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An eclectic assortment of paintings, rifles, and old photos decorate the walls of this Gaslamp Quarter café. Order your special brew of espresso or tea and take it to a table to watch the world pass by. Glass jars hold over 100 different types of tea and coffee for sale.

Sitting in the hotel’s lobby lounge amid Spanish mosaics, hand-painted ceilings and murals, red-tiled floors and huge palms is like being in a Spanish palace. Order a drink and gaze out at the ocean; a pianist performs in the evening. On sunny days, take advantage of the outside tables.

Named after the character in Anne Rice’s best-selling vampire novels, this café serves excellent coffee and pastries 24 hours a day. In the heart of increasingly hip Normal Heights, local bands entertain in the evening. Bring your laptop to enjoy a free wireless Internet connection.

Literally imported from Ireland, the wood walls, flooring, decorations, and assorted curios were shipped over and reassembled. Even the bartenders and waitresses are the real thing, not to mention the Guinness. Grab a sidewalk seat on Fifth Avenue or try for a window seat upstairs. The pub food is great, too.

Window seats are at a premium during sunset when people come to enjoy the breathtaking views of the bay, Coronado, Point Loma, and the jets over Lindbergh Field. Dark woods exude a sedate, plush atmosphere, with drink prices to match.

Whether you’d like a Kona Brewing Fire Rock or a Mad River Jamaican Red Ale, there’s definitely a drink for you among the 130 featured beers and ales. Order by the half pint or yard with some upscale appetizers. Music and TV sports events make the atmosphere young and noisy.

The ultimate in cool, this spot is the next best thing if you can’t make it to the beach. Relax under the stars outside on comfortable banquette seating, order a martini and dig your toes into the heated sand, or go for a Mai Tai in a private, candle-lit cabana.

Enjoy a latte and a snack in this fun café. It’s packed all day with neighborhood residents and their dogs. In the Green Room, you’ll find nightly live entertainment ranging from poetry readings to Celtic music.

Owned by an ex-Navy SEAL, the pub and its large outside patio are enormously popular with Coronado’s military. A pint of Guinness is a good choice to accompany traditional pub grub such as Mulligan stew and corned beef, and the occasional Mexican dish. Enjoy the live local entertainment.

James Dean photos, neon, and 1950s road-trip artifacts adorn this diner’s walls; burgers are named Kookie and Eddie; and a shiny Corvette sits as a shrine in this retro Hillcrest hangout. Libations from the full bar help dull the sensory onslaught.