Cheers
1839 Adams Ave. (University Heights)
619-298-3269
Happy Hour: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Sunday through Friday
Come on Get Happy! | Dr. Ink
If you visit Cheers on a Sunday afternoon, the cost of two Bloody Marys and a couple of cheeseburgers totals an easy $4. That’s because the vodka-tomato drinks run at $2 apiece pretty much all day, while the burgers with condiments are free between 1 and 5 p.m. If mimosas are your thing, you need only fork out $1 per drink.
Following our noses from a block away, the smell of a smoky grill wafting down Adams Avenue was unmistakable. Inside the bar, a pool table stood dormant in the middle of the room, though surrounded by patrons of varying ages, mostly men, as they engaged in lively conversations with hot-pink straws rising from their Bloody Marys. When a friend and I ordered ours, the bartender pointed to a guy sitting at the bar, informing us to “see him” if we hungered for the made-to-order burgers. We did so without hesitation.
Always on the lookout for these rare food giveaways, Cheers gets it right again with free pizza on Friday nights, served between 4 and 7 p.m. to augment the day’s drink specials of a tall domestic drafts for $2, available between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. In the same morning-to-evening time span on remaining weekdays, well drinks sell for $4.50. They’re rather big, as proven when the bartender showed us the lofty glasses in which they’re served.
Cheers is like the younger gay brother of the The Alibi, a neighborhood joint that has been around for nearly 20 years. A century ago, the small structure operated as a grocery store, with an ostrich farm across the street that provided feathers for hats and garments. Here, the haute couture of yesteryear has been replaced by shorts and sandals, and the occasional naughty T-shirt worn by our super-friendly lesbian bartender. She’s apparently known for her racy tee collection.
In addition to a pool table, the cozy layout houses a dartboard, a digital jukebox and a Breathalyzer machine mounted onto a wall. The test costs $3.25, a reasonable price that can potentially save you thousands of dollars if slapped with a DUI.
Smokers are relegated to a walled-off side patio, but they must leave their drinks inside the bar. Yes, even in places like Cheers, where the atmosphere is casual and freewheeling, the persnickety dictates of San Diego municipal codes enter into the equation.
RATINGS:
Drinks: 5
The Bloody Marys are served in short cocktail glasses with olives and limes, but beer and well drinks are significantly taller and more potent.
Food: 4
We only tried the cheeseburgers, which were medium in size, charry and flavorful. The toasted buns they come with are a bonus.
Value: 5
Drinks are made at full strength, ranging from only $1 for mimosas and $2 for Bloody Marys (on Sundays), tall domestic drafts for $2 (on Fridays) and big-gulp well cocktails for $4.50 (Mondays through Thursdays).
Service: 5
Our bartender was fast and informative, with a humorous potty mouth to boot.
Duration: 5
Happy hour occurs six days a week in various forms, except on Saturdays, and for durations that comprise nearly 70 percent of the bar’s operating hours.
