Common Theory Public House - San Diego, CA

Last month, Common Theory Public House celebrated their three year anniversary as well as rolled out a revamped menu. I've been dropping by for 2+ years ever since finding their Chicken Wings and burger, but my favorite promo is their progressive happy hour with 32 rotating taps. The happy hour discount for beer was $3 if you ordered between 3-4pm, $2 between 4-6pm and $1 til 7pm.

New dragon artwork at Common Theory Public House in San Diego

One of the recent changes I immediately noticed was this beautiful new artwork of a dragon. The artists were Alex Banach (@buddhaselfie) and Gloria Muriel (@gloriamuriel) so check their IG for more of their work!

Three year anniversary weekend poster at Common Theory Public House in San Diego

There was also a huge poster for guests to sign as part of the anniversary weekend party Friday-Sunday. After being seated at one of the tables, we peered at the new food menu.

Beet and Watermelon Poke at Common Theory Public House in San Diego

Beet & Watermelon Poke - salt roasted beets / roasted watermelon / flax seed oil / sea beans / onion / cucumber / nori / sesame oil / taro chips

One of the recommendations was the poke. We were surprised to hear that this dish was vegetarian! The beet gave it that raw fish color and resistance while the watermelon crumbled sweetly in your mouth. It was just the right amount of sesame oil as well. The taro chips were a bit oily on this visit but we still enjoyed this dish very much.

Convoy Burger at Common Theory Public House in San Diego

Convoy Burger - ground chuck / scallion cream cheese / kimchi / duck egg / pork belly / duck gravy / ramen noodle bun

Another unique item was the ramen burger which we'd only seen at Raki Raki. The fried ramen noodles held together well enough but had to be eaten quickly with the overlaying juicy beef patty and yolky egg. Also hidden were chunks of medium firm pork belly adding to the meatiness. Under the "bun," the cream cheese infused with green onions was tasty but a bit thick. Kirbie's Cravings also tried this burger.

Crab Cake and Fried Chicken at Common Theory Public House in San Diego

Crab Cake & Fried Chicken - true Maryland crab cake / fried chicken thigh / roasted corn succotash / fingerling potatoes / warmed spiced honey

The round patty was the crab cake which reminded me of the meaty body area attached to the crab legs. On the edges were the chicken oysters, moist with a crispy and delicious outer fried skin. Around it was the succatash with grilled corn kernels that seemed a touch too dry for the mixture. Small fingerling potatoes (or similar) were plain and could have use more garlic or olive oil.

Overall everything was more on the salty side than undersalted but this may have been worked out since our visit.

3 year anniversary tshirt at Common Theory Public House in San Diego

We picked up two anniversary glasses... a freaking gorgeous golden design that looked like the logo on the back of this tshirt. I recently downsized our glassware collection but made an exception for this pretty glass set.

There was a special anniversary beer created just for this milestone too. I don't know the difference between a regular IPA or a triple IPA (I generally don't like IPAs) but this TRIPLE blew away my expectations! It was hardly bitter for this picky palate so it was a total winner! Let's drink to that! 

2 Towns Ciderhouse at Common Theory Public House in San Diego

Dennis prefers ciders over beer so he ordered 2 Towns Ciderhouse. Here are the normal logo'ed CT glasses you drink from when ordering certain sized beers. They also have yummy soju cocktails which was the first drink I ever had here.

Flock of Duck Fries at Common Theory Public House in San Diego

Flock of Duck Fries - shoe string fries / shredded duck confit / crispy duck skin / duck gravy / fried duck egg / scallions

We had to return later in the month to order the duck fat fries since they had run out of duck meat on our previous visit. Duck fries have always been super popular here but this newer version added duck gravy and a duck egg on top! It was finger-licking delicious!

Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings at Common Theory Public House in San Diego

Crispy Chicken Wings - jumbo chicken wings / sea salt / cracked pepper / red chilli flakes

My favorite flavor for these cripsy wings continues to be the salt & pepper, which brought heat at a level I could barely handle, leaving my lips tingling. My spicy standards are set low so try the hell fire if you want more burn!

Bar seating at Common Theory Public House in San Diego piano seating area at Common Theory Public House in San Diego

The bar is one of my favorite spots to sit while waiting for the rest of my party or if I'm going solo. At the minimum I can say hi to awesome bartender Cody and the rest of the crew! I also love the cozy seating next to the piano, even though the ivories need slight tuning! Common Theory continues to be one of my favorite after work spots in Convoy, along with the newer Trade Winds Tavern.

Common Theory Public House
4805 Convoy St
San Diego CA 92111
(858) 384-7974

Share this post on...

Comments

Soo@hungryones.com's picture
Submitted by Soo@hungryones.com (not verified) on Fri, 07/14/2017 - 2:37pm

The burger and wings look great! I gotta check out their happy hour.

lynn's picture
Submitted by lynn on Tue, 07/25/2017 - 12:09pm

The wings are on the happy hour as well as some flatbreads. Beer prices are very good during that time!

Jennifer's picture
Submitted by Jennifer (not verified) on Tue, 07/18/2017 - 12:29am

I love the wings here too, but I'm most excited for all the new menu items. The duck fries were so good!

lynn's picture
Submitted by lynn on Tue, 07/25/2017 - 12:11pm

Our ramen burger didn't seem to hold up as well as yours but we visited when they initially rolled out the new menu. I assume everything has gotten much better since!

Faye's picture
Submitted by Faye (not verified) on Mon, 07/24/2017 - 9:03am

I haven't been here in such a very long time. It's nice to see that they're still doing well in spite of new competition (Trade Winds and Hive). I have yet to try a ramen burger. The chicken wings look delish -

lynn's picture
Submitted by lynn on Tue, 07/25/2017 - 12:13pm

I prefer the food at Trade Winds but have yet to try Hive. Not too many people I know have ever been there! I finally found the location after setting up a lunch at Village North!

Michael @ SDF's picture
Submitted by Michael @ SDF (not verified) on Fri, 08/04/2017 - 9:59am

Nice pics. The crab cake looks delicious even if it was oversalted. :)

lynn's picture
Submitted by lynn on Sun, 08/06/2017 - 9:39am

It's still decent pub food albeit a little on the expensive side.

Allie | LunaVida's picture
Submitted by Allie | LunaVida (not verified) on Thu, 08/10/2017 - 10:39pm

Oh my gosh, such interesting menu items!

There are so many good places on Convoy Street! We just went there for the first time since moving here and had the BEST vegan ramen.

lynn's picture
Submitted by lynn on Fri, 08/18/2017 - 10:44am

you should definitely try the "poke" here! it is quite delicious!

Add new comment