Happy Hour at The Lion's Share, Almost 8 Years Later

Ever since the Clairemont Drive Trolley station was completed near the end of 2021, the Missus and I have been trying to take advantage of it, though mostly due south. Recently, the Missus and I were chatting about doing a happy hour and for some reason we thought of The Lion's Share. Heck it had been so long since we last visited, we didn't even know if they were still open! But, doing a quick check, I confirmed that they were still open and also still did Happy Hour! There were two ways we could do the trolley there; the Blue Line to Santa Fe Depot with a short walk or take the Blue Line, then transfer to the Green Line at Old Town. The Green line stop is right around the corner from the restaurant. We decided on walking from Sante Fe Depot.

Once opening the door and stepping in, we were greeted by a very friendly gal. The place still has that interesting, somewhat bizarre decor and for some reason it seems even darker than before.

We decided that the bar area was just a bit too dark for us and decided to get a two top in the front area, under the watchful eyes of the various creatures present; both mounted and framed.

The friendly young lady brought us menus and asked if we'd been here before. When we mentioned the last time was nearly 8 years ago, she mentioned changes that had occurred, including a recent changing of chefs.

Looking over the menu, the Missus and I were instantly drawn to the Happy Hour portion.

In what alternate universe would you be able to get cocktails for $8 in downtown in this day and age? Of course, in our cynical minds we had doubts to how good they would be and immediately ordered two!

We saw two items from the HH food portion we wanted and I also saw Bison Tartare on the main menu. You know me and tartare, right?

Strangely, two of our food items came out before our drinks!

The Missus had wanted to try the Wagyu Beef Cheek Tacos (HH - $15).

Looking at this, I wasn't too inspired. The beef looked really "wet", almost scummy, and was that Sambal I see on the tacos? But, this was quite good. The tortillas, while on the milder end of the maize scale held up well; the salsa verde was tangy, sour, and had good spice. And most off all, those cheeks were so very beefy. The Missus actually preferred these to tacos we'd recently had at Tahona (post coming up). 

When I think of The Lion's Share, I think of somewhat exotic meats. I had always enjoyed the Venison Sliders (HH - $15), so I had to order that.

   Man, these were a lot more hefty than I recalled. The venison, which was done medium-well, we weren't asked for a preference. had a mild gamey flavor, the Havarti was kind of wiped out by the bacon and onion jam, which added a nice sweet-pungent touch to this. I enjoyed this, but it was a bit much for the Missus.

In case you were wondering where are the cocktails? So were we. Soon after the sliders our cocktails arrived. I got the Vodka Mule which was quite refreshing and not watered down. The Missus enjoyed it more than I did. And funny thing, the Missus ordered Federal Buffalo Stamp which was too strong for Her, but I enjoyed. These were definitely not watered down and well worth $8!

Soon enough our Bison Tartare ($22) arrived. Apparently, I hadn't read that it was served on Bone Marrow! I have a thing about cold, raw, beef being served on hot bone marrow, but this was awesome as the bone marrow was warm and not hot at all. This was so much better than what we had at Wormwood.

The tartare was very tender, nicely diced. I was somewhat concerned that it was "cut" with too much pickled squash and capers, but I enjoyed the palate restoring briny-sourness it added. Was not a fan of the potato puree which had been overly salted. But that toast; oh my, delici-yoso......it had been brushed with beef wagyu fat which added another dimension to things.

And perhaps that's how I should state things. The dishes we enjoyed added that other "dimension". The cocktails at Happy Hour were $8. Our total for the meal, $68 before tip and taxes. In this day and age, pretty darn good, especially for the location. We enjoyed our meal, I'm certain we'll return....for Happy Hour, of course!

Under the watchful eyes of our "hosts"!

The Lion's Share
629 Kettner Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92101
Current Hours
Tues - Sun 4pm - 2am (Happy Hour 4pm - 6pm)
Closed on Monday

After our early dinner, we took a nice stroll. Things weren't overly crowded at Seaport Village on this day. Which we enjoyed.

You know, because of how touristed this area is, I don't think we've been down here in maybe a decade?

And we enjoyed our time here. It was almost like being on vacation!

Comments

[kat]

what a nice reconnection

[Dereck]

We ate at Lion's Share last week. I would say the food is pretty good, but not as good as it used to be. Cocktails are still fantastic and I was surprised they didn't make Eater's drink list for SD.

[Kirk]

We enjoyed it Kat!

We enjoyed our meal and especially the cocktails Dereck!

[Jack]

I haven't been to Lion's Share in awhile either until a former colleague of mine invited me to happy hour while he was in town the other month. I really enjoyed the venison sliders, bison tartare, beef cheek tacos and my tom Colins.

[Kirk]

Exactly the same food items we had Jack! Great minds think alike, right?

[Mar]

I usually can't make it there in time for their happy hour and was not sure what they are charging. $8 for a drink at a place like that is definitely a deal! They are on my rotation when I want a well-made drink as well. Glad you enjoyed your revisit!

[Kirk]

From what I understand, HH here runs Tues - Sunday from 4-6pm Mar! And I think you can even make reservations for it! Hope you get to check it out!