Owned and originated by Ingrid Croce, the wife of folk artist Jim Croce, Croce’s Restaurant stands as a tribute to his life and music. As the story goes, the restaurant was an idea that the couple had when they first moved to San Diego in the early 1970’s. Years later, Ingrid opened this venue in San Diego’s then-ramshackle Gaslamp district, to honor Croce’s memory and with the hope of giving something back to the community of San Diego. The music calendar here is fixed, and features regular groups every night of the week, with the exception of Wednesday and Thursday nights, which alternate groups bi-weekly. The musical fare runs the gamut, from hard bop to boogie-woogie to Latin jazz. Saturdays and Sundays feature a ‘champagne jazz brunch’ in the early afternoon. The cuisine is classic American, with (as one might expect) more than a hint of Southwestern flavor; the wine list, long enough to find a compliment for anything on the menu.

Croce’s Restaurant and Jazz Bar Information

• Public Transportation: Excellent (a short walk from buses 3 and 120 at 5th Avenue/G Street; a 2-minute walk from buses 2, 7, 15, 30, 50, 150, 210, 810, 820, 850, 860, 901, 923, and 992 at 5th Avenue/Broadway; a 3-minute walk from bus 11 at 5th Avenue/Market Street; and a 4-minute walk from the Blue and Orange Lines at the 5th Avenue Station)
• Handicapped Accessibility: Good
• Performances/Programs: Approximately 350 performances presented per year. Live music played nightly at 8 p.m. (8:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday); Jazz Brunch on Sunday at 11:30 a.m.
• Ticket Prices: $5–$20, but the fee is often waived if you’re eating at the restaurant.