Top of the Park

Top of the Park has relocated to the DoubleTree off Front Street in Little Italy!!!
1646 Front Street
Fridays 5−9pm
Opened Nov 7
Tell your friends!

This was a new place to me. I never knew about it until my company had an event here. It has an amazing view and the staff was so friendly. The drinks were a good mixture, nothing too over bearing. I don’t think I would of ever been here if it wasn’t for a work event. Some of the craziest things you can find in this city I guess. :)

Closed. Had to watch the Pride Parade elsewhere. Found out the hotel was bought put. Guess they think they can make more money from the straight crowd.

Help! I’m told that the Top of the Mark and the hotel are no longer It was a favorite place to visit when in San Diego. I was told it’s being converted to time shares. True! If so, how sad!

New Years Eve this year was horrible there. They kept everyone in the hotel lobby with the elevators closed until 10:30 PM yet people were upstairs. The stairwells were closed so that was not an option. It was total chaos and very disorganized. Once to the top, the DJ sounded like they just came from a wedding party… horrible music. I won’t be going back which really doesn’t matter since this place is closing. Should had went to LA instead.

Came here for the VERY LAST jazz happy hour! Glad I made the event before it was all over, but it was so unique, I’m disappointed I won’t be able to go again.
My friend and I headed over early on a Thursday (the jazz started at 5). We got there 15 minutes early and STILL had to ask a couple to share their table with us. But once there, I felt as though I wasn’t even in San Diego! The crowd and the music made me feel like I was in some basement jazz club in Chicago or New York! The great view out the window would break the spell.

It really depends on the crowed and the energy. Go with friends. Drink a lot. The place seems more fun that way.

People seem to have very different experiences of this place. The takeaway I’m getting here is that you’ll either love it or hate it… depending on who you are.
I’m really not OCD enough to run regression statistics on the data here… but take a quick look for yourself. Just eyeball it. Who’s liking it and who’s not? What do you see?
It’s entirely possible the crowd here is enjoying privilege a touch too much to make everyone feel welcome. I’ve heard it as a general criticism of San Diego, but maybe this is a hotspot?
I had a nice time, mostly because of the company and because I waited until it was empty to get a drink… but still… there’s much room for improvement.

Four stars for the view. Haven’t stuck around for too many drinks, but it seems like a nice place to relax out on the deck.

All I can say is that we had a total blast !!! Just tooooo much fun. The 360 degree city & water views are stunning. Pretty good well cocktails for $ 4.00. If you like to sit back and people watch then you gotta go. Very nice mix of ages.

Gorgeous views of San Diego. Lots of small plates to pick and choose from.

The very first night I arrived Marty and I both settled in we went up stairs to this once every Friday evening event.
Being a bar tender, having worked in Gay Bars etc. this was just a clicky, posh, pretentious display of -«If you come here alone no one… I mean no one will talk to you»
They don’t carry Tito’s Vodka which is an automatic –1 Star and, they are pricey but then again it’s prissy-​pretentious happy hour too.
I just do not get along with [most] of my Rainbow Flag Waving (not me) genre .
The only plus was being with Marty, meeting a very nice gent and of course Cathy & Stewart and going to (and making the best of it with good company) at that God awful Jimmy Carter’s dump.
You V-​Necked, T-​Shirted, Chrome Smellng, Lagerfield, WE-​HO Clone Abbey Bar cologne smelling Queens would be kicked out of the Faultline & Eagle (real men’s bars) in a hot second!
No wonder Prop 8 passed hands down… God, I was so glad to get out of this piece of shit so yesterday venue!
Pink says it best:

A refreshing change from the typical bar scene!
As mentioned in some of the previous reviews it’s quite the experience to get to Top of the Park but trust me the sweating or waiting (whichever you choose) is well worth it! After a few drinks I’d personally recommend taking the elevator down but hey, maybe you’d be up for the challenge!
After standing in line or sweating it up you are finally greeted by the fresh air of San Diego and the amazing views of the Harbor and Balboa Park. Throughout the roof top there are several bars to get your (very reasonably priced) drinks.
The only time I visited Top of the Park was the Friday of 4^th of July weekend so I’m not sure if it’s always like this, but it was PACKED! We managed to snake our way through to the west side of the roof and take in the sunset over the harbor. I was pretty much pinned up against the railing and managed to only get about 3 drinks spilled on me from the guys passing by. After soaking up the view on the west side we made our way over to the east side (through the much less crowded inside portion). The east side of roof seemed to be less crowded, which for me made it a lot more comfortable.
The crowd is older then most bars I frequent but of the people I ran into (not literally, although it did happen a few times) were very friendly.
Summary: Good, reasonably priced drinks; really great views, more mature crowd.

