Week 45: Old Friends and Captain Keno's

Week 45: November 5-November 11th, 2023

This week was comforting because a few of my friends from Berkeley were in San Diego and I got to see them. It is always nice to reconnect with old friends, especially ones that I feel so comfortable around. A couple of them came down and stayed with some of our friends in La Jolla.

We were celebrating both Riley and Liam's birthdays, and wanted to keep it casual. Planning ahead with these guys is non-existent, anyway (Duh, they are boys....), so we didn't do anything big. Riley moved to San Diego a couple months ago, and has been familiarizing himself with La Jolla and the North County scene. He suggested we go to Captain Keno's in Encinitas, and promised it would be a good time. I'd never heard of it, but cheap food and cheap drinks, what more can you ask for? Plus, it was a Monday, and nothing much was going on besides some football games.

We split into two cars and headed north. Encinitas is about 30 minutes up the I-5 North.

The Cap'n Keno's sign

The Captain Keno's building was old, and had a pretty full parking lot for a Monday evening. They're known for having incredibly low prices for drinks and food, and have been a local establishment for years. We parked and got out of the car. I could see my breath in the air for the first time in a long time. I guess the air in Encinitas was colder, so I rushed us inside.

$2.99 Spaghetti!

Keno's sleepy guard dog

There was a very good dog sleeping soundly outside. He was curled up tightly in a little dog bed by the front door. He didn't move a muscle when we walked past him to enter the building. All we got was a little side-eye glance before he went back to sleep. I ushered us all in through the big wooden door to Keno's to escape the cold air. I hope the guard doggy stays warm and gets paid well.

Inside Keno's was a funky space with hanging lights and tons of memorabilia on the walls. There were booths for seating, lodge-type tables, and open spots at the bar. It felt very cozy and cabin-like. I chatted with the bartender about my doomed fantasy football team. We watched the game on the TVs, stayed for a couple drinks, and headed out. We didn't end up getting any food at Keno's (we stopped for some late night In N Out on the way home, of course), but it was a great place to experience.

Captain Keno's is a cash-only place, which is a big difference from the "cash-free" establishments that have been on the rise recently. I think cash-free places are a bit dumb and elitist. How can a $20 bill not be accepted, but my plastic credit card can? Cash-free is very inconvenient if you forget your cards at home.

I understand that not everyone likes to carry cash around, and I used to be one of them, but thankfully I had some in my wallet. With society becoming more card-dependent, Keno's being cash-only probably confuses some people. Thankfully, they have an ATM on site for patrons who don't come prepared. I think it is just a sign of Keno's being old-school.

I searched online and found this, a San Diego Union-Tribune article that states Captain Keno's will be demolished and transformed into condominiums soon. This is probably going to be another overpriced cash-free, luxury space that will increase California's housing prices even more. Big surprise there.

Any place with old, painted signs in the parking lot boasting $3.99 meatloaf deserves to be checked out. It makes me sad to think Keno's will be replaced with a shiny new building soon. I'm glad I got to experience an old Encinitas establishment before it gets a facelift.

Anyway, it was great to see some old friends, catch up, and celebrate some birthdays. Its nice to see how we've all grown up, apart, and together over the years.

See you next week.