Bourbon Street Bar & Grill
4612 Park Blvd. (University Heights)
619-291-4043
Happy Hour: 5 to 8 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday
Come on Get Happy! | Dr. Ink
Preceding the high-energy DJ shows, drag revues and open-mike karaoke that fill the weekly calendar at San Diego’s only New Orleans-style LGBT bar, a laid-back happy hour awaits as a warm up to the joviality.
Bourbon Street Bar & Grill has blossomed like a sweet magnolia since it added a side patio with an outdoor grill and an alluring brick façade underscored by lamppost lighting. At the core of its layout is a cheerful indoor bar that leads to another one in the popular “backyard,” where flora and wrought ironwork mimic dozens of drinking spots found throughout NOLA’s French Quarter. 
Even before the wet underwear boys heat up the crowds on chilly Thursday nights in January, the atmosphere at sunset stimulated our senses with ample elbowroom and attractive discounts on drinks and food.
Specialty cocktails like the pineapple-cherry cobbler and vanilla-walnut mule, which normally cost $9, are punched down to $5 during happy hour (Tuesday through Sunday). A merrymaker in our foursome gravitated to a couple of pint-sized “fire apple” cocktails made with hard cider and a shot of spicy cinnamon whiskey. While the rest of us slugged various draft beers at $2 off their regular prices, we huddled at a table warmed by patio heaters and seized the $3 deals on sweet potato fries and cheesy Tater Tots with pancetta.
The portions of each were group-size, although for $7.95 we inadvertently stabilized our equilibriums further with a whopping pound of Buffalo-style chicken tenders available also in spicy mint, blood orange or sweet-n-sour sauces. Admittedly, we were intent on drinking more and eating less, but after adding a trio of carnitas tacos to our food lineup, the outing basically turned into a dinner-with-drinks affair, and at a good, low cost.
The sound system on the back patio didn’t kick on until happy hour was nearing its end. Had the clubby house music started earlier, we might have been coaxed into imbibing with greater force, as though it was Friday night.
Either way, Bourbon Street at happy hour is quieter compared to peak times, but equally as colorful and welcoming with its friendly staff and architectural charm, which all combined spares you the cost of a plane ticket to the Big Easy.
RATINGS:
Drinks: 5
Most of the specialty cocktails are made with fresh fruits and generous liquor pours. The beer list isn’t huge, but it contains a wide selection of styles.
Food: 5
The kitchen raises the bar on bar food with colorful street tacos, chicken BLTs and crafty burgers. Among the more common beer-friendly nibbles available are sweet potato fries and cheesy Tater Tots sprinkled with pancetta.
Value: 5
The savings on drink equate to nearly 50 percent, and food portions are surprisingly large in most cases, especially the one-pound servings of chicken tenders.
Service: 5
Bourbon Street’s young, easygoing wait staff is adept at interacting with festive customers, which means you can let down your hair a little.
Duration: 5
Three hours, six days a week allows ample time to soak in the New Orleans vibe. And the 8 p.m. cutoff feels more considerate compared to places that pull the plug on their deals any earlier, just as you’re revving up.
