Best of 2001: Best (Only) Bar In PB To Grab A Beer And Not Get Puked On

Latitude 32
5019 Cass Street, Pacific Beach
858-273-0501

Latitude: 32 degrees north. Longitude: 117 degrees west. Drinks on bar: 92 feet above sea level. Attitude: zero. Two things distinguish this bar from the rest of PB's watering holes. First, it's located at a safe distance from Garnet Avenue, where the levels of idiocy reach epidemic proportions during the summer. Second, it only serves wine and beer (Guinness, Bass, Red Hook ESB, and the staples on tap), which keeps away the Jägermeister-swilling thrill-seekers in from Phoenix for the weekend. The jovial owner, Willie Walker, likes to think of the bar as a neighborhood pub, not another stop for liquored-up hotheads. Walker first dreamed of opening a mellow tavern in 1998, when he ducked into a hospitable Alaska bar called Latitude 62 after climbing Mount McKinley. Latitude 32 is well-appointed, with two pool tables, Jackalopes, a decent jukebox (The White Album, Born to Run, Licensed to Kill), and great historical photographs of San Diego. Be sure to check out the panorama of the San Diego Motorcycle Force from 1936. Besides pints and 23-ouncers, the bar serves up some pretty good eats-peanuts, pizza, and Polish and fire dogs.