Stout Public House opened in 2007, founded by publicans Dave Toth and Mark Prendergast around a simple, slightly unusual idea: an Irish pub run with a Canadian's love of hockey. Dave's a die-hard Canucks fan, and it shows — every NHL game is on the screens, the reigning Stanley Cup champion's jersey hangs among a deep stack of Irish history, and Canada Day is its own kind of holiday here.

Tucked just off the Gaslamp, out of the downtown hustle, Stout is the neighborhood pub where the service-industry crowd lands after their shifts, the regulars know each other by name, and first-timers get the same welcome as a twenty-year regular. It's a place where people actually connect — more than a few friendships, and the odd big idea, have started over a pint here — and plenty of out-of-towners make Stout their first stop every time they're back in San Diego.

Sixteen beers on tap, 75+ whiskeys, a proper Guinness pour, honest Irish and American pub fare, a bi-level bar, and a maple leaf on the crest. Going on twenty years in, that's Stout.