Ok - PREPARE TO BE PLEASENTLY SURPRISED.
We bought a home right around the corner from this dive bar and it has become our beloved local hangout. Weather friends come visit us from PB or out of town, we always take them here. Why, you ask? I'll tell you.
Drinks: Stiff and cheap. Good selection of beers on tap.
Food: Oh. My. God. I never knew bar food could taste this good. Try the grilled chicken sandwich that comes piled high with bacon, jallapanos and cheese on the sourest of toasted sourdough bread - and it's served up with tater tots. Seriously, go there tonight unless you don't like good food.
Bartenders: Cookie and Greg rock. They're not exactly social butterflies - but if you engage them they will humor you with good conversation.
Entertainment: You're free to just post yourself on your bar stool, drink your stiff drink, and enjoy chatting up the locals - but at The Hearth House you have options. Lots of them. There's pool tables, darts, shuffleboard, video golf game, some punching bag game that all the dudes punch incessantly, and a great Internet juke box and ping pong. So yeah, drinking games galore.
Ambiance: This is a dive bar. It doesn't pretend to be anything other than a drive bar. It's dark and not very imaginative in its choice of color scheme and decor. And that's what one should expect at a drive bar. The place is clean and the bathrooms are safe.
Hands down our favorite place to drink and we always have a great time.
Been a patron for over 10 years and made a lot of great friends there. Some of my favorite things: Sculpin IPA on tap (yes, they have beer on tap now), great internet juke box, and Nintendo Wii. I'm there most Friday's and ready for a challenge at Wii Bowling :-)
They've also got pool tables, shuffleboard, a punching bag game, stiff cocktails, a fire place, and a bunch of TV's usually showing sports stuff if you're into that.
I don't often get in before the kitchen closes but, when I have, I've always really enjoyed the cooking (burgers, cheese fries, that sort of thing). Â
It's a clean, safe, fun neighborhood tavern.
It is what it is - a dive. It's dark, a little rough around the edges, and the drinks are stiff. Exactly what you look for in a good dive.
The owner is a cool guy and the bartenders are always friendly.
The BEST thing about this place, though, are their hamburgers. I don't know what they do, but they turn an average hamburger into something DELICIOUS!
Not much I can say about this place. Â I was going here a few times a while back. Â The crowd is really suspect there. Â Kind of a creepy atmosphere almost. Â People regularly go to the back exit to the rear parking lot to do drugs. Â The drinks I had there weren't up to par. Â Also, why would you go to a bar every night and not drink, to read books? Â Really?
Review Source:OK over all it's not bad. This was my first time trying the place out bc I live right down the street. Coming in I noticed that at some point this could have been a home. It has a real homey feel to it which is nice. The bartenders were cool, approachable and made good drinks. I was kinda hungry for a late snack but the Kitchen was closed at 9pm. (That's a one star for me.) None of the beers are on tap but they have a good variety available. The pool tables and the fireplace are both nice. The Bar has a spacious feel to it and the common areas are separated from the pool area so that is a huge plus. All in all it was a good time with nice people. I'll be sure to return... just gotta make sure I catch the kitchen for the night hold my peace.
Review Source:Night-times seem to be ok. Â Nice looking place inside, evening bartenders seem friendly and capable, but bad, BAD experience with miserable old bag bartending on daytime. Â When asked if food could be ordered at the bar, she replied "no" instead of telling us to go to the window. Â One of the worst bartenders ever, letting down a neighborhood bar that has great potential.
Review Source:Where do I effing start? Â Good ole Hearth House.
Lets start with the name.... HEARTH house, there was no fireplace, no brick, you couldn't even see the grill in their kitchen. Â Unless they were talking about the Hearth tax... this name makes no sense at all. Â The owners must also be from east county. Â Pick up a damn dictionary! Â They should have named it "Glorified 7-11". Â Which takes me to my second point:
IT'S A GLORIFIED 7-11! Â You call this place a bar?! Â OK. Â No beers on tap. Â None. Â Not even a fucking kegerator. Â Really? Â Also, no top shelf. Â No Goose, no Belve, no Mccallan... NOTHING. Â So if you consider a 7and7 a very high brow drink, this is the place for you.
Third... This is the place where bartenders go to die. Â Is this a bar or a senior center? Â They should be replacing the pool tables with bridge tables. Â Instead of a condom machine in the bathroom they should have a fixodent machine.
And yes, there are bums galore just waiting for you to put out your smoke so they can pick it up off the ground and smoke the rest of your butt. Â They will slit your throat for a dollar.
