Rare Form in San Diego, CA

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Telephone:	+1 619-255-6507
Website:	www.godblessrareform.com
Address:	795 J St, San Diego, CA, 92101 b/t 7th Ave & 8th Ave East Village
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:	0.2 miGaslamp Quarter 0.3 miPark and Market 0.3 miConvention Center
Categories:	Cocktail Bars Sandwiches Delis

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Bussiness info

Takes Reservations	No
Delivery	No
Take-out	Yes
Accepts Credit Cards	Yes
Accepts Bitcoin	No
Good For	Lunch
Parking	Street
Bike Parking	Yes
Wheelchair Accessible	Yes
Good for Kids	No
Good for Groups	Yes
Attire	Casual
Ambience	Hipster

Noise Level	Average
Good For Dancing	No
Alcohol	Full Bar
Happy Hour	Yes
Best Nights	Thu, Fri, Sat
Coat Check	No
Smoking	No
Outdoor Seating	No
Wi-Fi	Free
Has TV	Yes
Waiter Service	No
Caters	Yes
Has Pool Table	No

Today

Today	11:30 am – 12:00 am Closed now
Local time (San Diego)	1:51 AM Tuesday, June 24, 2025

Business hours

Monday	11:30 am – 12:00 am
Tuesday	11:30 am – 12:00 am
Wednesday	11:30 am – 12:00 am
Thursday	11:30 am – 12:00 am
Friday	11:30 am – 2:00 am
Saturday	11:30 am – 2:00 am
Sunday	11:30 am – 12:00 am

Description

Specialties

Schnapps & Sandwiches.

Happy Hour Monday-Friday 4PM-7PM. Half off all San Diego drafts and select cocktails only $ 5.

Late Night Happy Hour Friday-Saturday with late night food specials and even more $ 5 cocktails.

History

Established in 2014.

Via Eater San Diego

The latest from CH Projects is a handsome deli-meets-bar that shares a Petco Park-adjacent address with a new Stone Brewing Tap Room; Rare Form occupies the street level of their 2,700-square-foot space while a separate, tropical drink-centric bar will be installed on the building’s rooftop and debut later this summer.

Proprietor Anthony Schmidt, formerly of Noble Experiment, crafted a concise cocktail menu that revolves around cordials, eau de vie and fruit brandies. His Raspberry Beret combines gin with raspberry brandy, housemade grenadine, lemon and spiced bitters while the Borough Park adds plum schnapps, Cynar and kosher wine to rye.

The menu by exec. chef Aldo Negrete runs from salads and soups to sandwiches stuffed with porchetta, house-smoked pastrami and chicken schnitzel. A full charcuterie program is reportedly in the works and will be showcased in their $ 17 Butchers Special, which currently includes housemade pork rillettes and chicken liver mousse

Meet the Manager

Brian E.

Manager

Rare Form is making an attempt at bringing something we saw missing from the East Village neighborhood: Deli classics, paired with craft cocktails in a comfortable, spacious and easy going environment.

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20 reviews of Rare Form

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Anna V.

Place rating: 4
Oakland, CA

Excellent place for a cheap, delicious lunch and fancy, delicious cocktails! I wish there was a place like this up in the Bay Area where I live. The place is right where the ballpark is, so I imagine it would be quite hectic during weekends and game days. I came here on a weekday for lunch. Everything that our group ordered was delicious and the staff is friendly. I would definitely come back when I’m in town again!

Daniel R.

Place rating: 4
Imperial Beach, CA

The Pastrami is very well prepared and presented. Great flavor and pairs well with the seasoned fries, but the stew was outstanding. I completely forgot the name of it but I do know that it contained: cod, chorizo, potatoes, onions, garlic, and kale. The bocce is definitely a plus!

Daniel U.

Place rating: 5
New York, NY

An awesome sandwich shop that also sells beer. The bread and the ingredients are fresh. I had a sandwich with porchetta and was amazed by how tender and succulent the meat was. Great lunch option if you’re attending a conference at the convention sentence.

Nicholas R.

Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA

This is my favorite spot in San Diego right now.
During the day, I go for the Rare Form sandwich (i.e. the best pastrami I’ve ever had in my life) and the amazing sides (the pâté, the pickled vegetables, the patatas bravas… they’re all good). In the evening, I go for the happy hour (Great cocktails for *five dollars*? Downtown?). At night, the talented bartenders and unique variety of cocktails simply can’t be beat. My favorite drinks in the city are the eau-de-vie-based drinks downstairs (fruity drinks that are spirit-forward and NOT sweet are such a different taste experience…), my girlfriend’s favorite drinks in the city are at the lovely tiki bar upstairs. It’s a win-win.
There are places in San Diego with great cocktails, and there are places with great food. Rare Form is the only place that I’ve been in San Diego with BOTH great cocktails and great food. The service is top-notch, the atmosphere is very non-Gaslampish, the prices are very reasonable… literally the only negative thing I can think of about this place is that the tiki bar isn’t open often enough! (because of noise issues with the proximity to apartments, I think)

Cass S.

Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA

This review is for FAIRWEATHER — the amazing tropical rooftop bar on Rare Form. This place is a perfect date worthy spot on a summer evening in San Diego, preferably when the Padres are in town. You have a great Birdseye view of Petco park and the new Sempra energy building (it’s so pretty when it’s lit up). They probably have the best Mai Tai I’ve ever had in either San Diego or Hawaii (2 places that should know how to make a Mai Tai).
We didn’t eat so I am not rating food, just atmosphere and drinks — of which this place gets 5 stars all the way!
On the top of my summer list!

Joe S.

Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA

Great outdoor gem. If CH wasn’t doing these things, if they aren’t making moves SD would be hurting. It’s one of those spots that if you had 3 hours to take a friend on a layover you’d take them here. It’s a fun-center. Jewish style Deli downstairs, tiki up on top. Say what? Yeah bitch you heard me.
It’s nice to see SD grow up, set some roots, build nice establishments that represent our weather and landscape, it’s pretty damn tropical here… asaaaaaand get THOSE TIKI HEAD COCKTAILS FLOWING. So nice. Stop ordering imperial oatmeal-coffee-porter and just relax a little… order a tiki drink, sit-down, slow down and just enjoy the present moment. If you want to swirl your craft beer, head back downstairs and go to the stone tasting room.
Look, if you want to be outside in the warm SD weather, looking at the ball park, chilling next to oil lamp-lit tables; staring into those gorgeous blue and white Mexican tiles from Tulum that line the back-bar…all while sipping a tiki-head tropical booze-bomb…go, go now.

Arlene P.

Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA

It’s tucked away adjacent to the Petco Park (Padres Stadium) park in the park kiddie field and it’s great!
We went around 11am on Wednesday and we had the place to ourselves before the crowd came in. We played a game of bocce ball while we waited for our food and when ti came, we were soooo not dissappointed.
Rare form = Pastrami
SO get the pastrami fries. The pastrami here is so tender and thick, it was delicious!
The kale salad is great. We got our with chicken and there was plenty!
The cashier said the tomato soup was a favorite and after a taste, I could see why!
If you get the lemonade, don’t do the pomegranate if you don’t want it to be sour. The regular lemonade is just right!
I like the way they salvaged a few of the Stations of the Cross and didn’t modify it or be irreverent with them. There are also a bunch of portraits of past US presidents and it’s kind of fun to see who at the table knows who is who.
This place wins.

Mairead G.

Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA

Excellent drinks and atmosphere upstairs at Fairweather! We started our day drinking escapade quite early and this was our second (and my favorite spot) stop. We were all more than satisfied with the high quality cocktails. Normally I’m not one to promote drinking $ 13+ beverages but, the bartenders are not just throwing some tequila, sour mix and some ice in a glass– they are true mixologists. Can’t wait to check this place out on game nights

Datt N.

Place rating: 1
Tustin, CA

Went here with the girlfriend for lunch after some friends raved about this place. We checked on Unilocal and it had 4.5 stars average and decided to give it a shot. I got the Roasted Pork Sandwich with a side salad. The girlfriend got the turkey sandwich with fries.
ROASTED PORK SANDWICH: The roasted pork sandwich was OVERLY salty. I like salty foods but this was wayyyyy too salty. Also the pork was too dry. I ended up just eating the salad, it was pretty good. As for the turkey sandwich, it was decent.
COLD BREW COFFEE: I got a cold brew coffee but they didn’t have any sort of creamer or sweetener. You have coffee but don’t that creamer or sweetener? Really?! After I finished the coffee, I FOUND A BUG IN MY DRINK!!! See attached picture. I told one of the employees and they just offered another drink. No refund?
Would I recommend this place? HELL NO. I don’t know how this place got 4.5 stars. The lunch cost about $ 30.00 for two people. I won’t be back at this place for sure.

Courtney O.

Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA

HAPPY HOUR from 4−7pm. $ 7 Mai Tais, daiquiris, pina coladas and margaritas. I got a Mai Tai and thought it was okay. Not as sweet as I was hoping but I know that was what was intended of it. I loved the piña colada my friend had gotten! I’ll definitely be back to get one of those. It was sweet and creamy. It didn’t taste too icey or chunky at all, which is often a concern when they’re served via a machine. But it was clear that it had been well made and blended.
The bartender was really friendly and personable. The BF wanted some sort of whiskey cocktail and the bartender instantly began making him a tasty hand crafted concoction.
The main reason I’d go to this place is the atmosphere. It’s located right next to the park at the park at Petco. During game nights, You’d be able to clearly see the big screen that faces out that’s right behind right/center field. The bar itself has a great local tiki bar feel. It’s got greenery on the walls and definitely has the old school tropical charm! A great downtown find!

