Landlord Jim’s

Forget the fact that it’s closed, this is more to remember what was. For many years until 2008 this place was the spot to be. Before U-​31 and North Park blew up. The scene was PB, then DT, then North park, but this was none of those hot beds, it was in and of itself the area you wants to know and be at. It didn’t have the beachy bro style of PB, didn’t have the no identity dive bar from DT and wasn’t filled with hipsters like much of North Park is now. It was simply put, Cheers, McLarens in that it’s a favorite hangout, but they also had some of the sickest DJ’s around later in the week. Cheap cocktails and strong drinks they used to serve them in pint glasses versus say a highball glass. Beers were cheap and they served their PBR’s in brown bags so it wasn’t weird taking one for the road (not driving of course). I prefer the term «road sodas», but this place was where hip hop lived. What some might call hoddy, ghetto crowd was just people who loved the roots of hip hop. Maybe differentiate between biker bars and dive bars because I’m fairly certain the level of «ghetto» ness isn’t accurate. This place could get packed, completely fill up sometimes, just line out the door, shoulder to shoulder, just packed, but still dancing. Imagine U-31’s Generations Party, but in a bar, not a club. The reason I look back so nostalgically and decided to Unilocal so late was there is a reunion party 11÷11÷11 at El Dorado or «edlo» put on by the former owners daughter and DJ KidRiz. I have yet to find an all encompassing place like this and San Diego may have lost a great one. You don’t have places like this around here, maybe in LA, but not here.

On this unproductive Friday afternoon, I am feeling really nostalgic about Landlord Jim’s. I’m suddenly missing it and remembering how I spent my early 20s at this bar, drunk off my ass. I still pass by this place and look at the corner where I once (more than once actually) puked or the sidewalk that I used to sit and smoke a cigarette with my friends. I will always compare new bars to Landlord Jim’s stating the obvious — it’s not dirty enough, it’s not cheap enough, and it’s not fun enough. Bartenders here were always super cool, super nice. The music never failed you and the people you met there were ALWAYS interesting.
Every Friday night was practically spent here with my friends. In a few hours, it will be a Friday night and I can’t say — «let’s do the obvious and go to Landlords!»

T_​T
you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone.
5 stars.

Rest in Peace, son.
You will be missed for your tall-​cans-​in-​paper-​bag-​at-​not-​so-​outrageous-​price.
You will not be missed for your retarded setup, though I think we both know you didn’t have much to work with, given the 10×10 storefront you were housed in.

Dang gentrification!
I discovered Junior (the Discopunk), 40’s served in a paper bag and the funkiest crowd around. Kung Fu flicks would playing the screen as the rest of us searched for a space to hang out.
To my once regular hangout, you will be greatly missed.

Man, when a pal introduced me to you, you were on your way out. Sad.
*sigh*
Godspeed Landlord Jim.

LJ’s you will be missed! You were definitely in my top five of best places to go to for drinks/​dancing in SD. I could walk into your joint with 20 bucks and leave more than just a little bit tipsy (no flask required) and the music selection by the DJs was often second-​to-​none. Where else could you hear a mash-​up that includes Nice & Smooth and Depeche Mode all in one set? My only gripe is that you guys didn’t take plastic (I always had to hit up the ATM).
Most downtowners who frequent places like The Ivy or Stingaree would never appreciate a place like yours – and it’s probably just as well. I’m actually pretty sad that you’re closed down. It feels like a great friend has just moved out of town. Thanks for the memories!

*****An ode, to Landlord Jim’s*****
Landlord Jim’s, you were so swell.
I enjoyed you’re beers, shots, and mixed drinks from the well.
You gave me that tasty buzz when I needed it the most.
Now you’re days are done, you’re burnt like burnt toast.
Sure, you were run down… sure, you were dumpy.
But the thought of you gone makes Ruggy real grumpy.
The warm, mood lighting and graffiti-​art on the walls.
It’ll be nothing but rubble when the wrecking-​ball falls.
Imminent domain sucks, but there’s not much we can do.
So I’ll brown-​bag my beer and shout «this Bud’s for you.»
I won’t drink it all, I had Snoop and Dre show me.
For this proper farewell, I’ll pour some out for my homey.
R.I.P. Landlord Jim’s. My liver will miss you.