Special shout out to Gregg the bartender... you are a fucking douchebag and I love that you are stuck in this east county shithole for the rest of your life. Â You will be lucky to ever get out of that dump because it would take somebody more stupid than the current owner to hire you, which would be damn near impossible... She named this place the Hearth House.
On a lighter note, underage girls can get in here with ease and the cop that may be in there will turn a blind eye... Gregg told me this himself. Â Â So if you like whack ass drinks, old people, bros and underage brohos... this is the place for you.
What do you have when there is 20 people in the Hearth House?...
A full set of teeth.
__________________________________________________Â__
ETA: Â I recently heard Gene, the only bartender here with any integrity, self-respect, and good character, had passed away. Â Missi's review got filtered because it was her only one, but here is an excerpt:
"the place used to have a unique, charming atmosphere with good natured bartenders who treated each other and customers like family. Â That all changed when the new owner took over. She remodeled the place and it looks nice, but she also remodeled the charm right out of it with her encouragement of back-biting and a lack of loyalty amongst the bartenders. Â
First she tried to shove out a bartender, Gene, who was a fixture of the bar, A wonderful man, he worked there for an eternity and almost everyone who works there now has their job because of him. Â He got cancer, she got her way and after all of those years of working there (and taking care of her father), Â according to Gene, she gave him a pathetic severence and never went to see him when he was dying. But she sure as hell didn't hesitate to capitalize on his death and hold a party in his honor [a month after he died].
As far as I'm concerned, while I still like two of the bartenders, I agree with Gene's family, I hope the place runs out of business so that cowardly, cold-hearted witch and her dis-loyal, ass-kissing employees get what they deserve."
Fuck the Hearth House and anybody who would support this morally bankrupt corrupted establishment.
BEST BAR IN SAN DIEGO! Ol' School... La Mesa!!! Used to live up the street in San Carlos and we would come here all the time... kick back crowd, not full of rednecks or jarheads, just good natured people who wanted to drink, laugh, shoot pool and hang out... Kind of a local joint though, but highly recommended if you live in the area.
Review Source:I LOVE THE HEARTH HOUSE!!!!! I recommend it to all my girl friends and they are all like "OMG you go to THAT bar?" I really don't care, i love love love this place! The drinks are ridiculously good and strong. The people are alright, I have met a couple nutcases but oh well, it's a dive bar. There is a couple games and a jukebox. The bartender is real nice. It's a good place to go if you live around here or if you're tired of paying $20 for a drink downtown.
Review Source:Hearth House is a place to go in La Mesa when The Regal and Pete's Place just aren't divey enough for you. Â For our hero, the La Mesa Blvd scene is just too upscale anyhow for a true dive bar. Â Hearth House is where real La Mesa locals go to get a cheap beer with no regard for the ambiance. Â Come to think of it, it's still actually pretty clean for a so-called "dive bar".
Although other reviews mention the high likelihood of fights breaking out, this is a bar where nothing would really go down if you just minded your own business and didn't hit on any wannabe cougars or challenge bikers to pool games.
PROS:
- It's cheap.
- Bartenders are attentive.
- They've got coin-op shuffleboard in pretty good condition.
CONS:
- No draft beers. Â Bottles only. Â Not much of a selection at that.
Lived here forever and never went there. Drove by a million times and never even noticed.  I even bought slurpees next door  more than once.  This place was great!
  There was a big fight the minute we walked in.  The bartenders barely noticed like it was perfectly normal or the first of many that night.  The bar was packed with a bunch of old timers who might be permanent fixtures there.  The other half of the crowd was probably 21 years and a day old.  But it totally worked.  Don't wear your nice clothes though.
  We drank hard and played pool and had a great time.  Then went home at 2 in the morning and started our own fight.  You need this once in awhile, but I think I've got most of it out of my system.
After hitting up dinner downtown the other night after work, a group of friends rang and said they were drinking life away at the Hearth House in La Mesa. Of course, I had never heard of or been to this said Hearth House before so I got the address and headed over.
All I can say is WOW... I worked across the way on Jackson for how many years and never knew of this place?! It was brought to my attention that the bar, floors, and sign outside had major renovations done and I thought it looked ok inside.
Drinks were good while hanging by the bar with my girls and the guys looked like they were having a fun time playing pool and that hunter game.
Atmoshpere had some strangely dressed cougars, your tatted bros, and funny older bartenders. This place is definitely great for people watching if you have never been. I heard the best night is steak night with the DJ.
I will definitely make a return appearance and stumble home gracefully in the near future.