Ashley J.

Place rating: 4
San Diego, CA

I liked this place. Totally wish they had outdoor seating before 5 tho!
The food was pretty good… my smoked turkey sandwich was great, the bread needs to be bigger, The sandwhich fell apart because the bread was so small. But still delicious. The guacamole on it was bomb.
Excellent tomato soup! I would come back just for that.
The Cubano was good too, just the meat was dry. If they fixed that it would be perfect.
at 11 $ for a big bowl of excellent soup and half of a sandwhich which was more than a decent size and a side salad which was really good… that’s a deal!
Our bill was 27 $ and my bf added a bowl of soup to his meal. With tip we had a great lunch at a nice place for 35 ish dollars.
Tip…get it to go… less $ and you can bring a picnic basket and eat on the grass at near by petco park:) or go at 5 so u can sit on the rooftop

Charlene S.

Place rating: 5
Cerritos, CA

The view upstairs was wonderful. On an early Saturday evening (5ish, w/nothing going on at Petco Park), the place wasn’t crowded, so there were plenty of seat-yourself places to hang out.
You can sit inside on the 1^st floor or climb the stairs/take the elevator up to the 2^nd floor where there’s a bar & open air seating. Walk straight to the back of the room & go through the door. Upstairs, there are heat lamps if it gets cool.
** You can’t order upstairs. A good idea might be to take a menu w/you upstairs, find seats, & then go back downstairs to order food. They’ll bring your orders up to you.
Vegetarian food review:
— Grilled cheese: wonderful when paired w/the tomato soup. It usually comes with chips, but you can sub fries for a cost ($ 1.00).
— Tomato soup: thick, almost enough to stand a spoon. It was filling, with wonderful consistency. It’s really not soupy, though, not thin or runny. Yum.
They offer a half sandwich, cup of soup, salad special for $ 11 (until 7pm).
** They don’t have ketchup, so they serve their fries w/house made bbq sauce.

Leonard L.

Place rating: 5
TriBeCa, Manhattan, NY

Rare Form (Fair Weather)
SD: East Village
7pm Saturday 23^rd August 2015
Five Stars
After a wandering the East Village, we finally made it to Rare Form/Fair Weather. We went upstairs and sat on the open air patio. We were even able to find a table overlooking the Padre Big Screen. We then enjoy a Upscale Daiquiris, Frozen Piña Coladas, Creamy Pain Killers, and Boozy Zombies for around $ 12-$ 17 each. There was no Anthony Schmidt but the present bartenders were friendly, attentive, and proficient. This place just feels like vacation in a glass.

Jason F.

Place rating: 4
Irvine, CA

This delicatessen is spot on and what I enjoy about San Diego. You come in, look at the menu, order with the waitress at the cashier machine, and go to your table with your number and wait for the food. The vibe is dark, mysterious and hip. If you want a drink, feel free to walk up to the bar to get a mixed cocktail or craft beer.
Having only tried the El Cubano, one of the cured selections, soup, salad, and one off the menu gem of fries, roast beef, and wonderful cheese/gravy sauce has got me sold about this place.
Bring your friends, find a spot, eat and converse for hours. That’s what food joints should be all about!

Jessica G.

Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA

Boat drinks, a classy tiki theme, and views of Petco Park… what more could you want in a bar?
Fairweather is definitely a fun experience. It’s a bit of an adventure to find the bar — you have to walk into Rare Form, head to the back of the restaurant into areas that look like they aren’t for patrons, past some kegs, through a door that says «Yes», and up some stairs. Your journey ends (or begins) on a second floor terrace overlooking the park at Petco as well as some of the baseball field itself. The terrace is totally open air, except for a pergola over the bar offering partial covering.
The ambiance is great! It’s a modern tiki theme, so don’t expect the dark wooded Disneyland Tiki Room. Fairweather has lots of white subway tile with sea blue textiles. The glasses are fun shapes and textures, but again, classy — not like a typical east coast Chinese restaurant scorpion bowl drink (Kowloon and Tiger Lilly, I’m looking at you).
The drinks are fantastic! I like the variation on the drink theme — it’s nice to have options other than the prohibition era dark liquor trend. Boat drinks are just so much fun — especially when you’re drinking them on a terrace under the sun. Mai Tais, Singapore Slings, Zombie cocktails — they are all expertly crafted.
Fairweather’s laid back vibe and great drinks totally fit the San Diego lifestyle.

Ali B.

