THE OLDEST BAR
IN SAN DIEGO
Waterfront Bar & Grill opened the year Prohibition ended. We've poured a drink every single day since.
San Diego has plenty of bars that claim "historic." Most are restorations, rebrands, or buildings that used to be something else. Waterfront Bar & Grill is the genuine article — a continuously-operating tavern on Kettner Boulevard since 1933, the year the 21st Amendment repealed Prohibition. Same neighborhood. Same building. Same job: pour an honest drink for whoever walks in.
1933: the year it started
When Prohibition ended on December 5, 1933, San Diego's old saloons came back to life one by one. The Waterfront was among the first. Little Italy was a working tuna-fishing neighborhood then — the bar fed and watered the fishermen, longshoremen, and cannery workers who built the waterfront. The harbor crowd is gone, the canneries are condos, but the bar is still here.
What makes it the oldest
- Continuously operating — never closed, never rebranded, never relocated.
- Same neighborhood, same purpose — a real bar, not a restaurant with a bar in it.
- 91+ years of poured drinks, election nights, championships, weddings, and wakes.
- No museum vibe — locals still drink here every single day.
Other historic San Diego bars worth knowing
A few other contenders for "historic San Diego bar" status: the Gaslamp has restored Prohibition-era buildings, Old Town has cantinas dating back further but they've changed hands many times, and a handful of hotel bars downtown have been around in some form for decades. Worth a visit. None of them are the Waterfront.
Come see 91 years of bar in one room
We're at 2044 Kettner Blvd, Little Italy, San Diego. Open daily 8am–2am. Full kitchen, real cocktails, cold draft beer, and a room that's seen everything. Read the long-form story on our about page, check what's happening on the happenings page, or just walk in.
Plan a visit
2044 Kettner Blvd, Little Italy. Walk-ins always welcome. Daily happy hour 3–6pm. The kitchen runs through last call.