- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
Ace Tattoo
Category: Beauty and Spas Tattoo Tattoo [Edit]
5058 Newport Ave(between Abbott St & Bacon St)
San Diego, CA 92107
Neighborhoods: Point Loma, Ocean Beach
(619) 222-5097
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 10 am - 10 pm
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Parking:
- Street
- By Appointment Only:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
About This Business:
Our artist's specialize in Traditional, New School, Japanese, Aztec and custom tattoo designs. We believe that tattoo's are an art form, and aspire to… read more »
15 reviews for Ace Tattoo
15 reviews in English
-
Review from benito d.
Los Angeles, CA
7/30/2008
Forrest did (18) 2-inch x 1cm lines of I Ching on my left and right biceps for me and 6 months later they're pretty good.
My tattoos really aren't difficult, but he charged me a fair price and was a cool guy to talk to for a couple of hours. -
Review from kate d.
San Mateo, CA
4/20/2010
I can't speak for their tattooing because I've never gotten work done there... but I did go up because of the reviews on Yelp so look at some portfolios to finish up my sleeves.
The studio was very open, very crowded and very cramped. What stood out to me and made me turn around and leave was the very loud and open discussion of price gouging customers - even in the same sentence of 'his mom and his sister got their tattoos from you, so he wants one from you too' and short rant about how the tattoo "isn't my style, its not what i DO" and then talking about how you are going to charge him "up the ass" for it, followed by laughter from everyone else.
Thats about when I decided to leave. There is a fine line between being professional and being a dick. It would be just as easy to refer him to someone else for the work, rather than complain about someone wanting work from you because of family loyalty and be very proud of how you are going to charge him far too much.
I have a lot of work done but never ever would I get work done in a shop where that kind of attitude towards customers occurs - in front of a full shop of potential customers, none the less! Not only do I like being tattooed but I like being tattooed by respectful people. -
Review from Tina H.
La Mesa, CA
10/24/2010
At first glance this place looks intimidating but just stick around if you're serious about getting a tattoo.
I came here after hearing about it through a friend and I'm glad I did. I went to Gary and talked about what I wanted and he was full of ideas and is just creative beyond belief, he is truly talented. I am VERY happy with the work I've gotten and will always go back. I got a sleeve done over a 13 month time period and was amazed every time I walked out of there. I highly recommend this place. -
Review from HowlerMonkey T.
Raleigh, NC
7/3/2007
I got my tattoo re-colored here and my cousin got her first. It looks great (and so does hers). The owner, I can't remember his name - older guy, dark hair - anyhoo, he's great, really helpful, gives honest feedback. He did both of ours. Cool guy.
It's unlikely I'll get another tattoo, but if I did, I'd go back to Ace!! -
Review from Steve L.
San Diego, CA
9/9/2006
These guys are good. And they're right at the beach. So, you can have a tat while gazing out at the setting sun over OB Pier. Pretty sweet. Not too many tat shops can say that. Tats with a view!
I've had a couple of tattoos done here by local artist Guf. He's a great guy. Very cool. Very talented. Very knowledgable. He was originally an illustrator before getting into tattooing, so he has a great eye for composition. The owner and the rest of the artists are also really cool. All very good.
This is one of the oldest shops in San Diego. It's been here since World War II. And the current owner has owned it since the 70s. -
Review from Melinda B.
San Mateo, CA
6/8/2007
Yeah, had kinda a shitty tattoo here. I paid $85 (rip off!) for cherries on the inside of my hip... of course it's a tiny tat. It bled sooooo bad, and the lines were anything but even... when returning to the bay area my artist friend was mostly upset at how "careless, and un-skilled" the guy must have been since his needle I guess was sloppy... my cherry stems are thin and thick and kinda blobby looking. It's hard to explain but it wasn't worth $85....
-
Review from Jacqueline S.
Dover, NH
6/18/2009
First of all, let me just say that if you are going to come to these guys and ask for a tribal arm band or a tramp stamp, be prepared to be quoted pretty high or laughed at.
On the other hand, if you want great work done and something really original then these are the guys to talk to. Everyone in the shop is great, but I am quite partial to Forrest as he is working on my piece and has worked on a few of my friends.
Everyone there is fun to talk with, relaxed and pretty easy going. They are a little rough around the edges, but what do you expect when you walk into a tattoo shop in Ocean Beach? -
Review from Andie S.
San Diego, CA
7/10/2007
GARY IS THE BEST!! seriously one of the best tattoo artists in San Diego. he is the owner of The Ace and he also tattoos. if you go to The Ace, go to Gary! seriously.
