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

Analog: Food + Video Games

Before a trip to see a certain movie about a boat, I stopped into Analog Bar for a quick, pre-theater nosh and tipple. The Gaslamp establishment claims "good food and strong drinks" boldly on the front of the building. It's been divided up into two separate rooms, although the partitions come down after ten to generate one, much larger club. The back section of Analog is given up to a karaoke and video game space early in the night, and it's this area that is perhaps the bar's biggest draw.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/apr/14/22892/

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/apr/14/22893/

While I'd be willing to bet it's frustratingly impossible to get a controller when the place is busy, during off-peak hours it's a delight to sit and battle your date or your friends at vintage Street Fighter.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/apr/14/22894/

The drinks were strong as promised, but had a very sweet character overall that disguised the alcohol. A rosemary-infused Manhattan, for one, had been dosed with a significant sum of maple syrup so that the subtleties of the vermouth and herbs were mostly buried.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/apr/14/22895/

More appropriate to the sweetness, the "sargeant pepper" that mixed spiced syrup with gin and vodka had a similarly jubilant flavor that, while unpleasant in the Manhattan, was fun in the more playful cocktail.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/apr/14/22896/

Both drinks deserved credit for being strong, but their charms were mitigated somewhat by being served in plastic rocks glasses.

From the short, but surprisingly comprehensive menu, an order of lobster corndogs ($12) followed the example of the Manhattan in that the delicate flavor of the lobster was overwhelmed by the sweet corn coating. Still, the texture of the little bites was very pleasant.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/apr/14/22897/

More generous than the corndogs at the same price, an order of short rib sliders came with two, very nicely braised sandwiches and some extremely garlicky fries. The bread was a pleasant surprise with it's rich, brioche-like texture and ability to withstand the potentially sloppy stewed beef.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/apr/14/22898/

Despite the the fact that the front of the building says "good food" on it, Analog is definitely more club than restaurant. Nevertheless, the expedient service and fun atmosphere with video games and potential karaoke make it a worthwhile candidate for a place to gather with friends if drinking and socializing are higher priorities than eating, although the food was tasty and filling enough that it can count as much more than just a snack.

Analog Bar
801 5th Avenue
619.233-1183
Tu-Wed 5-Midnight
Th-Sat 5-2
Sun 11AM-Midnight

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

Previous article

Last plane out of Seoul, 1950

Memories of a daring escape at the start of a war
Next Article

Live Five: Greyboy Allstars, Acoustic Revolt, Scary Pierre, Thee Sacred Souls, Glass Spells

Anniversaries, record releases, and fundraisers in Solana Beach, Ocean Beach, Little Italy, and Midway District

Before a trip to see a certain movie about a boat, I stopped into Analog Bar for a quick, pre-theater nosh and tipple. The Gaslamp establishment claims "good food and strong drinks" boldly on the front of the building. It's been divided up into two separate rooms, although the partitions come down after ten to generate one, much larger club. The back section of Analog is given up to a karaoke and video game space early in the night, and it's this area that is perhaps the bar's biggest draw.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/apr/14/22892/

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/apr/14/22893/

While I'd be willing to bet it's frustratingly impossible to get a controller when the place is busy, during off-peak hours it's a delight to sit and battle your date or your friends at vintage Street Fighter.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/apr/14/22894/

The drinks were strong as promised, but had a very sweet character overall that disguised the alcohol. A rosemary-infused Manhattan, for one, had been dosed with a significant sum of maple syrup so that the subtleties of the vermouth and herbs were mostly buried.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/apr/14/22895/

More appropriate to the sweetness, the "sargeant pepper" that mixed spiced syrup with gin and vodka had a similarly jubilant flavor that, while unpleasant in the Manhattan, was fun in the more playful cocktail.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/apr/14/22896/

Both drinks deserved credit for being strong, but their charms were mitigated somewhat by being served in plastic rocks glasses.

From the short, but surprisingly comprehensive menu, an order of lobster corndogs ($12) followed the example of the Manhattan in that the delicate flavor of the lobster was overwhelmed by the sweet corn coating. Still, the texture of the little bites was very pleasant.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/apr/14/22897/

More generous than the corndogs at the same price, an order of short rib sliders came with two, very nicely braised sandwiches and some extremely garlicky fries. The bread was a pleasant surprise with it's rich, brioche-like texture and ability to withstand the potentially sloppy stewed beef.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/apr/14/22898/

Despite the the fact that the front of the building says "good food" on it, Analog is definitely more club than restaurant. Nevertheless, the expedient service and fun atmosphere with video games and potential karaoke make it a worthwhile candidate for a place to gather with friends if drinking and socializing are higher priorities than eating, although the food was tasty and filling enough that it can count as much more than just a snack.

Analog Bar
801 5th Avenue
619.233-1183
Tu-Wed 5-Midnight
Th-Sat 5-2
Sun 11AM-Midnight

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

Que Huong Vietnamese Restaurant

Next Article

Lobsters on a Rooftop by the Sea

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