# Little Italy, Downtown and East Village > San Diego craft beer crawl: Ballast Point Little Italy, Bottlecraft Little Italy, Burgeon at The Arbor and 3 more. About 3.3 km, allow 4.5–5.5 hours. Source: https://thecraftbeercrawl.com/san-diego/routes/little-italy-downtown-and-east-village/ (The Craft Beer Crawl, 2026-10-21) Route 2 · "The Downtown Crawl" - 6 stops - About 3.3 km - Walking: About 45 min - Allow 4.5–5.5 hours **Best time:** Wednesday to Saturday. Bay City opens at 3pm on Monday and Tuesday and closes at 6pm on Sunday. Start at Ballast Point at 11am or noon (Bottlecraft opens at noon), reach Kettner Boulevard mid-afternoon and finish on Bay City's rooftop. On Padres home-game days (spring and summer) the East Village end is packed. Opening hours change, so check each venue before you set off. ## The stops 1. ### [Ballast Point Little Italy](https://thecraftbeercrawl.com/san-diego/venues/san-diego-ballast-point-little-italy/) 2215 India St, San Diego, CA 92101 · **County Center/Little Italy trolley station (Blue and Green lines), 5 min walk** Home of Ballast Point's research-and-development brewery and, since its Miramar headquarters closed in December 2025, the brand's only San Diego venue. 25-plus beers on tap (Sculpin IPA, the grapefruit-and-apricot West Coast IPA that made the name, plus R&D small batches), counter-service brewpub food and a patio where planes pass low on their way into the airport. Tasting room open 11am to 9pm Sunday and Monday, 11am to 10pm Tuesday to Thursday and 11am to 11pm Friday and Saturday. [Open in Google Maps](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=Ballast%20Point%20Little%20Italy%2C%202215%20India%20St%2C%20San%20Diego%2C%20CA%2092101) 2. ### [Bottlecraft Little Italy](https://thecraftbeercrawl.com/san-diego/venues/san-diego-bottlecraft-little-italy/) 2252 India St, San Diego, CA 92101 Bottlecraft's original shop, opened in 2011 and on this block since 2014: a curated bottle and can shop with a draft list of local and visiting beers, plus wine, cider and kombucha, to drink on site or take away. Dog-friendly, free Wi-Fi, 21+ only. Open noon to 9pm Sunday to Thursday and noon to 11pm Friday and Saturday. [Open in Google Maps](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=Bottlecraft%20Little%20Italy%2C%202252%20India%20St%2C%20San%20Diego%2C%20CA%2092101) 3. ### [Burgeon at The Arbor](https://thecraftbeercrawl.com/san-diego/venues/san-diego-burgeon-the-arbor/) 1326 Kettner Blvd, San Diego, CA 92101 · **Santa Fe Depot (trolley, Coaster, Amtrak), 2 min walk** Downtown taproom and restaurant of Carlsbad's Burgeon Beer Co., opened in 2021 in the Savina building at Kettner and A Street: cedar woodwork and greenery, 18 taps of Burgeon's hazy and West Coast IPAs, lagers and seasonals, plus wine and hard kombucha, and a kitchen known for its fish tacos and burgers. Dog-friendly patio. Open noon to 9pm Monday to Thursday, 11am to 10pm Friday and Saturday and 11am to 9pm Sunday. [Open in Google Maps](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=Burgeon%20at%20The%20Arbor%2C%201326%20Kettner%20Blvd%2C%20San%20Diego%2C%20CA%2092101) 4. ### [Stone Brewing Tap Room – Kettner](https://thecraftbeercrawl.com/san-diego/venues/san-diego-stone-tap-room-kettner/) 1202 Kettner Blvd, Suite 101, San Diego, CA 92101 Stone's downtown tasting room and shop in the historic McClintock Warehouse, less than a block from Santa Fe Depot: pours, pints and growler fills of Stone's year-round beers (Ruination, Stone IPA) and specialty releases, with a garden patio, food pop-ups on Saturday afternoons and live music on Saturdays from 3pm. Open noon to 9pm Sunday to Thursday and noon to 10pm Friday and Saturday. [Open in Google Maps](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=Stone%20Brewing%20Tap%20Room%20%E2%80%93%20Kettner%2C%201202%20Kettner%20Blvd%2C%20Suite%20101%2C%20San%20Diego%2C%20CA%2092101) 5. ### [Karl Strauss Brewing](https://thecraftbeercrawl.com/san-diego/venues/san-diego-karl-strauss-downtown/) 1157 Columbia St, San Diego, CA 92101 San Diego's first brewpub and the first brewery of any kind in the city since 1953, opened here on 2 February 1989. Karl Strauss bought the building in 2023 and reopened it in early 2025 after a full remodel that put the brewhouse at the centre and added a wall on the brewery's history. Full menu (fish and chips, burgers, tacos) and a new small-batch beer every Thursday from 5pm. Open 11am to 9pm Sunday to Thursday and 11am to 10pm Friday and Saturday. [Open in Google Maps](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=Karl%20Strauss%20Brewing%2C%201157%20Columbia%20St%2C%20San%20Diego%2C%20CA%2092101) 6. ### [Bay City Brewing](https://thecraftbeercrawl.com/san-diego/venues/san-diego-bay-city-east-village/) 627 Eighth Ave, San Diego, CA 92101 · **Park & Market or Gaslamp Quarter trolley stations, about 10 min walk** Downtown tasting room of Point Loma's Bay City Brewing, opened in 2020: a ground-floor bar and a large rooftop four floors up (by lift) with skyline