Taste the Best Cider in San Diego

Craft cider makes up only a small part of San Diego’s beverage scene, but it’s gaining popularity because it is naturally gluten-free, relatively low in alcohol and easy to enjoy.

San Diego may not have many cideries, but the ones here stand out for quality. Their diverse flavors and finishes offer plenty for both newcomers and longtime cider fans. If you’re looking for where to drink cider in San Diego, start here. Full disclosure: A few of these spots are outside city limits, but they’re worth the trip.

Bivouac Ciderworks

Where: 3986 30th St., San Diego, CA 92104
Situated smack in the middle of North Park’s 30th Street, known as San Diego’s Beer Boulevard, is Bivouac Ciderworks, a temple dedicated to the art and craft of cidermaking. As one of the most visible, convenient and top cideries in San Diego, Bivouac offers an array of entry-level ciders as well as more complex offerings — especially at their experimental cider lounge and workspace next door called the Adventure Lodge. Try a flight and see what speaks to you.  

Oddish Wine

Where: 5322 Banks St., San Diego, CA 92110
It’s not a cidery, and it’s not a winery — Oddish Wine exists in its own space, at the collaborative outdoor venue The Gärten near University of San Diego. Operated by the same folks behind Lost Cause Meadery, Oddish is an experimental beverage company that blurs the lines between cider, wine, co-ferments and pretty much any drink you can think of. Come open-minded and prepared to discover what makes craft cider in San Diego so compelling.  

Newtopia Cyder

Where: 10045 Carroll Canyon Road, Suite A, San Diego, CA 92131
Newtopia Cyder’s portfolio of ciders range from traditional to innovative, with tons of fruit flavor in each one. Using only West Coast-grown apples, this family-friendly cidery in San Diego is conveniently situated a few minutes off Interstate 15, with plenty of parking and lots of events like live music, trivia and more. 

Coronado Brewing Company

Coronado Location: 170 Orange Ave., Coronado, CA 92118 
Bay Park Location: 1205 Knoxville St., San Diego, CA 92110
Technically, Coronado Brewing Company isn’t a cider company. But the acclaimed brewery founded on Coronado launched a cider line in 2021, and for a beer company dabbling in the San Diego hard cider scene, it’s pretty darn good. The vegan, gluten-free, dry ciders come in original and a fruit-infused version at 6.0% ABV (or below) to offer a refreshing beverage ideal for year-round enjoyment.

The original brewery and restaurant remain in Coronado, but travelers can also stop by Coronado Brewing’s production facility in Bay Park, near Mission Bay and a short walk from the Tecolote Road Trolley Station on the UCSD Blue Line. Settle in with a cider or beer, order from the food menu and enjoy the spacious patio, which is both family- and dog-friendly.

Calico Cidery

Where: 4200 Highway 78, Julian, CA 92036
Located about an hour's drive from Downtown San Diego in Julian’s apple country, Calico Cidery’s tasting room sits on the actual orchard from where they get their fruit and offers a rotating menu of four different ciders that change with the season. Pack a picnic lunch and come ready to sip and stroll through the avenue of trees for a picture-perfect day. (Note: Julian does tend to get more crowded during autumn’s U-pick season, so plan your trip accordingly.)

Storum Ranch Cider & Wine

Where: 1878 Wynola Road, Julian, CA 92036
Like Calico, Storum Ranch is also located in Julian, about an hour’s drive northeast of downtown San Diego. Storum makes cider, vinegar, shrubs and other interesting concoctions for the aspiring cider aficionado. Only open on weekends, it’s a picturesque destination with plenty of traditional ciders and wines, all exclusively made with fruit from San Diego County. If you want to try authentic San Diego cider, Storum is the right place.  

Raging Cider & Mead Co.

Where: 177 Newport Drive, Suite B, San Marcos, CA 92069
Experience more of San Diego’s best ciders by taking a daytrip up the I-15 to like Raging Cider in the North County Inland city of San Marcos (around a 40-minute drive from Downtown San Diego). Owner and cidermaker Dave Carr is making some of the most interesting ciders in San Diego, including styles like English scrumpy, co-ferments with grapes and apples, single varietals and more. Not sure what any of that means? Carr is always happy to talk shop with curious cider newcomers.

Twisted Horn Mead & Cider

Where: 1042 La Mirada Court, Vista, CA 92081
Travel about 10 minutes west of Raging Cider to enter Valhalla at a Viking-inspired beverage hall in Vista that feels like a trip back in time. The vaulted ceilings and plenty of long wooden tables give guests a sense of what an authentic Scandinavian mead hall must have been like centuries ago. With San Diego mead and cider on the menu, Twisted Horn offers everything from sweet to dry ciders and everything in between, making it easy to try all sorts of different takes on both beverages.