Jimmy Love’s

Jimmy Love’s is one of San Diego’s best bars! The staff alone makes it worth while going to. Along with a live band 7 nights a week, it really doesn’t get better than this place. I highly recommend visiting Jimmy’s. It really is a landmark representing the gaslamps vibrant nightlife!

We had a group of parents out for a date night. We called ahead and reserved the elevated area at the end of the bar, near the entrance. it was a perfect location, because for us old folks, the music would have been a little loud if we were located anywhere else in the bar.
Kind of a cool joint, the night we were there they were playing hip hop downstairs and had a live band upstairs. The average age was not too young, which we appreciated.
We didn’t order any food, so nothing to say on that front. Overall, Jimmy Loves host a nice night out for us.

NYE 2014, visited w/​out-​of-​town friends & family, one of whom was my cousin celebrating his 30^th bday.
A belligerently-​drunk man, whom I had noticed starting fights that night on two separate occasions w/​different parties, smashed a glass w/​out reason on my cousin’s forehead, as my cousin had done nothing to aggravate the drunk man in any way.
My cousin was hauled away in an ambulance with his face and clothes drenched in blood.
10 stitches later, we made it home at about 5am. Needless to say, this ruined what was supposed to be a fun night celebrating the new year and my cousin’s 30^th bday.
The incident caused a big scene. I learned Jimmie Love’s had only four security staffed that night for the hundreds if not thousands of guests it had on two levels.
When I asked the manager why he was so short-​staffed on security for such a big event, he basically laughed in my face.
The drunk jerk-​off was arrested and will have his day in court.
Way to keep your guests safe, Jimmie Love’s.

Pleasantly surprised with our experience given the average rating on this establishment. We were a party of 6 and came on Halloween night. I had made reservations, but apparently, they weren’t received ?! We requested a front row seat in the patio and we got it. Great people watching, even if it’s not Halloween.
Anyways, we were lucky enough to catch the tail end of Happy Hour (5−7p daily).
$ 4 wells, drafts and house wines. $ 5 appys. Damn what an awesome deal!
We pretty much ordered 2 – 3 of everything on the menu, to include:
–Vegan stack: Chips and dip basically.
–Cheese Steak Fries: Steak fries and cheese whiz.
–Buffalo Chicken Pizza: I didn’t care for this it had crumbled blue cheese. Just tasted funny.
–Steamed Shrimp Potstickers: Only comes with 4, but it was still decent.
–Magic Meatballs: Tempura fried meatballs with dipping sauces. 1 of my 2 fave appys.
–BBQ wings: WOW. This was all our fave! Crunchy and sweet BBQ sauce. I’d come back just for those!
The service was great. We were checked up on often and our plates were cleared immediately. I think it got to the point where there service felt like they were trying to get rid of us!
Nonetheless, we had a great time. There was a live band that was playing alternative music that started at 8p. The boys were happy that there were several TVs at the bar where they can watch the football games. Multi-​level and I believe there’s clubbing downstairs on the weekends. The bathrooms are located downstairs. 2 – 3 blocks from Horton, so easy to park and walk over.
Diggin’ this place and I would come back for their Happy Hour and to try their steak dinners and burgers.

The food wasn’t bad but I just wasn’t feeling this place. On top of that, service on the patio for dinner was completely horrible, but we didn’t want to sit inside because of the mediocre hipster music blaring on the inside. I did enjoy the coconut shrimp but after a few of them the taste was a little overwhelming. My boyfriend’s Philly cheesesteak with cheese whiz was exceptional though… I was moping about not finding a great place to eat so he let me eat a lot of it XD.

I came here a while back, about more than a year ago. I don’t know why until now Im going to write this review, but ehh, don’t judge me! I can still taste their giant stuffed mushrooms, which were the best mushrooms I have ever had in my life. We came here for a night out in the nice but crazy bustling area otherwise known as The Gaslamp. The nightlife here is awesome. You will most definitely enjoy it. The service here was awesome. We didn’t even wait 5 minutes before we were sat down. Our waiter was very prompt with us. Great experience. Would definitely look forward to coming back next time Im in town.