-
Review from Coco R.
Palm Springs, CA
4/6/2009
Went in here to look to get a new Tatt and my style is old school prison block nothing spectacular but it would have been nice to just make into the front door. I was harrased coming in by a bunch of squares from Ocean Beach asking me what hood I was from. It was pretty oblivious I came from a differant part of town. All the artists saw what was going on and laughed it off so it was plain as day they could care less about the business.
-
Review from Mike L.
San Diego, CA
11/7/2008 1 photo
I got a tattoo here about 6 years ago. I looked at every portfolio in PB and Mission before I went to Ace. I was looking for a specific style, Japanese Traditional, with some black and gray shading with red highlights. I saw Khalil's portfolio and found exactly what I was looking for. I got a short sleeve on my right arm and it came out perfect, healed great, the lines are very clean. Last I heard Khalil moved to San Fran, but I have a friend that has had a lot of work done by Droopy at Ace and he does great work too. It has been 6 years and my work still looks very clean, I don't even put sunscreen on it either. If you are going to get work here, have lunch at South Beach across the street before or after to make it a great day.
-
Review from Bryan A.
San Diego, CA
7/12/2008
I get tattoos of text. Finding an artist that is skilled with complicated and precise text is really tough. In fact, when I first walked in and asked about work, they guys there were honest enough to tell me they were not as good as one of the other guys that was off that day, "Come back tomorrow, Forrest can crank that out so much better than we can". So Forrest at Ace took on my last ink job. I brought in the text is an old Germanic font, he cut it, curved it and placed it over two bones perfectly. I would recommend him to anyone especially if they want clean and sharp text.
After that kind of treatment head over to South Beach and toast with a Mahi taco. -
Review from Tanisha R.
San Diego, CA
2/5/2009 3 photos
Ace Tattoo has got to be one of the BEST in San Diego! I have to admit, I am partially biased since I live near by and know most of the artists personally. I got my 3rd tattoo from Steve Smith @ Ace. He has been tattooing for over 30 years and knows his shit! I really wanted an Underwater scene because I have been obsessed with the artist Wyland for years. I also went to Oahu in 2005 where a baby sea turtle swam right up to me in Waimea Bay and I wanted to remember that forever. I talked with Steve about my ideas and he was excited to do it so I made the appointment. I was super nervous but Steve put me at ease and he started by drawing with marker on my ribs(all freehand, no stencils!). Even before he laid down any ink, I was amazed-it was beautiful! In case you were wondering-YES, the ribs are VERY painful but I made it through almost 3 hours with no tears! When he was done, I hopped of the table to take a look in the mirror and couldn't believe my eyes. He did the outline with some shading and it starts on my left lower hip (just about the top of my butt cheek) and goes all the way up my side and stops about 3 inches from my shoulder. The next step will be to add color. I get TONS of compliments already and I can't wait until it is complete!
-
Review from Wade B.
Grand Haven, MI
8/12/2009
If you don't like OB then don't go here...If you are looking to get a cheap tattoo without any artistic talent...don't go here. My wife and my friends go to Forrest and some others have gone to Mark and Steve and Gary. All are professional and eager to satisfy any clientle that walk through the door. I know I live here..and they know me...but isn't any tattoo artist based on experience and realtionship? I guess if you plan on getting ONE little tattoo and are price searching this place isn't a fit for you. If you want a long term tattoo artist that pays attention to your thoughts and takes the time to listen to what you request...this will be a great place to start with ink. Other places are too business structered and it seems like you are just $$$...these guys have a sense of humor (some more than others). but it was a great experience and just nice and friendly artists who care about what the customer wants.
-
Review from Shannon H.
Los Angeles, CA
9/13/2010
While visiting OB my friend and I stopped in to get info on two small tats (one each). Too bad we didn't read the reviews before hand, otherwise we never would've climbed the stairs. We spoke with the owner who shared way too much information about himself and then told us the cost was $80 each for small tattoos no bigger than a dime. When we asked additional questions he turned rude and unhelpful.
-
Review from phoebe r.
San Diego, CA
6/23/2008
ive gotten 2 tattoos here and am completely satisfied! my artist was steve smith, i brought a picture and he drew it on my back free hand. i have never gotten so many compliments on my tats, the shading is perfect. the facility is spotless and they do their best to make you comfortable. there is also a nice breeze that comes in from the beach. if you plan to use steve as your artist, you need to call a few months in advance. thats the only bummer, its only because he is the best.
