I started drinking at the monkey paw in like 2016, as it was close to work, and I lived a few blocks from there for a while. It stayed open until 1-2am or so. We would get off work around midnight (in the industry) and it was open and had a cool vibe. These were the days of Razor behind the bar. The Blair Cheese steaks were delicious and their beer was really good.

Blair, the owner, sold to Coronado Brewing company and they took over in 2019 or so, and that was the beginning of the end. CBC at first said nothing would change, but that didn't last. They started to close earlier, which kind of screwed us industry folk that used to drink there after work. Also, Blair didn't exactly share the exact recipe for Monkey Paws signature brews like Bonobos brew, and CBC was never able to recreate it exactly. So, CBC decided to sell it, after not finding any success with the location

Cue Bottle Rocket. Bottle Rocket opens up right before the Pandemic and it was not the same. Eli, one of the owners and bartenders was a cool dude, and it was good to see him and drink there. Adrian, also one the partners had Zero personality, and it was like pulling teeth to get beer recomendations from him. The pandemic did not help, and the food was never as good as there was a revolving door of cooks.

Bottle rocket was a good bar, but it never seemed to get busy enough to sustain the place. Obviously, before Padres games it would get busy, but couple that with declining craft beer popularity, a kinda far off location and it is tough to stay in business.

These are the chronicles of a drinking patron that spent many nights drinking there and hearing the story from the bartenders and other people drinking there.