Opened in 2001 by Joe Vaught and Mark Cirillo—the same partners behind Pacific Beach’s Tavern at the Beach—Sandbar Sports Grill is a bi-level bar & grill at 718 Ventura Pl, 92109, sitting at the heart of Mission Beach just steps from the ocean. The duo later brought in Eric Lingenfelder, a San Diego native and SDSU graduate who served as past president of the Pacific Beach Business Improvement District, to complete the Verant Group partnership that now operates seven bars and restaurants across California. Sandbar has been crowned best fish taco at the beach in multiple local competitions, and reviewers consistently rank the beer-battered and grilled whitefish tacos among the top in the city. The ground-floor dining room opens onto a sidewalk patio, and guests exploring the Mission Blvd corridor will find a completely different vibe one block north at Miss B’s Coconut Club, where Caribbean-inspired plates and rum-forward tiki cocktails channel a 1930s sailor-club atmosphere. Upstairs, the Sky Deck offers panoramic Pacific Ocean views, heat lamps and an unobstructed sightline to San Diego’s nightly sunsets. The menu covers classic pub fare—fish and chips, burgers, nachos—alongside a selection of craft cocktails and more than 50 tequilas, and karaoke nights and big-screen sports broadcasts keep the energy high after dark. The venue hosts private events through its Tripleseat booking platform, and free parking is available in an adjacent lot—an uncommon perk this close to the water. The Verant Group’s community roots run deep: Cirillo managed bars in PB throughout the 1990s, and Vaught spent 15 years as a top wine salesman at Southern Wine & Spirits before going full-time on the restaurant side in 2002. Sports fans who also want to catch a game closer to Garnet Avenue can settle into Tavern at the Beach, the Verant Group’s original 1997 Pacific Beach property. Sandbar’s hours run from 9 a.m. to 10–11 p.m. depending on the day, with weekend mornings drawing an early beach crowd for breakfast before the sand fills up.