Along with the below brunch review, I have been here for drinks. While I don’t think I will come here for brunch again, I LOVE coming up here for drinks. The drinks are good, the service is nice and the view is amazing!!! Definitely one of the best places for cocktails in San Diego.
**MONTHLY BRUNCH REVIEW ONLY**
After running a 5K on Sunday, I knew I wanted to chow down on some brunch. I have heard awesome things about Top of the Park, so I decided on brunch there. They only hold the brunch once a month too, so I had to take advantage.
PROS: the view from all sides is amazing. The ocean to the west, the Downtown skyline to the south, Balboa Park to the east and Uptown on the northside. You can go outside to see it from all angles on the balcony, but there is plenty of outdoor seating or gazing through the big windows from the inside. It is awesome.
The food was a nice buffet. Not «Hotel Del» fantastic, but nice. While there is not a massive selection, what is there is pretty tasty. Crisp bacon, scrambled eggs, bagels and lox, baked chicken, garlic mashed potatoes and nicely cooked, fresh vegetables. There were some nice desserts and pastries too.
Finally, the mimosas and champagne are flowing freely, which is rad.
THE CONS: Our waiter sucked. I should’ve left him a smaller tip. He winked at me when he first approached to get the drink order, so I figured he would be on it. But alas, when I ordered a plain orange juice (sans champagne) and he mentioned he would get rid of the additional place settings (since there was only 2 of us at a table of 4), he never came back. So I had to ask for the O.J. again… and the place settings remained. When it came time to pay the bill, he took forever in sending us the check and picking up our credit card. Turns out he was sitting down, flirting with the old queens in the place instead. I mean, he did not even need to serve us food!!! Drinks only!!!
For the craptacular service, I cannot give this more than a 2. I wanted to like it, but I can get the same deal (endless mimosas and a nice buffet) somewhere else. Yes… sacrificing the view is fine because I can come back for happy hour another day.

BK… before kids… this was my regular friday night spot! i would come here with my «boys» to preparty and socialize before going to the clubs in the heart of Hillcrest.
Top of the Park is located on the roof of the Park Manor Hotel… with the most breathtaking and serene view I have found in San Diego.
To access the roof… you have 2 choices…(1) wait in a long line for an elevator (which apparently is part of the social scene) or (2) hike up the flights of stairs… by the top i am crawling to get up!!! my obvious choice is the stairs (7 years later… not sure if i can do it without passing out)…
so fastforward 7 years in the future… i came here with 2 girlfriends (cinna b. and jessie b)…but unfortunately didn’t make it till 8:30 (it closes at 9)…we decided to have a pre-​pre-​party. At this point there was no line for the elevator… so score… we did it (my girls could not have made up the stairs in their stripper shoes anyways!)
i saw some of my same boys that i used to come with…
my girls loved it!!! the view is breathtaking… i mean seriously… i think it’s better than the view at Altitude Sky Lounge.
drinks are stiff and CHEAP!!! $ 5 for a drink that would easily be $ 15 in the gaslamp…
so…as others have mentioned… no…nobody is gonna check me out here… but i like that!!! i’ve been with my man since 1995… i’m happy and settled in my relationship… so i’m just going out to party… but i still somehow manage to make new friends everytime i come in here.
my girls are addicted and want to come back… i think my hubby was even a bit jeolous… think i’ll let him tag along next time…

We had mother’s day brunch here and it was so amazing. We looked into numerous places for mothers day brunch. I found the pricing at most restaurants exceedingly expensive. Someone recommended this place– they had a friend go there for Easter Brunch.
I called a bunch of times (adding people onto the reservation and changing times) and Richard (I think that was his name) was very helpful. I even had to call the night before to add another person onto our reservation. I left a message and when we showed up the additional chair was there at the table.
The food was amazing! The view was beautiful and everyone had a nice time. The service was spot on. They even had king crab legs– I was shocked!

