Encinitas

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Encinitas   |   Website

Food Rating: 10/10

This was my favorite spot of the trip! And this is my new favorite California Burrito. Each component was excellent, but the chipotle salsa sealed the deal. I highly recommend the tacos as well.

Encinitas

Food Rating: 10/10

These tacos are AMAZING. It’s a close call between the Carne Asada and Al Pastor, but I had a slight preference for the Al Pastor because it was so flavorful. I still recommend trying both though.

Encinitas   |   Website

Food Rating: 10/10

I absolutely loved their Devil Wings: super crunchy, juicy, and perfectly spiced. Their Yellow Curry is also amazing. I need to try their Angel Wings next time.

Encinitas   |   Website

Food Rating: 10/10

This meal transported me back home to my parents' kitchen. Their Lechon Kawali was cooked to perfection: fatty, crispy, and juicy. They even have Vegetarian Pancit! It's my favorite Filipino spot in North County.

Encinitas   |   Website

Food Rating: 10/10

I was so excited to try Agave Birrieria in Encinitas because I love birria. Their Quesabirria Tacos were a hit for me! The meat was so tender, flavorful, and juicy—the juices oozed out after each bite. And dunking the tacos into their consomé…chef’s kiss!

Encinitas   |   Website

Food Rating: 10/10

We loved the Paneer Tikka Masala and Nawaratan Korma and preferred the Tikka Masala. But both were so flavorful and the spice levels were on point.

Carlsbad, Encinitas   |   Website

Food Rating: 10/10

Their menu had so many great options, so I went with my server’s recommendation: the Birria Enchiladas. You can never go wrong with birria — it’s so tender, juicy, and packed with flavor, which theirs was. And I loved their enchilada sauce. It had the perfect amount of spice! The spicy refried black beans complimented the enchiladas very well, too. I was also surprised by the big portions. I highly recommend Le Papagayo if you want a slightly fancier dinner and will be back for their steak and ribs! 

Carlsbad, Del Mar, Encinitas   |   Website

Food Rating: 10/10

Chin’s Szechuan is a popular Chinese chain in San Diego County that serves up huge portions of delicious dishes. Their Tangerine Chicken was amazing! The chicken was crispy and juicy and the sauce was tangy, sweet, savory, and spicy. I love how you can adjust the spice levels on every dish. I highly recommend this San Diego staple and will be back to try more of their dishes!

Vista, Encinitas   |   Website

Food Rating: 10/10

Margherita is one of my favorite kinds of pizza and URBN makes an amazing one. I love that they put copious amounts of red sauce and fresh mozzarella.

Vista, Carlsbad, Encinitas   |   Website

Food Rating: 10/10

3 words: Thai. Chicken. Pizza. Leucadia is one of our favorite pizza spots in San Diego and their Thai Chicken Pizza blew me away!

Encinitas   |   Website

Food Rating: 9/10

Dumpling Bar is a great dumpling spot in Encinitas! Their Xiao Long Bao, my go-to dumpling, didn’t disappoint. I got to enjoy this place with family and everything we ordered was delicious. 

Encinitas, Carlsbad   |   Website

Food Rating: 9/10

I’ve never had duck in ramen and I loved it! The creaminess and flavor of the broth were chef’s kiss.

San Marcos, Encinitas   |   Website

Food Rating: 9/10

If you’re going for pasta, you choose the type of noodle, sauce, and toppings. I loved the Buona Forchetta sauce with Pappardelle and Chicken. The highlight was the creamy spicy marinara sauce. The pappardelle was great and absorbed the sauce well and the chicken was just standard. They even gave us a delicious Panna Cotta on the house!

Encinitas   |   Website

Food Rating: 9/10

Look at that burger! I love obscenely thick burgers. That onion ring was already a beast. This has been one of my favorite burgers in North County.

Encinitas   |   Website

Food Rating: 9/10

Excellent and satisfying poké bowl! It came with 3 scoops of fish, seaweed salad, imitation crab, AND avocado. That’s pretty tough to find at most poké places.

