Entry No. 21 — the San Diego file — filed under: speakeasy
Bar Kamon
A concealed door inside Asa Cafe and Bakery opens onto a 1920s Taisho-era Japanese cocktail lounge — shoji screens, crystal chandeliers, an antique telephone — pouring clarified Tokyo Banana cocktails and hojicha-infused Negronis alongside Japanese whisky flights.
The story
By day, 634 14th Street operates as Asa Cafe and Bakery—a quiet East Village spot where you buy pastries off the counter. Come evening, you walk past those same counters to find a disguised door built into the bakery wall. Slip through it, and the modern grid of San Diego drops away into 1920s Japan. The interior is designed around Taisho Roman—a historic Japanese aesthetic movement defined by a brief, dramatic collision of traditional craft and Western European glamor.
The room stays intentionally dark and layered: low-lit shoji screens partition off seating, dark wood paneling lines the space, and crystal chandeliers hang overhead alongside period details like a vintage wall telephone. Behind the bar, the menu treats classic izakaya flavors with surgical precision, pouring Japanese whisky flights alongside drinks like clarified Tokyo Banana cocktails and hojicha-infused Negronis.
What it's like
You will walk into an unassuming bakery storefront before passing through the false entrance into a dim, low-slung room filled with dark timber and low chatter. Space inside is compact and tables fill up fast, so dropping in unannounced usually means waiting out on 14th Street—booking ahead via OpenTable is mandatory if you want a guaranteed seat. Order a katsu sandwich from the kitchen, pick out a whisky flight or an infused cocktail, and enjoy the strange friction of drinking inside a locked bakery after dark.
The move: Grab pastries at Asa Bakery in the early evening, then slip through the hidden entrance for katsu sandwiches and a Japanese-whisky-driven cocktail list in a wood-paneled, chandelier-lit room.
- 📍 East Village
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 634 14th St, San Diego, CA 92101
Hours: Added 2026-07-19 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Pair it with
- Space 4 Art — Walk two blocks over from this live/work artist warehouse in the East Village for a nightcap behind the bakery door.
- Villa Montezuma — Pair 1920s Taisho-era Japanese mixology with an afternoon tour of an 1887 Queen Anne mansion built for a séance-hosting pianist.
- Bread & Salt — Explore experimental gallery spaces in a converted 45,000-square-foot bread factory in Barrio Logan before ending your night over Japanese whisky.
Good to know
How do I find the hidden entrance?
Walk inside Asa Cafe and Bakery at 634 14th Street in the East Village; the entrance is built into a concealed panel inside the bakery space.
Do I need reservations?
Yes. The room has limited seating, so making a reservation online via OpenTable beforehand is strongly recommended.
When is Bar Kamon open?
Evening service typically opens at 5:30 PM, and the bar is closed on Tuesdays. Check their official site or OpenTable to confirm current hours before heading out.
What food and drinks are offered?
Expect a Japanese-whisky-driven cocktail list with options like hojicha Negronis and clarified Tokyo Banana drinks, along with whisky flights and food like katsu sandwiches.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · localemagazine.com · opentable.com · Yelp
last checked: 2026-07-19