Elbow Room

My colleagues and I were looking a place in the Kearny Mesa/​Claremont area for a light night drink after a long workday. After having gone to Elbow Room previously for burgers, we thought it would be a good place to return as they are open until midnight during the week. While the place was no where near busy for a weeknight, there were a few people playing pool and others hanging out on the terrace by the fire pit. We choose a hightop table in the center of the bar area that gave us a perfect vantage point. The server arrived promptly and we ordered the specials, Bloody Mary’s and premium martinis. They have a sign behind the bar that shares information on the all day specials. Eager to get our drink on, we started in some light banter, and then, waited, and waited, and waited some more, and continued to wait. We noticed the bar tender with a full bar of dirty glasses, slowing move around the bar, moving glasses, talking to a friendly customer, but not preparing our drinks. So, we found our server and asked her to check on the status of the order. She came back and said it would be out shortly. Again, we waited and watched as the bartender struggled to make the drinks. She seemed confused as evidence of putting a salt rim around my martini glass. The server even went behind the bar to correct my drink and put it in a non-​salt martini glass. After getting the drink and trying it, I found that I had a margarita. My colleagues and I were heavily frustrated at this point, so we brought the drink to the bar and asked her to remake it. She responded «ok» nonchalantly and genuinely seemed annoyed by the request. This time, I got the martini and the Tito’s Vodka hit the back of my throat with a nice burn. Oh well, I guess pure alcohol for $ 8.25 is better than nothing. Needless to say, I won’t be back anytime soon with that type of service. I would recommend more oversight of the bartenders and how they make drinks!

Fun place with great service. Came here Sunday ¹²⁄₂₀ to watch some football and loved this place. TV’s everywhere with awesome service by our waitress. Sorry I forgot your name. Ordered the chicken wings and nachos which were great. Good prices and fun atmosphere.
Thanks.-Will

Good food, cheap drinks, festive for a Sunday night. Good place to watch sports, about a dozen TVs. Really quick friendly service. We’ll be back.

I come here often for lunch. The lunch special is great, you get a drink, a burger/​sandwich, and fries for $ 10. Love the black bean burger, the cheese burger, and spicy chicken sandwich. Service is fast. Good beer selection too.

This is a great sports bar with awesome ambience! !! This is a place you will leave here meeting a new friend. Tell them Ray Ray sent you and you will automatically be included into the elbowroom family! !!

It was way better than I expected.
Great staff. Good environment. Nice people. Clean bathrooms. Food is way better than typical bar food! Large variety of local beer. Very diverse. I would recommend everyone to stop by if you are in the area. Good happy hour spot as well. If you are coming to eat, I recommend the cheese burger and spicy chicken sandwich!!! You will be pleased! And it comes w/​a free draft beer

I came straight here after work with some co-​workers on a Friday afternoon and this place was PACKED! Some of us decided to drive and the overflow of parking was ridiculous. I only had a few drinks: tequila pineapple and peanut butter stout. But we made it in time for happy hour, so my well drink was $ 2.75 and my beer was $ 6, not bad at all. I also got some chips and salsa, which had a nice spicy kick and my co-​worker got some onion rings that we shared and they were great. Service was great, but it’s a very loud environment. I didn’t get the chance to try more of their food, but I’m sure I’ll be back since they’re right across our building.

My husband and I were looking for a new HH spot and came across the Elbow Room. It’s a little hidden place behind Sonic in Kearny Mesa. The Elbow Room is an open space environment with TVs, game tables, fire pit and watering bowls for man’s best friend. Parking is limited however you can park out back in one of the neighboring businesses parking lot.
We tried the wings, nachos and tacos. The wings and nachos were average however I did find the fish taco very tasty. The food is no way the worst I have eaten however it is not the best. I would consider the items I ate average however the environment and atmosphere is a cool place to hang out with friends.

Walking distance from the Marriott, had the deal which was a cheeseburger/​fries/​drink (well drink, beer, tea or soda) for $ 9.95. Sat there in the patio area less than 5mins and waitress got my drink and my food was out in less than 10 mins. Burger was juicy and food was hot. Great experience and very good food. First timer, def recommend!

Great laid back atmosphere. The staff are very attentive and helpful. We came for happy hour on a Friday after work and despite the parking lot being packed, it was pretty easy to get a table.
Happy Hour prices are good. Food is what you would expect from a sports bar type place. I had the queso and chips, which were good. I will definitely come back in the future.

Before going I noticed the reviews were hot and cold.
I really liked the overall look and feel… quite big with lots of open space, indoor/​outdoor seating, cool art and big, easy to watch flat screens with a lot of games on.
However the service was erratic… sometimes anticipatory and quick with a fill. But several times I put in a drink order and it was never delivered. Taken for sure, but forgotten. Never would get an apology, just a different server to deliver. And I was sitting at the main bar, and it really wasn’t that busy. Left a bit annoyed.
Would I return? Maybe. but not sure if I’d go out of my way.

