Gilly’s Bar
2306 El Cajon Blvd. (North Park)
619-298-6008
Happy Hour: 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. Sunday through Wednesday; until 9 p.m. Thursday through Saturdays.
Come On Get Happy! | Dr. Ink
Dang, we missed it. Starting at 4 p.m. every Friday at Gilly’s Bar, the staff puts out free pizza from nearby Pizzeria Luigi.
The pies go fast, usually within an hour, so getting there past 5 p.m. means the only activities left are drinking, shooting pool, throwing darts and maybe lighting up a smoke on the big outdoor patio. But no big deal since we can easily think of places with far less creature comforts available.
Gilly’s opens at the crack of dawn 365 days a year and offers drink specials pretty much around the clock, except ending at 9 p.m. on Thursdays through Saturdays. That’s when the karaoke machine kicks on. At that point, all drinks go up 50 cents and beer pitchers cost a buck extra to compensate for the lack of cover charges on those crowded evenings.
The regular deals feature Stoli vodka in all flavors for $5, plus Tecate cans and three-ounce cranberry kamikaze shots for $2.75. On Mondays all day, domestic beer and well drinks are also $2.75.
Additional specials wink from a chalkboard perched near the entrance. My friend gave in by paying an easy $5 for a 16-ounce glass of cold, boozy Anthem Cider. The cider is made with whole apples, which means the woodsy flavor of fermented malic acid takes precedence over the sugar. Sweet and cloying it isn’t.
I encroached on the cranberry kamikaze, which was made popular by the last bar tenant, Second Wind, before it converted to Gilly’s nearly seven years ago. The recipe calls for vodka, cranberry juice, Triple Sec and lime. Served in rocks glasses, you’re essentially slamming down three shots for the price of one. Although next time around I’ll request it with a spritz of soda water for that essential touch of fizz I prefer.
Among the other tempting libations written on the chalkboard were Gilly’s Pale Ale for $4.25; pitchers for $11 and “pineapple express” shots for $5.
Food reappears from 6 to 9 p.m. on Tuesdays, when a grill master takes to the back patio and cooks up steak dinners starting at $10. We’re told, however, that Gilly’s owners have plans to team up with a barbecue joint that is supposedly opening next door in a couple of months. When it does, things like burgers and wings will join forces with the slew of unpretentious and affordable drinks that keeps Gilly’s on the map as one of North Park’s favorite neighborhood watering holes.
RATINGS:
Drinks: 3
Customers are spared the fancy-pants cocktails common to other bars in lieu of shot-based drinks like cranberry kamikazes and pineapple expresses. Beer choices stick mostly to commercial brands, such as Bud Light, Blue Moon, Busch and Tecate.
Food: 4
The free pizza that is available starting at 4 p.m. on Fridays comes from Pizzeria Luigi, a place we can trust. In addition, char-grilled steaks are available on the back patio on Tuesday nights.
Value: 5
The daily deals feature three-ounce shots and tall glasses of hard cider for $5 and less, plus Tecate cans for $2.75.
Service: 5
Bartenders are down to earth and eager to serve.
Duration: 5
Happy hour occurs about 90 percent of the time that the bar is open, seven days a week.
