Photo Compliments of Alex Drachnik
CRSSD Festival San Diego
San Diego's premiere music festival returns to bring the good vibes back to San Diego in their third installment this weekend. CRSSD hosts a few very favorable attractions; beautiful music, beautiful location, and beautiful people! Honestly what more could you want? Well, I will answer that for you! Locations to pre-game is what you want! While CRSSD will have an amazing assortment of beers and cocktails, we all know being a little tipsy before going into the festival is a necessity!
So here is my list of 4 local establishments to do this at! I want to begin with a disclaimer. I know there are so many places to pre-game, but this list holds two pre-requisites. The first is being within walking distance of the venue, and whether or not they were open in time to pre-game. Therefore, all of the places on this list ARE WALKING DISTANCE FROM THE VENUE AND OPEN NO LATER THAN NOON ON SATURDAY AND SUNDAY!
1) Ballast Point Brewery
Photo Compliments of Ballast Point Brewery
Ballast Point Brewery is just a few blocks away from San Diego Waterfront park and is my number one location for a CRSSD pre-game! This is the quintessential San Diego establishment. There will be a young crowd and very affordable strong beers (average price of $6 per beer isn't bad!). It is definitely a very social place and opens at 11 AM! Pair this with some of their amazing food options and you will have a really good combination of feelings going into the festival!
2) Queenstown Public House
Photo Compliments of Queenstown Public House
Last CRSSD Festival this place was absolutely popping off. I walked by with a friend and we both were impressed at the amount of activity going on here. This is for good reason, the location is super interesting (it is in an old town home) and the layout is great! This New Zealand style restaurant/bar offers up some unique food and great drinks. It will be open at 9 AM both Saturday and Sunday so come in whenever you want to get the party started! It is just a few blocks from Waterfront park, what else do you want?
| Brunch Menu | Drink List |
3) Kettner Exchange
Photo Compliments of Blue Motif Architecture
Kettner Exchange is another Little Italy Location that is a must visit! It has a second story which looks into the San Diego bay! It is a beautiful restaurant and bar! All Beers are $7 dollars with brunch and Cocktails are $11. The food is also great. It is open from 11 AM until 3 PM on Saturday and Sunday, therefore a late brunch with some good drinks seems to be in order! I personally love this location and it is really close to the venue!
4) Stone Brewery
Photo Compliments of San Diego Eater
Ahhh yes how could I make a list on best places to pre-game without mentioning to immensely popular Stone Brewery? A San Diego favorite with amazing beer, great atmosphere, and great food. What more can I say? Everyone reading this most likely knows what Stone means to San Diego. The location is small but has a great outdoor patio! The location is on Kettner and just a quick walk to the venue!
| Menu |
Conclusion
This is going to be a fun weekend! CRSSD is sold out and ready to go with some amazing artists! The weather might be a little gloomy so dress in layers! Have fun, stay safe, and be happy everyone!
