Xmas Bar Holiday-Inspired Pop-Up Returns To San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter

The holiday season is bringing a vibrant pop-up to San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter as 1970s-themed disco bar Good Night John Boy transforms into Xmas Bar.

Kicking off on Friday, November 15, and running through January, the Xmas Bar's 11,000 square-foot space will be decorated wall-to-wall with holiday lights, ornaments, and festive displays. Holiday music will be played nightly, with extended hours until midnight on Thursdays and until 2am on Fridays and Saturdays. 
The bar will offer a festive cocktail menu featuring holiday-inspired creations. Try the Naughty or Nice, a sparkling Art of Sucre glitter bomb with Mumm Sparkling; the Jolly Hopper, a bold twist on the Grasshopper with Fernet, pandan cream, creme de menthe, and a hint of chocolate; or the Drunken Gingerbread, featuring Woodford Reserve, gingerbread, and sour with a cinnamon garnish. For something creamy, there’s Santa’s Lil Night Cap, a decadent house-made coquito served with a Christmas cookie, and for a bit of heat, the Heat Miser, blending Tequila Ocho Plata, triple sec, raspberry, and Juneberry Red Bull with a chile tincture and sugared jalapeño.

In partnership with Midwest favorite Sexton's, the Xmas Bar will offer a savory menu of Brooklyn-style pizzas in Plain Cheese, East Village Pepperoni, Margherita, and Veggie, available by the slice for $5 or by the pie for $21. For a nostalgic touch, patrons can also enjoy the Johnny Meal, featuring a choice between Sexton’s signature burger or house-battered chicken tenders with fries - and a take-home toy.
Since being founded in 2021, Bobby Rutter's and Michael Schwartz's Forward Hospitality Group (often abbreviated FWD Hospitality) now operates over more than 20 venues in Cleveland, Chicago, Columbus, OH, and St. Petersburg, FL. Following the 2023 closure of Tin Roof live music venue in San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter, the hospitality collective took over the space to open a location of its 70s-themed disco bar concept Good Night John Boy. In order to keep former Tin Roof staff employed through the holidays, the company chose to transform the building into the festive, Christmas-themed XMAS Bar in 2023 and the concept is returning again following a successful first year.

XMAS Bar opens November 15 and will operated Wednesday through Friday from 4pm and Saturday & Sunday starting at noon at 401 G Street in San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter. For more information, visit xmasbar.com/sandiego.

Originally published on November 12, 2024.