Encinitas   |   Website

Food Rating: 9/10

Blue Ribbon Artisan Pizza in Encinitas has a great happy hour! Their pizza has the perfect cheese to sauce ratio and a generous amount of pepperoni. It’s just a little pricey, even with the happy hour discount. 

Encinitas, Oceanside   |   Website

Food Rating: 8/10

High quality pizza! I’m not a fan of thin crust, but it worked well here. I loved the mix of honey, balsamic, and BBQ chicken on the Chef’s Special slice.

Encinitas   |   Website

Food Rating: 8/10

If you’re looking for unique and loaded tacos, head over to City Tacos in Encinitas! The Surf and Turf was my favorite because the carne asada and shrimp were so flavorful, and I loved how they grilled the steak. I also enjoyed the Cochinita Pibil because the meat was so juicy, tender, and perfectly spicy. The Crunch Time Shrimp Taco was good but didn’t need cheese. Overall, highly recommend!

Encinitas   |   Website

Food Rating: 8/10

Great Thai place, especially if you’re looking for curry AND noodles in one dish. I also thoroughly enjoyed the crispy pork belly.

Encinitas

Food Rating: 8/10

These fish tacos are a hidden gem (literally in a gas station parking lot)! I ordered the breaded and grilled fish and preferred the breaded.

Encinitas   |   Website

Food Rating: 8/10

Plumeria is an awesome plant-based Thai restaurant in Encinitas. The flavor of the Yellow Curry was spot-on and the mock chicken tasted like the real thing!

Encinitas   |   Website

Food Rating: 8/10

Good quality sushi! I recommend the Red Tide.

Encinitas   |   Website

Food Rating: 8/10

The Chicken Korma was by far my favorite dish; I loved the flavor. The Mushroom Masala and Vegetable Samosas were great, too. The spice levels were on point for all the dishes. I wouldn’t recommend the Fried Rice though. 

Encinitas   |   Website

Food Rating: 8/10

I saw Encinitas’ Eat Crispy Burger on a “best burgers in San Diego County” list so I had to try! Their smash burgers are simple yet delicious. The OG Burger came with caramelized onions and thousand island sauce, which was very similar to In-n-Out’s. I should’ve ordered a double instead of a single because those patties were really thin, leaving me wanting more.

Encinitas   |   Website

Food Rating: 10/10

My new favorite ice cream sandwich! I loved the chewiness of the cookies and huge chocolate chunks. Their ice cream was nice and creamy, too.

Encinitas   |   Website

Food Rating: 9/10

Their ice cream is always served with a mini chocolate chip cookie. Sold! Seriously, all ice cream shops need.to take notes. In addition to delicious, complimentary cookies, they have great quality, creamy ice cream.

Encinitas   |   Website

Food Rating: 9/10

Cali Cream is a great ice cream spot in Encinitas! It’s very similar to Handel’s as they have lots of the same flavors and the 4 scoop sampler, which we ordered! My favorite by far was the Graham Central Station. I wasn’t too thrilled about the other ones we ordered (Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Birthday Cake, and Faddy Daddy), but I’ll be back to try more because the quality of their ice cream is amazing. 

Encinitas   |   Website

Food Rating: 9/10

VG is a beautiful bakery by the beach that has a huge selection of high-quality donuts and desserts.

Encinitas

Food Rating: 9/10

SugarBears Sweet Provisions is a great dessert spot in Encinitas! I liked their red velvet cupcake; the cake was moist and the cream cheese frosting had a nice texture. The chocolate was great, too. I’ll be back to try their other flavors and desserts!

Encinitas   |   Website

Food Rating: 8/10

This is the spot for specialty, made-to-order donuts. Each bite was warm, fluffy goodness. I recommend getting more than 1 because they’re quite small.

Encinitas

Food Rating: 8/10

A pretty good donut shop in Encinitas! Can’t go wrong here if you’re looking for some classic donuts.