7 Baseball Season Pre-Game Spots

You'd have to be standing in the batter's box at Petco Park to get any closer to the Padres than at this sports-obsessed downtown bar. (And, located at J Street and Seventh Avenue, Bub's at the Ballpark is close enough that you could almost catch a fly ball while sitting on a barstool inside.) The plethora of flat-screen TVs means you won't miss an out. Just in case you still felt the atmosphere lacking for baseball ambience, the menu is packed to capacity with items like the Padres Power Bowl and the Ballpark Nachos. The dishes known to the non-sporting world as appetizers can be found in the menu's First Base section.

Before heading to the park, why not take in the view from this patio bar 22 stories above the field? Located directly across Tony Gwynn Drive from Petco Park, the open-air lounge provides a view of the entire infield—in an atmosphere at least a notch classier than any ballpark—and is well within earshot of the roar of the crowd. Altitude Sky Lounge opens two hours before Padres day games—so you might even catch the pregame warm-ups.

The comfortably divey atmosphere at Tivoli Bar and Grill draws rambunctious crowds before Padres games. Don’t let the humble surroundings of beer posters fool you. The food served by this establishment, inside a 130-year-old building in the Gaslamp Quarter, is far better than you’d expect at a true dive. Pollo asado tacos and carne asada fries, anyone? The prices are more than reasonable, with game day specials like cheap drafts and pitchers. The joint still sports the original bar from when the building was converted from a boarding house into a saloon in 1885. Built in Boston, the bar was shipped around Cape Horn in the days long before the Panama Canal.

You’ll find everything from domestic beers and wine to craft cocktails and an impressive tequila menu at this hip Baja-style eatery a block from the park. The Blind Burro menu features lots of Mexican favorites with plenty of fresh ingredients, two types of guacamole, and way too many tacos to try in one sitting (including lobster, beef tongue, and local fish). Look for game day specials.