I’ve chosen to honor LLJ’s on the eve of it’s final day…
Here are a few tidbits from our relationship:
My first time here, when the bartenders said «Last Call for alcohol» I heard a guy nearby yell out «You mean last call for pu$$y!»
I’ve flashed for free shots here on many occasions, many years ago. There is a black-​mail worthy polaroid of one of these instances floating around San Diego somewhere…
I got into a really bad car accident out front, turning left on a green light as a girl was pulling away from the curb. Not a good memory, but I can’t fail to include it here… after all, I was leaving the warm, crowded confines of LLJ’s to pick up a friend.
And last, but most certainly not least… My friend Mitch Wilson deserves a mention. He is by far one of the most jovial people one could possibly ever be around, and he makes a mean Tijuana Tittie Twister, among a long list of other mixiological talents.
OH Landlord Jim’s (which was the home of Serena’s record-​scratch moment with the phrase «So I was, like, STRIPSEARCH– F*CK THAT!») I would never break up with you, but I can’t help that you are leaving us. If I could, I would.

Oh, Landlord Jim’s. I will miss you when you close your doors in a few days. Sure, I don’t come by to see you as often as I used to, but whenever I did come by, it was quality time.
I remember when I first started gracing you with my presence, when Junior started working here. He and I knew each other from Ken Club, plus he was my Filipino kababayan so I was all about the love for his new bar digs. Plus, you let the bartenders make our drinks «husky». Those were the days.
I have a lot of good memories from hanging out at your bar. Crazy dance nights, a couple of NYE’s, and an annual birthday appearance with a special friend of mine who I first brought here when I took him on a dive bar tour of SD. This was always our bar, where we drank red headed sluts and cozied up in a booth.
I am sad that I won’t be able to make more memories here but at least I’ll always have the ones that I still hold dear. So long and goodnight, Landlord Jim’s.

I love the music here! None of that top 50 bullshit that is played in most of the clubs downtown. And the walls! Too bad I didn’t have any markers on me, I wanted to add to all the random art.
The most memorable thing had to be seeing my friend buy a beer from the bar, and seeing it wrapped in a brown paper bag, classic.
Another thing that I absolutely loved was that I had no trouble parking.
Too bad, I hear they are closing.

(1) Good Prices
(2) Good Strong Drinks
(3) Great mix of local and hired Dj’s
(4) In Downtown without the «Downtown»
(5) Always good atmosphere!
This is «A Diamond in the rough» in San Diego. Get there soon, cause it is going to close very soon! It’s a small establishment with a sketchy entrance… but once your in, you completely forget what you were doing, how your were doing it, and begin to be transported into your own little world of Memory lane, making a memory, or even just knock down a drink, and forget it all! It takes about a minute to get used too, but once it takes it’s hold, it’s hard to not think about the next time you might want to go back!!!
I recomend you go on «Friday»! — if you go «Say Hi» we’ll be there!
:)

Okay, this review might be a little bias.
I saw Questlove from The Roots spinning here.
He rocked the best of the best hip hop while sneaking in some wild stuff like a Bobby Brown jam and some Sesame Street. To quote one of my partners in crime: It was everything I wanted it to be! I can’t believe this place will be closed in January. There is nothing bad I could say about this divey little place. They have graffiti painted on the walls, which gets an extra star in my book. Drinks are cheap and strong, as they should be. The location is cool because it’s not in the middle of all the downtown hype. There is no sign on the door, just a neon glow that says «cocktails». If you’re a hip hop head lost in the abyss of San Diego’s lacking scene, you can find comfort here… at least till January.

;)
My kind of place along the outskirts of the Gaslamp District.
This place is a dive bar. It is supposed to be dark and dirty. They are supposed to have hard, cheap drinks. Landlord Jim’s executes the definition very well. They even have hooks under the bar for your jacket or purse– the mark of a real fucking bar, in my opinion.
I came here for the first time last night for my best friend’s birthday party and we had a swell time. There was no pretentious line at the door, nobody was dressed in club attire– it was perfect. The DJ was awesome spinning the old school shit, god I felt like I was in 6^th grade again. $ 3 drinks until 10:00 PM. We were obviously wasted by 9:30 PM and the bartenders kept the hard drinks pouring until 1:00 AM –by then of course, I was outside bumming cigarettes from folks.
It is a fucking shame this place will be closing down on January 5, 2008. They’re probably going to turn it into some god awful place where you have to pay $ 30.00 and sign off your first born to the club before it arrives.
My head is still throbbing from the Jack and Coke. Take it to the head my friends, to the head!

This year, I’m asking Santa to get me a bulletproof vest and an uzi so I can come back to this place. Just drive-​by and you’ll know what I’m talking about.
Anyways, this place is great if you are into the «alternative» (no, not the music) scene. Very «Hillcrest-​y.» Gotta love the tall boys (24 oz) in the paper baggies.