A cozy little dive bar that is just my style. Because really, I love any bar that it is easy to walk home from. The remodel is great, the mixed drinks are strong, there are several pooltables and a jukebox. I see a real variety of people at the Hearth House on any given night and that keeps it interesting even when it is pretty quiet. There is food now too, which I have not yet tried, but some greasy food always improves a night of drinking. Cash only, but they have an ATM inside.
Review Source:One of the nicer bars in the La Mesa area. Pool tables,shuffle board and some video game non sense. Cheap drinks and plenty of room. My buddy heard this was the place to find attractive women in the area, wrong. Â (sorry pretty ladies, maybe you were all locked in the restroom on my one visit)
Unfortunately it is its close to impossible to get a cab to pick you up there.
They just remodeled the place and it looks GREAT! Brand new floors, new bar, new bar stools, they knocked out the wall where the dining room was and it completely opened up the place. Not only that but there is a nice remote control fire place now. They put in a shuffle board, still have pool tables, have a lot more seating now, and still have my favorite Big Buck Hunter Hero. The place looks really great, definitely changing up the scene from the dingy dive bar that it was.
Not to mention that they did all this remodeling but the prices are still the same. Can't beat it!
BTW If you've never eaten here, you're missing out. Eric, the cook, is amazing. I love his steak sandwich.
+ Big parking lot out back for smoking.
+ If they shut the back door on you and lock you out while you're in said parking lot like they did with me, no worries! In our drunken state, we thought we were trapped in this square asphalt area forever. But I guess there had to be a way, since you know. There were cars in the parking lot.
+ If they close completely and you left your purse in there, like I did... no worries! Just hoot and hollar for it through the big black door and they'll probably give it back.
+Speaking of drunken states: cheap, STRONG drinks.
+ The bartenders are always nice.
+ The best motherfucking Mexican food restaurant is right down the street... but I can't remember the name of it. You'll find it.
Would I come back? Yeah, probably. Maybe if I had a big burly scary boyfriend to ward off the shady guys gettin all up in my bizniz or a group of girls way hotter than me so they'd leave me alone.
I usually hit up the HH on Friday nights with my friends when I can't make it downtown (which is where I love going) or I just don't feel like dressing up but still want to go out and get a rum and coke or beer.
This is one of your classic East County establishments. On any given night you'll find the same cats sitting in the same seats with the same drinks in their hands, bleary looking yet cheerful as the night gets older and so do they.
The clientele is actually pretty nice from my past experiences. All in all as long as you don't act a fool or stare anyone down (guys know what I'm talking about) then good times all around. The cats in this joint WILL notice if you have a snobby air which will get you stared at.
There is the usual assortment of bar flies, cougar packs, and occasional EC rowdies but you'll also get the diamonds in the rough with some pretty hot twenty somethings coming in with their girlfriends from time to time. Friday nights are usually the best for people under 30 as they have a live dj named Turbo who does take requests. His posse is a motley crew that are all very nice as is Turbo himself.
The drinks are amazing, and like everyone else has said, cheap and very very stiff. One of the main reasons my friends and I stop off at the HH first before dipping over to nearby Norma Jeans or the Charcoal House is because the booze to mixer ratio is ridiculous. Not very many beers on tap but they'll have the usual classics you'd expect from a dive bar. The bartenders are all very nice and helpful as Cookie and Geno will have you cracking up after a few.
It's gonna have the basic staples of a dive bar in Anytown, USA: slightly aged smell, yellowed walls, cracked bar stools held together with tape in some places, greasy steak sandwiches, pool tables running off quarters, a sweet little jukebox that has some pretty good pieces on it, and darts that never fly straight.
I've found that bars in the EC area are all pretty much the same when it comes to entertainment value as they all have darts, pool, etc. but the HH is an experience on to itself. Don't expect too much and you won't be disappointed... but if anything if you're going to be bar hopping in EC this is a great place to start your night...
My favorite things about Hearth House:
-STIFF drinks for super cheap (get mixed drinks here, not beer)
-The bartender who always has nutty stories
-Pool tables that aren't always all taken up
-Jukebox w/good jams
-Have always had a good time here
Keep in mind this is a dirty old dive bar. I'm giving it 5 stars based on the other dive bars in the area...
You live in La Mesa and need a place to grab a drink after midnight. Â The choices are pretty glum. Â Nestled in between a 711 and a liquor store is a quaint little dive bar not for the faint at heart by any means. Â
Bikers, old scruffy men who patronize this place and it's pool tables, skeezy drug using cougar wannabe type ladies, locals who do their best to look like locals.... this place is like school on Saturdays, no class.
