Lady Carolyn’s Pub

Hot Drinks With A Kick! Look for the list of 5 – 6 beverages in the upper left hand corner of the walk up counter menu. Order them at the windows that accept «all orders”-meaning alcohol. The coffee choices were Mexican, Irish, Sweet Irish and Italian. It was a toss up between Sweet Irish and Italian. There were also 2 hot cocoa options.
I ordered the Italian Coffee with Frangelico liquer. Whipped cream can be added at no extra charge as well as a decaffeinated option.
I took mine decaf with no whip. It was delicious and much needed to spend a couple of frosty evening hours in Balboa Park.
They also have hot cocoa, tea (you choose from a basket) cider, regular brew coffee and decaf coffee.
I’m looking forward to a sweet Irish coffee, hot lobster bisque in a sourdough bowl pairing for my next visit.

Chill place to grab a beer or a wine while at balboa park. They have shaded seating where you can people watch. I definitely recommend this as a pit stop in a day at balboa park.

This café is right next to the old globe in balboa park. I came here for lunch after an event at balboa. I asked the lady behind the register for any recommendations and she said this cheese baguette thing was her favorite sandwich. I tried it and it was alright but definitely not filling. The service was friendly and helpful but the food is obviously overpriced due its location.
I would defiantly find somewhere else to eat next time.

All I got here was a couple of iced coffees and a hot chocolate, but they were served with a smile and tasted pretty good, so we were pretty happy.

After a trip to the zoo and a long day of walking, we were thrilled to see on the map that there was a pub in the vicinity. Headed over to Lady Carolyn’s to discover we had been misled.
This is not a pub.
When I think pub, I think of a bar and big padded seats. Frothy, cold pints of beer and fish and chips. This is none of those things.
It is a counter where you can order bottled beers, and sandwiches that are pre-​made. Granted, the sandwiches are good considering they are pre-​made and put into an oven, but I still dispute calling it a pub. I’d be more comfortable with «Lady Carolyn’s Concession Stand.» And with the beer prices, I’d call it a concession stand in a sports arena.

A must for anyone heading to a play at the Old Globe.

I love coming here right before watching a show at the Old Globe, it’s a great way to grab a small bite before the show begins. I often hear people complain that they never see this place open, well here’s a pro tip: they are a pub located in between three performance art stages, therefore they won’t be open except when there is a performance on.
Delicious foods, light and healthy. Good selection of wine and beer (they have one of my favorite wines Tiamo Pinot Grigio). I enjoy their salads, their soups in the bread bowls, the cheese plate, and the sandwiches. Everything is the perfect amount of food before seeing a show.
If your show has an intermission, you can order drinks ahead of time and they will be waiting for you. I’ve done this every time so save time during intermission so I can relax and enjoy my wine and/​or snack.

Not much choice but o’er yonder Lady Carolyn’s for eats and such, waiting for Ye Old Globe’s gates to open.
Several more upscale alternatives in Balboa Park, but this «pub» next door to the theatre is simply the most convenient. Food truck fare sans truck; basically a concession stand, as others pointed out.
Got a Turkey brie sandwich, Bean soup, and a Blueberry muffin. The soup was too heavy on the salt. Sandwich and muffin were fine. Beer and wine are available, and you can even get them to make a drink. But don’t expect much, if anything.
Service at Lady Carolyn’s Pub? Docking one star. Let’s just say, it feels like the cashiers cannot wait to get out of their shift. Some act like they’re doing you, the customer, a favour, just be being there.
Covered dining area outside with heating lamps helped quite a bit on a chilly day.
How about some melodrama before the show? Serious twenty-​somethings duhraaamaah was going on at the next table.
Yo, South Asian chick and young Kevin Bacon clone: I hope you get your stuff worked out with each other and your mutual love-​/​whatever– interest/​bff, Adam. (Who was not present, but the source of much consternation.) She kept reassuring Bacon junior, promising «it is not going to happen!» Uh-​huh. But, but… what if it *does*… and with Adam? Oh Muh Gaaaa. What then?!
Well, then, the Old Globe opened its doors. Time to exit stage left, this college-​age nonsense, and get to the true musical comedy that cost loads more moolah, but was much better written and acted.

Came through Balboa Park and found this little pub :)
I was visiting San Diego and my friend, and we happened to come to this place. This was after we saw a few exhibits nearby (we saw the «Instruments of Torture» exhibit — freaky, real, and depressing)
What I will say, is that it was a nice pick me up after a long day. Considering it was Christmas season, the courtyard was setup to look like Dr. Seuss’ «How the Grinch Stole Christmas». My friend’s eyes lit up and had me take some photos, seeing as the Christmas tree was also Seussed up! haha
The drinks here were seasonal. My friend got the «Candy Cane» which was a mint-​hot chocolate with some peppermint schnapps while I had myself a classic, The IRISH COFFEE. The drinks though, were nothing too special but were good enough to sit with and enjoy. While my coffee was good, my friend’s Candy Cane drink was a bit much on the mint and couldn’t finish it. I was a gentleman and killed the drink for her. ;)
The prices were a little high in my opinion, but you are in a special little nook of the park, so I assume they are just taking advantage of that. If you have the time and money, try to give this place a look!