There are a few reasons I love this place:
1) Made me feel like a super cool bad ass… I brought some friends there– girls who are a little, well, not dive bar material to say the least. Dragged them there in fact… only to walk in two steps and be greeted by a dude being body slammed onto the floor by the bouncer. HA! My girls were in shock, not moving, and I calm and cool like– said c’mon, lets get inside where the tunes are good… and smoothly stepped over the dude to order a drink. HA! Bad ass cool chick am I! The girls skidded in behind me. Too add to the bad ass factor, you can get beer in a brown paper bag. I love feeling ghetto.
2) Music can be REALLY REALLY good. I saw Melo-​D from the Beat Junkies (and if you don’t know who they are, please be a proper music person and look ‘em up). AWESOME! And free. To top the night off, one of the dudes from Rocksteady Breakdancing Crew was there and f*9king hit the floor! I was amazed!
3) It’s another of those tucked away places. Pretty much can only spot it by the neon martini glass in the window. I love the places that make me feel stealth.
4) It’s little. And there’s local art on the wall. And it’s red. I’ve got a thing for red. Don’t ask why.
Yeah, so all in all, this place is cool… just like me.

hmmmm, me thinks I give this place 5 stars purely for the reason being my landlord.
Who is named Jim.
5 stars for the name alone, suckers!

There are not many places you can get a tall can of beer in a paper bag… so that deserves 4 stars right there. And the drinks are always stiff just the way I like them! When you order drinks try to get them from the blonde girl with the tatt’s she makes them STRONG!!!
Music on Fridays is awesome! If you like old skool shit like i do you’ll love it… you might find yourself dancing to Motown Philly or Bobby brown at some point… I love it when DJ’s spin shit that you don’t usually hear or you have long forgotten about… it’s wonderful. :) Better than the crap a lot of other places are playing…
Just make sure to bring cash, they don’t take cards…

Venice and Hollywood Friday night… then its down to SD Saturday night.
This place is a great little spot in the downtown «gaslamp». A definite jewel. I was lucky enough to be taken here after Pokeyz this past Saturday. They were having an art show next door and you can tell a lot of that spills over into this place with random art work displayed on the walls. Black and red seem to be this places favortie colors. All the whilst the DJ was playing old school hip-​hop ranging from KRS-​ONE to Gangstarr to Common and Talib.
And best of all…$ 3 drinks from 7−10pm!
This is a downtown «dive bar» at its best, a great change in scenery if you are looking to get away from the typical «gaslamp» club/​bar.

No Taps!!! Who’s the genius that thought up a dive lacking any fresh frothiness? To me that’s worth a star in itself, and with all the local microbrew options you’d think that someone – say Jim – would capitalize on the opportunity. No, instead they thought they’d just keep it basic and cater to hipsters that think PBR is cool because it tastes like rancid, mildew water in a can (But hey, Portland’s doing it?
).
Regardless, I’m not going to hate on Landlords because of their hipster following – I think every dive has a hipster following. Shit I think I might fall in that crowd. But this place actually has some upsides. One is the deejays, which are better than any other dive in town can claim. Even when there’s not a set, the background tracks are anything but typical (i.e. Rakim, Das EFX and oldskool JayZ [if there is such a thing]). Hands down some of the most extensive tunes in San Diego, but only because most places don’t try here.
Secondly, as with any good dive, they have cheap, strong drinks. Just don’t plan on any hoity-​toity top shelf ish. Their stuff is more analagous to rubbing alcohol and gives you a nice battle to fight the following day. But it’s all good when you’re ordering rounds for less than a 20 spot. In addition to cheap drinks there’s no cover.
What’s more, is the art gallery-​esque set up on the West wall that displays works from the neighboring Voz Alta art gallery. The works are usually a great convo starter and are often on sale. You have to check them out if you go. As for the trampoline; not when I went. But no biggie, my drunken conversations and photo sessions were enough to keep me busy. And for that I’m grateful since the bartender wasn’t easy to warm up to (pretentiousness at a dive, c’mon).
The morgue-​like feel of this tunnel lent a nice touch too, and really creeps out the people who shouldn’t be there. Overall, it’s got some high points – the artistic vibes– but I wouldn’t traverse here to dive. For me it’s a great Friday, after work spot with friendly crowds and good conversations. Right, if these walls could talk. But they can’t, so throw down another $ 20 and throw back four more. Cheers.