McDini’s

This is the absolute worst shithole dive bar I’ve ever seen, the new owners are of Asian decent barely speak English I had to order my drink 3 times before she got it right Bombay tonic then she comes back and says 10 $ are you fucking serious 10 $ at a dive bar! Avoid this place at all cost

When I want t a quick drink before dining around National City, McDini’s is the spot to meet all my friends.
I have never ordered any food here however the menu and pictures looks yummy.
Bartenders:
I’ve had some really nice Filipina bartenders serve my drinks. Last night 3÷24÷16 was questionable. :(
My drink of choice is CROWN ROYAL with a splash of coke. By the time I got my drink and sat at our table (from the bar) my ice was melted. Hmm why is that? Thank you for the side of ice. I double fisted my drinks because it didn’t seem strong. :(I think last nights bartender was confused on how much to charge me because she kept looking for the price on the sheets taped to the side by the register.
Anyways, great place to hangout. I’ve never been here on the weekends. Looks like there’s a dance floor with a lot of chairs and couches to sit on. Very interesting décor. There’s also a jukebox so I’m glad that the patrons select good music. he he…

Been here a few time, with good and bad memories in the past. Down the street from home, as I wait for take out. I find that this place has updated their beer list and that makes me happy. The pool tables need help and the restroom is still weird. But the beer is good and the service is great.

NOT NOT NOT The Original 1890’s McDini’s. An offshoot that opened in the early 1980’s in National City (The original was Downtown and closed a few years after founder «Mac» McIntosh sold it, in the mid-​1980′).
It lacks the charm, history and charisma usually associated with an older neighborhood bar. When they opened this location, it had literally 100 brands of beer on tap. Now they’re down to a dozen or so, nothing really special either. Food is ok (better in town for the money). With the downsizing of the fleet, it’s a shocker this place is still open.

I was in the neighborhood and had an overwhelming desire for a McDinni’s sandwich. Over the last few years when I lived out of the area, but made numerous visits to the Navy Base on 32^nd street. The proximity to the base and the fact only locals seem to frequent the establishment made it the perfect place to drink, eat, and socialize with locals. This is an old school bar, you may even say seedy looking. The bartenders talk shit and aren’t afraid to tell you off for stepping out of line. The jukebox plays 1 credit songs, every song I wanted to hear was 1 credit. The restrooms look good too.

Did you know this is the oldest restaurant in san diego? Opened in 1890.
They are known for their corned beef.
Like the other reviews state, this place is a little divey, but that’s kind of what makes this place awesome.
I’ve been here a ton of times and the service is always top notch. The servers are always on top of it.
This is a good place to watch the game and grab a drink, but i also think it it a great place to grab a great meal, steak and lobster for less than $ 30, on special it is around $ 20.
The meals are always way to big, you get a ton of food. My favorite side here are the dirty fries which consist of large potatoes that are cut horizontally and fried. Super yummy.
It’s not a top notch steak house but the meat is good and i’ve always left happy and stuffed.
Thanks guys, i’ll be back!

This restaurant. Is like a diamond in the ruff in the heart of National City. S.D. Great food,

Me and my man check this place out for Christmas Eve dinner we thought it might be good to try them we had never been there before and they were offering prime rib for Christmas Eve dinner, so we get in there and we order prime rib what the baked potato bread on the side to make some vegetables seem to be easy enough when we get our place it was exactly not what we ordered there was crimp on the plate pretty much the cook put together what he wanted to and ignored the waitress and our order they did not refund the money for my plate even though the cook screwed it all up .And to top it off I do not believe it was even prime rib we were served I’ve had prime rib before and this did not look like it taste like it have the same texture nothing and no au ju sauce either .save your money. you’ll get a better meal from McDonalds than you ever will from McDinis!!! The waitresses are Filipino don’t speak any English had to repeat our order two or three times to her before she even got it right and they still got it wrong!!!

My girlfriend and I were vacationing in San Diego and decided to stop at McDini’s to eat and have a couple of drinks. We were pleasantly surprised to find such a cool place. The food was delicious and the service was excellent. The staff made us feel welcome, we felt like we had been going there for years. Sports fans will definitely enjoy this place. Even if you’re not a sports fan, the food is worth the trip. They have a big selection. We had the shrimp cocktail-​fresh and sweet, burger-​juicy and very filling, carne asada fried-​just how my wife was craving it and leftovers! We recommend that if you are in the San Diego area take a moment and go checkout this place. You’ll have a really great time!

This place is old, but not in a good way. Definitely needs to be remodeled. It’s always empty and I’m not surprised.
The food is okay, but not great, and the kitchen is closed (fried entrees only) as early as 7 PM. If you serve dinner you should probably serve it during dinner hours.
The drinks are way overpriced. almost $ 9 for a cocktail in National City on a Tuesday? There are plenty of bars that can do better and have a similar dive-​bar atmosphere.
The staff is always friendly, so I kinda feel bad about writing this… If there was live music on the weekends and drinks were cheaper I’d probably be here regularly, but as of now I wont be going back.

