Key & Cleaver

Wow, our friends live in the neighborhood and they wanted to take us to their favorite spot in City Heights. We were impressed with Chris the owner/bartender. He was super friendly, had great energy and was willing to make specialty cocktails based on our preferences. All the cocktails were super delicious!I had the black and blue burger with the rosemary salted fries. Excellent and the fries were out of this world. There were no crumbs left on my plate. The restaurant was super cute and loved the upstairs rooftop deck. The air conditioning felt cool and we were able to watch the Olympics on the multiple screens they have behind the bar. Can't wait to go back!

service was 10/10 and attentive. food was amazing. wings were fire. the burger was also fire and juicy . the fries were crispy. ambience was inviting and welcoming2nd time going and would def be back since it's grass fed few min away from where i am. very good food

Your classic Brewery and Burger joint with a neighborly flair.Great, locally sourced food, with enough variation to the menu to keep you exploring. Tried everything from the BBQ Bacon to the Mushroom Swiss to their Burger(s) of the Month - all have been a five star hit. Solid portion sizes with epic fries. Tip: get the aioli with it (or for those acid-lovers, a side of bbq sauce is pretty freakin great as well), and wash it down with one of their many beers on tap.Owners are friendly and hospitable and deservedly have a cult like following. Highly recommend giving City Heights a fair chance and popping in to this soon to be staple.

BBQ Bacon Cheese this is a big, thick delicious messy burger. The fries are excellently fried in beef tallow. I prefer the bacon to be a little more crisp instead of having some chewiness but no regrets here. Service is a little slow because there's 1 person serving. So, be patient and chill.

Hidden gem in the mid city/city heights. My friend introduced me to this place. Once you walk in, you feel like you're in a different area; compared to the outside of this place LOL. I want to keep this place all to myself but I have to share. It's a small establishment with a bar, dining area and a rooftop lounge. I love that it is family friendly. Very nice, friendly and helpful crew Jasmine, Jennifer and Chris. We sat down and ordered a few drinks. My friend ordered some beer/IPA and I ordered Spicy Margarita (Serrano infused real del valle, triple sec, house made margarita mix, black charcoal salted rum). It was soooo delicious! I had to go for seconds , it is a spicy drink. I usually don't order spicy drink but this drink blew my mind; it was quite tasty. We also ordered some burgers. I ordered the black & blue burger: it was blackened seasoned beef patty, topped with blue cheese crumbles & buffalo sauce. On the side it had lettuce, tomatoes, onion and pickles. My friend ordered the burger of the month which was the "Pastramarami" which had beef patty, provolone cheese, sauerkraut and brown mustard. Both were cooked medium and burger meals came with a side of fries. We both liked our burgers. It was very fresh, the ingredients and fries were cooked perfectly. Burgers had lots of flavors. The Pattie's are from the Perennial Pastures ranch in North county and grass fed. The fries are insane, crispy, flavorful and compliments the burgers. Street parking is only available and very limited. I will definitely be back.

My daughter was craving a burger and found this place right near her house. Located on busy section of University Ave, finding parking is the hardest part.of trying out this hidden gem. When you enter from the cracked sidewalks of this impoverished community you are transported to a clean garden like environment. It's amazing what the wall of ivy does for this place. I also wanted to note how clean the bathroom was and stocked with high quality feminine hygiene products, how very thoughtful!We were treated and seated immediately by a Uber friendly man. Although we were impressed with the excellent variety of beer taps we stuck with water. We ordered our burgers and it came out rather quickly. Although the buns felt a little small, the burgers were plump and juicy...much thicker than your typically find and perfectly cooked. Although they were under-seasoned, you got to taste the beef which was a very nice locally sourced grass fed beef! Say that in one breath! The garlic aoli was fantastic with a nice hit of garlic. We both enjoyed our blue cheese and mushroom Swiss burgers so both get our recommendations.I hate to say it, but the star of the show was the rosemary french fries. They are perfectly crisp and perfectly seasoned. They were kind to bring extra sauces without us asking so that we could try on or burger or fries but I preferred THESE fries without anything, and I'm a big fry dipper!Key & Cleaver is a fantastic find in City Heights. This is my favorite stop for a classic burger thus far in my San Diego adventures.

My husband is really into grass fed beef so we came here. He gets locally sourced beef and he only gets things that are from San Diego which is awesome. We ordered the black and blue burger. It was awesome . The french fries are so unique and delicious. Inside is adorable. They're super into the community and helping around where this area is do not be scared of the neighborhood. It's pretty safe and the owner. Chris is a wonderful person.

My husband found this place as a "hidden gem" for burgers. we knew that this used to be another joint that was popular in City Heights, but did not know that it had been converted and taken over about 6 to 8 months ago by the current business. We came here on a Sunday night during NFL and football game. As soon as we arrived, we were greeted by Jazz,, our bartender and server.She was super friendly and very welcoming.We observed a couple of other parties of 2 at the bar. They all seemed happy and watching the NFL games. We chose a seat in the middle of the bar at a dining table. The place was super clean, very presentable and smelled a little bit like beer but not a nasty smell, more like a beerfest smell, that makes you want to drink and try their beers.Our server, Jazz, was very helpful and kind. We ordered: 1 nonalcoholic beer1 Second Chance IPA. 1 Black and Bleu Burger1 Swiss Mushroom Burger with Avocado1 Raspberry Tart DessertThe good news is that everything that they serve here is locally sourced! Also, they even have the ranch where the burgers are coming from listed on the menu and invite you to check them out. All burgers come with their signature rosemary fries; which are DELICIOUS. The burgers are by default prepared medium. I asked for medium well for my Black and Bleu Burger. The only issue was that the chef prepared my Husband's burger well done instead of default medium. I will ask for extra rosemary on my fries next time, as the flavor was only a hint of rosemary with a couple of rosemary flakes/leaf spriggs on mine. The wonderful raspberry tart dessert was a bonus.Jazz, allowed us to go upstairs to view the rooftop space that you can also book for private events depending on your event and availability. it is a beautiful space and half of it has an open ceiling so it's considered a rooftop with fresh air. There's also an elevator for accessibility. There's also a restroom upstairs for the space.Overall, we will definitely return. I really liked how other couples would come in to this great place. The place is very clean, contemporary, and a good place to try their good burgers and rosemary fries.

This is a local gem. The burgers are grass fed beef and delicious. The fries are unique and the best. Owners and staff are friendly. Nice old fashioned neighborhood bar. They host a number of community events as well. A good addition to our 'hood!

My friend and I decided to check out Key & Clever for trivia on Tuesday. As this was our first time, we didn't know what to expect, but we were blown away. From the friendly environment to the delicious food, we had thee best experience. Staff truly makes you feel valued and went way above and beyond to ensure that we were satisfied.Being that my friend is gluten-free and I am a vegan, we were beyond grateful that Key & Cleaver offers so many options for us. The garlic aioli and chipotle dips are made with Vegenaise and bursting with flavor. They paired perfectly with the fries, which were already amazing as is! Ample seating inside, as well as upstairs and the patio area. Can't wait to return!