If you’re making a group or solo trip to San Diego, the historic Gaslamp Quarter should be a stop at the top of your list! This little pocket of Downtown San Diego is the center of San Diego’s history. Spanning eight blocks for a perfect scavenger hunt, the Gaslamp Quarter is bustling with street-side bars, restaurants, and one-of-a-kind shops that now inhabit the historic building row constructed in the Victorian Era.

Little do most people know that the Gaslamp Quarter was an iconic red light district on the West Coast during the 1800s. On our guided Gaslamp walking tour, dubbed “BROTHELS, BITES AND BOOZE: A WALKING FOOD TOUR OF THE GASLAMP QUARTER’S QUESTIONABLE PAST”, we will take you through the salacious history of the heart of Downtown all the while enjoying Gaslamp’s cuisine and culture of today!

Via Omnia Hotel

ABOUT THE TOUR

The Brothels, Bites, and Booze tour is a fun way for you to explore the Gaslamp Quarter and why it holds the title as one of the top stops for entertainment and dining. History buffs and libations lovers alike will be satisfied with this walking tour of the San Diego Gaslamp district because you get to sample drinks and food while learning about the Gaslamp folklore you won’t find through a quick Wikipedia search.

You’ll walk through history as you journey through Gaslamp, which was once known as San Diego’s bustling “New Town”. Although we will be stopping at restaurants and bars along the way on our tour, we’ll be walking several blocks at a time, so recommend you wear some comfy shoes — save the heels for your clubbing days in 2009, millennials! The total distance of the 2.5-hour tour is approximately 1 mile.

Photo of William Heath Davis via San Diego Reader

GASLAMP’S DEVELOPMENT

Back in 1850, San Franciscan William Heath Davis sought to develop a town on San Diego’s waterfront. Davis’ family laid their heads in one of the first and oldest surviving residences in Gaslamp. Like many recessions we’ve witnessed in our lifetime, an economic depression quickly caused this development to epically fail.

Enter Alonzo Horton, the namesake for Horton Plaza, who continued the development of the Gaslamp Quarter, where Davis left off in 1867. He purchased 800 acres of land by the waterfront to build his “New Town” for only $250 (which is still only around $10,000 in 2023). Horton saw vast potential in the Gaslamp Quarter and even pitched in $50,000 to build a wharf at the end of Fifth Avenue and sold many commercial and residential lots at the beginning of the “New Town” boom.

Photo via sandiego.org

EMERGENCE OF GASLAMP’S RED LIGHT DISTRICT

Financial success often brings in the likes of some unscrupulous characters. Bars, brothels, and gambling soon became commonplace. By 1867, there were over 350 sex workers working in over 100 brothels and over 70 saloons!

As the Titanic sank in 1912, so did the red light district, thanks to a wide sweeping wave of propriety enforced by the local police. They ultimately drove out all the prostitutes after threatening arrest. Needless to say, San Diego was no longer voted the favorite port by members of the Navy with the stoppage of these “extra-curricular” activities.

Via EverettPotter.com

EXPLORING TODAY’S GASLAMP

Cut to today in the modern era, and the Gaslamp Quarter is once again a thriving spot for eateries, bars, and nightlife. This is the quarter we will take you to see on our San Diego Gaslamp Quarter walking tour.

In addition to learning about the Gaslamp Quarter’s rich and scandalous history, you’ll get to taste food and drink from a few of the finest and historic places in Gaslamp as stops on our walking tour.

THE MILLION-DOLLAR QUESTION: WHAT ABOUT THE FOOD?

Worried about your dinner in the Gaslamp San Diego? The Gaslamp Quarter walking food tours will feature stops with 3-4 bites of a food sample, and then a last stop will be a full dessert. So, depending on your own unique appetite, you decide if that counts as a full meal or a light snack. But, no matter what, you will not leave our food tours starving! Here are just a few of the amazing restaurants we partner with:

Via Meze Greek Fusion

Meze Greek Fusion: Get a taste of Greece in the Gaslamp Quarter, the historic heart of San Diego. You’ll get to sample tasty Greek wines as well as a variety of menu items incorporating flavors from all the Greek islands. “Meze” means small plates, but each of their dishes packs a big punch of flavor — start off with small plates with pita and hummus, eat your own individual plate of modern Greek food, or eat family style.