Place rating: 4
Valencia Park, San Diego, CA

Fairweather FYI
Things I Liked: great location to Petco Park, super friendly staff, welcoming atmosphere, comforting island music playing in the background, a drink called the «Tropical Itch», and the Pastrami Fries.
Things I Did Not Like: slightly over priced, on the day I visited they stop serving food between 2:00 and 3:45, and to reach the upstairs bar (Fairweather) you must go through a couple of dark boring hallways and stair cases.
Overall, my Unilocal family and I had a nice time thanks to the Bartender in charge that day. For the few things that went wrong he made a special effort to make them right.

Vin T.

Place rating: 3
Carlsbad, CA

Liking the concept of this place a lot more than the execution. Rare Form is proof of how much people like to eat now in old warehouses.
This eatery keeps this «desirable» warehouse vibe by retaining and preserving the defining characteristics of the historic Simon Levi building of East Village.
Interesting tidbit: A scant 10 years ago only the notorious gang of thug rats, voles and pocket mice known as «Los Pollos Hambrientos» enjoyed table service inside, while prostitutes, junkies, and torched solen cars were enjoying the great outdoors.
Located next door to the Stone Brewing Tap Room, the Consortium Group opened this deli restaurant in June 2014. Known for other local establishments such as Craft & Commerce, Noble Experiment, Neighborhood, Underbelly, Polite Provisions, and Soda & Swine — our expectations were as high as the ceilings.
I ordered the Rare Form namesake sandwich and headed upstairs to Consortium’s quirky bar-within-a-bar: Fairweather.
So how could a grilled sandwich made with pastrami, sauerkraut, Swiss, and thousand-island-ish sauce miss? Well everything was good except the meat.
Admittedly, it is hard to find a place that has the proper ratio of meat to fat. Most places trim too much fat off, which leaves you with a dry piece of meat. In this case it was just the opposite. The fat wasn’t trimmed enough. If I had to name 5 of the fattiest dishes I’ve ever eaten– this would be 3 of them.
Disappointing. Not enough to totally blacklist the place, but definitely a let down…

Brad B.

Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA

Go ahead, kids. Walk right on through Rare Form and navigate the twists and turns on your way to Fairweather. Sure, I love Fairweather too, but in an effort to avoid the sun lovin’ crowds last week, I planted my ass at one of the downstairs barstools in Rare Form.
Rare Form is rarely crowded, the food is legit (go for the pretzel, the sausage and any of their sandwiches), and the bocce ball is a really nice touch to keep you busy. The specialty cocktails are simple yet refined, and come at a pretty significant discount during their weekly happy hour.
So when you find yourself downtown, step inside, take a look around and marvel at all the creepy paintings before a Padres game, or on any afternoon for that matter. The service is always sweet and if you feel like you’re a little penned up, follow the crowd upstairs to Fairweather!

Elle N.

Place rating: 5
Carlsbad, CA

I could spend a lot of time here! Especially on a beautiful sunny day in San Diego! Today happened to be that perfect 69 degree day!
What could be better than a place that serves traditional tropical cocktails, with tropical décor and tropical style music! I had a Pina Colada (served in a tiki mug with pink umbrella and a pineapple wedge. I don’t know about getting lost in the rain… but I was surely lost in the ambience and cannot wait to get lost here again!

Bonnie E.

Place rating: 4
Phoenix, AZ

San Diego Sunset, I can’t see you straightaway from this rooftop, but I don’t mind.
Favorite find!
Ballpark views.
Expertly-crafted cocktails.
Happy Hour even on Friday, game day!
Cool staff.
Fun vibe.
All five stars for the fun of finding this «off the map» little gem and then on their ability to deliver what I’d call my first «speakeasy meets bikini» experience. «Speakeasy» to me because it just has that «people don’t know we’re up here with our cocktails» feel and you gotta feel it as you are ascending the stairs, NO? or YES? Which door will you choose? I’m not sure why Rod Stewart is looking at me from a framed photo behind the bar, but I’m sure he agrees. As does the deer in the red-lit hallway. And, no, people aren’t really wearing bikinis, I am not literal but I’m literally sure this is the finest Mai-Tai this side of the tiki. What a fun drink list of the usual «sunny» drinks, but beer and wine too. «Coronado brew» maybe next time.
The only star missing is for the current set-up of ordering food — you must physically go downstairs (Rare Form) and place the order. I had someone come by and clear an empty, but he couldn’t take a drink order either… you have to go back to the bar. (Which is ok since its line of sight) On the food, I was waiting for a friend and holding our spot so we couldn’t place a food order until she showed as space/seats were getting tight and one of us should stay there to hold the seats. (Order food on the way up is what I’d recommend doing.) Happy hour is M-F 5 – 7.
Happy Summer! This is the place. Don’t tell anyone.

Rare Form

San Diego, United States

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Vicinity

20 reviews of Rare Form