Note the Friday nights only… I love this place on Friday after a long day at work hanging with my «Urban Mo’s». I have had pleasant times here over cocktails and is this is THE place for gay men on a sunny afternoon in Hillcrest.
Wait, you just looked at my profile and I don’t fit the profile for a Top of the Park goer? Well, some of my best friends are gay… seriously. Some of them refer to this as the home of the «Silver Fox» (emphasis on the «silver» and cousin to the Cougar of Del Mar).
I wouldn’t necessarily go out on a limb and stop in here without an entourage, gay or straight– BUT my husband will even let us drag him here on an occasional, yes occasional Friday night.
If you have any friends who are visiting for Pride, and they are not sure where to go, anyone, who’ s anyone is here during the festival including the lesbians. Wait in line for a few minutes and take the elevator up to the top. Awesome view. The real Pride goers get a room here during Pride weekend. And don’t be surprised if you run into an owner of a LGBT business who would love to drag you to the next party, but make sure you have been drinking heavily.
If I was going to rate Top of the Park strictly for the «scene» I would say 4 stars, but since I’m including food and drink too, nothing noteworthy other than attractive men that have no interest in me… and that is ok. Trust me, the guys here don’t care and clearly that’s all that matters. This place gets packed as a friend says, «asses to elbows” — so plan accordingly if you have gay men in tow.
There’s usually some sort of spread of food laid out and drinks? they have plenty of that too.
If you are a pretty lady, you will receive a compliment or two and NO line for the bathroom anytime I’ve ever been here…

Oh top of the park… Is it the best looking crowd in town? Quite the contrary, you may run into your closeted grandpa here but hey maybe he’ll buy you a drink.
Seriously though, the views are great. You can see all around San Diego including the bayfront. The booze aren’t overpriced and people are pretty damn friendly. I mean how couldn’t you be… It’s a Friday night and you have a cocktail in hand.
I recommend checking it out but be prepared because it does get crowded.

i ventured into unfamiliar terrority this past friday. i climbed the stairs to get to the roof top of a hotel… walked into a giant room packed full of a cornucopia of men. a fairly normal (this is man diego, of course) occurrence at any social outing.
…but said cornucopia didn’t even glance at me. even in hot pink tights.
but you know why no one did, of course. i might as well have been a hot pink vase sitting on an end table while all these men chatted amongst themselves.
haha. yes, i knew this going in.
Top of the Park is the weekly friday event at the roof top of the Park Manor Suites.
* It is PACKED full of people, 99.9999% gay men.
* There are 3 bar areas to order from — all majorly congested and bearing typical drink prices (I got kettle one and soda for $ 7)
*They offer free food of the bah appeal. I saw, i think, egg rolls for a while and plenty of chips and salsa
*Get there right before sunset to enjoy a fabulous view of downtown, hillcrest, balboa park, etc
*Cool décor of the hotel to check out — the atrium type area with stained glass is really pretty.
…would i go back? Probably not. i don’t like super crowded areas, pricey drinks, and not being noticed for my hot pink tights. What’s in it for me? At least I DID get a shout through the window of a bar by a gay gentlemen complimenting my tights on the walk over.
that made it worth it :)

My co-​workers and I often have a good lunch here while squabbling over our work. Sometimes I have to take a break from it all to appreciate how pretty this place is. The view is nearly unobstructed, with the exception of that building directly to the south whose inhabitants I loathe from real-​estate-​envy.
Aaaaaanyway, the prices here are more than fair for the satiation you feel after finishing a meal here. I’ve really liked everything I’ve ever ordered here. The portion to price ratio is very fair.
The only thing that ever made me gag here, besides my boyfriend’s overzealous pelvic thrust, was a minestrone-​type soup that had the unappetizingly pungent odor of cebum. I haven’t seen – or smelled, rather – this selection for a long time and I’m glad.
I’ve attended more special events at this venue than I can count, and I’m still impressed with the bar service as well as the food during my work’s monthly luncheon.
Aside from the rare occasion when the basil pesto is slightly oversalted, I’m consistently satisfied with my experiences here. It may not wow me with wild, over-​the-​top creativity that I wouldn’t have expected, but maybe it’s not supposed to. Maybe all it’s supposed to be is a dependably delicious menu that never fails me – which it most certainly is.