My first review on yelp.. I grew up in San Diego . I first came to this dive  about a month ago on a Monday night because I heard about their famous 1.50 drafts ( only applies to 4 or 5 beers) however the rest of the beers on tap that day are 2.50 so you can't lose. Plus as soon as me and my bud sat down we were getting checked by a group of hotties which is always a good sign ;) . As the night wore on it got super packed by about 9 plus the bartender said they had a dj coming later . Final verdict friendly staff , nice crowd and a shit ton of beers on tap . Did I mention 1.50 drafts!!!!
Review Source:Love this place sometimes for its music and crowd and dancing.
First of all, it's small and narrow, and only opens up a little bit in the front and back. Â This is usually a good thing because it seems crowded even when there are only 20 or 30 people in the bar. Â And a crowded bar is more likely to be a fun bar where people are dancing. Â
The beer is good though it can take forever to order a drink. Â
Two big variables: Â the DJs and the Bouncers. Â Sometimes the DJs are spot-on, especially on Saturday nights. Â I have found the Thursday night DJs to be more lacking. Â I guess they are more DJ-in-training types. Â Hehe.
The crowd are the normal PB surfer types but also just a bunch of randoms who appreciate good music and like to dance. Â It's actually a pretty healthy mix for a place as homogeneous as PB. Â Speaking of homogeneous, how funny is it that Thrusters is across the street from the Bare Back Grill? Â More than one of my buddies has looked at me funny when I asked him if he wanted to go to Thrusters. Â Haha.
The bouncers are normally fine but can get a little overzealous on crowded nights. Â There are like 10 of them in a tiny bar and they tend to get a little too excited about pushing and bossing people around, the vast majority of whom are just trying to dance and be peaceful. Â One time I had one of them swing the bathroom door open so hard as I was standing in the bathroom that the doorknob slammed right into my hip. Â I would have much rather it been a drunk idiot than a bouncer. Â
I suppose that once a fight started, I would be more grateful to them. Â Kind of like cops. Â All things considered it's still a great place to drink a few beers and get your dance on.
I'm a great fan of this place, but sadly I don't think I will go there any time soon. I was having too awesome of a time was escorted out by the bouncers with no clue as to why. They say I was too drunk, but who knows the real story, maybe I tried to dance with the wrong persons girl, oh well. Anyways, I went on a Monday, first time ever, and was blown away by the $1.50 Pints!! Seriously?
This place has cleaned up from what I can read, the older posts make this place sound dirty and boring.
I had a blas! . . until the end of course.
I haven't tried any of the food
SEA! HAWKS!
I've only been here on gameday so I can't speak for the nightlife aspect of this bar. On Seahawks Sundays this is THE PLACE to be if you can't make it to the CLINK. I went to 3 games here this season (Patriots, Jets, Redskins) and had a blast. As a season ticket holder for 11 seasons now this is as close to Seattle as you can get. You'd be hard pressed to find a bar with ONLY Seahawks fans even in Seattle. The 12 flag is proudly displayed on the street front and they have drink specials (weak ones though...)
Food comes from next door, but isn't too spendy and tastes good. If you're a Hawks fan you MUST to come here on Sundays.
There aren't a ton of seats however and it does get pretty busy so go early to grab a booth or seat at the bar. But all ~15 Tv's and the sound is dedicated to the Seahawks. Awesome Â
Only negatives: Pretty small, and parking can be a pain
This is not the type of place in San Diego that you just stroll into looking for a nice casual drink. There are way better places for that all around this area. This place is GREAT for late night, after you already had a few or more drinks... I've had some really great late nights in San Diego at this place, really is a classic PB bar.
Review Source:Who knew this place existed? Â My friend had yelped for places that had a dance floor and this one came up. Â We had gone to a place prior and tried searching for this place. Â There's no huge visible sign outside. Â We had to ask someone if they heard of it. Â When we walked by, we noticed the sign was dark and small. Â There's a cover for this place, too. Â $5 I believe on a Friday. Â If you don't have cash, there's an ATM next to the door.
It was a packed house. Â The place is one long rectangle with the dance floor in the back. Â The mirrors on the wall makes the place seem bigger. Â The crowd was looked alright. Â My friend and I had met some random people from online. Â LOL What an experience! Â Don't know if we'll do that again anytime soon. Â The music was alright, some hip hop and other music was played. Â We decided to hit the dance floor. Â It was soo small, we didn't last long...
This place is a hidden, rusty gem. Hidden in the sense that it looks really dark and small from the outside but actually extends far in the back and is well lit by turquoise-neon lights that give off a cool vibe. Rusty in the sense that it looks kinda grunge on the outside but is actually quite clean on the inside.
Great drink specials.
Interesting crowd. It has a very local, laid back feel. This is a guys bar, for sure. But rest assured, ladies, your presence will be welcome here. Not too many weirdos or creeps. Nice bartender, nice bouncer, nice-looking DJ.
Definitely will be back here again and again.
Thrusters is a FUN spot. Â $1.50 beers on a monday? YES I DO HAVE A CASE OF THE MONDAYS!
The crowd here fluctuates quite a bit and i'm still trying to figure out why. Â Some mondays the place is empty, like 20 people tops in the whole bar but honestly who is mad at that? i came here for cheap drinks and dance music--glad to host this private party. Â but some mondays the place will be PACKED! Also a fun time! See that? win-win.
Industry gets in free when there is cover (but that happens everywhere I think)
There a fun photo booth that you should take pictures in! Â :D
Have been here a couple of times and have had great time. However the only reason I give it 4 stars instead of 3 is because of the venue size. The bar is pretty small and when it is packed and all you want to do is enjoy the good DJ, its kinda hard to get your dance on without accidentally groping everyone around you. Other than the size, this is one of my favorite bars in PB. The Dj is always great, Less douchey people than the typical PB crowd, and with $1.50 beers on Mondays, I cannot complain.
Review Source:There is no entertainment here and the vibe is just off to me since it is so dark in here.
They do have some specials and draw a crowd on the weekends for the games and at night for the weekend partiers.
I have come here a few times now and the bartenders were not nice to me. Both times the girls were too busy flirting with the guys sitting at the bar that I could not even get my drink order in. I finally closed out my tab and went across the street to Dirty Birds.
This place is off the main path of PB, but I wouldn't go out of my way to get here because it is nothing special to me
Photo.Booth.
Enough Said.
Haha no but really this little hole in the wall offers more punch than you're bargaining for! Â I've been here a couple of times and never on purpose. Both time's it's been because we were wandering and this place was packed!
Now, one could argue that it was packed because of it's limited capacity,, which may be partly true.. BUT, the staff is nice, the music is good and I Love photo booths.
I'll be back for sure,, maybe even a Planned trip!
You can't beat a pint night at Thrusters. I've never been when there is a cover (I mean come on, a cover at Thrusters? You're just asking for it) but I have frequented pint night for some time. It is not classy, it is not typical, and it is not for meatheads. But that's what makes it great. I've never had a bad time there, the bartenders have always been great, and I love hanging out with my friends at a booth in back and observing the wildlife on the dance floor/bar area. The DJ completes this "wildlife" aspect, so expect to see some horrifying but awesome things going on.
Monday, pint night, $1.50 drafts
. As the noble Sacajawea trekked across a wilderness which now our precious Lady Liberty reigns, there is a freedom unknown to the lips and senses of the man who is enslaved by the status quo.
You will not find that man here my friends, nor the nit wits that accompany a man of such slouchery.
Thrusters is the last bastion of substance in pacific beach. A place where one can escape the tequila popping, guy with barf in his pooka shells vibe that is garnet avenue. Brothers and sisters I am here to tell you as an advocate to those who still have respect for a truly remarkable experience via libations and intense sensations of utter delight, Thrusters has the soul of Thelonious, and brotherhood of the likes you can only find in a monastery. The monastery of Monk...pousse.
Tater tots and a fried, yes friends fried, egg on a slider. Laugh or cower if you must but do NOT take their gourmet grub lightly. Special sauce, special times, special thoughts matriculating in my mind. thank you Thrusters.
Thrusters.... "It's where things happen!!"
First time here, okay so I've heard mixed reviews about this place: from "douchebag central" to "one of the best bars in San Diego!" I approached with 3 of my friends without bias. Â The only saying that had stuck with me was my friend's description: "Thrusters, it's a place where things happen!!" Â Is this good? bad? Let's find out.
Â
There's a line out the door, good sign
Meathead bouncer, no surprise looks familiar
Wait, $5 cover? Really?
Inside it's packed! Looks like a mirrored hallway at work with the lights turned low though. Â First person I see staggers up to us with beer in hand, says "cheers, I drink to make others interesting" and stumbles away; we laugh and make our way to the bar.
I wave the tatted, tube-top girl bartender down for the "Thruster Special (must try)." Random girl appears from nowhere on my right, smiling and cute, says hi. I say hi back and our drinks arrive. Â 2 minutes later the bill comes back with a 4th drink charged, bartender says it was my girlfriend's drink - the random chick that appeared and disappeared on my right evidentially "rode the wallet" and I had no idea. Â Shocked, I explained to the bartender and her response was a pause...and "yep...sorry." Â No joke. Â My friend smiles... "Aye things happen here!"
Mixed feelings at this point but the drink was awesome and everyone was super friendly. Â Great DJ, ladies were gorgeous and everyone was dancing. Â Fantastic night and will definitely return.
Â
By the way, I never saw my "girlfriend" again. Â Buyers beware
20-30 something year olds
$1.50 beers - Monday nights
Mixed drink - $6 or $7
During football season it's Seahawks bar on Sundays
I hear that people don't come to PB because of all the douchebags. I can understand that. I live in PB for other reasons. However, this place is the kings of douche. If PB wanted to open a museum of douchebaggery, this is it.
This place is either stone cold empty or PACKED. The bartenders are the worst in PB and that is saying something. The drinks are overpriced.
Last and best of all, say you happen to be not drinking, like I was last night. Maybe you have to work or are not feeling well or just don't want to risk a DUI. You ask the  thrusting bartender for a cup of water: nope. you have to pay for a bottle.
This place leaves me THIRSTING for a new bar! ha ha ha
Still my favorite place to go in PB! If you haven't tried day-drinking at Thrusters Lounge then you are missing out. Some of the very best times I have at Thrusters happen in the daytime hanging out with friends and chatting with the bartenders. The bartenders are awesome and can come up with exotic drinks and shots if you simply ask. Vinny is especially great for this and came up with my favorite drink when he bartends, a "Blind Cesarean" which I am pretty sure has been altered slightly each time I order it.
Bottom line, I love Thrusters at any time but especially during the day time. If you aren't a part of the "Thrusters Day Drinking Society" you are missing out!
If you thought Dirty Dancing could only be found in a Patrick Swayze film then you are wrong. Â
Dirty + Dancing = Thrusters
It's PB so you have to expect the bar is going to be a bit dirty. Â And when I say the bar is dirty I am referring not only to its physical cleanliness but also to the crowd inside. Â Creepers are in no shortage nor are the overly drunk screaming girl. Â Best of all there is no shortage of drunken dance stars.
To insure that you enjoy Thruster's as oppose to just being horrified by the place make sure to arrive after midnight, that way you will be pleasantly buzzed so that you can be one of the creepers, drunk screaming girls, or dance stars instead of a timid surveyor of the scene.
Overall, this is a fun place to come for a typical PB experience. Â It's off the main drag so more of a local crowd. Â It gets crowded once midnight strikes so ditch your fairy godmother and stay out late to enjoy the real dance party.
Thrusters is not a horrible bar, but it is just too damn small to really enjoy yourself.
There is no cover here, which is always a plus in PB. As other reviews have stated, the bar is set up like a long hallway with a few small lounge seats towards the end of the bar. The dance floor is tiny! If you are looking to really dance in PB, Â Thrusters Lounge is not the bar. Since it is set up like a hallway, while you are dancing everyone is constantly walking back and forth through the dance floor that is already too small to begin with. The place is loud, but it is a bar so that is expected, but because the place is so small, Thrusters seems even louder than most places. While enjoying your drinks, you and your friends will be pressed up against each other on any given night with no seats in sight to relax at.
The bartenders are average, but competent. One time I did ask for a screwdriver (Vodka and Orange juice) and the bartender gave me vodka and soda. However, I think he just was not able to hear me over the noise and not that he didn't know how to make one of the most basic drinks on earth.
If you are looking for a dive bar with confined spaces, tiny dance floor, loud music, and no comfort whatsoever then Thrusters Lounge is heaven on earth, otherwise, stay away.
So I hadn't been to SD for a cool minute and decided to visit all my awesome buddies down there.
We went to this place, and I'll be honest, partying at LA has left me with a few expectations of bars (frisking, plastic cups, mean looks). This place, had none of the three. I ordered 3 drinks for myself and a couple friends, when the waitress said 4.50 for all three, my jaw dropped and  I felt compelled to buy the girls next to me drinks. Thats right, $1.50 for a beer on Monday nights.
The DJ was spinning some of the greatest music I have heard outside of night clubs and everyone was just there dancing and chatting it up.
Definitely a great environment to catch up with friends. Nothing has changed. Same wild friends, same cool town.