I was hungry after the performance at Spreckels pipe organ. I tried the Lobster Bisque in a sourdough bread tureen, (US$ 7.75). It was good. I’m used to Lobster Bisque in a can from Bar Harbor. Lady Carolyn’s served a good-​looking orange-​red concoction that had a great texture and a brighter flavor. Other than the color partly coming from tomato parts, I didn’t recognize any tastes. Tasty — but this seems like a lot of dough to shell out, pun-​attempt intended, for such a small serving.

Lady Carolyn’s Pub was not quite what I expected.
* I docked a star because the business name is a bit misleading.
I was looking forward to an actual pub with a dine-​in area. Instead it was more like a high-​end concession stand with several windows to place orders and several more for food/​drink pick-​up. I’d say this is the place to go for a light snack before a show at The Old Globe or during an intermission of a play.
Outdoor seating is available w/​a good number of black wrought iron, bistro style sets. It’s a pleasant atmosphere. After all, it’s right by The Old Globe.
The food was decent, comparable to a Barnes & Noble Starbucks location.
I ordered a grilled sandwich. I don’t remember the exact name. I think it had 3-​types of cheeses including feta, with a sliced tomato, on a ciabatta bread.
Also added to my order a 2-​pk of pre-​wrapped Macadamia & Coconut cookies (Uncle Biff’s Killer Cookies).
* I docked another star because the One chalkboard stand w/​the listing of today’s specials was too easy to overlook considering there would be lines and lines of people in front of several windows. Didn’t realize they had lobster bisque in a bread bowl as a special until after I walked away with my food. A portable light above the chalkboard would’ve helped draw attention to it for evening theatre goers.
Other than that, no complaints with the food itself. My sandwich was warm and fresh, and the cookies were a bit on the small side… but really tasty.
All in all, Lady Carolyn’s Pub was A-​OK.

We had a Corgi meetup/​stroll through Balboa park in December, there were at least 30 people and 50+ dogs. The pub was super friendly and accomodating to us all. About 10 minutes after arrived the Old Globe had intermission, while Im sure its hectic just having to deal with the patrons of the Old Globe, having all of us there didnt make it easy on the people behind the counter. I personally had great service, my cider was warm and my bread pudding was great! I didnt hear any complaints from our group or the people who were at the play about service/​food/​etc.

While non-​alcoholic beverages are reasonable in terms of price, there was something wrong with all three of the drink orders my friends and I placed earlier today.
My Italian soda was small and deficient in syrup, my friend’s cider was barely ¾ of a cup of warm apple juice, and another friend couldn’t get an iced coffee.
Worse yet, the guy fetching the drinks was overly rude regarding tips. After the first two of us dropped a buck apiece in his jar without an uttered thanks and the final was denied iced coffee (and ended up not getting anything) the guy had the audacity to point to his gratuity receptacle and say, «You can tip me right here.» Classy.
Still, as mentioned in my previous review, what sells this place is the extraordinary view of the Museum of Man and the close proximity to the Old Globe.
From now on I’ll just stick with the bread pudding.

I like to come for Sunday funday. The first time I had the best bloody Mary I’ve ever had, the second time it was insultingly small and certainly nothing notable. Beware of the bartender.

The only place to drink in balboa park, what else can I say?

I went here after seeing a sign in the park for it, and I honestly expected more of a sit down indoor pub (as the name would imply) rather than a snack booth. The food is OK, but nothing great. The soup we had wasn’t really warm enough, and the sandwich was what I’d consider airport quality (you’ll eat it just because you’re hungry and the options are limited).
They do have a pretty complete bar it seemed, and the service was friendly and accommodating. We would maybe come back for a quick drink, but definitely not for the food. The portions/​quality weren’t a great value.

Lady Carolyn’s Pub is adjacent to the three theaters of the Old Globe, it consists of a few windows where you can order small food items (sandwiches, soups, etc.), coffee, wine and dessert.
There is a nice outdoor seating area where you can enjoy your treats; I had the warm apple bread pudding and a small cup of coffee while waiting to be seated for a play. Since I was seeing a play in the outdoor theater and it was a chilly night, I tried to make another coffee run during intermission but it was not the fastest moving crowd and I decided to return to my seat to avoid being late. I did notice that they do offer a pre-​order feature, in case you want to order food for intermission and have time to eat it.

While taking a walk through Balboa Park this past weekend, we walked into the courtyard of the Old Globe and descovered this cute little café! We decided to grab some hot chocolate, some cookies (they have Uncle Biff’s) & some Caribbean black bean soup… perfect for a cloudy, chilly day. Everything was tasty, especially the black bean soup! Seating is all outdoors in the courtyard & yes, it is puppy friendly!
Definitely a great place to stop by for a bite to eat or a drink while in Balboa Park.

New remodel, gorgeous outdoor pavilion!
Not just for theater-​goers, I come here for drinks!