Blush Ice Bar East + West Kitchen

San Diego, United States

3.9

Closed now

20 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards
Free Wi-Fi

Contacts

QR code, vCard

Telephone:
+1 619-501-9158
Website:
www.blushicebar.com
Address:
555 Market St, San Diego, CA, 92101
b/t Harbor Dr & 6th Ave
Gaslamp
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
0.3 miGaslamp Quarter
0.3 miConvention Center
0.3 miPark and Market
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Bussiness info

Takes Reservations
Yes
Delivery
No
Take-out
Yes
Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Accepts Bitcoin
No
Good For
Dessert
Parking
Garage, Street
Bike Parking
Yes
Wheelchair Accessible
Yes
Good for Kids
No
Good for Groups
Yes
Attire
Casual
Ambience
Casual
Noise Level
Average
Alcohol
Full Bar
Outdoor Seating
Yes
Wi-Fi
Free
Has TV
Yes
Dogs Allowed
Yes
Waiter Service
Yes
Caters
Yes

Today

Today 4:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Closed now
Local time (San Diego) 1:47 PM Thursday, November 28, 2024

Business hours

Monday 4:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Tuesday 4:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Wednesday 4:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Thursday 4:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Friday 4:00 pm – 2:00 am
Saturday 11:00 am – 2:00 am
Sunday 11:00 am – 10:00 pm

Description

Specialties

Blush Ice Bar SD is an exotic array of East + West Kitchen Eats, fully equipped with a raw bar and oysters on ice. Blush also has a drink menu featuring cocktails that highlight all of San Diego’s favorite facets — genius mixologists, great presentations, and just the right amount of awesome. At Blush, it’s all about the environment, the entertainment, and the eats! Happy Hour starts at 3pm daily, stay chill San Diego!

History

Established in 2015.

Taylor Kim and Russ Fukushima grew up in Hawaii and established a lifelong friendship. Their mutual passion for great food and drinks led them on a path to start Blush Ice Bar.

Taylor developed the idea and recipe for the concept’s signature Blush cocktail in 2009. Inspired by the flirtatious atmosphere brought to life in bars, and in search of word that conveyed its slushy beginnings, Taylor decides on the name Blush for the one-​of-​a-​kind cocktail.

Encouraged by the success of the first restaurant and the potential for the brand, Taylor and Russ began a search along the California coast to expand the concept. The criteria for new locations was simple: open new restaurants in places where they personally wanted to live and play. By 2014, they had found an ideal spot in San Diego’s historic Gaslamp Quarter and unveiled the second restaurant, renamed Blush Ice Bar, in the summer of 2015. Thus, Blush Ice Bar San Diego was born.

Meet the Business Owner

Taylor K. — Russ F.

Business Owner

Taylor Kim and Russ Fukushima grew up in Hawaii and established a lifelong friendship. Their mutual passion for great food and drinks led them on a path to start Blush Ice Bar.

After several years working full-​time in the finance and insurance industries and moonlighting as bartender in Seattle, Taylor developed the idea and recipe for the concept’s signature Blush cocktail in 2009. Inspired by the flirtatious atmosphere brought to life in bars, and in search of word that conveyed its slushy beginnings, Taylor decides on the name Blush for the one-​of-​a-​kind cocktail.

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20 reviews of Blush Ice Bar East + West Kitchen