We celebrated a birthday at Jimmy Love’s this past Saturday. We had a group of around 20 people. They were nice enough to accommodate such a big group. We arrived there around 7pm.
We placed our food order and it seemed like it took them a while to get our orders out. When the food came out, the guy delivering the food kept calling the dishes something else, so it confused everyone.
My parents and I ordered the pork loin, flat iron steak and the philly cheesesteak sandwich. The pork loin was not visually appealing and didn’t have any flavor at all. I had to keep adding salt and pepper just to get it to taste better. The philly cheesesteak sandwich didn’t have cheese and didn’t have a lot of flavor either. The flat iron was definitely the best out of the three dishes but even then, it wasn’t anything special.
When the orders came out, they approached the birthday celebrant who ordered the crab cakes appetizer. They said that our group placed two orders of the crab cakes which was not true. When no one claimed the order, one of the hostesses came back and told the birthday celebrant that if no one claims it, she has to pay for it. Then, one of the people in the group also ordered pork loin but didn’t get his food with everyone else. It was already 45 mins after the food came out, so we followed up on it. They told him that it will take another 30 – 45 mins for the dish to come out. Not sure if they forgot to place the order since I got my pork loin already. So the couple ended up just cancelling that order. Good thing he was able to share his wife’s meal.
My parents and I left the group around 9:30 p.m. According to the rest of the group, our hostess came out with another order of pork loin. When the group asked who ordered it, our hostess said my parents and I placed the order. So they had to dispute that again.
On a positive note, they were able to accommodate our big group and wasn’t a stickler about everyone not being there all at once for us to get seated. The performer they had sounded really nice. They also gave the celebrant a shot for her birthday.
Word of advice if you do go here for food, get your orders straight and keep following up.
Unfortunately, I won’t be coming back here for food again, maybe for the entertainment but that’s it. It was a true disappointment. Also, people shouldn’t have to keep disputing their orders like that. It definitely left a bad taste in our mouth.

Leave this place before last call on Friday night. The bartenders, bouncers, and guests turn into jerks at 1:30am; like Cinderella and the carriage turning into pumpkin at midnight.
The bartender Steven threw copious amounts of ice at my and my two girls friends at the table we were sitting; the bouncer started hitting on us a gross rude way; and one of the guests started making disparaging remarks towards my friend visiting from Germany, telling her «You’re German? Get the fuck out of here». Won’t be going back to this place.

Friday night funnnnnn! Came here on a Friday night after walking around Gaslamp looking for somewhere fun, come as you are in terms of attire, and without a cover. This place was PERFECT! Walked in around 10:30 and there was a decent sized crowd already-​not too crowded not too empty.
Had a pickle back shot almost immediately upon entering and from there the rest of the details get a little hazy lol. I remember there bring a band playing upstairs. After dancing to a few of the bands tunes we headed downstairs where top 40 and hip hop were playing. Not too many people were dancing but the music was goooood so we took over and rocked the dance floor alllll night long! A few shots later and the rest is a blur. I payed for it the next morning (and afternoon) but it was totally worth the fun we had!

One star only because I can’t do NO stars.
Stopped in last night (or this morning) around 1:00am. Usually this means we’re each chugging 3 – 4 drinks in those 30 minutes (before last call). Well… I step to the bar & attempt to order my drink.
The place was pretty empty. It was a Thursday after all. We’re all here keeping the celebration going. We just left Qualcomm Stadium. The bartender makes eye contact with me but continues his conversation with another couple. So he finally walks over & asks what I’ll have. I order my usual, a Cadillac margarita. He then asks in a snotty & RUDE manner, «So you want ONE drink & FIVE straws?!» Then looks over at the crowd I walked in with. It was a crowd of about 10. I’m left in shock! Like really?! What was he insinuating? We (or I) couldn’t afford more than ONE drink?
At this point he walks away & so do I. I no longer want a drink! I was left in shock! That was just plain RUDE! I happen to think I’m a great tipper & obviously was at the bar because I had money for a drink or possibly TEN!
Point of this review… Bad service. NO customer service skills. Thumbs down. Nothing makes a great bar like awesome service from outstanding bartenders who serve tasty drinks.
Unlike the bartender the bouncer was extremely nice. He gets 5 stars.
Never again!

