Best places to play in San Diego area

Aaron_S

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I will be in the area for a few days, and I thought I would try to get out one
night and hit some. Any recommendations on a room with good equipment
and decent rates would be greatly appreciated. I’m actually staying in La
Jolla, but I don’t mind driving a little bit if the place is worth it. Thanks a
bunch.
 
Aaron I'm having a tough time finding rooms in the San Diego area also but you might want to look these over or give them a call. I no nothing about them though.
College Billiard Ctr
5303 El Cajon Blvd, San Diego, CA (619) 583-6361

Gaslamp Billiard Palace
379 4th Ave, San Diego, CA (619) 230-1968

On Cue Billiards
8308 Parkway Dr, La Mesa, CA (619) 463-8759

Jolt'n Joes
717 N Escondido Blvd, Escondido, CA (760) 743-7665
 
Joe T said:
Aaron I'm having a tough time finding rooms in the San Diego area also but you might want to look these over or give them a call. I no nothing about them though.
College Billiard Ctr
5303 El Cajon Blvd, San Diego, CA (619) 583-6361

Gaslamp Billiard Palace
379 4th Ave, San Diego, CA (619) 230-1968

On Cue Billiards
8308 Parkway Dr, La Mesa, CA (619) 463-8759

Jolt'n Joes
717 N Escondido Blvd, Escondido, CA (760) 743-7665

I haven't been there for a few years, but I found College Billiards to be a good players room the few times I was there.

mike page
fargo
 
PlynSets House... New (to me) 9'er Murrey Pro, setup by the one and only Steve L. (Guy that sets up hardtimes tables) Simonis 860, tight azz pockets, and a lil action on the side if your feelin froggy.. LOL 20 minutes north of La Jolla. ;)

Otherwise I'd probably head over to OnCue. Only been there once as of late but it seems to be the place that the players are gravitating towards..

DJ
 
Joe T said:
Aaron I'm having a tough time finding rooms in the San Diego area also but you might want to look these over or give them a call. I no nothing about them though.
College Billiard Ctr
5303 El Cajon Blvd, San Diego, CA (619) 583-6361

Gaslamp Billiard Palace
379 4th Ave, San Diego, CA (619) 230-1968

On Cue Billiards
8308 Parkway Dr, La Mesa, CA (619) 463-8759

Jolt'n Joes
717 N Escondido Blvd, Escondido, CA (760) 743-7665


Well, there are quite a few people from san diego on this board who should be able to help you out. I grew up in SD and spend a couple weeks out the year there so I can tell you what I know.

College Billiards once was the place to be... while the room itself always had an old school seedy feel to it, they had a real cool regular crowd with a lot of good players. I believe they used to be referred to as "The College of Knowledge" In the past year or two, however, they changed ownership and the the place has just gone down. I went in there a couple months ago and it was gangland. You can read more about it here

http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=28923&highlight=diego

JoltNJoes is a very social "pool hall" with a lots of music, big screen tvs, and drinking.. its more a sports bar/restaurant with pool tables for non-serious players. Gaslamp Billiards has also been gutted and turned into a JoltNJoes, keeping only about 5 tables.

Since you'll be in the La Jolla area, the closest pool hall to you would be Society Billiards in Pacific Beach. It's a fairly nice looking room, stay away on the weekends though because its a very social spot as well. Weekdays and evenings though, I've been surprised to actually find a handful of more serious players. I think a lot of APA players hang out there as well.

But, as most people on here will tell you, On Cue in La Mesa is the place to be. They have good tables and good players. Their Monday night tournament brings in a pretty tough field and while it can get pretty crowded on weekends, its still worth waiting, I think.

I travel to SD about 3-4 times a year and I used to waste a lot of time checking out all the different pool halls in the little time I had there. Now when I go down, we head straight to On Cue. I stay stick to On Cue (30-35 min from La Jolla) if you want to be around more serious players... Go to Society (5-10 min from La Jolla) if you don't want to drive and just want to shoot around and have a drink with friends.

More importantly than pool, you MUST go to an Albertos and pick up and order of Carne Asada Fries and a Carnitas taco.
 
Carne Asada Fries and Carnitas Taco?

Carne Asada Burrito with Sour Cream, Rice n Beans on the side.. ;) Or perhaps a shreded beef taco if ya don't like Beans n Rice.