Got a little flier in the mail to try this place out for breakfast featuring «Steak & Eggs». Took some friends from Los Angeles with me as well. Let me start with the:
GOOD
The food is very good especially anything on the breakfast menu, steak was juicy and well seared, pancakes were moist and fluffy. The biggest piece of furniture there is the bar… so the drinks were good too.
BAD
It looks like an abandoned nightclub from the 70s. I am guessing they have dancing at night by the black ceilings, silver vinyl booths, and parquet dance floor with stage lighting. I am sure the carpet had a design and color at some point, just can’t recognize it anymore. My guests wanted to leave at first sight! If it were not for the food, a bulldozer would have been at its door a long time ago. Yes, enter at your own risk.

Stopped by here for a quick drink before dinner at Villa Manila since they don’t server alcohol there. There’s no happy hour at all for drinks here. Drinks were pretty expensive considering you’re far from downtown. It was $ 8 for a regular Sculpin, $ 10 for a grapefruit sculpin, and $ 10 for a cocktail… I’ve paid for a Grapefruit Scuplin for less than that in downtown, so I thought the prices were a bit ridiculous. But when you’re thirsty, you’re thirsty.
The floor plan is pretty spacious but this is an older bar, so don’t expect too much. I don’t see myself having more than a drink here. I didn’t try any of the food, but the atmosphere wasn’t very inviting for me to come back to try, even with the AYCE prime rib on Sundays.

Went in on Friday for a beer. Did not try any food.
Filthy, nasty, old beat up bar and $ 8.72 for one pint of an average pale ale.
Over the top beer prices in a dead dump. Are you kidding me?
As another Unilocaler said, uncomfortable seats and TVs way to high.
I will never be back, because there was nothing there to bring me back.

Sweet Chili Chicken Wings is a MUST TRY! The wait staff at McDini’s is very attentive. Great daily specials. Great ambiance. Sports Fanatic? They’ve got you covered: UFC, Baseball and Football. Private Parking Lot.

I think I can honestly say this place has my favorite wings. Heard a commercial on the radio on my way home, figured I’d stop by and I was happily surprised by the quality, taste and portions of the wings. You can tell they’re not frozen

«You guys walked into the right place» — McDini’s regular
«The Legendary McDini’s» as they call it is… well… interesting. I really didn’t know what to make of it so I figured I’d look it up online to learn some of the history and what exactly makes this place «legendary.»
The home page at
didn’t help much and only continued to mystify me.
It reads:
微生物は、私達の身の回りに存在します。自然の中や体内など、ありとあらゆる場所に、彼らは生息しています。微生物には、「好気性」、「嫌気性」、「通性嫌気性」の3つがいます。好気性はカビなどで、嫌気性は大腸菌などです。違いとして、酸素があるところで生息しているか否かという点があります。
Yeah, I’m completely baffled. I swore there would be some kind of great family story, dating back decades, explaining the neighborhood, how it’s changed and why they planted their roots in National City. Instead I only get a few pages of characters that I can’t read other than «home, copyright and all rights reserved.» I digress.
The place itself is massive and unwelcoming. The ceilings are high and the bar spans almost the entire room dotted with patrons. We ordered from the bar but opted for one of the cocktail tables to take it all in. There are daily specials advertised on both the walls and tables for things such as AYCE prime rib on Sundays and another bargain where you buy the dessert and get a sirloin steak for free. With tattered walls, dim lights and an unexplainable/​invisible grime in the air, I’m not so sure that this is the kind of place that I’d like to spend Sunday dinner. I’ll take that back… see you on Sunday. Have that prime rib heated up and ready to go! Utah, gimme two!

They need to change them bar seats. They are super uncomfortable. I rather sit in a table

I haven’t been here I at least ⁹⁄₁₀ years. I stopped in for a quick bite. I ordered the Fish & Chips. Opted for mixed veggies. OMG! It was awesome! The fish was battered crispy yet flaky inside. The veggies were broccoli & cauliflower with bell peppers. I enjoyed every bite. I want to thank my server Rosie. I will be back.

Awful awful awful !!! Updating my review to one star as I’m sitting outside after being told to DRIVE HERE as the kitchen is open til ten or eleven .
We get here, sit with our menus (I brought three people who’ve never been there) and we are choosing what we want & the waitress has the security come to us and say sorry kitchens closed but he’s willing to stay late and will deep fry something for you.
Ahhhhh no. Are you kidding? I explained the situation and the waitress was like yes it’s true they were told we stay open. Again, the guard said we will deep fry something. Rude rude rude. Walked away. Didn’t say anything.
This place truly is a joke & I’m ashamed I ever have it more than 1 star to begin with.
DO NOT GO TO THIS BAR!!!

This place may not look all fancy and classy BUT their food is AMAZING!!! The cook they have makes everything sooooooo good. No joke. And the workers they do have as of now are very friendly. Seriously though I come here for the food as often as I can and I recommend giving this place a chance.