Racine & Laramie Tobacconist

I don’t even smoke and I love this place. The old 19^th century feel, interesting products for sale, antique smoking items on display, mixed with the wonderful tobacco aroma. it all makes for a unique experience. And the fellas working here are real characters, friendly and knowledgeable to boot. It’s tempting to take up pipe smoking just to relax here. They have a good selection of vintage-​style marbles too, priced by how high you fill a plastic tube. Cost of marbles adds up kinda fast, but it’s a fun gimmick my kid enjoyed.
Be sure to stop in and enjoy a step back in time.

This place was awesome! The staff was helpful and friendly. These guys really know there cigars! Was able to smoke one before buying. Thanks and aloha from Hawaii!
Erik and Miki

Such a cool place to visit and buy a cigar! Places like this need to be keep going. Loved the selection and law enforcement & western memorabilia. Staff was very knowledgeable. The place has alot of clutter going on, maybe just a cleaning would help? Great place

Fun, but more gimmick than tobacco store. Friendly staff, knew what they were talking about, very, very interesting and fun interior. But, you’ve got options to imbibe that are close by.

My boyfriend smokes, I dont. I actually hate the smell but I did really enjoy coming into this shop. They have a lot of nice stuff at different price points for everyone. The guys behind the counter are knowledgeable and helpful. Great shop!

A MUST SEE for pipe smokers!!! Excellent pipe and tobacco shop. Wonderful collection and display of antique pipes. They offer pipes by Castello, Savinelli, Peterson, Dunhill and much more. One of the most unique pipe and cigar stores that I have ever visited. They have a nice selection of Dunhill and Mac Baren HH line of pipe tobacco. I was able to pick up a 100g tin of Old Dark Fired. Appeared to have great prices for a B&M. They also have a nice selection of house blends. Old town is a wonderful place and this shop fits right in. I was pressed for time, so I was unable to see their cigars, but I am sure you’ll be able to find a great smoke.

These guys really know their tobacco and give trustworthy recommendations. Prices are not jacked up for being in Old Town. Great selection and serious cigar smokers will appreciate this place.
Real nice place to sit, relax and enjoy a good stogie.

THIS PLACE IS AWESOME. I highly recommend the Zorro Cigars (they taste like black licorice and are amazing). The staff is highly knowledgeable, not to mention hilarious! Anytime we head to San Diego we will be sure to stop at this cigar shop! This place is definitely worth a stop here! Thank you!

This place is awesome. First off they have a huge collection of tobacco pipes and pipe tobacco, cigars too. There customer service was fantastic they made me feel like I’ve been shopping there for years. It was also a breath of fresh air to talk to some one who know a lot about pipes and pipe tobacco.

Awesome place! Love the look and smell of it reminded me of my great grandfather. Came in looking for a gift and the man dressed like a cowboy was very helpful especially since i know nothing about cigars! He took a description of color and size and he found me what i was looking for!

The selection and prices at this cigar shop are exceptional, and the staff and service is impeccable. I always like coming here because they are always very helpful and friendly. Even though I am not a cigar expert; they are able to answer my questions without making me feel stupid. The store has a lot of history and is fun, too.

I’m not a smoker, never have been, never will be. But this place is incredible to visit !
It dates back to the late 1800’s (or at least a replica of the original, burned down), and the aromas inside are interesting and pungent. At least to a nonsmoker. I am reminded of some long-​departed uncles who smoked cigars and/​or pipes. It’s amazing how certain aromas can trigger memories.
And so do the characters behind the counter, all decked out in period western wear. Fantastic, podna.
If you need to buy a gift for someone who smokes, this is the place to come. Besides the actual smoking materials like cigars and tobacco, they sell all sorts of smoking accessories, more than I realized existed. It’s a special world in here.
If you are in Old Town, by all means visit this historical store. They offer discounts for active duty military and cops, and maybe, just maybe, for Unilocalers. Here’s hoping.

I died and went to heaven here… So I only heard of R&L the night before from a random person I met at a cigar bar. With that in mind, I had no idea of what the place would look like and what the area it’s in would entail. The moment you enter the grounds of the area, you feel like you’re in an old western film. Pretty cool. I was taken aback by the shop because of everything that’s in there. You’ve got tobacco pipes EVERYWHERE. Interesting lighters, flasks, guns, and cigar boxes all over. In another room to the left is where their cigars are. I’ve been smoking cigars for quite some time now and recently started smoking pipe tobacco. The two men behind the counter couldn’t have been more courteous to my novice entrance to the «pipe smoking world». Their selection in tobacco is delicious. Smelled amazing! If you have your own pipe with you, you can sample the tobacco before buying, which was just great. I definitely enjoyed puffs of each while sitting outside on their bench. I come in afterwards and was hit with such knowledge on the pros/​cons of each tobacco they offered. I ended up purchasing two bags of different tobacco. One that would pair well with a bourbon. One that would do well by itself. They even have a smoking club. Believe me, I would be a member… however, I was having a quick getaway to the area as I live in LA :\. For all smokers, cigar and pipe tobacco enthusiasts… THIS IS A MUST!