No registration required
Place rating: 4
East Village, San Diego, CA
Awesome place with great ambiance, good food and DELICIOUS drinks! Definitely recommend building your own cocktail! The only problem with Blush is how loud the music gets! So loud you can’t even hear the person sitting right next to you! Felt more like a club, than a bar. Besides that, I’m a huge fan!
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
Met here for a quick cocktail before heading to our main venue for the night…
5 stars for very stiff drinks!
Place rating: 4
San Diego, CA
Neat and chill place to visit during a bar hop around downtown SD. No line or cover to get in and you enter into a realm of good hip hop tunes in the background (albeit playing very loud, but it’s the night scene so I can deal). Drinks are on the cheap for downtown standards. Get their specialty Blush cocktails at $ 9.25 and use the 10% off Unilocal checkin deal. They’re an ‘ice bar’ so originally I thought this implied some type of dry ice setup with their drinks, but actually they are part slush, part liquid gold (aka hard liquor). Because of this, their cocktails are wonderful, sweet, and yummy, but not as strong. Of course, you can turn up on the harder stuff as they mix those too of course. They make a pretty strong Gin and Tonic!
Cool place that I would like to visit during normal business hours as they appear to have very appetizing Asian fusion dishes. Hopefully, I’m able to return to enjoy these.
Place rating: 4
San Diego, CA
Ended up here last night because of a girl giving out 2for1 drink tickets while we were walking to go somewhere else. Glad we ended up here.
The space used to be Wet Willies. It is completely redone and it looks awesome. I had a mango mamba and a snoball shot (i think thats what it was called). The drinks were so good and refreshing. They put some sort of flavored ice in all of the drinks. It’s delicious! The drinks are also reasonably priced for the Gaslamp area.
All of the bartenders were super nice as well. I will be coming back!
Place rating: 4
Rancho San Diego, CA
Some pork belly was in order when I stopped in the Blush for some brunch. In fact, it came in the form of a BLT & Pork Belly inside the sandwich with an added fried egg and a side a house fries totally $ 15.
The pork belly BLT came served on a brioche toast which was well toasted and tasted good. The pork belly was very well braised and seasoned. I liked that it had good crispy ends and very tender flavor inner meat. The smoked cheddar cheese was a little disappointing, mostly because it was hardly noticeable visually nor taste it. However, the bacon that came with the BLT was heavenly. It had that terrific savory pork flavor and a great chewy texture. I was surprised they used simple ice berg lettuce, because I figured they would of used at least Romain or something better. Also, they did not configured the lettuce and pork belly well. They were towards the center of the sandwich which made for some awkward eating, for a sandwich. They need to try to evenly spread the ingredients throughout the sandwich. Kinda like when you spread mayo or butter on bread. On a good note, everything tasted quite good.
The fried egg was well prepared with a slow running yolk and nice flavor. It went very well with the pork belly and bacon of course. The mustard aioli was very nice. It had a smooth creamy texture with a very mild mustard flavor. The fries that came on the side were good and came with a desirable house seasoning mix. Nonetheless, the they should of been a little crispier with a little more of the light golden brown color. They need just bit more of that crisp texture.
Service was good. I could not help that they were a little under staffed for brunch on my visit. It wasn’t till later I learned from a newly arrived employee that the individual on the clock that morning could not make it to work, but they handled things alright under staffed for a bit.
I do like a BLT with added Pork Belly now…
Place rating: 4
San Diego, CA
Crave worthy Brussels sprouts.
This place is never crowded & I don’t know why. They’ve got fabulous appetizers and meals suitable for clients. Haven’t tried their signature cocktails yet. I’ve tried the sirloin tips, salad, burger, and most appetizers and they’re always delicious.
Place rating: 3
San Ramon, CA
Arrived for happy hour around 4:40pm on a Monday. It was really empty. The place is BEAUTIFUL. I could not get over how cute the entire place looked.
The portions served during happy hour were extremely tiny. We ended up spending hella money because we wanted to try everything but it was all average. The drinks were A+ though.
The real stars though were the fried rices we ordered to fill us up after the happy hour dishes failed to do so. The homemade bacon kimchi fried rice was BOMB. I don’t know what the other one we ate was called but it had little scallops in it. Would go back for the fried rice.
Place rating: 3
Los Angeles, CA
Strolled in here on a Saturday night after getting coerced by a promoter for a BOGO (Buy One Get One Free) offer with a group of friends.
The location is very clean. It’s immensely large, all white and there’s plenty of space. The problem I had was the quality of the drinks. I ordered a Dark ‘n’ Stormy and it just was not at all what it should have been.
A bar that’s in the heart of the Gaslamp Quarter that is that nicely designed should be able to make proper drinks.
Place rating: 3
Arlington, VA
It took a while for the staff to acknowledge us, but once they did the service at the bar was good
Loco Moco ($ 13): meh, not our favorite. The gravy tasted a little funny and the ground beef wasn’t really seasoned
