The Merrow

Definitely updated a lot since it was The Merrow, now a place known as the EQ. Dance lights and club music are on. Staff is nice and social, and the place has its usual regulars. Afternoons here are usually pretty chill. Their events at night range in demographics, a big mixture of all kinds of people. My favourite night event is Bear Night.

Love my neighborhood dive bar. Great time. Great bartenders. Strong pours, one pool table. Events all the time from Sabbat, bear night, drag shows, karaoke, bands. Blue Mondays. Now new owners, remodel done and now called The EQ.

Came here for Ascension because I was looking for dark / industrial techno venues. Our friends and I dressed up in all black and we fit in perfectly. I sort of wish the music was slightly more "dark", something along the lines of this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23eSH9EQWvk ... if anybody knows of any venues that play this kind of music, please let me know!

The music was a lil tooslow. They need more upbeat songs, but the sound system & lighting are great. The vibe seemed pretty good & met some sweet people****A fight broke out & that was also not cool. I'm a lil surprised, I doubt I'll return.

A lot of super drunk people were in here in the middle of the day on a Sunday. I didn't like coming inside hearing drunk people arguing, but the bartender was nice, and the lighting and decor were cool. They have seating inside and outside (sadly you can smoke outside), pool tables inside, as well as a stage inside for events and karaoke (with lots of loud, bad singers). The prices were good though. Not really my style of place, but not a bad place.

Quirky bar off the main street. Lots of locals it looks like and many seemed to know each other. CHEERS? If you like karaoke, it starts as early as noon. They were showing the Food Network and another cooking channel on another tv. What no sports!! They even serve canines who are 21 (see pic). Have pool tables off in another room and an outside seating area. There's a place for everybody! Enjoyed their 80's music they were playing at the time I was there. When I was here there was an "older" crowd, like me. Fun, good bartender-Joe- who interacted with patrons and crowd. I had 2 Labatt's Blue, which I have not seen on tap at a bar in a long while and wife had a good, strong Cuba Libre. I'LL BE BACK!!

Awesome place with a good sense of community. They throw lots of events with themes. Hillcrest has an amazing ambience.

The Merrow has been through several iterations through the years, and slowly has become one of the best places to hear music and dance in San Diego. Firstly, it has some of my favorite underground events like Sabbat, Blue Monday, and Ascension. They have other regular nights that I've heard good things about but I haven't been to all of them. The bar has what I'd call an upscale-divey feel, meaning that it's not a super classy place but it's not a dump either. It's pretty dark inside typically with a cool nautical theme. Also atypical of your normal dive, it's not cramped. The dance floor is pretty large and you can always find a good place to dance, even when it's a busy night. The sound system is good too and they have some club lights for nice atmosphere. The bar area is not huge but big enough for 2-3 bartenders to get you drinks pretty quick. Pours are sturdy and they have a nice selection of craft beers and tequilas relevant to my interests. Staff and security have always been excellent. They keep an eye on things and do their best to keep everyone safe. Outside they've converted the small parking lot into a smoking patio that sometimes has another bar open where you can hang out with some fresh air, chairs, and movies projected onto the wall. I usually only come out here to cool off from dancing! It's probably not allowed due to ordinances or whatever but I always thought it'd be cool if there was a speaker somewhere playing the music from inside.Overall, if you wanna have an affordable night out of dancing and drinking with good people and vibes, the Merrow is easily one of my favorites! I'd check their calendar to see what's going on since the themes are always rotating. For the most popular nights like Sabbat you might even want to get a ticket in advance to avoid getting stuck in line.

Kicked out my entire group about 5 minutes after most of them arrived because one of our friends tripped on his way to the bathroom. Also charged $10.30something for a little plastic cup of beer, garbage bar LOL. Shame because the first bouncer was such a sweet guy but changed to an awful one right when our friends arrived. Yall lost many customers todayEDIT: Just noticed the disgusting snarky remarks & comments made on other 1 star reviews by the owner's account on here, essentially talking down to & belittling other customers who had an extremely negative experience, rather than try & make it up to them. What a LOSER. Just wanted to come back to say, F0CK YOU!!!!!!!

They have a juke box but not able to play, tv the same as flicks but play non sports games. I think they have some adjustments to accommodate the day crowd vs the club crowd is they want to maximize their profit. I