Normal Heights sign
Sycamore Den
William Ullman
1. Sycamore Den
This bar revives a decade other drinking establishments have forgotten: the ’70s. New father Nick Zanoni (Thrusters Lounge) pays homage to our once-young dads with a Bells & Whistles-designed hideout made to feel like you’re taking a break in the family den (while sipping craft cocktails by Eric Johnson of Noble Experiment). 3391 Adams Avenue, Kensington
Polite Provisions
2. Soda & Swine and Polite Provisions
The corner of Adams and 30th is bustling thanks to Consortium Holdings’ (Craft & Commerce, Neighborhood, etc.) two stunning Paul Basile-designed spaces. Polite Provisions serves craft cocktails (including a few on draft) in a sort of Victorian Euro-inspired bar with marble and brass fixtures (4696 30th Street, University Heights). Eat your meatballs and pie there, or order them next door at the cobblestoned Soda & Swine, where house-made sodas, egg creams, and shakes will make you forget they don’t serve liquor. 2943 Adams Avenue, University Heights
Heights Tavern
3. Heights Tavern
Over a dozen screens and a DJ booth grace this new sports bar, which serves quality pub grub like poutine fries, burgers, salads, and shrimp poppers with good beer and Blind Tiger Cocktail Co.-crafted libations. Enjoy all this on one of their two patios. 3377 Adams Avenue, Normal Heights
The Haven Pizzeria
4. The Haven Pizzeria
Kensington Café’s Lauren Passero has a friendly new pizza spot with regular, whole wheat, and gluten-free crusts; meatballs, breadsticks, and salads; and wine and beer. While Passero has a talent for restaurants, her husband, Kelsey Brookes, is a successful local artist, so make sure to check out his paintings in the space. 4051 Adams Avenue, Kensington
Dark Horse Coffee Roasters
5. Dark Horse Coffee Roasters
Stop by Dark Horse for a house-roasted coffee—cold-brewed, French-pressed, or poured over—and vegan doughnuts. If an Automatic Brewing Co. collaboration is the new San Diego craft café rite of passage, then the Automatic Dark Horse beer proves this coffee is worth tasting. 3260 Adams Avenue, Normal Heights
Adams Avenue Map
