During craft-beer’s decade-plus surge, it was commonplace to see new watering holes devoted to artisanal ales and lagers pop up throughout San Diego County. The fluid flowing through those establishments’ taps was bankable and there was no shortage of quality local product. Despite recent industrywide challenges, the latter is still true, as San Diego remains home to a host of brewing companies, many of which produce award-winning beers. Those local concoctions form the backbone of the beer lists at not one, but two new craft-focused venues that opened their doors over the past two weeks, Tiny Giant Tapoom and Lucky’s Irish Beer Garden.
Tiny Giant opened on Saturday, January 11 at the site that housed Iron Fist Brewing’s satellite tasting room in Barrio Logan from 2015 to 2020. Initially taken over in 2022 by a pair of homebrewers that had intentions of installing their small brewery concept, Dreamscape Brewing, it went back on the market when permitting issues led the duo to back out of the project and the property. Now, that 3,000-square-foot, patio-equipped space is the domain of Chris Wilson, a former technical support professional who had a moment of reflection while on a quest to recenter himself after resigning from his long-time employer.
“I was sitting in a pub in Bangkok one night when I saw a perfect job listing for another tech company I really admired,” says Wilson. “I started drafting up a résumé for it when I had a moment of internal pause, asking myself, ‘Why am I rushing back to this similar position just a few months later where I probably won’t be happy again?’
From there, he asked himself another question: What is it that I bring to the world? As he continued his international travels, he began writing down complex answers to that introspective query, but ultimately felt he was making things way too complicated.
After many months and many more beers along the way, I landed on something simple. I enjoy talking to people and hearing their stories, and I like cold beer. And there was my answer. I should open a beer bar.”
Chris Wilson, Owner, Tiny Giant Taproom
Located in mixed-use development, Mercado del Barrio, Tiny Giant boasts a whopping 30 taps, four of which are nitro lines. Beers from local outfits share space with ales and lagers from out-of-towners as well as alternative beverages, such as cider, kombucha, wine and coffee. Bar seating gives way to high-tops and couches, with picnic tables on the patio for al-fresco imbibers. Back inside, TVs and a mini arcade with pinball machines, classic arcade cabinet games and a claw machine provide entertainment, while a kitchen puts out what Wilson describes as “simple pub grub”, including sandwiches, flatbread pizzas and empanadas.
Though a newcomer to San Diego, upon discovering the home for his project (one made incredibly appealing by the coldbox, tap system and other good bones Iron Fist left behind), he became a quick study in Barrio Logan’s rich history and made it his goal to match that spirit when overhauling the unit’s interiors.
“When we took over the space, it felt very industrial…lots of metal, lots of gray, stock images of beer vats. This is a vibrant community with incredible, colorful art everywhere, and we wanted to brighten up the place and make it feel more radiant and welcoming,” says Wilson. “It’s currently funky and panda-themed, and will only get more detailed and lively over time. We also hope to connect with local artists to give them a space to display and sell their work commission-free via monthly residencies.”
Tiny Giant is open Monday through Saturday from noon to 10 p.m., and Sundays from noon to 8 p.m. In the coming weeks, Wilson plans to launch paint nights, arcade high-score challenges and other weekly programming. He also hopes to institute makers’ fairs on the second Saturday of each month.
A bit further south in Bonita, Sergio Tostado Valdez, a veteran restaurateur, publican and brewer with multiple bars and eateries in Ensenada and Valle de Guadalupe, soft-opened his first business on this side of the border over the weekend. Following the nomenclature of his three Mexican pubs (one of which has a one-barrel system Valdez uses to produce house lagers, IPAs, stouts, farmhouse ales and more), Lucky’s is located at the Bonita Food Market, a site it shares with owners Daniel and Sarah Lopez‘s Monterrey Ribeye Burgers. The latter’s work-in-progress menu consists of its namesake item along with sliders, chicken wings and French fries, all of which pair well with Lucky’s assortment of beers from Baja-based breweries and San Diego County standouts.
“I live nearby in Otay Ranch and I’ve been looking for a spot to open a [stateside business] since I moved here with my wife and kids in 2015,” says Valdez. “I visited spots throughout the South Bay with no success, but Bonita caught my eye.”
Coming in at 1,300 square feet with a sizable outdoor beer garden, Lucky’s is a first-of-its-kind operation locally in that its focus is primarily on exposing American consumers to craft beers being produced by Mexican brewing companies. The venue’s opening-day draft list included offerings from Ensenada operations Cerveza Cardera and Cervecería Wendlandt, Tijuana’s Cervecería Insurgente, and Colima’s Cervecería de Colima.
In the future, Valdez, who is a graduate of the Siebel Institute’s renowned brewing program, will look to add some of his own creations to the beer board. His plan is to invite friends from Baja brewing companies ‒ many of which do not distribute their beers to the U.S. ‒ to join him at Grantville’s Citizen Brewers to produce collaboration beers Valdez will then offer at Lucky’s. The goal is to show off the best from where he comes from, and he plans to go beyond curating cross-border and collaborative kegs when doing so.
“I want to bring a taste of my hometown of Ensenada – our food, wines and beers – to San Diego,” says Valdez. “[To do that], I will be holding monthly events featuring chefs, beers and wines from Ensenada and Baja California.” Additionally, Tostado says that on the weekends his venue will offer live music along with special beers that are hard to come by in California.
Lucky’s grand opening will take place on Thursday, February 6 and it’s hours of operation are Sunday through Thursday from 4 to 10 p.m., and Fridays and Saturdays from 4 p.m. to midnight.
Tiny Giant Taproom is located at 1985 National Avenue, #1132 in Barrio Logan, and Lucky’s Irish Beer Garden is located at 4068 Bonita Road in Bonita