Via Whiskey Girl

Whiskey Girl: This is one of the restaurants in Gaslamp Quarter that has something going on every night of the week! Whether catching a game, having happy hour with friends, or going dancing, Whiskey Girl has you covered. This place keeps your tastebuds satisfied with an all-American fare — including apps, burgers, sandwiches, tacos, and fries as well as signature cocktails, craft beers, and wine.

Via WestBrew

WestBrew: A newer kid on the block, WestBrew has been bringing their signature WestBrew craft beers, hard seltzers, and carefully selected wines to their Gaslamp Quarter tasting room since 2021! Along with tastings, you can enjoy elevated ballpark food: appetizers like tater tots, ceviche, and pretzel bites, along with shareable dishes such as wings, flatbreads, and much more! Right by Petco Park, this brewery roots for the home team … the San Diego Padres!

Via Half Door Brewing Co

Half Door Brewing Company: This family-owned pub is located in a historic 1890s house in the heart of the Gaslamp District. To the sister and brother duo who own Half Door, this San Diegan restaurant represents deep traditions of brewing from their Irish ancestors. HDBC makes and serves beer fresh as an homage to every hamlet on the Emerald Isle in Ireland that had its own unique craft beer. They are doing the same in modern times right in San Diego.

Enjoy beers such as their:

• Father Ted – 5.8% – Belgian Blonde Ale
• Cloud Kicker – 5.4% – Golden Stout
• Gimmick Ale – 5.2% – White Chocolate Peanut Butter Golden Milk Stout.

And enjoy some bites such as: Sausage Flatbread, Red Ale Braised Pork Belly, or Fish N Chips.

Photo via Eater San Dieg

Madam Bonnie’s: Located in the historical Hotel Lester, Madam Bonnie’s specializes in libations — wines, beers, and rotisserie-style dishes! This San Diegan restaurant is named after Bertha “Bonnie” White, who ran a “respectable” brothel within Hotel Lester as a means to provide for her family. Her great-niece describes her as “one determined woman,” as Bonnie needed to provide for a very large extended family.

The spring and summer 2023 menu includes some amazing drinks, such as:

And enjoy some bites such as: Baked brie & strawberry jam, Mushroom Flatbread, Half Chicken served with House rub and guajillo puree, Famous Coffee Rubbed Prime Rib — served with horseradish cream and au jus, and Pesto Fusilli Primavera — served with zucchini, yellow squash, cherry tomato, asparagus

Via Cali Cream

Cali Cream: I scream, you scream, we all scream for Cali Cream! Voted one of the Best Small-Town Ice Cream Shops in America by Travel Awaits, Cali Cream brings over 57 flavors of freshly made, small-batch ice cream to the heart of the Gaslamp Quarter. You can find the flagship location of Cali Cream up in Escondido!

From Birthday Cake, Blueberry Cobbler, Butter Pecan to Creamsicle … you can’t go wrong with any flavor choice for your double scoop, 4-scoop sampler, or a 2-flavor quart of ice cream! And there are dairy-free and vegan options such as Black Cherry, Watermelon Ice, Coffee and Mango! This is the cherry on top of our Gaslamp Quarter walking tour!

Don’t worry about building your own itinerary for exploring the Gaslamp District – we’ve got you covered on our Brothers, Bites, & Booze walking tour in Gaslamp Quarter San Diego. A guaranteed fun time with family, friends, coworkers… or a fun and creative date night idea. If you have a group of 10 or more people, we also offer  a private tour! Contact us for more info!

Written by: Melissa

Melissa hails from San Jose, CA, and has been a San Diego local for five years now after a 10-year long pit stop in Los Angeles. In L.A., she began her writing career crafting digital content for a wide range of clients, including The Real Talk Show, Sharon Osbourne, Hank Azaria, Time Life, and Cardinal Financial. She’s excited to be able to use her passion for writing to introduce people to some of the best spots in San Diego, many of which she has already frequented or has on her ever-expanding list of things to do …  In her spare time, she enjoys taking her puppy Milo to all of the best dog beaches in SD, grabbing a glass of wine or a cup of joe at new places, and hosting watch parties for The Bachelor/ette TV show.