views and fire pits, plus pizza, sandwiches and cocktails. The beer leans West Coast IPA and pilsner. Open 3pm to 9pm Monday and Tuesday, noon to 9pm Wednesday and Thursday, noon to 11pm Friday and Saturday and noon to 6pm Sunday; the rooftop depends on weather and private events. [Open in Google Maps](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=Bay%20City%20Brewing%2C%20627%20Eighth%20Ave%2C%20San%20Diego%2C%20CA%2092101) Getting there: Little Italy is the north-west corner of downtown, next to the bay and under the airport flight path. Ballast Point and Bottlecraft face each other on India Street; then walk south on India Street or Kettner Boulevard to the Santa Fe Depot cluster. Burgeon, Stone and Karl Strauss are within 300 metres of each other around Santa Fe Depot, so they make a short three-stop crawl on their own. The last leg, Karl Strauss to Bay City (about 1.4 km east along Broadway or C Street), is the longest; the trolley along C Street cuts most of it out. Mission Brewing's East Village taproom closed on 31 August 2026, and Eppig's Petco Park bar closed in 2024, so ignore older guides that list them. This guide doesn't promote happy hours or drink deals. **Alcohol-free and pacing:** ask at the bar for alcohol-free beers and soft drinks, and remember a half is always fine. Eat along the way, drink water between stops, and skip a stop whenever you like. [More tips](https://thecraftbeercrawl.com/responsible-drinking/). [Walking directions (Google Maps)](https://www.google.com/maps/dir/?api=1&origin=Ballast+Point+Little+Italy%2C+2215+India+St%2C+San+Diego%2C+CA+92101&destination=Bay+City+Brewing%2C+627+Eighth+Ave%2C+San+Diego%2C+CA+92101&travelmode=walking&waypoints=Bottlecraft+Little+Italy%2C+2252+India+St%2C+San+Diego%2C+CA+92101%7CBurgeon+at+The+Arbor%2C+1326+Kettner+Blvd%2C+San+Diego%2C+CA+92101%7CStone+Brewing+Tap+Room+%E2%80%93+Kettner%2C+1202+Kettner+Blvd%2C+Suite+101%2C+San+Diego%2C+CA+92101%7CKarl+Strauss+Brewing%2C+1157+Columbia+St%2C+San+Diego%2C+CA+92101) [Print the free passport](https://thecraftbeercrawl.com/passport/san-diego/little-italy-downtown-and-east-village/) ## Places to stay nearby Well-rated places to stay near Little Italy, measured from Ballast Point Little Italy, the first stop. Distances are as the crow flies. We may earn a commission if you book through these links. ### City24 Condo Hotel Little Italy Mission Hills ★★★★ 2801 India Street · about 700 m from the first stop Guest rating 9.3/10 (506 reviews) [Prices on Booking.com](https://www.booking.com/searchresults.html?ss=City24%20Condo%20Hotel%20Little%20Italy%20Mission%20Hills%2C%20San%20Diego) or [Expedia](https://www.expedia.com/Hotel-Search?destination=City24%20Condo%20Hotel%20Little%20Italy%20Mission%20Hills%2C%20San%20Diego) · [Agoda](https://www.agoda.com/search?textToSearch=City24%20Condo%20Hotel%20Little%20Italy%20Mission%20Hills%2C%20San%20Diego) ### Courtyard by Marriott San Diego Downtown Little Italy ★★★★ 1646 Front St · about 700 m from the first stop Guest rating 9/10 (1,283 reviews) [Prices on Booking.com](https://www.booking.com/searchresults.html?ss=Courtyard%20by%20Marriott%20San%20Diego%20Downtown%20Little%20Italy%2C%20San%20Diego) or [Expedia](https://www.expedia.com/Hotel-Search?destination=Courtyard%20by%20Marriott%20San%20Diego%20Downtown%20Little%20Italy%2C%20San%20Diego) · [Agoda](https://www.agoda.com/search?textToSearch=Courtyard%20by%20Marriott%20San%20Diego%20Downtown%20Little%20Italy%2C%20San%20Diego) ### Urban Boutique Hotel- Little Italy, Downtown San Diego ★★★ 1654 Columbia Street · about 600 m from the first stop Guest rating 8.6/10 (2,622 reviews) [Prices on Booking.com](https://www.booking.com/searchresults.html?ss=Urban%20Boutique%20Hotel-%20Little%20Italy%2C%20Downtown%20San%20Diego%2C%20San%20Diego) or [Expedia](https://www.expedia.com/Hotel-Search?destination=Urban%20Boutique%20Hotel-%20Little%20Italy%2C%20Downtown%20San%20Diego%2C%20San%20Diego) · [Agoda](https://www.agoda.com/search?textToSearch=Urban%20Boutique%20Hotel-%20Little%20Italy%2C%20Downtown%20San%20Diego%2C%20San%20Diego) Prefer an apartment? [Search holiday rentals around Little Italy on Vrbo](https://www.vrbo.com/search?destination=Little%20Italy%2C%20San%20Diego). We may earn a commission if you book through these links, at no extra cost to you. Ratings and star classes are from our hotel data provider and can change; check them on the booking site. --- ## Responsible drinking Please drink responsibly. You must be 21 or over to use this site. Know your limits, eat, drink water and never drink and drive. Free, confidential advice: [SAMHSA National Helpline (free, 24/7: 1-800-662-4357)](https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/helplines/national-helpline) or [Rethinking Drinking (NIAAA, U.S. National Institutes of Health)](https://rethinkingdrinking.niaaa.nih.gov/). © 2026 The Craft Beer Crawl. Some links are affiliate links: we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Venue listings are editorial and nobody pays to appear on a route.