9 San Diego Stops Serving Up Spritz Season
San Diego’s rooftops, boardwalks and Little Italy corners are all in on the aperitivo hour, and we mapped out exactly where to find the best pour in town. Consider this your permission slip to make happy hour a personality trait. There’s also a new face crashing the party: the Sarti Spritz, a blush-pink upstart built on blood orange, mango and passion fruit that’s already flooding social feeds faster than anyone can restock it. For those who prefer their aperitivo with a little more bite, the Campari Spritz delivers, and for anyone skipping the alcohol, the Crodino Spritz keeps the ritual without the buzz.
Whether you’re chasing an Oceanside sunset or a Little Italy patio seat, here are the spots keeping San Diego’s glass half full one spritz at a time.
Tropical Rooftop Escape
Four stories above downtown Oceanside, palm shadows stretch across a tiled terrace where disco balls spin over flamingo-shaped beer taps. Cococabana Rooftop Bar turned the top of the Brick Hotel into a Caribbean-leaning hideout, and it plays the part well. The kitchen sends out coconut shrimp and skirt steak from an exhibition setup built around a charcoal Josper oven, while the bar leans tropical with sippers like the Mango Guava Spritz. Weekend brunch brings Campo Viejo cava mimosas and a coconut-cup signature drink built for the gram. Sunset here turns the whole rooftop orange before anyone’s ordered a drink.
Cococabana Rooftop Bar
408 Pier View Wy
Oceanside, CA 92054
858.304.7725
M-W, 3-9 p.m.; Th, 3-10 p.m.; F, 3-midnight; Sa, 10 a.m.-midnight; Su, 10 a.m.-8 p.m.
Boardwalk Sunset Sips
Waterbar has anchored Pacific Beach’s boardwalk since 2018, with floor-to-ceiling windows that turn every seat into a front-row view of the Pacific. The 6,700-square-foot space pulls from East Coast, West Coast and Baja traditions, so a lobster roll and a plate of ceviche can share a table without any argument. It’s the kind of place that does a lot without losing its identity. Whether it’s brunch overlooking the ocean, date night at sunset or a high-energy night out, the welcome never changes. Seasonal menus and live entertainment give locals a reason to keep coming back.
Complimentary parking and room for large parties make it as easy to gather here as it is to linger. The bar program leans just as coastal, with flavor-forward craft cocktails alongside local microbrews and a wine list deep enough to make a decision genuinely difficult. Snag a stool, order a Surf City Spritz and let the boardwalk do the entertaining.
Waterbar
4325 Ocean Blvd
San Diego, CA 92109
858.888.4343
M-Th, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; F, 11 a.m.-2 a.m.; Sa, 10 a.m.-2 a.m.; Su, 10 a.m.-9 p.m.
Poolside Retro Glam
The Pool Bar at The Lafayette Hotel has been the unofficial living room of University Heights since 1946, and it keeps that mid-century glamour running around the clock. A sun-drenched stone patio cascades down into a checkered pool and connecting garden-like deck, surrounded by bougainvillea, citrus and jasmine. Brightly colored scalloped umbrellas shade striped chaise lounges and rattan clamshell chairs along the pool’s perimeter, all designed to evoke 1980s luxury via the Amalfi Coast. Palm trees frame a sprawling swim club that doubles as San Diego’s most photogenic day-drinking backdrop, while the hotel’s speakeasy and 24-hour diner keep the night going well past last call elsewhere.
Aperitivos, spritzes and refreshing bites keep the pool-side menu dialed in. The Pool Bar itself pours from mid-morning into the night, so a spritz in a lounge chair can easily turn into dinner at Quixote just steps away. Make the most of your visit with a Swim Pass, available from 8 to 11 a.m. via OpenTable. It’s equal parts throwback and current, which is basically The Lafayette’s whole personality.
The Pool Bar at The Lafayette Hotel
2223 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92104
619.296.2101
Daily, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.