Never going here again, manager’s friends sat outside and thought they owned the place. Blowing smoke directly at us… I understand you are allowed to smoke outside but when we just asked them to stop blowing it AT us, he got super hostile and said he’s friends with management. Then the «manager”/“owner» came up to us when we moved inside and threatened that we could get our asses beat.
This was our first time going here and it looked super cool. Well they just lost 4 customers and we posted on our social media so hopefully none of our friends have to deal with the disrepectful owner.

The worst owner/​management I have ever experienced. Just left this place after being cussed out by David who claims to be management and self proclaimed owner. My friends and I were sitting outside patio trying to go over wedding vows. we asked our neighbors stop blowing smoke in our face, they responded to us by threatening us. We moved tables… then 10
Minutes later david Approched our table. aggressive, told my fianace he’s lucky he didn’t get his ass kicked. We were nothing but kind. he cussed us out. when I as a woman asked what we did wrong his response was «im not talking to you» this restaurant won’t last long with this immature, disrespectful, demeaning, unprofessional, negative environment. As clairemont locals we will spread the word and never return.

If I could give this place zero stars I would. I just endured the worst restaurant, customer service (or lack there of) experience of my life. The shocking part is it was with the owner of this establishment. I will never spend a single cent here and advise everyone in my circle to follow my lead.
I spoke to this owner with nothing but respect but he spoke to me like I wasn’t even a person. This man raised his voice at me, cursed at me, and had the nerve to try and walk through me (bumping shoulders as he walked away).
I reminded him that we are paying customers and his tone was providing poor customer service. He replied in an arrogant, angry tone with, «I don’t care… if you don’t like it you can leave… Sonic is right next door!»
Why did all of this happen you ask? Because we added a chair to the head of a table that ran parallel to a wall. This chair was completely out of any/everyone’s path. He told us that we couldn’t sit there because of fire code and we had to keep the walkway clear. Now… if that were truth and we were in a walkway… no questions asked. However, that was not the case and there was an island table, in the middle of everything, with a fifth person at the head of the table directly in the path of a walkway. I didn’t even bring that table up to the owner; I simply asked him why we were not able to add a seat to our table and he responded as the rude individual he apparently is.
I wouldn’t recommend this place to anyone.

I’ve lived down the street from Elbow Room for three years and finally stopped in today for lunch with friends! I was immediately surprised by how clean everything is, especially the patio, considering that it’s more of a sports bar. I feel like so many bars have this sticky muggy feeling to them but Elbow Room was quite roomy and airy and inviting. I took advantage of the great lunch special and got the spicy black bean burger with fries and a beer — only $ 8.95! The food was really fresh and nicely seasoned. I enjoyed how everything seemed to be made in-​house as well.
My favorite part about the patio is that it’s very dog friendly! Our waitress brought our pups a water bowl which was much appreciated:) Can’t wait to come back and grab a drink with my dog!

I will up the ante with an extra star. I haven’t stepped in here since the last time I reviewed it. They have definitely upgraded the place and it is a lot more spacious and refined as far as the space and look. It’s a good bar to talk, watch sports, and hang out at. I ate the cheeseburger and draft beer special (grabbed a Stella). The burger was cooked well and was a good burger overall. The service was good as I was checked on frequently. I did notice the bathroom had the option to air dry your hands. There were no napkins. It’s sorta self defeating considering you have to grab a door handle with no barrier between your hand and the handle (I am a germo phobe). I would come back now that the place has established itself to a good neighborhood bar.

I frequently pass by here when I visit Sonic for a shake or something. (I mean really, who goes to Sonic for the food?)
I finally came in with friends to check out a playoff game. The place itself is pretty nice. I especially like what they’ve done with the patio. There are TV’s everywhere. Hanging out there during the daytime soakin’ up some sun, drankin’ some brewskis and watchin’ the game? Doesn’t get much better than that! And even if you aren’t on the patio they’ve got tons of TV’s inside.
The big drawback for me was the food. Unfortunately, it was pretty forgettable. We had the hot wings and the loaded tater tots. Both were unimpressive. Which sucks because I think if the food was better I’d definitely be here more often since I live nearby. I’ll probably give them another shot because I may find something else on the menu I like. And as I stated earlier, I like the layout of the place. So keep an eye out, I’ll probably be updating this review soon.

It’s been a while since coming here, I was amazed with the expansion! The place looks great!
Some of the best drink deals around, food is pretty good too. I adore the outdoor patio, what a way to spend time with friends! Especially during football season. Small and large groups, I’ve never had a complaint about the service

#1 of 100 Unilocal’s 100 challenge 2015
I finally got to have the chance to eat here, and I am glad I did. Monday was wing night so we got the Asian and sweet and spicy wings. Also I got the famous burger fries and draft brew special during their happy hour. Service was speedy and with a smile. I definitely would come here again and the elbow room may be my go-​to regular bar.

My work familia & I love hitting this place for happy hour!
Quick Tip: daily special rocks! Any Beer for on tap & a burger for under $ 10