Ribs ($ 13): pretty good, I would order these again
Stella (HH price $ 2.75): great price for a Stella
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
Blush has quickly become my favorite happy hour spot in Gaslamp with great food and drinks specials. They have a nice draught list and the Blushies are a great sell for this place. With classic options like a margarita or piña colada or the build your own Blushies, you can’t go wrong… but you can upgrade to premium liquor for just $ 2.00.
The drinks are great and so is the food. With an Asian fusion kitchen they have great apps for happy hour, huge sushi rolls and some amazing entrées. Get a couple orders of edamame, some miso wings and the shrimp rocket rolls for the table and enjoy the atmosphere with some friends. They have plenty of TVs around the bar, which makes this a good place to catch NFL games as well. Maybe it was just one time, but it seemed to be a hot spot for Seahawks fans.
Place rating: 4
San Diego, CA
This is one of those places that I’d rather keep a secret, but you’re bound to find out anyway — so fine. This place is amazing for Sunday football. Why? Because has so much space — and plenty of viewing room for the TVs.
The décor is very open and modern — so chic.
Drinks are delish and they have killer specials for happy hour and football watching. Definitely perfect for some day time imbibement (did i make up that word?) if you partake…
Food wise, it’s not that exciting. But who really cares? Get your game on, your drink and and once you’ve had a few you won’t care what your wings taste like. Trust.
Place rating: 2
San Diego, CA
For looking so chic and for having such a nice restaurant look, Blush Ice Bar East + West Kitchen disappoints. Granted they are still new so I caution readers of my review.
Came here for a friend’s birthday celebration (party of 8). We had reservations on a Friday night and had plans to enjoy a good meal and drinks. After everyone arrived, and with the hostess full knowing that everyone was there, we did not hear from our waitress for 30 minutes. Lucky them that we were happy to catch up while waiting on them. When we finally got tired of even being acknowledged who our server was we had waived someone down and they later brought our waitress, who apologized and said it wasn’t her assigned table but will be happy to be. Okay weird. No need to disclose this isn’t your assigned table. Help us, and then find the right person who will. Plus the night we came here for dinner the restaurant wasn’t even packed.
After finally ordering drinks and getting them, it took another 20 – 30 minutes to put in our food order. And when that finally arrived, it was all meh. Asian fusion tapas style, but you are better off going to a cheaper Asian fusion restaurant in Convoy. Nothing spectacular in flavor or presentation. Definitely not worth the cost, which is probably paying for their rent.
To add on to the night’s so-​so of a dinner, since it was a friend’s birthday we wanted a little something for her to celebrate. So i sought our waitress for whatever they had. Okay so you charge for it but when you tell me its ice cream and its extravagant because it’ll come with nitro smoke, etc., and then its turns out to be just gelato on a bowl, what a complete let down. I think that was the icing on the cake that this place either a) not ready in any capactiy to be open; or b) just is another filler downtown restaurant that will reel tourists in and underwhelm.
Place rating: 4
San Diego, CA
What a chic bar! This use to be Wet Willie’s but I love the transformation! Drinks are a little pricey but worth it!
All white interior with numerous televisions & projectors spread throughout, great for sporting events. My friends & I came here around 10p, no cover but already busy! There are tables throughout the restaurant that are only for dining in & we had to wait for an open spot at the bar. The bartenders are so friendly & made great recommendations for my first time.
I forgot the name of the cocktail I ordered but it was the 1st one on the Cocktail menu! — Omg this drink is absolutely fabulous! Sweet, just how I like it! Pink sugar on the rim, & topped off with slushie. I highly, highly recommend it! You will fall in love.
The food looked mouthwatering & I am already making plans to come again to try the food!
Place rating: 3
Costa Mesa, CA
My friends and I came here for drinks. They serve a variety of drinks, but the most interesting ones to me were the blushes. They give you the option to kind of concoct your own blush, with various icee-​like components, and your choice of the flavor of alcohol to go with it. They also had pre-​made options, like the Lychee Passion Blush, which is what I got.
I’m guessing the drink really depends on who makes it, because mine came out a little less stellar than the other ones I had seen, and it was dripping from all the sides and rather sticking when it came time to drink it. The flavor of the drink itself was good, but it didn’t come together too well because of what i feel was because of the way it was made.
Place rating: 4
La Jolla, CA
I generally don’t expect much from Asian fusion downtown regardless of its Unilocal rating (see my review of J Wok) because the typical clientele (read: non-​Asian) does not always hold the Asian side of the fusion equation up to the highest standard. Fortunately, the food at Blush generally does not disappoint although you have to pay a premium to get it.