Went here while planning on going home, after a few drinks, after being too tired to want to dance any more, after being 3 hours ahead with jetlag, and ended up staying for an hour the band was so damn killer! The crowd was a bit older (30-something’s dominated), but the vibe was super fun and it felt like an episode of Glee… with dancing!

Surprisingly huge space in the Gaslamp Quarter which gets quite busy on the weekends.
Upstairs is the main restaurant and performance space which gets really loud with live music. If this isn’t for you, there’s a separate dance floor downstairs, which is cozier, more rustic, and more loungey, and has its own DJ and a relatively uncrowded bar. Actually a good spot to get some conversation in as you can hear your friends over the music.
As others have mentioned, they do clear out drinks very fast if you leave them on a table, so watch out for them if you haven’t finished yours.

They need more seat!!! Live band was amazing! Bathroom are downstairs and clean!!! No cover charge, yay!!!

My friends and I were walking around Gaslamp looking for a place to eat and came upon this little joint. They had a pretty decent live band playing some good hip hop music. It was a little loud in there for dinner, but it’s a good place to go there to dance. They’ve got a small dance floor in front of the stage.
The food here is average. I ordered the pretzel burger. The bun was not very impressive. I thought it was a little stale. We did get a nice surprise though, if you check in on Unilocal,you get a free shot from sun-​thurs.
Over all, an average restaurant in Gaslamp. The intense competition of amazing restaurants in that area will probably prevent me from visiting this place a second time in the near future.

Went here yesterday (Saturday night) after walking through the plethora of choices in the Gas Lamp. Was looking for something to eat and heard the live music so we decided why not, who turns down a dinner and a show?
Checked in on Unilocal and discovered you get a free shot for doing so. Even though you can only redeem Sunday-​Thurs my waitress hooked it up. They have a decent amount of beers on tap too (I went with Guinness) and a pretty stocked bar. This is probably important since there are so many bars in the area. Prices were very reasonable.
Food decided on the Philly Cheesesteak which was alright, no complaints. The thick cut fries were very good though.
And the whole time the band was rocking out with the classics. Songs you normally would choose in Karaōke, great ballads, rock jams, etc. So all in all a good experience. Alcohol, music, and food. A perfect place to start your night in my opinion.

No thanks to the welcome shot and I hate that it is blocking my Unilocal app.
The band tonight is almost as bad as the sound system and souring my drink.
Poor bartenders. They were trying hard to be professional, but it was obvious that they couldn’t love their job.

3.5 stars
Live music, decent food, overpriced drinks. Those are the three things that pop into my head when I think of Jimmy Loves.
It’s no secret that this is one of the places to go if you’re looking to be serenaded by a live band. The sultry tones of that night’s musicians always stream out of the restaurant and onto the street. You can peek in and see that people are enjoying themselves as they listen to the music. Having high quality musicians is always a bonus, in my opinion.
The food is surprisingly okay. They have a good selection of appetizers, and the salads are quite tasty. I’ve never had an actual dinner here, though, so I can’t comment on the rest of the menu.
The drink prices are crazy high. When you’re stopping in with your girlfriends for a few drinks and maybe a small bite to eat, you don’t expect to be reamed on a drink as simple as a Vodka 7. But reamed we were (at least, we sure felt like we had been robbed.)
Overall, it’s a good atmosphere with a friendly-​ish wait staff. I go back for the music, the different appetizers and salad offerings and the feel of the place, but I don’t go back for the drinks.

