The Gas Lamp Quarter in downtown San Diego is a beautiful collection of boutique restaurants and shopping combined with a rich 150 year history. It’s Victorian style architecture and connections to the past make for a fun classy weekend. At least that is what I thought, until my friend Brian took me to Trailer Park After Dark.
There isn’t a big sign on the street or anything, only a small banner and bouncer with a small pig that lead you down to a basement dive bar. The interior is a combination of trailers and old school professional wrestling on flat screen TV’s. While I was enjoying the majestic mullets of Greg Valentine and Ric Flair, I noticed that the bar stools are made from shopping carts and that the condiments are in fishing tackle boxes. This is one of the most unique restaurants that I’ve been to in a long time. I’ll make a gallery at the end of the post.
The Single Wide
- 1/3lb beef patty
- American Cheese
- Lettuce, tomato, pickle
- Special sauce
Trailer Park after Dark’s cheeseburger is exactly what it needs to be. There isn’t much in terms of unique flavor here, but it is a solid burger. One thing that I appreciated about this is that the sauce didn’t overpower the rest of the burger. You can taste seasoned and juicy beef patty with a slightly crispy crust and it really is the star of the show here. If you’re looking for a little more tangy flavor, get an extra side of sauce.
Kitchen Sink Tots
- Tater Tots
- Cheese Sauce
- Bacon
- onion
- tomato
- jalapeno
- BBQ Sauce
If the burger isn’t enough, consider trying Trailer Park’s kitchen sink tots. The portion is big so make a plan to share these guys with your fellow trailer people. When it comes to the battle of fried potatoes I’m firmly a member of the French Fries camp, but tots are a nice change of pace for me. They don’t stay crispy very long, but the little crevices do provide a nice carry for all the sauces.
Trailer Park After Dark is a fun little deviation from the “normal” restaurant but I think it’s charm relies more on the bar side. The food is solid so you should try it, but I honestly think your experience here will be enhanced with a 40oz of malt liquor or a couple of cans of PBR. Either way, it’s a fun place that I would bring friends to when they are looking for a couple of drink in San Diego.
-Vy
[Sample Menu]
Check out the gallery below [Click to enlarge]
Trailer Park After Dark
835 Fifth Ave
San Diego, CA 92101
Tues – Sat: 5PM – 2AM
Sun – Mon: Closed
