According to recently approved California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control records, Drink 182 obtained an active Type 47 restaurant liquor license for the property in April through Drink 182 OB, LLC, a company tied to local operators Jason Wildes and Joshua Dunn.
The incoming venue describes itself as San Diego's first dedicated pop-punk bar and pizza destination, blending coffee service during the daytime with pizza, cocktails, local craft beer, arcade games, and nostalgia-driven décor after dark.
"Drink 182 isn't built around a trend. It's built for the people who grew up with this music and still turn it up when their favorite song comes on," the company said in a statement announcing the project. "It's the bar that should have existed all along."
Plans call for a space filled with neon lighting, signed memorabilia, arcade games, custom artwork by San Diego artist Konecki, music-video-inspired décor, New England-style beach pizza, specialty cocktails, mocktails, and coffee from James Coffee Co.
The location has experienced significant turnover in recent years. Prior to Cass Street Bar and Harry's Taco Shop, the property housed JJ's Sports Bar & Grill, which itself lasted only a short time. The departure of Cass Street Bar and Harry's Taco Shop closes the book on one of the stranger concept pairings to arrive in Ocean Beach in recent memory.
When the project debuted in 2023, it effectively transplanted two Pacific Beach brands into a neighborhood that has long prided itself on being culturally distinct from its northern coastal neighbor. Cass Street Bar took its name from Cass Street in Pacific Beach, where the original concept built a loyal following. The Ocean Beach location, however, sat on Newport Avenue - one of the community's most iconic commercial corridors and about as far removed from Pacific Beach identity as possible.
The second half of the project proved equally perplexing to many locals. Harry's Taco Shop was launched by the same ownership group behind Mike's Taco Club, which operates directly across the street. To some observers, the concept essentially created internal competition between two nearly identical taco-focused businesses separated by little more than a crosswalk.
While neither concept ever appeared to fully resonate with Ocean Beach in the way their owners may have hoped, Drink 182 arrives with a concept that feels more differentiated and destination-oriented.
The pop-punk theme will inevitably invite comparisons to Blink-182, whose influence looms large over Southern California's music culture. Although the operators are not officially affiliated with the band, the branding, aesthetic, and concept clearly draw inspiration from the era and culture that helped make San Diego and North County fertile ground for pop-punk's rise.
Whether Ocean Beach embraces a nostalgia-driven pop-punk bar remains to be seen. But unlike the concepts it replaces, Drink 182 at least appears designed specifically around a singular identity rather than repurposing brands that originated elsewhere.
Drink 182 is expected to open this July at 5049 Newport Avenue in San Diego's Ocean Beach neighborhood. For more information, visit @drink182ob on Instagram.
Originally published on June 21, 2026.
