False Idol

and Consortium Holdings (owners of neighboring Craft & Commerce). The walls are covered with panels carved by legendary tiki artist Bosko. The ceiling is crusted with lit glass floats. Reservations are strongly recommended and can be made up to a month in advance.

Comments

MelloMan

MelloMan is a semi-regular at False Idol.

September 11, 2018, 10:42 PM

The best tiki drinks in Southern California. Great decor and spot. I often prefer quiet and grimy, but the crowded and fun atmosphere at False Idol worked b/c the drinks were amazing, the spot was done right, and the bartenders took care of everything perfectly. Plus I got a nice Bosko

Shuckslbj

May 2, 2018, 7:23 PM

One good thing about tiki coming back into popularity is that the �craft cocktail� types who start these joints know how to make the drinks good without too much goddamn high fructose corn syrup. There are tiki bars that I love and will not name that have what I�d call... a sweetness problem. Not so at the False Idol. Everything tasted good. Sometimes I prefer greasy diners and shitty bars to �health food� (cf. Rupert Holmes) and less-unhealthy cocktails, but if you want to feel modern and refreshed rather than like a seasick sailor, places like this are a good call. And there�s a waterfall. Why not, right.

Happy hour is literally just an hour � 6-7 � and has half-off deals on 3 of their drinks (chi chi, missionary�s downfall, 151 swizzle). I�m really not a fan of annoying speakeasy-style concealed entrances. I had to dig through the yelp comments to figure out that it�s inside a different, more boring bar. But small and hidden though the False Idol is, they do it right.

Stephanie

Stephanie has visited False Idol.

February 26, 2018, 8:22 AM

Made a special trip to San Diego just to try False Idol. This place is easily the best decorated tiki bar I�ve been to! I was so impressed, from the glass orbs and pufferfish on the ceiling to the water feature to the wood carvings to the bar decorations, this place is truly tiki. I fell in love from the minute I walked in, and the drinks only deepened my love! I tried the Coronado Luau Special (one of my favorite tiki drinks I have ever had! Perfect amount of sweetness) and the Tonight or Never, which was less complex but still pleasant. There are thunderstorm effects for certain drinks as well as the fire on the drink that one comes to expect from a tiki bar. The bartender was ridiculously knowledgeable about rum to a level that I didn�t even know was possible! Great selection of mugs for purchase too (though even an enthusiastic collector like myself has a hard time spending $100 on the limited edition mugs, no matter how amazing they are!). My only complaint about this place is the patrons. I�m a huge fan of the tiki atmosphere at most other places, and False Idol�s amazing tiki-ness was almost ruined by the people in the bar. They were there to party and were loud and rowdy. The girl sitting next to me was complaining about the thunderstorm effects being too loud (even plugged her ears like a child when they happened and cringed visibly). Oh well, not everything can be perfect! And False Idol certainly comes close. I highly recommend this bar!

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