San Diego’s hip indie joints get most of the craft cocktail buzz, but some very innovative, weird booze science has been going on for years inside downtown’s regal US Grant Hotel. Now they’ve built Rendezvous, a more approachable, street-facing hangout to showcase the work of their top cocktail duo, Jeff Josenhans and Cory Alberto.
The 1930s diner-style bar has live music, local art, eight cocktail creations, punch bowls, cask-aged beers, French wines, and, most notably, a cart roaming to mix barrel-aged Manhattans and vieux carrés tableside. The neon sign, French decor, and come-one, come-allness all pay tribute to the street-level attraction that greeted hotel guests during Prohibition. Back then it was called Rendezvous, The Wonder Bar. What’s old is new: a gin.
326 Broadway, Downtown
Photo by Paul Body