After visiting a great yet uppity San Diego restaurant the night before I was looking forward to some less uppity but still delicious «normal» food. This was not the place for that.
The service: There was none. Our waitress took our drink order and disappeared for 10 minutes. Actually, she never came back. Ever. She still worked the surrounding areas but as we waited we finally asked someone where our waitress was, who obliged and became our new waitress. Crisis averted.
The music: Ouch. As a former performer, I give props to places that give emerging or wanna be artists the chance to try and give it a go… but not for over an hour to a young kid who can’t sing while customers are paying to sit and eat. It wasn’t pretty, and almost unappetizing.
The food: Okay. Not stellar. The artichoke dip was impressive in that there were tons of actual artichokes. Too often now a day I find that there is merely an «essence «of artichoke in artichoke dishes, but these were the real deal. Was hoping for my salmon dish to be a bit more flavorful. Instead it came out looking like it was black (no need for alarm… it was merely covered in sesame seeds). There was a very faint flavor to it, but the Asian Slaw that accompanied it had no Asian spices, and the pile of rice was just plain rice. Mix all three together and you get… something really plain.
I do wish I’d tried the Waffle Fry appetizer. The description on the menu was a bit overwhelming so I avoided them, but after seeing them on someone else’s table I’m wondering if maybe that’s where Jimmy Love’s hides their magic??? Nothing else dazzled me.

Don’t plan on talking to each other if you come for dinner after 10pm. It’s really loud…
DO’s: Order their Flat Iron Steak, medium rare. Super tender, juicy, and soooooo flavorful! Heaping plate of cut fries and Arnold Palmer for non-​drinkers. Gents, if you like older
and more mature women, you’ll find plenty of them here. Their Ceasar salad is so-​so…
DON’T: Take anyone on a first date here. Although the band is great, it’s way too loud to talk to each other here. Perhaps you can bring a date here after a romantic dinner.

Jimmy Love’s is on
, so why not give it a try? Went for dinner last night (Friday).
A really cool thing about the $ 25
gift certificate for Jimmy Love’s: there’s no not-​valid-​with-​any-​other-​offer verbiage on it, so we were able to order from the 50% off appetizers Happy Hour menu last night, no problem. Who doesn’t love double dipping?!
«I think this place is having an identity crisis,» my boyfriend said. I feel the same way. The ambiance/​décor and the menu are very mixed, confusing even. All over the place.
The lengthy appetizer menu is composed of primarily bar food apps (e.g., wings, nachos, popcorn chicken) with a few more refined dishes like beef tenderloin carpaccio, ahi sashimi tartar, mussels, and scallops thrown in as well. Weird.
The rest of the menu consists of soups, salads, sandwiches, pizzas, pastas… and then $ 24-​$ 32 entrees. So my boyfriend had a chicken sandwich and fries, and I had «fresh sea bass filet encrusted in scalloped potatoes, lemon scented risotto, chile and chive olive oil with a lemon grass butter sauce.» The contrast of those 2 dishes is hilarious to me.
We also enjoyed a few better-​than-​average apps. We ordered the super-​creamy artichoke dip, of which they’re apparently very proud: there was an «as featured in Bön Appetite Magazine» blurb near that menu item. We also ordered the fried calamari, which came with a spicy dipping sauce and an aioli dipping sauce. Happy Hour meant that each of these apps was $ 4.50 – awesome!
There were things that I very much liked (exposed brick, warm earth tones, glossy black painted columns) and disliked (chewing gum embedded all over the carpet, a few holes in the booth cushions) about the ambiance/​décor. Live acoustic music came on around 7PM, I believe, so we were treated to songs ranging from «Wonderwall» to «Why Don’t You Get a Job» to «Faith.» Pretty good, and before then mostly 80s music had been playing.
Service was fine.
I want to emphasize that my review reflects my dinner experience. Apparently Jimmy Love’s is more of a «scene» during later hours; I noticed a bottle service menu.
Will we come back? Quite possibly, either for Happy Hour or with another
gift certificate.