Beer Hall Meets Bubbles
Nolita Hall earned its name because it sits just north of Little Italy, and it earned its following because it does big, communal energy better than almost anywhere downtown. Upscale food and drinks with a casual neighborhood bar vibe, it’s the kind of place that makes Tuesday feel worth celebrating. Skylights pour light over a U-shaped bar pulling 24 taps, while a wood-fire oven turns out hot honey and ricotta pizzas built for splitting.
Tuesday through Thursday happy hour runs 5 to 6 p.m., and Friday kicks off at 4 p.m., with half-off specialty cocktails, glasses of wine and 17 oz. beers. Order the C’mon Barbie, Campari and prosecco with grapefruit, and it qualifies as your spritz moment whether the menu calls it one or not. Weekend brunch adds dirty fries and orange cinnamon rolls into the mix. Grab a table on the patio, order a round and don’t be surprised if a plane flies low overhead. It’s directly in the San Diego airport’s flight path, and regulars treat it like a bonus feature.
Nolita Hall
2305 India St
San Diego, CA 92101
619.255.8000
Closed Monday; T-Th, 5-10 p.m.; F, 4-midnight; Sa, 11 a.m.-midnight; Su, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
Little Italy’s Aperol Corner
Vincenzo Cucina & Lounge sits right on the Piazza della Famiglia, and it holds a title no other restaurant in the neighborhood can claim: San Diego’s only dedicated Aperol Bar. The street-side setup pours spritz towers built for sharing, right alongside a menu anchored by a six-wheel Cheese Wheel Pasta Bar that turns dinner into a small production. During happy hour, a classic Aperol Spritz runs $10, or go social with a Spritz Tower for four at $45, served with bruschetta, or a Spritz Tower for eight at $80 for the full group moment.
The towers turn the Italian aperitivo tradition into something worth gathering around, especially paired alongside a rotating seasonal plate or the signature cheese wheel pasta prepared tableside. Daily happy hour runs from 3 to 6 p.m., which lines up perfectly with aperitivo hour the way founder Vincenzo Loverso intended. Order the Aperol Spritz and watch Little Italy’s evening foot traffic roll by like a live show you didn’t have to buy tickets for.
Vincenzo Cucina & Lounge
550 W Date St
San Diego, CA 92101
619.255.0958
M-Th, 9 a.m.-10 p.m.; F, 9 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sa, 8 a.m.-11 p.m.; Su, 8 a.m.-9 p.m.
Fast Lane, Slow Sip
Maranello just landed in Little Italy with a Ferrari-red theme and a wine list that doesn’t leave Italy once. The newcomer leans into a gran turismo through Northern Italy, with tableside cheese wheel presentations, duck pappardelle and a charcoal bread served with spicy whipped butter regulars can’t stop mentioning. Its Testarossa Spritz nods straight at the racing theme without taking itself too seriously, a fitting drink for a dining room dotted with racing memorabilia. It’s still finding its footing as a soft opening, but the ambition and aperitivo hour are in high gear.
Maranello
2101 Kettner Blvd
San Diego, CA 92101
619.303.0415
Su-Th, 4-9:30 p.m.; F-Sa, 4-11 p.m.
Bay View Aperitivo
Seneca Trattoria sits nineteen floors above the Marina District, turning a Roman holiday into a rooftop patio overlooking North San Diego Bay from the top of the InterContinental Hotel San Diego. Every pasta is made by hand, every sauce is built from scratch, and the Wagyu bolognese has become a signature order for a reason. The menu pulls from San Diego’s local seafood alongside fresh pastas, pizzas and porterhouse steaks grilled on a wood-burning hearth, while the cocktail program spans five categories: spritz, long, fix, gin down, whiskey and agave. The 1,200-square-foot rooftop bar and patio keeps the aperitivo spirit going with crafted cocktails and a wine list built for sipping slowly. Reservations are recommended for the dining room, but walk-ins are welcome at the rooftop bar, so a spontaneous spritz run is always on the table. Come for sunset, stay for the skyline once the lights turn on.
