La Puerta

I go here almost every Monday night for their all day "happy hour" which includes half-price drinks (and tequilas) and appetizers. Their tequila list is pretty decent although you're not going to find anything out of the ordinary. The food is pretty good too.

For a downtown bar, it's one of my favorite joints. Most visitors here don't come for the tequila, so be prepared for the "vodka Redbull" and "Bud Lite" crowd if you go on the weekend. Other than that, it's a fun place. They usually have some luchador movies playing on the TVs which adds to the ambiance.

Another note: don't expect to get great advice from the bartenders. After having various conversations with the guys behind the bar, I've usually found them to be a) wrong, b) confused, or c) not very big fans of tequila. My advice is just to grab the menu and start picking out a juice you've never had before.

If you go on a Monday, I'll come say hi. You'll probably be the only other one there drinking straight tequila out of a snifter.

Planned a trip to San Diego and ran across this restaurant on Tequila.net.
Excellent restaurant and staff. Good, quality food at reasonable prices. Large quantity of tequilas with very knowledgeable staff to assist. A "must" when visiting San Diego. However, plan ahead. We tried to get in on a Friday evening and the wait was 45 to 60 minutes. Came back for lunch the next day and were not disappointed.

We came across this place just passing by and decided to go in. I looked at their tequila selection. I can usually tell if a place 'knows' their tequila if I see something on their shelf that is not in many places. In this case, LA FORTALEZA caught my eye. We decided to stay!

Thankfully, the tequila was served in snifters. My fiance ordered a mixed tequila drink which was very tasty as well. There was food on the menu for my vegetarian friends, and the staff was friendly. Whe I go to San Diego, I'd definitely try to go here again.