San Marcos

Craft Coast Tacos & Beer

Oceanside, San Marcos | Website

Food Rating: 10/10

I love Craft Coast Tacos & Beer in San Marcos—truly one of my favorite places in North County. Their Birria Tacos are heavenly. The beef is so tender, juicy, and flavorful and dipped into the consome is perfection. I also highly recommend their Carne Asada and Al Pastor Tacos. Their beer also pairs so well with the tacos. It’s one of the best brew pubs in the area!

Thai Thai

Craft Coast Tacos & Beer

San Marcos, Oceanside, Vista | Website

Food Rating: 10/10

The Pad Thai was so flavorful and the spice levels were on point! Their portions are generous and the dishes looked beautiful.

Flavors of Himalaya

Craft Coast Tacos & Beer

Mama Kat's Restaurant

San Marcos | Website

Food Rating: 10/10

Flavors of Himalaya is a great Indian restaurant in San Marcos! The Paneer Masala and Veggie Nirvana were very flavorful and the spice levels were on point. Looking forward to trying more dishes here!

Mama Kat's Restaurant

One More Bite Dumpling House

Mama Kat's Restaurant

San Marcos | Website

Food Rating: 10/10

The Carnitas Eggs Benedict blew me away. The carnitas was crispy, juicy, and so flavorful. The salsa verde and pickled onions complemented it so well. I also loved their hollandaise, which was light, creamy, and the perfect flavor. Highly recommend this popular brunch spot!

Eugenio Italian Ristorante

One More Bite Dumpling House

San Marcos | Website

Food Rating: 10/10

The short rib was so tender and the pappardelle tasted fresh and handmade. I loved this pasta dish! The Best Garlic Bread was a simple, yet delicious starter. The bread was warm, fluffy, and crispy with just the right amount of garlic.

One More Bite Dumpling House

San Marcos | Website

Food Rating: 9/10

The Pork Xiao Long Bao was well executed and my favorite dish here! The dumplings had a good amount of soup and a juicy pork filling. I also loved the Chicken Fried Udon! They had the perfect thickness and the sauce was very flavorful. I thoroughly enjoyed the spice from the Vegetable Spicy Wontons and appreciated the tofu in these wontons! I liked the pork and vegetable filling and the crispy outer layer of the Pork Pan-Fried Dumpling.

Tekipoke Ramen & Boba

San Marcos | Website

Food Rating: 9/10

Tekipoke Ramen & Boba in San Marcos serves customized poke bowls, ramen, and a variety of Japanese dishes. I absolutely loved their poke bowl. The tuna and spicy tuna were very fresh and the assortment of sauces added so much flavor. Highly recommend!

Love Boat Sushi

Tekipoke Ramen & Boba

San Marcos, Oceanside | Website

Food Rating: 9/10

I highly recommend Love Boat Sushi’s Padres Roll. That soft shell crab hit the spot—very crunchy and flavorful. During my second time, I tried the Chef Special Roll and it's my new favorite. The freshness of the spicy tuna won me over.

Buona Forchetta

Tekipoke Ramen & Boba

Buona Forchetta

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!

Umami Japanese

Copper Kings Burgers

Buona Forchetta

San Marcos | Website

Food Rating: 9/10

Umami Japanese is a great spot for sushi in San Marcos. They have a wide variety of rolls to choose from and I had the Spicy Crunch because it came with spicy tuna and shrimp tempura. It tasted as good as it looked! I enjoyed the freshness of the tuna, and it went well with the spicy mayo and eel sauce. I’ll be back to try more rolls!

Lutchi and Mary

Copper Kings Burgers

San Marcos | Website

Food Rating: 9/10

They’re very generous with the portions and reasonably priced. Plus, the Pork Sisig and Pancit were delicious. I’m looking forward to trying other dishes, like the Lechon Kawali and Silogs, next time.

Copper Kings Burgers

San Marcos | Website

Food Rating: 9/10

This is a high-quality, no-frills burger! The highlight was their Copper Sauce, which was like an elevated In-n-Out sauce.

Hooked on Sushi

Darunee Thai Cuisine

Muy Thai Kitchen

Carlsbad, San Marcos, Encinitas | Website

Food Rating: 9/10

Hooked on Sushi has a large selection of sushi and locations in Carlsbad, San Marcos, and Encinitas! I loved their Killer Salmon Roll, which came with salmon, spicy tuna, shrimp tempura, and a mixture of sauces. The highlight was their “captain sauce,” which tasted like a sweet chili sauce. I’d come back to try their other rolls!

Muy Thai Kitchen

Darunee Thai Cuisine

Muy Thai Kitchen

San Marcos | Website

Food Rating: 9/10

This was such a flavorful curry! I ordered it with chicken and medium spice and loved the spice level on this one.