So I've been back to Thrusters a few times since my last review and it's been a lot better. Once was for Monday Night Football and the burger/beer deal is hard to beat (and the sliders are insane). Was there on a recent Friday night when it was on the emptier side to see some friends (about 9 ish). Once again, had a good time.
If you read my previous review, I was bummed o the bouncer. This time around, the staff was spot on, no complaints. BTW - lots of people come here to dance and get effed up, as many of us do in PB. Don't overlook the solid beer selection if you're not the dancing type.
Thrusters is an awesome little bar just a block off the beach. Good tap beers (Stone, Ballast Point, other locals), excellent bar food and some of the best bartenders in town - Vinny will take good care of you. If you happen to be a Seattle Seahawks fan, thats where you want to go watch the game.
Check it out!
PB cracks me up. I'd swear I was waiting online in NYC for a club on the West Side.. But instead it was a trailer home sized "Lounge" with a line of drunk morons around the corner which looked to be double the size of the Max. Capacity of the bar! Our friend knew someone working there so we didn't pay a cover, thank god.
Two small well drinks and one tiny shot of vodka cost me $29! Tipped in CASH, but they tipped themselves an additional $4 on my Bank Card even though I wrote "CASH" in the Tips section on the receipt. Nice
I was surprised that it was NOT that crowded inside. Probably why the line was so long. Had room to move, and buying my one round of over priced drinks was easy. The DJ was also pretty good, so I gave Thrusters 2 Stars for that. I left my wife's side briefly, and every time I came back there was some drunk ass trying to pick her and her friends up. But the boys in PB get so hammered, they got NO GAME. Step it up kiddies, pace yourself and you might get laid one day...
Word is the owner bought and is closing down Hennessy's pub across the street to turn that into a venue similar to Thrusters. READ THESE REVIEWS and offer a place worth visiting in this Alcoholic filled town!
My buddy that just moved here really wanted to check out PB. This place gave her a real feel of how douchy PB is. Actually, I'm glad I brought her here because hopefully she now realizes why I refuse to hang out in this part of town.
I ordered a Guinness. The bartender poured it all the way to the top in one go. He saw my look of surprise and said
"What???"
and I was like
"You're not supposed to pour it like that"
and he was like
"It will settle."
..........
I picked it up from the bar and to my surprise, it was served in a plastic cup. I didn't realize my own strength and almost spilled the whole thing...
We walk over to the dance floor.
Let me paint a picture for you:
The music is loud and bumping. Its a pretty good selection of hip hop and electronic. I like. Looking around, I notice that its quite the sausage fest. Guy/Girl ratio is like 5/1. Sounds good to a single girl, right? WRONG!! Gross, sweaty douche bags gyrating on the dance floor. Gravitating towards any decent chick that walks into the bar. The bathrooms line the dance floor and provide a nauseating whiff with every entry. My buddy got TP on her shoe without even going into the bathroom. Gross!
Thrusters? Wow I thought this place was like a nickname for a bar! Sikeeeeeeee! Nope this is seriously the name of this cool mini dive beach bar.
This place is a bit too small for me being a more of a club scene gal but it is a great place to pre-game before going out to typhoons and such or just sit down and have a drink with a friend.
THE GIST: Great place to chill and kick back a few!
OVERALL: We came to this place to have a couple of brews on a Wednesday evening. Very few patrons in the bar at this time but we weren't looking for a crowd. THe place had a friendly feel, great vibes, clean, friendly bartenders, love the mirrors on the wall which make the place feel twice as big as the place really is. On this night the bartender played Beatles for a while which was wonderful, but having Dr. Oz show on multiple flat screen TVs showing off spotted livers and other diseased organs was disgusting and not really matching the music ;) .
RECOMMENDATIONS: Â Very great tasting NEW CASTLE on tap!
INTERESTING: San Diego must have had a lot of smashed pint glasses. Everywhere we go there are always plastic pint cups..which are not our fav for enjoying our tall cold glasses of beer.
Our hero ventured into this strange small bar filled with Hasselbeck, Curry, Tatupu, and Burleson jerseys on a Sunday. Â Good lord... he was in a Seattle Seahawks bar. Â Even though most of the people were cheering for the Seahawks, they also had the Chargers game and the Steelers game on different screens for a bit of variety.
On Saturday and Sunday, bloody marys and mimosas are on sale for $2 a pop. Â The mimosas are fairly small, and the bloody marys are a bit weak, but they're cheap. Â The bloody mary here is especially interesting, as they are served with a chunk of pepperjack cheese and salami in it. Â Apparently Seattle must be too cold for celery.
