El Dorado Cocktail Lounge

This place was not was I was expecting, but in a good way! Jackalope heads on the walls with signature cocktails in mason jars and a DJ playing an excellent mix of 80’s, 90’s and current music. Stopped in on Saturday night when it was raining outside for one of their Moscow Mules, which I had only ever just sipped before, and they were excellent! I loved the mason jar presentation and the size of the drink was quite generous. Again the décor was rustic with southwestern nods and gave the place a warm ambiance. They cleared an area by the booths to serve as a dance floor and like I said, the music was good, every song was one you could dance to. El Dorado is a little east of Gaslamp on Broadway, but I would definitely recommend heading that way if you’re looking for a more low key weekend night but still want to have fun!

Came here for the first time on Saturday night with a friend. I had heard this place had really good drinks and good music. The DJ was only OK because he literally played less than a minute of a song and kept changing it, so once a good song came on less than a minute of it was played. But the reason I’m giving two stars is because I got bamboozled. The drinks were good and I ordered two Moscow Mules and closed out instead of opening a tab. I paid about $ 20 with tax and all. And then I ordered two more drinks and left my tab open and two shots. They had a special on the shots two for $ 8 and each drink was about $ 9. So I was shocked when I asked for my bill and it came out to $ 42 for the second round! The bartender had added an extra shot so I told him to remove it off the bill. I realized the next day I had still been overcharged by $ 10 when the bill came out to $ 38! I’m shocked at how a bartender can over price that much and I still had left him a tip because I thought he had correctly fixed the bill. You guys really shouldn’t take advantage of your customers! Anyone who goes be careful with your bill!

Holy shoot. This place REALLY knows what they’re doing. Please see bartender Reese to experience the definition of a craft cocktail bar: creative, fun, precise, personable, friendly, DELICIOUS. Reese’s own invention is the ‘Herbs in the Black’, which was probably the most nummy thing we ordered: full bodied, complex, smooth but not too sweet. Then again, go for the old timey ‘Smash’, which he has down to a fine art form.

Great atmosphere, superb craft cocktails. Manager and bartender Reese is remarkable, and his drinks are high art. Not pretentious, but made with attention to the last detail. We enjoyed the evening immensely.
DJ was superb also!

I love this spot. Parking, Simple to get drinks. Great music. Friendly people.

Came here on a Friday night early December around 8PM. It was dead — maybe 15 – 20 people total in the bar. Stayed that way until 10PM after the DJ started his thing so that was good time to talk with the wifey. Until that time the wife and I enjoyed a few retro movies (Dr. Gold and the Bikini Machine & a samurai movie with odd violence and nudity).
The décor was as odd/​interesting as others described with a bit of Christmas lights and hats thrown in there. Ordered 1 mixed drink, 1 Jameson on the rocks and 2 fireball shots for $ 24. Prices seemed semi-​reasonable.
Bar has a good variety of beers and liquors, as well as FREE POPCORN in the corner. You add flavorings to your liking.
Overall would come back again. Bar is 3 stars before 9:30PM as it was just a quiet bar before then. the addition of a DJ @ 10 really kicked up the night and made the place suitable for dancing and a good location away from gaslamp on a cold December night.

Great cocktails, wish they had food. Super hipster, bring your mustache.

We ordered 2, expensive, cocktails and the bartender, Reese, filled them up barely ¾ of the way and put a bunch of huge ice cubes on top, so there was barely any drink even there. When we told him that the drinks we’re unsatisfactory, he rudely replied, «What do you want me to do?» Then said the ice will melt and then we’ll have a full drink! He refused to top our drinks off appropriately or do anything to rectify the problem. He was extremely arrogant and talked down to us. He was incredibly unhelpful and we couldn’t believe how poorly we were treated in this situation. We won’t be coming back. (His pic will be posted here shaking a drink!!!)

Place was packed on Sat night and I enjoyed the vibe. We stopped by here before walking over to central gaslamp. They have cute funny names for their mixed drinks like the Basic Bitch or the Miami Vice which is supposed to be fruity and want to try next time. The basic bitch name doesn’t lie, it’s a tangy drink that most of us girls will enjoy. The mules are good and apparently the bar has a happy hour with $ 5 drinks. I would give 4 stars but we had to pay cover and as cute as it was with a speakeasy type atmosphere, it’s still pretty isolated and not a cover kind of place…
Fun spot though if you’re looking to chill and grab some drinks with friends away from the clubby scene.

Great place to get homemade craft cocktails any day of the week. Whether you crave vodka, bourbon, tequila, or any other type of cocktail, the bartenders can whip something creative up for you. You will find a different vibe here with less pretension the rest of downtown San Diego. Happy hour 7−9pm daily. The only real downside to this place is they don’t open till 7pm, except on Fridays when they open at 5pm.

Last Saturday I celebrated my birthday here. I got a mule service because I loveeeeee mules! Sara was our server and she was amazing! She always checked up on us and made sure everything was okay.
We probably finished the whole thing in like an hour because I had invited 20+ people to my birthday. I love the type of drinks they served here and on top of that the music had a good vibe. It was kind of hot in there… couldn’t feel any AC. When we walked in, I felt as if I walked into a body heated room with no air circulation. We were all sweaty and stinky inside. Yuckkkk!
Anyways, all in all I had a great time. I got drunk and wasted but held it together all the way until we had to go home. I’ll probably be back (:

I’ve never had a bad time here. Although it is a bit off the beaten path when it comes to the downtown «bar scene,» El Dorado has much to offer.
Jukebox with some pretty trendy hits, friendly and attentive bartenders, DJ Artistic on Wednesdays and egg white cocktails.
Get yo’ life and go have a visit!