Darunee Thai Cuisine

San Marcos | Website

Food Rating: 9/10

I loved the balance of sweet, savory, and spicy in this Pad Thai. Their spice levels are great and I look forward to trying more dishes here!

Pho San Marcos

Sayulitas Mexican Food

Darunee Thai Cuisine

San Marcos | Website

Food Rating: 9/10

The Large Pho Tai Nam was a delicious, substantial bowl of pho loaded with rare steak and flank! The broth was so comforting and flavorful, too. It’s now in my top 3 North County pho spots — check it out!

Sayulitas Mexican Food

San Marcos | Website

Food Rating: 8/10

Sayulitas’ Pac-Man Burrito was MASSIVE. I struggled to finish half of it in one sitting. But it was so delicious and I loved each of the components, especially the Filipino tocino and carne asada. If you’re looking for Filipino/Mexican food under one roof, head over to Sayulitas!

Curry Craft

Sayulitas Mexican Food

San Marcos | Website

Food Rating: 8/10

Curry Craft’s lunch buffet is truly bang for your buck. They had so many options for only $16! And the food was delicious; my favorites were the Samosas and Butter Chicken.

Pizza Union

Chile Tacos and Beer

Pizza Union

San Marcos | Website

Food Rating: 8/10

If you’re fan of crispy, thin crust pizza, you’ll enjoy Pizza Union. My favorite slice was the New Yorker because you can’t go wrong with pepperoni, sausage, and mushrooms. And garlic is an excellent touch!

PanPan Wok

Chile Tacos and Beer

Pizza Union

San Marcos | Website

Food Rating: 8/10

Chinese fast food is one of my guilty pleasures because I loved Panda Express growing up. I enjoyed a 2-Item Combo from PanPan Wok in San Marcos. The highlight was their Orange Chicken while the Chow Mein could’ve had a little more flavor. I’d recommend the Fried Rice and Beef with Broccoli, too. Simple, yet satisfying meal!

Chile Tacos and Beer

San Marcos | Website

Food Rating: 8/10

They have Taco Tuesday and Thursday, where tacos are $1.49 all-day. The Carnitas Taco was so crispy, juicy, and flavorful! Highly recommend this one. The meat in the Pastor Taco was grilled well but lacking in spice. The salsa roja made up for it though.

Pho 4 Queen

Broken Yolk Cafe

Chile Tacos and Beer

San Marcos | Website

Food Rating: 8/10

Pho 4 Queen is a great spot for Vietnamese food in San Marcos. I enjoyed the Rare Steak Pho; it was a comforting and flavorful meal.

Broken Yolk Cafe

San Marcos, Oceanside, Carlsbad, Del Mar | Website

Food Rating: 7/10

I enjoyed the Eggs Benedict, especially the Sope one. But my favorite part of the brunch was the Mimosa Flight! I loved their Mango and Pomegranate Mimosas.

Curry and More

Broken Yolk Cafe

San Marcos, Oceanside | Website

Food Rating: 7/10

Our meals came with the entrees, salad, soup, rice, and naan—bang for your buck! The Chicken Tikka Masala and Mushroom Matar were delicious, too.

Sweets

Wynston's Ice Cream Co.

San Marcos, Del Mar | Website

Food Rating: 10/10

I found my new all-time favorite ice cream shop: Wynston’s in San Marcos. The ice cream’s texture was immaculate; it was thick, creamy, and even stretchy! I loved all of the flavors we tried (That Cookie Dough, Cookies in Cream, Perfect PBC, Van Halen) and it was so hard to pick my favorite. I’ll be raving about Wynston’s for a long time and trying all of their flavors. Highly, highly recommend!

Maya's Cookies

Wynston's Ice Cream Co.

San Marcos | Website

Food Rating: 10/10

I’m a HUGE fan of Maya’s Cookies. They make some of the best cookies I’ve ever had, and they’re all vegan! I got their $2 Chocolate Chip Happy Hour deal, which is every Tuesday and Wednesday from 4-5pm. My favorite cookies have been the Marble Fudge and S’mores. I highly, highly recommend! One of my all time favorite dessert spots!

BoBaPoP Tea Bar

Handel's Homemade Ice Cream

San Marcos | Website

Food Rating: 10/10

I love BoBaPoP Tea Bar because they have a variety of non-caffeinated drinks, which is pretty hard to come by at most boba shops. I loved their Brown Sugar Milk Tea; it transported me to Taiwan and the taste was very comparable. The sweetness was on point and it was such a refreshing drink. I highly recommend and will be back to try their other flavors.

Handel's Homemade Ice Cream

Vista, San Marcos, Carlsbad, Oceanside, Del Mar | Website

Food Rating: 10/10

This North County staple is my favorite ice cream shop of all-time. They have a wide variety of flavors and their ice cream is high quality. My favorite flavors are Graham Central Station and Buckeye. Plus, their 4 Scoop Sampler is an incredible deal and perfect for sharing.