San Diego Mahjong Club

Category: Local group · Chinese Mahjong
Also called: SDMC; San Diego Mahjong Club
Last checked: 2026-08-31

What it is

San Diego Mahjong Club is a volunteer-powered open-play club in San Diego, CA for Asian-style mahjong. The About page names the flagship format as Zung Jung (copy: “Modern Hong Kong Style”; “blends the simplicity of Hong Kong (Cantonese) Mahjong with the refined structure of Japanese Riichi”). Wednesday and Friday Mahjong Nights are Zung Jung only. Japanese Riichi and International Mahjong (MCR) are a separate Sunday table, not the same game as the weekday nights. Founded in 2025. It is not American Mah Jongg: the Learn Mahjong page says jokers from an American set are not used in any SDMC format.

Who it’s for

Anyone in San Diego (Mira Mesa / Miramar and the rest of the county list on the About page) who wants a beginner-friendly Zung Jung table, or the Sunday Riichi / MCR session. Distinct from American Mah Jongg groups the club’s own Directory lists as independent (for example Coronado Mahjong Club and San Diego Mah Jongg Meetup). New players are pointed to Mahjong Night, not to Sunday.

Why it’s listed

This is a first-party club site with a live Events Calendar, named venues, and printed 2026 dates, not a scraped directory card. As of 2026-08-31 it is the clearest dedicated Asian-style mahjong club in San Diego with dated play this week.

• Events page cadence: Zung Jung every Wednesday & Friday (beginner-friendly Mahjong Night); Riichi & MCR every Sunday. An MCR instruction class is the first hour of every Sunday event, for players who already know the fundamentals — “not designed for players who are completely new to mahjong.”
• Calendar on 2026-08-31 listed dated sessions this week and next: Mahjong Night (Wednesday) 9/2 @ 6:00–10:00 p.m. at Ding Tea, 8280 Mira Mesa Blvd Ste C, San Diego, CA 92126; Mahjong Night (Friday) 9/4 @ 6:00–10:00 p.m. at Denny’s, 6908 Miramar Rd, San Diego, CA 92121; Sunday Mahjong 9/6 @ 10:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. at At Ease Games, 8400 Miramar Rd, Unit 250, San Diego, CA. Same venues recur 9/9, 9/11, and 9/13.
• Events page fees on the check date: most events $5; first Wednesday of each month is free (9/2 is that Wednesday in September 2026). Optional automatic-table upgrade on Zung Jung nights: $40 per table ($10 per seat), Green and Red wristband players only. Community Rules: paid-event walk-ins $10 if seats remain after registered players.
• Game Catalog: Zung Jung is the “flagship” / “basic-tier” offering taught at Mahjong Night; Riichi is “mid-tier”; MCR is “high-tier” with “the steepest learning curve.” The club does not offer Hong Kong Old Style as a regular game because Zung Jung fills that slot.
• About page: volunteer-powered grassroots club; homepage is “proudly affiliated with the Zung Jung Movement.” Tournaments page lists Community Series of Mahjong under Zung Jung Movement Competition Rules (ZJMCR); the dated August 29, 2026 CSoM had already passed on this check date.

Hours and fees above are what the official pages showed on the check date. They can change. Use the Events Calendar and the specific event page before treating any date as fixed.

Official URL

Club site: https://sandiegomahjong.org/

Events / schedule of record: https://sandiegomahjong.org/our-events/

This week’s dated event pages: https://sandiegomahjong.org/event/mahjong-night-wednesday/2026-09-02/ · https://sandiegomahjong.org/event/mahjong-night-friday-2/2026-09-04/ · https://sandiegomahjong.org/event/sunday-mahjong/2026-09-06/

About: https://sandiegomahjong.org/about/

Game Catalog: https://sandiegomahjong.org/cheat-sheets/

Learn Mahjong: https://sandiegomahjong.org/rules/

Tournaments: https://sandiegomahjong.org/tournament/

Community Rules: https://sandiegomahjong.org/community-rules-guidelines/

Directory of other San Diego groups (independent of SDMC): https://sandiegomahjong.org/community-directory/

Contact form: https://sandiegomahjong.org/contact/

Meetup (RSVP method named on the Events page): https://www.meetup.com/san-diego-mahjong-club/

Instagram (linked from site schema): https://www.instagram.com/sandiegomahjongclub

Location

Rotating San Diego venues printed on the first-party event pages (not a single leased parlor). Standing tables on 2026-08-31:

• Ding Tea, 8280 Mira Mesa Blvd Ste C, San Diego, CA 92126 — Wednesday Mahjong Night (Zung Jung).
• Denny’s, 6908 Miramar Rd, San Diego, CA 92121 — Friday Mahjong Night (Zung Jung).
• At Ease Games, 8400 Miramar Rd, Unit 250, San Diego, CA — Sunday Mahjong (Riichi and MCR).

Organizer named on event pages and the liability block: Nate Reynolds / Nathanael J. Reynolds.

Site schema contact email: info@sandiegomahjong.org.

Notes

• Chinese Mahjong as the house beginner path (Zung Jung / “Modern Hong Kong Style”). Japanese Riichi and MCR are a separate Sunday table — Community Rules: regular events are mono-format; “if the Mahjong variant of the event is Zung Jung, no other formats (i.e. Riichi, International, etc) are allowed at any table.” Do not treat Sunday Riichi as the same game as Wednesday/Friday Zung Jung.
• Learn Mahjong page: American Mah-Jongg jokers “aren’t used in any of the formats we play at SDMC.” Do not claim NMJL or a National Mah Jongg League card table. The Directory’s American groups are labeled independent and unaffiliated with SDMC.
• RSVP: Events page — “Meetup is the only method used to reserve seats and purchase tickets.” Creating a Meetup account is free; a paid Meetup subscription is optional and “not required to attend SDMC events.”
• Wristbands at Zung Jung nights: Blue (learning), Green (independent and open to learners), Red (independent, not open to learners).
• Not affiliated with Mahjong Plaza.

FAQ

Q: Is this American Mah Jongg (NMJL card)?
A: No. The About page names Zung Jung as the flagship format (Hong Kong / Cantonese blended with Riichi structure). Wednesday and Friday Mahjong Nights are Zung Jung only. Sunday is Japanese Riichi and International Mahjong (MCR) only. The Learn Mahjong page says jokers from an American Mah-Jongg set are not used in any SDMC format.

Q: When and where do they play?
A: Rotating venues. On 2026-08-31 the first-party calendar listed Mahjong Night (Zung Jung) Wednesday 2026-09-02, 6:00–10:00 p.m., at Ding Tea, 8280 Mira Mesa Blvd Ste C, San Diego, CA 92126; Friday 2026-09-04, 6:00–10:00 p.m., at Denny’s, 6908 Miramar Rd, San Diego, CA 92121; and Sunday Mahjong (Riichi and MCR) 2026-09-06, 10:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m., at At Ease Games, 8400 Miramar Rd, Unit 250, San Diego, CA. Check https://sandiegomahjong.org/our-events/ for the date you want.

Q: Do I have to know how to play, and what does it cost?
A: True beginners are pointed to Mahjong Night (Zung Jung), which the event pages call “the easiest way to learn Mahjong in San Diego.” Sunday Riichi/MCR is “not beginner-friendly”; an MCR class in the first Sunday hour is for players who already know the fundamentals. Events page on the check date: most events $5; first Wednesday of each month free. Meetup RSVP is required for paid seats; Community Rules list walk-in admission at $10 if seats remain.