It’s a given. Parking in the Gaslamp is bad. Between the pedestrians and traffic, it’s a nightmare. It seems I never have enough change on me to feed the parking meters and when thinking about the possibility of parking at Horton Plaza, my mind explodes. Am I in the fruit or vegetable garage and between what floors?
But lately my tune has changed and I owe it all to Lincoln.
Granted, Lincoln is one of my favorite presidents. I’ve visited his home in Springfield, Illinois, the memorial in Washington D.C. and visited the site in Gettysburg where he had his famous speech. You know, that one. Now I can add a restaurant named after him to the list.
The Lincoln Room opened up in January 2011 by the same people who run La Puerta. And much like La Puerta, happy hours at The Lincoln Room are every day, 3-7 p.m. and the menu is extensive. Half pound of shrimp, deviled eggs, chicken wings, deconstructed pizza, chili dogs, burgers, sandwiches, fish ‘n chips and specialty cocktails are all $5. And yes, it is homage to Lincoln being on the bill.
The portions aren’t skimpy. The burgers— beef or turkey— are a third-pound patty. The fish and chips plate include two cylinders of deep fried cod with a hefty serving of fries. Even the deviled eggs, although only four eggs halves are included per a serving, pack a wallop with a dab of wasabi and spicy red sauce. Not included in the happy hour menu is the amazing stacked fried green tomatoes with mozzarella, tomato, bacon and pesto sauce, which is thankfully $5 any time of day.
Unfortunately, my camera’s battery died so I don’t have pics of the chili dogs (two huge soft roll bagettes with split, seared hot dogs and smothered in chili and chopped onions) and deconstructed pizza (toasted flatbread served with softened garlic, tomato/basil chutney and goat cheese you spread at your discretion). Both are more than enough to serve two people. This is the place to bring a small group where everyone can have a taste of everything, and at a reasonable price, too.
The furnishings add to the atmosphere. Faux kerosene lamps and President Lincoln’s mug are scattered throughout the restaurant, which resembles a log cabin interior. The tables topped with real pennies is my favorite detail. It’s plush and comfy, especially if you manage to get a booth. Additional seats and a second bar are found upstairs.
Though I can’t say with authority that dear old Abraham Lincoln has eaten wasabi deviled eggs, I’m sure the menu would please him.
The Lincoln Room
901 4th Ave.
San Diego, CA 92101
619.696.8888
My Burning Kitchen... on the road 
I love this place! Best happy hour, ever. I didn’t even make the connection between the $5 prices and the $5 bill… I wasn’t too fond of the peel and eat shrimp, but the deviled eggs and deconstructed pizza were really good.
Yeah, the idea of peeling shrimp is not my ideal restaurant situation unless it’s one of those places that is all hands-on like Crab Hut. The deviled eggs and deconstructed pizza were really good!
I keep seeing tweets about this place. The deviled eggs look pretty great. Happy hour in multiples of five sounds perfect for my tiny little budget. Thanks for the scoop!
I brought guests here and the bill was small to feed four people and we were stuffed. I recommend the place esp. since you can take advantage of the happy hour starting at 3 p.m.
The decor is awesome. I hardly ever go Downtown and it has to be worth it for me to make a trek down there. Love how the eggs look!
I have to mentally prepare myself to go downtown. Even thinking about it now gives me a headache. You should totally check it out.
i must live in a cave because i hadn’t yet heard of this place. maybe it is also due to my hatred of going downtown! re: horton plaza parking lot…i always try to park near nordstrom’s, by the bridge or the very top floor. that way i’ll remember, otherwise, i’d be lost forever trying to find my car.
I park at the very top too. Mostly because it seems like there are in between rows and it gets so confusing. This place just opened a few months ago so it’s pretty new that a lot of people are just discovering it.
How did I not know about The Lincoln Room?! I must go there! Thank you for the great post!
I hope you have a chance to check it out. Thanks for visiting!
I’ve heard about this place, but now I’m really wanting to go!
It’s a great place to take groups of people so you can try a little bit of everything. AND you can have a late lunch or go early starting at 3 p.m. and beat the crowd! Win-win!
Looks like a very cool place. Good deal too!
It definitely is on both accounts!
I’ve been driving by this place (on the way to La Puerta, ironically) for weeks. Now I definitely must try this out. Beautiful pictures and great post!
Thanks Andrea. I really need to try La Puerta. I have yet to go there.