Seneca Trattoria
901 Bayfront Ct, L19
San Diego, CA 92101
619.877.8642
Su-Th, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; F-Sa, 11 a.m.-11 p.m.
Gaslamp Date Night Staple
Long before it was the Palihotel, this Gaslamp landmark was the St. James Hotel, an eleven-story tower built in 1912. These days, the ground floor belongs to Saint James French Diner, where the utilitarian charm of an American diner meets the subtle polish of a French bistro. The menu runs from shared mussels and ratatouille to burgers, approachable enough for a weekday lunch and relaxed enough for a weekend brunch. Weekday happy hour runs from 3 to 6 p.m., pouring spritzes and wine alongside an unpretentious menu that doesn’t take itself too seriously. It’s a rare spot where a first date and a girls’ night could land at the same bar, and both feel right at home.
Saint James French Diner
828 6th Ave
San Diego, CA 92101
619.678.1007
Breakfast M-F, 7-11 a.m.; Sa-Su, 7-10 a.m.; lunch M-F, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.; happy hour M-F, 3-6 p.m.; dinner daily, 5-9 p.m.; brunch Sa-Su, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Coronado’s Coastal Villa
By the Sea recently opened in Coronado, and it’s worth making a reservation. Created by the Black Swan Hospitality team behind Nolita Hall, Doug and Lara Hamm spent three years drawing inspiration from the Amalfi Coast, French Riviera and Greek Isles to build a 6,500-square-foot second-story restaurant that feels more coastal villa than dining room. Cobblestone entry, eucalyptus wood trellis, willow reed thatching and a travertine bar that seats 24 set the scene. The menu runs from scallop crudo and tuna tartare to linguine and clams, lamb cavatelli and a dramatic seafood tower built for sharing. Bar manager Andrew Phillips’ cocktail list includes The Mariner, built with rum, Aperol, passionfruit and pineapple, which makes a strong case for the spritz occasion. Coronado finally has its aperitivo moment.
By the Sea
1300 Orange Ave
Coronado, CA 92118
Reservations at bythesea.co
W-Th, 4-11 p.m.; F-Sa, 4-midnight; Su-M, 4-11 p.m.; closed Tuesday (hours subject to change)
Across all nine stops, ask your bartender about the full Campari portfolio: the bold Campari Spritz for those who take their aperitivo seriously, and the Crodino Spritz for a zero-proof option that still belongs at the table. Ready to make it at home? Find Aperol near you and bring the spritz season home.
Q&A:
What is a Sarti Spritz? The Sarti Spritz is a pink Italian aperitivo cocktail made with Sarti Rosa, an Italian liqueur infused with Sicilian blood orange, mango and passion fruit. It’s fruitier and less bitter than a classic Aperol Spritz, typically built with prosecco and a splash of soda water.
Where can I get an Aperol Spritz in Little Italy, San Diego? Vincenzo Cucina & Lounge on the Piazza della Famiglia runs San Diego’s only dedicated Aperol Bar, pouring spritzes and spritz towers street-side throughout the day.
What is the best rooftop bar in San Diego for sunset drinks? Seneca Trattoria’s 19th-floor patio over San Diego Bay and Cococabana’s rooftop above Downtown Oceanside both deliver standout sunset views paired with a full cocktail menu.
Is Sarti Rosa the same brand as Aperol? Sarti Rosa and Aperol are both part of the Campari Group’s aperitivo portfolio, but they are distinct brands with different flavor profiles: Sarti Rosa leans fruity and floral, while Aperol stays herbal and citrus-forward.
What is San Diego’s Local Summer spritz guide? It’s a running list of the city’s top spots for aperitivo-style cocktails, from Little Italy patios to Pacific Beach boardwalks, all serving up spritzes made with Aperol, Campari, Sarti or Crodino throughout the summer season.
