The Tower Bar

It’s a dive bar with local music. The beer lines are clearly dirty (beer tastes like shit) but if you’re a true hipster drinking PBR or Olympia tallboys, then you’re safe.
Also, the music really only gets going around 10:30. I’ve showed up at 9pm before for a gig and the entire place was dead. Apparently I didn’t get the memo.
However, it’s a classic spot. Set your expectations accordingly.

I only go there when they have crust/​grind shows, so I’m far from a regular. I hope to see more good shows there in the future.

Doesn’t get much better than this. I can’t explain it with words. Your liver will hate you, but your brain will crave more.

This is what the title says, a dive bar. They have great drink prices, a few good beers on tap, and it is fun for the live music.

Mannnnn eff this place!!!
Thought I’d found a chill place to drink. I could have overlooked the SIX DOLLARS for a PBR but no one in that racist a$$ bar spoke the three times I went there. Will definitely spend my money elsewhere.

Great fun place for live music! Been join here for years and always enjoy the films playing in the background. My only real complaint is the beer on tap, it is not served at the 38 oF range its definitely warmer than it should be and the beer lines could be cleaner, but it is a dive bar. Besides that its always a good time here!

This spot is spot on. I used to live about a block away and made this my home away from home. Its a rad little bar with a super noticeable colorful tower in the middle of City Heights with great drink prices, super friendly staff, nice clientèle, and I’ve seen some of my favorite shows there. Super rock n roll, way chill, not scary unless you find people with tattoos and black jeans scary but then you have some intense issues or major sheltering in your life cuz really dudes in cargo shorts and pink popped collars are FAR more aggressive and frightening! FO REAL! Go enjoy a drink, talk to some folks its rad!

This is a cute bar. I love Saturday nights they have great djs and 60s music. The atmosphere is lovely and fun!

fucktard

One of my favorite bars to hang out at! If you prefer to go downtown please do! Stay out of City Heights! Rock’n’roll!!!

Small dive bar that has been there for a long time. I like punk rock vs hip hop .cool spot to go with friends depending on the atmosphere and music you like. This is more of a grungey punk bar. Drinks are good. Cool mercy:) wifi. Tattoo place on location also. Women’s bathroom not the best but I mean it goes with the ambiance of the place. Lotsa locals. Cool spot, check it out and have a beer or Bloody Mary

Rad bar! Cheap drinks, jukebox, and live bands! I love when food vendors are right outside the bar. When you’re drunk and there is food on the spot, thats winning!

Great little bar in the ghetto. Park close or you might get mugged walking to your car OR you might get your car broken in to.
Good music, cheap drinks, good friends
And happy people. That’s my kinda place.

Stiff cheap drinks, cool bartender, and a really chill vibe. My only complaint was that the music was so loud the bartender couldn’t hear what I ordered the first six times I ordered it.

Absolutely a dive bar! Smells like one, and looks like one.
The Tower Bar is a pretty cool building, that’s the reason why we checked it out when we were visiting San Diego. You will not find this bar by downtown gaslamp because it’s located in the city of Height Neighborhood. Streets are available for parking. Don’t get confused with the entrance because we sure did. If you enter from the back, towards the top door, that is actually the tattoe shop. They will most likely tell you to go back downstairs and the entrance for The Tower Bar is in the front.
We came around 5pm on a Friday, a couple of regulars were sitting by the bar so the service wasn’t bad at all. Happy Hour was happening Monday-​Friday 4pm-​7pm, lucky us, we were here on the right day. Happy hour includes $ 3 wells and draughts. Their top shelf drinks aren’t too shabby with the prices. Least it’s under $ 10!
There are entertainments such as the Jukebox that may eat money once in a while, according to the bartender, so make sure to let them know when it does (if you remember) and pool table $ 1.00 per game. The bathroom is quite small, just be glad that there is one.
If you want to check out how the tower looks like during the day, then you should come by before sunset. And if you want to see the Tower with lights, then come at night. Overall, not bad.