Funny thing is, I've been here more than once. Â The drinks can be nice and stiff, although the bartender got your order wrong, just drink the wrong drink and realize it after the fact and get the right drink for free. Â You have got to get into character when drinking in a joint like this. Â
There were some guys smokin' fat doobies in the back parking lot smoking area. Â The jukebox was blaring "Cream" by Prince. Â The tweakers were getting their dart game on and the underage chicks with their thongs pulled out from over their jeans were freak dancing in the middle of it all.
Get dirty and have a good time at the Hearth House.
Hearth oh Boy.
We'll start w/ my 1st time there: Met some friends few yrs back. Total dive w/ pool and cool bartendars we were happy as clams. Then it got ugly. Our group repeatedly rebuffed some boy there (yea, he hit on ALL of us) his friend tried to "start something" w/ our buddies playing pool. Our friend told him "hey we're just playing pool". Watched my friend get pushed into a corner by a group of "locals"...so what's the smallest guy gonna do?
BREAK THE MFR's jaw. In one punch no less. The best was when the cops showed up the group was screaming at us until the cop asked "So group on 1 huh? Who was the 1?" My buddy raised his hand and the cop told the other group to shut the f up.
My friend bought a house close by so we'd stop in off and on. Love it. Low profile, easy going, great service and stiff drinks. Plus a super cool DJ kid. What more could you want?
This turd of a bar brings new meaning to the word seedy. Â It's filthy and tacky- not in the good hometown dive bar way either... Â I had a vodka tonic thinking I'd keep it simple, and although the drink was strong it just didn't taste right. Â Maybe the glass was dirty or the lime was rotten, which I strongly suspect. Â
I drive by this place regularly and eat at the Mexican place nearby. Â Whenever I see this toilet there are always homeless people milling around. Â These are not your typical whacked out harmless old men either. Â They look like the type that would shank you in the back and snatch your wallet given the chance. Â
I don't like this place and think it should probably be condemned. Â I can't even imagine how many roaches must be in there but at least it's appealing to someone, even if they are filthy insects. Â Just hands down a gross establishment. Â
I give a charitable 1.5 stars for the strong drink, but I'm still not sure exactly what made it taste so off and I'm thinking maybe I don't want to know... Â Your best bet is just stay away completely. Â I'd rather get a flask of hooch from the nearby liquor store and drink that down in my car than head into this shithole again.
Four and five stars? Are you kidding me?
This place lacks any character. I can appreciate a "dive" bar (a waaaay overused term) and I can even appreciate, sometimes, a crappy dive bar. But this place is a room with a pool table, darts, and a weird smell. And the "hearth?" I didn't see any hearth, but maybe I missed it because I was so distracted by... well, nothing. There's nothing appealing about this place. It was dead on a Saturday night, so there wasn't even an interesting clientele to make up for the dreary atmosphere. Only a creepy 50-ish guy who offered how to teach us (four 30-ish ladies) how to play darts.
I give them a second star only for having cheap beer. Â The end.
If you like little dive bars with cheep strong drinks this is your place. I like this bar. My friends and I have been going for years. The staff is very nice. The crowd is usually a lot of fun. Don't expect anything fancy out of this place but if your looking for a fun chillin night the Hearth House is a good spot.
Review Source:So you're looking for a shit hole huh? Â Well, look no further. Â Shitty bar, shitty atmosphere, lawn chairs right outside the door (yes, I said lawn chairs)... could it get any better than this if you're just out to get wasted on the cheap. Â I'm here a lot because I live right down the street which is actually turning out to be a bad thing for me. Â ;)
There's no beer on tap but they do have a decent assortment of bottled beer. Â But why drink beer here when they make the best (ahem, strongest) drinks in town. Â
If you go, tell them Dave sent you and say hi to the bartenders: Â Cookie, Greg, Roger, Bruce, Geno, and Jerry. Â
Oh and don't piss off the locals. Â Have fun!
its a cool little dive bar w/ darts and pool... the best thing about  the hearth house is that the bartenders make some seriously stiff drinks!! Â
the is a very mixed crowd... the last time i was there i almost got in a fight with these crazy old republicans... so if you can hold your own in a political debate, then go for it.
I hate to admit it, but yes, I like the Hearth House.
While the regulars are a bit creepy, the bartenders, one named Cookie, are very nice and mix a hell of a cocktail.
The jukebox is filled with good music; just don't let a random person stick $20 in the jukebox before you or you'll be listening to an hour's worth of Air Supply.
The pool tables are fun and the darts are even more fun.
Nice little La Mesa dive.
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