Decor is geared towards industrial skateboarders, with a lot of painted skateboard and longboard decks lining the walls.
The Seahawks lost that day and nobody started a riot... that's also pleasant.
PROS:
- $1.50 for all draft beers on Mondays after 8 PM, which includes Guinness, Stella, Shock Top, and a fairly extensive selection of beers.
- They don't serve food, but they don't mind you bringing in any outside food to eat while downing beers.
CONS:
- The bar is extremely narrow and small and it's hard not to rub against random people when making your way down this crowded bar.
- The all metal industrial style bar chairs are somewhat uncomfortable to sit on for extended periods.
- They charge cover on random nights.
11:30 pm Saturday night. Â You're starting to weave as you walk, your face/hair may be sweaty, and you have dribbled beer down the front of your shirt. Â Your voice is unable to to drop below medium-loud volume. Â You are not yet hungry for Robertos. Â Now is the time for Thrusters.
Beware the MMA fight nights - they'll squash your buzz faster than you can say roid rage.
The bar, I think, is three-feet wide by forty-feet long. This is dive...a skinny dive that forces you to rub your tits up on some a-hole to get to the bar, but they do have a dance floor.
The hot chick to d-bag ratio is in the d-bag's favor fo' sho' (I mean we are in pb...d-bag-central), as I've only ever been there when the girls and I decided to get dolled up...(I mean, we do clean up well), go to dinner and wind up wino drunk and wanting to dance, dance, dance.
I can say i have always had a good time at this bar.
You ever get stuck in that overpriced bar with 100% dudes that are dressed to impress, and you wonder why there's not one single cute girl there?
It's cause all the hot girls go get shit-faced at Thrusters. Â I think this bar CONSISTENTLY (every night, year around) has the best hot girl to guy ratio in San Diego (especially for its size). Â The bartenders are even hot. Â I see few D-bags, and fights almost never break out.
And for some reason, this place always attracts large groups of women on the weekends... and not just any women... women that dress in lovely hoochie fits and actively acquire embarrassing stories about lushing there way home with some dude dressed in a rooster outfit who reacted nicely when they puked in his fish tank...
...sorry, that was random... and it NEVER HAPPENED!!
They charged a $5.00 cover, which went toward drinks. Â Cool.
It was super easy to order drinks and we were drinking right away. Â Cool.
Drink prices are on the moderate side. Â Cool.
Music was all good. Â Cool.
This place is dingy and full of immature, unsophisticated, college-level drunken idots. Â NOT COOL.
A serious hole-in-the-wall, not in the sense that it's ghetto, but literally tucked away on Mission, you barely even see it, unless you are looking for it specifically. Â Good for us we were, #2 on pub crawl! Â I was very pleasantly surprised by Thrusters, especially considering the name (sounds sketch). Â The are a lot of good brews on tap; Blue Moon, Hoegaarden, Moose Drool, etc. Â All for like $3, which is awesome. Â Wish we could have stayed longer, especially because the bartender was really hot, but alas, we were on a mission.
Oh, and apparently Thrusters is a "green" establishment.
Normally I hate Pacific Beach. I'm a 'dress up and go downtown' kinda guy.
My girlfriend Apryl had friends in town from St. Louis and they landed on Tuesday night wanting to head out to Pacific Beach for some cheap drinks and Marine love. We hit up Moondoggies first... Super lame. This is what's going on Tuesday nights while I'm at home eating pasta and watching a Netflix?
On to Thrusters. We got there around 12am... No line and the bouncer was pretty nice, for a bouncer that is. Once inside, I discovered that it was actually very small despite having one wall covered in mirrors. Freddy Fresh was spinning mash-ups and the drinks were stiff and cheap. I recognized a few downtown people hanging out.
Not a bad spot at all.
I have to say that I think Thrusters might be on of my new favorite places in PB. Â I wanted to go there for a while, and managed to include it as a stop on a pub crawl that I planned for my boyfriend's birthday. Â Bearing in mind that we arrived at about 3:30 pm on a Saturday afternoon, there were only a few people at the bar, and they quickly cleared out once they saw a pack of 20-30 something year olds in matching t-shirts descending on the bar. Â We quickly order rounds (and rounds, and rounds) of bloody mary's, mimosas, and bottled beer (all of which were $2 - what a deal!). Â The bartender was ridiculously hot and even agreed to do a shot of Fernet with me - which he promptly declared was the most disgusting alcohol ever. Â But I digress.
I'll have to head back at night sometime soon, but I loved the place. Â It was small but lots of fun, and had great drink specials. Â Sold!
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