Draft Republic, owned by the Cohn Restaurant Group, recently opened in the Costa Verde plaza, replacing the former La Jolla Strip Club.
While I never visited the former grill-your-own-steaks restaurant, I was interested in trying out Draft Republic, which specializes in craft beer and housemade sausages. I recently went to check it out with my friend CC.
The restaurant has its own parking lot, which is nice because the rest of the plaza can get quite crowded. The interior is quite spacious, with plenty of seating and ping pong tables too.
Maple Bourbon Bacon Sticks with Apple Chips
I was worried this was just going to be thin slices of bacon glazed with maple bourbon, but I was happy to find that it was actually thick slices of smoked pork belly served on sticks. I really enjoyed the presentation and found the pork belly tender and smoky, finished with a sweet sticky glaze. It was quite delicious.
Dinosaur Kale Smoked Chicken Caesar with a 6-minute egg
I’ve been a little obsessed with kale caesar salads lately, finding the savory flavors in the dressing to balance perfectly with the slight bitterness of raw kale. The portion was quite large, big enough for sharing. The 6-minute egg had a silky, custard-like yolk.
Sausage Sampler
The trio of sausages were all served with different sides. Again, I was pleased with the portions. We were given pork apple, beef bacon and smoked kielbasa. The pork apple had actual chunks of apples, giving it a sweet finish. My favorite was the smoked kielbasa, with its smoky, spicy flavor and snappy exterior.
Overall, we had a pretty good meal here. I enjoyed it a lot and want to bring Mr. K here too. They also have happy hour seven days a week from 2 to 6 pm.
Draft Republic
4282 Esplanade Ct
San Diego, California
I love the presentation of the food, especially on the sausages! The pork skewers also look/sound so tempting.
I was pretty impressed with the food. I didn’t go in with very high expectations
I came here and the food was very hit or miss but they had just opened and you could tell they were working out kinks / the service was great. Should have ordered that kale salad instead of the pork and caper one….
things seemed to be running more smoothly when we went. Though we went during lunch when it wasn’t too crowded. I do want to go back again and try more items!
I enjoyed our lunch there! The sausage sampler was quite good (my fave was also the kielbasa) and the skewered candied pork was delicious!
I really enjoyed our lunch too! I want to go back
That’s good to hear that the food here isn’t all too bad. We’ve passed by this place several times but wasn’t too sure if it was worth the visit. It looks like they really revamped the place. I thought the LJ Strip Club was a bit dark and smokey. I currently have a weird obsession with kale caesar salad as well (I think I just got tired of the romaine lettuce). Was the price of that salad reasonable?
I dont recall the exact prices, but the menu is available on their website. I thought all the prices were pretty reasonable with the quantity of food