Harbor Town Pub is Point Loma’s hub.
So says Chad Cline, who along with business partner Graham Davenport co-owns the restaurant-bar at 1125 Rosecrans St. in the heart of Point Loma Village.
“We’re a place you go to eat and drink socially,” said Cline, adding, “We’re a welcoming spot for anybody in the neighborhood.”
Cline referred to his Point Loma establishment as an “attitude oasis.”
“We want them to leave with a better attitude, and happier, than they were when they came in every single time,” he said, noting patrons come into the establishment to “forget about their day.”
Toward that end, a live DJ hosts music at the pub on Friday and Saturday nights, adding to the excitement.
“Anything we do, we like to make it fun,” said Cline.
In 2011, Cline and Davenport completely revamped the retail space, which most recently had been a high-end French restaurant.
“We gutted the entire thing inside, tried to make the flow a little better and improve how things like the kitchen are situated,” said Cline, who’s from a pub background.
“My great-grandpa was in the bar business in San Diego,” noted Cline, who’s also part owner of The Waterfront Bar & Grill in Little Italy.
Harbor Town has a well-deserved reputation for going all out to please its customers. It’s also known for going “outside the lines” to do fun promotional events, like giving away a pony as a prize in an NCAA March Madness contest.
“During every game, customers who shoot a ball into a hoop get a ticket that goes into a bucket for a drawing for a pony, or a pony keg, at the end,” said Cline. “We’re going to do it again this year. The goal is to do something fun that people will talk about and enjoy.”
The pub is open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner from 8 a.m. to 1 a.m. The $4.99 breakfast special is becoming increasingly popular.
Part pub and part sports bar, Harbor Town has also become part Chargers fan club as well.
“We really go all out because we like the Chargers games so much,” Cline said, noting his Charger “regs” become “Thunder Buddies,” which qualifies them to get prize giveaways.
“We give Thunder Buddies special treatment, give them foam fingers and socks and T-shirts and other special things like they’re going to the game,” Cline said, noting the pub really rocks when the Bolts Jolt.
“We have fog that shoots out of the ceiling whenever they score touchdowns and people dance around,” said Cline. “It’s better than being at the stadium on the field.”
Harbor Town’s cuisine is described by its co-owner as “California comfort food.
“It’s pub style, lots of finger foods,” Cline said, adding that calamari is a menu favorite as well as crab legs, which are served up all-you-can-eat style on Sunday nights.
“The tacos here are insane,” said the restaurateur, adding the burgers served have been crowd pleasers for the past 30 years.
“People go crazy for the chicken wings,” Cline added.
Chatting with Cline on a bench outside the rear entrance of Harbor Town, customers continually pull a cord that rings a ship’s bell as they exit.
“You ring it for good service and for luck through the day,” said Cline, noting he and Davenport listen for it when they’re upstairs in their offices.
“We encourage people to ring the bell,” Cline said. “I can’t wait for them to ring the bell. It’s good for us.”
Cline noted Harbor Town’s staff of about 30 functions together as a team that works hard to ensure that people’s expectations are not only met but exceeded.
“We have meeting after meeting about that,” the pub owner said.
For more information, visit www.harbortownpub.com.