**City Height Neighborhood
What a fun dive bar. A bit hipster but we didn’t mind. We mainly came here to check out the tower, which was very cool. Never been to a bar with a tower. I need to explore more.
As we got there, we weren’t sure where. the doors were. Thanks to someone upstairs, the tattoo store, guide us to the tower bar door. According to him, many got the tattoo store and the bar confused because everyone thought the bar must be at the top.
Woohoo, we stopped in at the right time because they were having their happy hour. Don’t get too excited now, happy hour does not include their top shelf, however, drinks were cheap! Top shelf bottles were still cheap compare to fancy places, they’re about $ 6. Happy hour goes on daily and they are $ 3 wells & drafts (Guiness, Fat Tire, Blue moon, Sam Adams, Newcastle and 3 other beers) from 4pm-​7pm Don’t forget they also serve Absinthe for $ 10. Yup, not sure if you want to go there.
The bartender (lady) was nice and had a great pour. Not to forget to mention that she also gave us 20 credit on the house for the Jukebox. Thanks! It’s not the cleanest dive bar I’ve experienced, but at least the floors weren’t sticky! Other entertainments to keep you company would be one pool table, punching bag machine game, and I think there’s dart, not sure on that.
Recommend this place if you’re on a budget, just want to chill with a group of friends or yourself. The reason why I love going to dive bars because they allow customers to bring food in here. Already got that confirmed with the bartender.

A true American dive-​bar. This place is old-​school Americana.
I’m not going to list all it’s greatness, tje bending support column holding up that tower will one day give way… But the odor of that bathroom will never cease.
You’ll feel like you’ll need a tetanus-​shot after you’ve visited… and that’s why you went in the first place, you are out of the bubble in this joint, it’s a true no-​shit drinking establishment which as a true American I can appreciate.
Scope that pin-​up titty art on the walls… Yeah that ain’t going nowhere… A ton of old-​school beer collectibles and the coldest beer in town. Pee-​Wee Herman was on the screen V-​H-​S BABY.

Pros: The décor is really cool. It’s almost like being in a museum of beer culture from the last 40 years. They have free wi-​fi. It’s cool that they have a projector screen they can run when bands play.
Cons: I saw a cockroach there the last time I went., and I wasn’t even really surprised. I don’t have a problem with a bar being nasty like that. Although, I feel like they should either charge less for their drinks or spruce up a bit. I got a Pabst Blue Ribbon and it was like $ 6 or something.

A lot of people call casual or hipster bars dive bars and its a misclassification. This place, however, is an actual dive. Cheap drinks, nothing fancy going on, probably some cockroaches running around and then there’s the bathroom… lets talk about that.
So, this seems like the type of men’s room that has seen its share of Jackson Pollack-​esque fecal paintings and undoubtedly has spackled over a baker’s dozen gloryholes. The smell is less of a smell and more of a thick, localized atmosphere; heavy on the humidity. The toilet is in working order but for some reason it is Saran wrap and duct taped off — save for a small hole in the center. Which means number 1 is ok but if you need to take a twosie, you’re (pardon the pun) sh*t outta luck. Flip flops would be a poor choice here because the level of liquid, which has to be at least 50% urine, rides up about ½″ off the ground.
This is a dive bar. A real dive bar. I drank $ 5 tall cans of PBR all night and loved every minute of it.

«girls dont wear shorts in this neighborhood after the sun goes down.»
…my friend whispered to me as i entered tower in jean shorts and heels. i kind of gave a blank stare to the obvious shock my outfit caused. hey, i was just embracing the warm evenings we were beginning to have. it somehow slipped by me when looking up the address that i was entering the heights (def not part of my routine hangout spots) — and my outfit was actually more appropriate «work attire» than «hang out at a bar and look cute, attire.»
oops.
in an attempt to hide my embarrassment and newfound discomfort, i grabbed a seat at the bar and asked for a vodka soda…$ 3.50.i ate free popcorn that suddenly made an appearance in front of me, i watched B&W foreign porn… i sipped a friends absinthe… i did not like, blegh… i took pictures like a good Unilocaler does.
then i ran back to my car before i could get any unwanted business :-|
i think i can cross tower bar off my list now…