Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Salty Frog

Place

Salty Frog

992 Palm Avenue, Imperial Beach

Like most sterling life decisions, the Salty Frog was born out of little more than camaraderie and a sturdy dollop of beer-addled whimsy.

Jason Hasty, his wife Alisha, and Kanai (pronounced “Can-I”) — a buddy since high school — opened the joint on Saint Patrick’s Day of 2011, having no idea that they were inaugurating what is now one of I.B.’s most lively drankin’ holes.

“When we opened we would pay $1600 for a UFC fight and do a total of $750 in sales,” Jason recalls. “It was brutal. After a while word got out and people started to really like us. We are very grateful because it was not fun to own the bar at first! No glory, no parades, just losses.”

Back in the ’80s, it was called the Far East Rock, infamous for its “backroom antics that included dingy couches and even dingier women.”

Sponsored
Sponsored

“It stayed like that for years but slowly faded until it was purchased by a Navy Seal named Ty Woods. Ty changed the reputation and then the name — the Salty Frog because he was a Navy Seal (Frogman) and he was retired (salty).”

Today, the iodized amphibian plays host to a steady crowd of locals, college kids, Navy dudes, and weekend partiers who got sidetracked on their way to TJ. In addition to free pool and shuffleboard, the bar offers karaoke Thursdays, free live music every Friday and Saturday (UFC fights are $5), the illustrious $4 Avodkalypse Bloody Mary bar on Sundays, and — greatest of all — Toss it Tuesdays (6 to 10 p.m.), when the bartender flips the house coin and a frog up merits a drink for 25 cents.

Be warned: I.B. cops are notorious for lurking outside bars at closing time, so groups are encouraged to reserve the Frog van (call well in advance) for free pick up and drop off in South Bay.

As for the future, Jason says: “We have always wanted to do frog races. It’s the only idea we have not figured out yet. Seems simple, but we don’t want to have frogs getting killed from excited patrons. The best current idea is a clear Plexiglass straightaway that’s only open on the ends. You would get a four-foot long straw to blow paper wads at them to get them moving. And then the idea fades. That’s it. I told you it hasn’t all come together yet.”


  • Prices: Drafts $5; Cocktails $3.50, $5ish
  • Hours: Monday–Saturday, 2:00 pm–2:00 am; Sunday, 12:00 pm–2:00 am
  • Happy: 2–7 pm Monday–friday: $3 well, $2 dom drafts, $4 select premium drafts
  • Capacity: 99
  • Food: Pretzels
  • Cards: Yes
  • The Deal: 25-cent Toss it Tuesdays

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

WAV College Church reminds kids that time is short

College is a formational time for decisions about belief
Next Article

At 4pm, this Farmer's Table restaurant in Chula Vista becomes Acqua e Farina

Brunch restaurant by day, Roman style trattoria by night
Place

Salty Frog

992 Palm Avenue, Imperial Beach

Like most sterling life decisions, the Salty Frog was born out of little more than camaraderie and a sturdy dollop of beer-addled whimsy.

Jason Hasty, his wife Alisha, and Kanai (pronounced “Can-I”) — a buddy since high school — opened the joint on Saint Patrick’s Day of 2011, having no idea that they were inaugurating what is now one of I.B.’s most lively drankin’ holes.

“When we opened we would pay $1600 for a UFC fight and do a total of $750 in sales,” Jason recalls. “It was brutal. After a while word got out and people started to really like us. We are very grateful because it was not fun to own the bar at first! No glory, no parades, just losses.”

Back in the ’80s, it was called the Far East Rock, infamous for its “backroom antics that included dingy couches and even dingier women.”

Sponsored
Sponsored

“It stayed like that for years but slowly faded until it was purchased by a Navy Seal named Ty Woods. Ty changed the reputation and then the name — the Salty Frog because he was a Navy Seal (Frogman) and he was retired (salty).”

Today, the iodized amphibian plays host to a steady crowd of locals, college kids, Navy dudes, and weekend partiers who got sidetracked on their way to TJ. In addition to free pool and shuffleboard, the bar offers karaoke Thursdays, free live music every Friday and Saturday (UFC fights are $5), the illustrious $4 Avodkalypse Bloody Mary bar on Sundays, and — greatest of all — Toss it Tuesdays (6 to 10 p.m.), when the bartender flips the house coin and a frog up merits a drink for 25 cents.

Be warned: I.B. cops are notorious for lurking outside bars at closing time, so groups are encouraged to reserve the Frog van (call well in advance) for free pick up and drop off in South Bay.

As for the future, Jason says: “We have always wanted to do frog races. It’s the only idea we have not figured out yet. Seems simple, but we don’t want to have frogs getting killed from excited patrons. The best current idea is a clear Plexiglass straightaway that’s only open on the ends. You would get a four-foot long straw to blow paper wads at them to get them moving. And then the idea fades. That’s it. I told you it hasn’t all come together yet.”


  • Prices: Drafts $5; Cocktails $3.50, $5ish
  • Hours: Monday–Saturday, 2:00 pm–2:00 am; Sunday, 12:00 pm–2:00 am
  • Happy: 2–7 pm Monday–friday: $3 well, $2 dom drafts, $4 select premium drafts
  • Capacity: 99
  • Food: Pretzels
  • Cards: Yes
  • The Deal: 25-cent Toss it Tuesdays
Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Haunted Trail of Balboa Park, ZZ Top, Gem Diego Show

Events October 31-November 2, 2024
Next Article

The Fellini of Clairemont High

When gang showers were standard for gym class
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader