple for 30 years, so regulars own the bar seats, but newcomers and groups always find their spot. It gets rowdy and lively, especially late nights — this is a proper local dive bar, not a quiet destination.

Do they have options beyond burgers and wings?

The menu is surprisingly diverse for a casual spot, though the burger, wings, and beer specials are what keep people coming back. It's the kind of place where simple food done well beats gimmicks.

The Tilted Stick Bar & Grill — San Diego

“The Tilted Stick has been pouring cheap beer and flipping $10 burger-and-fries specials on Voltaire for thirty years, outlasting trendier spots by staying exactly what it is.”

While Little Chef offers takeout sustenance and OB Noodle House chases the sake-bar crowd, The Tilted Stick keeps it simpler: this is a dive bar with a kitchen that happens to nail the fundamentals. The burger special—ten bucks gets you a patty, fries, and any beer—isn't a gimmick, it's the backbone of the operation. The burger comes properly seasoned, cooked to order, with fresh-cut fries that actually taste like potatoes. The chicken wings run tender and well-sauced, sized for serious eating, not Instagram.

The room's small enough that it fills up fast on weeknights, locals staking out bar seats while the dog-friendly patio handles overflow. Free pool keeps things loose, and the weeknight $5 cocktail list means you can drink something other than beer without feeling ripped off. Bonnie's behind the bar most nights, the kind of bartender who knows what you want before you finish ordering and treats first-timers like they've been coming for years.

It gets rowdy when it's packed—this isn't the spot for quiet conversation—but that's the trade-off for cheap drinks and real food portions in a neighborhood where rents keep climbing. The menu runs deeper than bar-food basics, surprisingly varied for a place this size, though most people stick to what works: wings, burgers, whatever's on special. Parking on Voltaire's easier than Newport, and they do takeout if you want the food without the crowd.

Thirty years in Ocean Beach means something—plenty of spots have tried to out-cool or out-craft this place and closed while The Tilted Stick kept pouring. It's not trying to be anything other than the cheapest functional bar near the beach, which turns out to be exactly what the neighborhood needs.