Craft and Commerce & False Idol Tiki Bar

Craft & Commerce

Craft & Commerce is a restaurant and bar located in the downtown San Diego area of Little Italy. We ventured into Craft & Commerce after we had already had a rather large lunch at Il Fornaio on Coronado Island, so we planned to just have a drink at the bar and knew we wanted to put our name on the waiting list for the the speakeasy, False Idol, located inside the restaurant.

Craft & Commerce has a dark and library-woodsy-cozy cabin feel to it, complete with cougars and other taxidermy all over the walls! We got a chance to read up on the menu before we arrived, and it definitely looked like a meat eaters menu, complete with dishes like bone marrow, which had great reviews, short ribs, burgers and such. Although, Tripadvisor says they are vegetarian friendly as well. Oddly enough, their website does not provide a menu, but we were able to read the online reviews.

The bar was loud and a bit crowded, but it was a Saturday night, so that was to be expected. The outside has a nice fire pit, which many people were also enjoying. The service was a bit slow at first, but once we got the bartender’s attention, he was very attentive.

Also, one thing to note is that neither one of the bars serve vodka. Like…NONE! But they have a great choice of rum, whiskey, bourbon, tequila, wine and beer to choose from. I’m a huge whiskey fan, and they had plenty of fruity rum drinks too, so we managed. But if you only drink potato juice, you may find it hard to find something to suit you.

False Idol Tiki

When our name was called off the waitlist to go into False Idol Tiki Bar, we were excited to begin our adventure. The entrance to the bar is located just past the hostess stand, behind some hanging vines. Take a few steps downstairs and you’re there.

What a fun and festive ambiance there was! There are a lot of flashing lights and “storms” that add to the fun feel of the space. We had great service and an amazing choice of tropical drinks to choose from. Of course we had to order the Alkala the Fierce, which upon arrival at our table, was quickly set on fire! This was a sharable drink, and it definitely hit the spot. You definitely feel like you’re on a tropical island and not in San Diego!

There is a two hour limit in there, which is just fine, as the drinks are a bit expensive, but also strong. Be sure to eat before you go, because when you come back up to the “real world”, chances are you’ll be feeling a bit buzzed. I’m not necessarily saying that’s a bad thing, but you know…

We had a great time and will be going back again. But first, we need to check out some of the other speakeasy’s San Diego has to offer! There are more than you might think!

Cheers!