I began with the Blush’s signature drink, the «Blushie,» which basically consists of pure deliciousness in the form of juice, fruit purée, and sweet, sweet alcohol. It would be absolutely perfect were it not for the confusing inclusion of cubed instead of blended or crushed ice, which a name that is obviously a portmanteau involving «slushie» implies. Food-​wise, we tended to choose the cheaper options. We started with the quite tasty duck bao before moving on to the sadly flavor-​deficient garlic noodles. All in all, a pleasant experience in a pretty swanky environment.
Summary: At first Blush, I’m a fan.
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
Wow! This place was amazing. My wife and I came here with some friends the week of our wedding. I had never heard of Blush and my wife works nearby so we decided to go here for our celebration dinner. When we first walked in the entire staff was very friendly and accommodating. There was 6 of us and the table they sat us at was too small and they had no issue moving us to a bigger table. The menu had so many choices it was difficult deciding because everything sounded amazing.
When our food came out everything look great and tasted even better. The drinks were also on point. The kimchi fried rice was outstanding. The sushi rolls were really good too. The atmosphere and bar is really well put together. Out waitress got us a round of their specialty Blush cocktails and they were pretty good.
After we had finished eating the head chef Daniel Barron came over to our table asking about our food. He was very genuine and simply looking for feedback. He asked a few questions about the salt content of our food. I had told him I’m big into Unilocal and would write a review. Daniel then went on to mention that a group had came in and tried to ruin them on Unilocal and get a free meal by complaining about the food but eating every bite. So if you are looking at the reviews by a bunch of clowns who gave 1 star and have hardly any reviews don’t believe it. They aren’t true Unilocalers they are lowlifes looking for a scam.
Place rating: 4
San Diego, CA
Great space. Open, casual, trendy. We were a group of 7 people. Will definitely go here again. Drinks are delicious. Lots more food to try. Could see manager very active on the floor.
Drinks: melon mamba (My fav.), lychee passion (Good), Vanilla Vky (most popular), Blush Mojito (least popular)
Ordered: Bacon Shrimp Rocket Rolls (Too salty for me), Sushi Taco (Taco to everything else ratio was off — too much taco), Crispy brussel sprouts (DELISH), Jidori Chicken wings (good), Pork Belly BLT, French Fries, Potato Croquettes, Octopus Karaage
Dessert: Banana fritters (huge ball of white cotton candy — awesome), Green Tea Twinkie (Did not like this at all)
Bathroom: I have a weird thing for checking out bathrooms — there’s was dark, no paper towels available, didn’t smell the best.
Place rating: 4
San Diego, CA
I couldn’t wait to check out this bar for my birthday with friends. This place is sleek, huge, modern, and so pretty! The space includes a raw oyster bar, a dining room with booth seating, and roll-​up doors that open onto a sidewalk patio.
Their menu offers inventive high-​end Asian fusion cuisine and creative blush cocktails called Blushies! Blushies are craft cocktails topped with a float of their exclusive house-​made, fruit-​infused frosted ice. I started with the the lychee passion blushie and my bf had the melon mamba. The drinks are so pretty and somewhat strong (for me).
We ordered the sushi tacos and hamachi spoons to munch on and both starters were really good. Since the portions are bit-​sized, we also got the Skuna bay salmon tataki and the Singapore roll. I wasn’t too hungry since I had ice cream and other stuff before we came lol.
My friends ordered some ramen, rose roll, bacon shrimp rocket rolls, and other stuff that looked very appetizing. They got me frozen apple shooters, a lemon drop, and more blushies throughout the night! I couldn’t finish all the drinks though. Our server did a good job accommodating our party and surprised me with a dessert of my choosing! I actually got two desserts and candles to make more wishes! I will have to come back and try their other menu items and check out their happy hour specials also! Happy hour specials include $ 1 oysters! Too bad Wet Willie’s is gone, but this place seems like it’s here to stay.
Place rating: 5
Irvine, CA
We brought aC here on a Saturday around 4pm for some drinks/​snacks before the Padres game. Blush may be bouncing at night, but it was pretty mellow at that time of day and ended up being very family friendly. I’ll definitely be back.
JIDORI CHICKEN WINGS:
Lollipop cut sesame wings with lots of crunch on the outside, very moist on the inside, and easy to eat. The flavor profile was great but a bit on the salty side. There’s no heat to this dish so it’s good for kids.
BLUSHIES:
I tried the Vanilla Sky– piña colada-​like with pineapple slush on top. It was very tasty, not too sweet, and perfect for a hot day. aC’s create your own, virgin blushie only set us back $ 3.50 so it makes for a nice treat for kids.
Place rating: 4
San Diego, CA
Great vibe, great service, promising menu.
Although I find it extremely lame to the nth degree that I am here for happy hour but they won’t honor happy hour prices because they just opened, I will give them 4 stars for the good they did have.
Was hoping for a taste to try, but instead I buzzed with mango, pineapple Blushie.
4 stars for nice service (Jasmine made it better due to her kindness) and STRONG drinks, especially on an empty stomach. (I refused to order food; it’s the principal that matters)
I have a reservation for a big group soon. I hope they deliver!!! Menu looks bomb.