What keeps me coming back? The mystical White Buffalo Head? The unique DJs and Live music? The sinister dark 1940’s-Illuminati-Den-Bat-Cave décor? The free spicy popcorn? The clever-​crafty cocktails? No. The serrrrvvviiice.
A good bartender can make or break yer night. These guys are the A-​team. Not because they dazzle you with Magic Craft-​Cocktailery, but because they are genuinely cool and engaging. Did I just get lucky? No glass wall. No downtown snobbery. A tribe of warriors that take a special pride in their art, endure wave after wave of Bud-light’rs and still wear a smile. I like that. Takes character.
I danced the night away to 80’s hits in the darkness under the Great White Buffalo with a Oaxacan Fire Drill in my hand. U play 80s and I love you forever. That and a few handfuls of popcorn and I need nothing else. In short, the Dorado simply cannot be categorized or defined. Her mystery still intrigues me. And maybe that’s a great reason to keep coming back too.

Been wanting to check this place out since it’s down the street from the bf’s place, and we finally did after grabbing a few beers at Monkey Paw on a Friday night. I like the fact it’s nothing fancy or pretentious, but just good drinks. Complimentary popcorn has a tasty seasoning that has salt, sugar, and cumin (those are the distinct flavors I could taste).
Music was good and they had Conan on TV closest to us. Whaat??? Unfortunately, Conan got cut off and Shaolin Dolemite came on which we ended up bonding over with a fellow patron.
It was cool to overhear from one of the bartenders that industry people like to go there to jusr grab a drink after work. I definitely like the vibe since off the beaten path from the gaslamp.

Who doesn’t love a great craft cocktail?! Well I happen to love them and when I found out this was the first bar to have craft cocktails in SD I just had to come. Sadly I don’t live within stumbling distance so I had to wait until we were in the area on a fine Saturday evening.
This place doesn’t look like much from the outside but there’s something about those shiny gold lights that draws you in. Once you’re inside you’ll be happy you came.
This place has character all over it, it makes you feel like you’re in for a memorable night or evening. From vintage decorations to vintage movies, cool music on the jukebox or the dj or live guitar blues!
This place has a drink for everyone, beer, craft beer and of course the craft cocktails!
My favorite is the Dolly Pardon! So fresh and delightful and easy on the taste buds.
Ohh and they offer one of my favorite snacks: popcorn. It is very addictive, Melanio and I can’t get enough little bowls!

Since I have only been in El Dorado when it’s barely filled up with patrons, I think it’s perfect. I am sure my mind would be changed if I went on a weekend evening and it’s filled with too many hipster/​hopster.
But on the three visits I have come, they were as nice as the cocktail bars I found in University Heights, North Park or Gaslamp. Various cocktails with interesting names, I will add a pic I took.
Free popcorn on the nights I have been (tastes like kettle corn) so I have no complaints eventhough I had come from a food tasting event. El Dorado is a dive bar turned hip bar. But don’t tell anyone unless they are cool because I don’t want any douchies coming.
Sometimes they have musicians come and play or a dj. That’s cool too. Parking across the street (pay).
What else can I say. Something out of the way to visit if you are from out of town near or at East Village.

Very cool bar.
Very, very cool. I don’t have a whole lot to say but very, very cool. Was there last night but I drank water. It was a stop after an event so I was tired and I was DD.
However, for a sober guy on a Monday night, I did appreciate the free things — popcorn, old movies, («Planet of the Apes» and «Sinbad» Circa 1973 version) and live music. Having now been there sober, I definitely want to be there… drinking.
In the words in Generral Douglas MacArthur «I shall return».

It was a mid-​Saturday afternoon… I had some beer here… that’s all I remember…
Joking aside, this place is nice. It’s dark but in a good way. It definitely gives off that old, somewhat antiquated vibe, but in a good way. They have an old, flip book style jukebox in the back and with all these forces combined, the overall feeling is pretty relaxed. When I say relaxed, I mean enjoyable. I like that. At least this was the case when we were here on a mid-​Saturday afternoon. So as far as that old, dark, comfortable atmosphere goes, El Dorado has it down and they do it quite well.
That’s not all they do well, however. They also had some great beers on tap to put right into your glass by some well mannered staff. I went with a Port Mongo and of course, I wasn’t disappointed. They had others to choose from but I kind of like that one. After grabbing a drink, this place also has some comfortable booths to share enjoy it and spend some time with good company.
Honestly, my initial first impressions of this place didn’t impress me when I saw it from the outside… but never judge a book by its cover because once inside, El Dorado’s dark, days of old, vibe provide for an extremely comfortable feel. Combine that with their excellent beer & cocktail menu and you have yourself a solid «go to» cocktail lounge to spend some quality times with your posse.
Saddle up and check it out.

Love this place used to go alllll the time when i lived a bit closer! Drinks are typically around $ 10 a pop which is too rich for my blood but they are soooo goood! But good news for us cheapos and broke jokes… They have a great happy hour till 9 where their craft cocktails are $ 5 each! Plus who can beat complimentary popcorn?!
Reese is the best bartender in all the land, looks, personality, and some sweet sweet dance moves. He’s your man!

I’m a year too late with writing this review. When I heard about this place I was excited to come here and I thought It was in the gas lamp because all my friends hyped this place up. But this place is not in the gas lamp and is in the middle of no where in DT. Street parking is easy to find although I was hesitant and worried that my car would get broken into, because the surroundings was shady.
Free cover. Small small place. No room to sit because there is 4 tables and the dance floor is small. The music they played was not great either. The crowd was people in their late 20’s to 30’s. I wish I came on the «90’s night «that’s when all my friends would go and would have a blast. If they still do that, I recommend going for that.
Their Moscow mules are in mason jars and taste good, it’s not strong but will get you buzzed. But their drinks are expensive. El camino has cheaper Moscow mules in a larger cup.