Love this shop, cool museum pieces up front and a wide selection of cigars and helpful staff. Great experience every time I go in. Only thing I would add would be a better ventilation for the cigar room. Also prices overall are decent not great today I found some cigars that were inexpensive without any advertisement and they are awesome try a Hidalgo if you go!

Old town is kinda quirky, historical, but touristy part of town. I didn’t really expect one of the coolest b&ms to be here. You can make a nice day of it though — eat, walk around, have a cigar, all in one area.
There’s a lot of cool tobacco related museum pieces in here in terms of old pipes and lighters in the cases, but many items to purchase as well. They do all kinds of tobacco– pipe, cigarettes and cigars. They use original fixtures from the 1800’s to display their wares and employees dress as if they are of that time. It definitely has character.
Off to the left is the humidor room. We’re from Vegas where it’s bone dry so I quickly panicked that things were out in the open, but humidity on the hygrometers were 70% and I forgot for a second I wasn’t home. Their prices were actually pretty reasonable for the cigars and they did some price breaks on if you purchase 3 of a item you get a bit off. They also have a few house blends which were cheap, but actually pretty good quality. We ended up buying 2 bundles of the petite corona maduro and a few cigars that we haven’t seen back home like the Bloodline. We also smoked one natural and one maduro of their petite corona house blend while there (only $ 2.50 each). We sat for a bit in the comfy ornate eagle head chairs in the small cigar lounge and talked to other people smoking there. Halfway through we partially took our cigars outside to walk around on this nice day, but there are benches outside the front door or out in the square you can sit if you want to enjoy the weather.
Definitely what made the experience is Ian. We knew to look for him on recommendation from a friend but when he saw we’re carrying a herf-​a-​dor he immediately wanted to look in it and talk cigars before we even introduced ourselves. It’s always nice to chat with passionate folks about cigars, but we chatted about all kinds of things during our stay there. Very personable and easy going guy, we would totally hang out there to just chat him up.
If you’re looking for a spot with character and heart, this is a good place to post up.

Very nice shop. They have a large selection of cigars and pipes. They even have a smoke room. The owner is very customer service orientated and it reflects well. Would recommend.

It doesn’t get much better. A select selection not overly stocked with cheap cigars. Have a question? Ask-​! Want to have a seat and smoke? Do it-​! Want a great deal on great cigars? Buy here-​! Vet? Cop or former? Civil service? Ask for the discount on-​top of the already special prices and deals here-!!

Okay, so I’m definitely no expert at tobacco and cigars but I had an excellent experience here.
My boyfriend and I had a 58 ounce margarita at Casa De Reyes and we needed to sober up, so we were going to walk around Old Town, but right when I saw this place, I wanted to walk in.
We met Ian, who was the only person there and he knew his stuff! We told him that we were inexperienced and he showed us the best one that suited our interests.
We spent less than $ 10 and we LOVED what he selected for us. We ended up keeping him for over 45 minutes just talking to him. We talked about different tobaco, different beers and just saw that he was awesome guy. We even asked him when HE would specifically be working again — he was THAT great.
We will definitely be coming back just because of the amazing experience we had.
Definitely recommend this place!
Thanks again Ian!

Great selection of cigars and pipes and accessories. The ambience is very cool. Like something out of the old west.
The prices are very reasonable if you buy more than 3 cigars.
You can smoke in the shop but there isn’t really a place to sit or lounge area. I’ve been to most of the cigar shops in San Diego and this is my favorite. If you’re looking for cigars that are harder to find this is the place to go.

This place is awesome. You park your car in 2013 and walk through these doors to 1886. Really cool location and the sales peeps are dressed accordingly. That’s dedication to the job right there.
Very nice selection of cigars, old school pipes (for tobacco smoking of course) and a nice area to lounge around, have a cigar and wait while Doc Brown’s DeLorean is getting a wash and wax. Prices are a bit steep, but that’s how tobacco shops get down these days. I could definitely spend a few hours at this location just chillaxin’.

I’m not a smoker. If I were, this place would be terribly exciting to explore. From a historic point of view, this is quite possibly the coolest store I have ever been in. It’s like stepping into the wild west.
The sweet aroma of flavored cigar tobacco fills the room, almost makes me want to buy a pipe and fill it with luscious cherry flavored tobacco, light it up while relaxing in my Lazy Boy recliner. Of course, I would also have to find a new place to live.
In 1868, Racine & Laramie became San Diego’s first cigar store. They rented this remodeled building in 1867, which was originally built in 1820. In 1872, all was lost in a town fire. Using archeology, research and photographs the building was reconstructed to its original interior and exterior.
Primarily a tobacco store, the shop also offers carved custom pipes, bone-​handled pocketknives, belt buckles, steins, lighters and razors. Cigar box collectors should check the room off to the side where dozens of boxes fill the shelves.
The two guys working here are dressed in old west attire. They are also tobacconists, which means they understand everything about tobacco. The varying colors, scents, textures and taste. A tobacco shop traditionally has a wooden Indian at the front of the store, used as an advertisement figure.
International pipe smoking day is Feb 20^th.