I know that Bang Bang in San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter has a Ryan Gosling-themed bathroom stall, but the media attention it’s received over the last month slipped my gaze. Likely due to Comic-Con, the word has (finally) gotten out about one of San Diego’s hidden gems.
Perez Hilton, HuffPo, Good Morning America, and other international publications have recently featured this bathroom stall as a reason to visit San Diego. We’ll take it.
In case you haven’t seen it in person, here’s the room of some women’s dreams. The uber cool thing about it is that rather than post a gazillion magazine clippings, the walls are covered with floor-to-ceiling custom wallpaper that probably would be a huge seller if it hit the market.
About a year ago, Ryan Gosling Instagrammed the bathroom with the comment, “#Disturbing … Really?”
Pleased? Disturbed? It’s certainly hard to tell whether or not he digs it or not.
Jealous gents need not worry as the likes of Bruce Lee, Voltron and Godzilla line the walls of men’s bathroom stalls. The decor throughout the three-concept restaurant is a feast for the senses with hundreds of Japanese lanterns lining the main room, a sushi bar and a dance floor where world-renowned DJs spin tunes several nights a week.
But, in all seriousness, Bang Bang’s innovative Japanese cuisine is some of the best in town. Somehow, they managed to find a way to drop a scoop of ice cream on top of an ahi poke seaweed salad and make it work. Sushi rolls are named after the characters and people you might see in the bathroom. Strange, yes, but the Ryan Gosling roll is a best-seller. So is the Bruce Lee.
They also light giant punch bowls full of booze on fire and boast an immense list of premium sake to give patrons enough liquid courage to hit the dance floor below the West Coast’s largest disco ball, measuring 5.5 feet in diameter.
Go for the mouthwatering food and stay for the nightlife. If it’s taking a while for your friends to return from the bathroom, now you know why.
One more thing… if too many sake bombs throw off balance, take the elevator upon leaving. The staircase tunnel, reminiscent of a Tokyo subway station complete with real train station noise blasted through hidden speakers, is a steep and slick exit.