DJ :D
 
Excellent, thanks for all the info everyone. It sounds like On Cue
is the place to be these days, so I'll probably head over there.

PlynSets, thanks for the invite, but I really had my mind set on
checking out one of the local pool rooms. I'd love to have a game,
though, especially with someone who's familiar with the scenery.
I doubt I'll be feeling extremely "froggy", however, since I left my
pole at home and will be at the mercy of whatever the wall has to
offer.
 
On Cue Billiards and College Billiards.

Before 6pm College Billiards is a good place to go to. After 6pm, it get's a little scary. Lots of gangs...

On Cue Billiards is my personal favorite pool room. Huge parking lot, safe neighborhood and a great owner. They have a monday night 9 ball tournament and wednesday night 8 ball tournament.

If you are just looking to play, Society Billiards in PB has a great deal where if you spend 10 on food you get free pool until 7pm. The food there is good to!

The WPBA is having an event at Viejas next week I think it starts the 18th or 19th. What days are you going to be in town?

Lots of us from this forum post on this board including playinsets, rackem, 1girlwon (?)- sorry if that's not right Tina, and myself. Chances are if you go to On Cue you will run into myself or Tina:)
 
Yeah, I'm not liking the sound of College Billiards. Maybe if it was just myself, but I'll most likely have my wife with me.

Unfortunately, we're only here until Sunday. My somewhat tentative plan is to hit On Cue on Thursday night. Hopefully we will get to meet some of you. We will probably be the only blindingly pale midwesterners in the place. Thanks again for all of the info.
 
sashax415 said:
More importantly than pool, you MUST go to an Albertos and pick up and order of Carne Asada Fries and a Carnitas taco.

Dang you, your making my mouth water.

I lived in Oceanside for 2 years, so i second this.

Mack
 
Since you're in La Jolla, the pool/game room over at UCSD (which is on La Jolla Village Dr.) has great tables for a cheap rate ($4/hr). I go to school there and play all the time...they have 5 Gold Crowns and 2 Olhausen tables that were just re-clothed a year ago (all tables are only a few years old). The pool room is by the main food court, on the 2nd level.

But like others already said, Society (for it's $10 special, plus you're right around that area anyway--although the rails play "springy"), OnCue (since pretty much everyone's there), and College (I'd park along the street instead of down the alley).

Hope you enjoy your visit in S.D.
 
They gutted Gaslamp? That really sucks. A lot of SD's pool players would get together there on Sundays and take advantage of a 5 bucks-all-day special. The tables were Rebco and GC's upstairs and played good.

On Cue is good. Their snooker table played a bit easy and the billiard table isn't heated but its a nice room with a lot of space.

College is a bit seedy but not quite as ghetto as a lot of other places I've been. Safe during most hours- weekend nights are bad like any other low income area of a big city. Heated Rebco billiard tables.

Society is not a players room- the lighting sucks, rails are crap on half the tables, BUT I may have had the best time playing here. Some of the regulars are pretty cool- they just play cheap sets, talk smack, and then chill out in front and watch the amazing display of young lovelies. Pacific Beach is the best part of San Diego anyway. Beach within sight, tons of bars, restaurants. Almost impossible to play serious pool there on a weekend night though. Drinks are expensive but the food is the best of any pool hall in SD by far.

Hungry Stick in Claremont used to be ok. Bad cloth but good tables and decent hamburger joint food.

Get yourself a mahi mahi fish taco or the 7 seas soup at a Bahia restaurant(they have two in PB and La Jolla/Bird Rock). You can get pork or beef anywhere. If you're in La Jolla, go to El Pescador. Its a fresh fish market that sells bowls of cioppino and clam chowder and has the best grilled fish sandwiches I've ever had. My boss from the winery I worked at last harvest said it was the best food he had on the whole trip to SD, including the fancy dinner joints he went to.
 
Aaron_S said:
Excellent, thanks for all the info everyone. It sounds like On Cue
is the place to be these days, so I'll probably head over there.

PlynSets, thanks for the invite, but I really had my mind set on
checking out one of the local pool rooms. I'd love to have a game,
though, especially with someone who's familiar with the scenery.
I doubt I'll be feeling extremely "froggy", however, since I left my
pole at home and will be at the mercy of whatever the wall has to
offer.

No worries, I think I'd be more up for hitting an actual hall as well if I was travelling. Definately go for some Carne Asada before Sunday though!! You won't regret it! ;) :D

DJ
 
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