Hello CA BA's, I'll be visiting Oceanside next week for a long weekend with the family. We will have a rental car, so we have some ability to drive around but we'll likely want to keep it pretty close to Oceanside and Carlsbad. I searched this forum and didn't find any recent centralized threads about the the area, so I thought I'd kick off a new discussion. A few suggestions I'm looking for: 1) Best bottle shop (selection and prices) 2) Best breweries in the area (both to drink at and for growlers to-go) 3) Kid friendly places 4) Places which offer drinks besides beers for the non-beerdrinkers 5) Any other recommendations / can't miss spots Thanks!
This thread has alot of info: https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/san-diego-recommendations-so-many-options.559082/ In Oceanside proper, Bagby Beer co is your best brewery, and is kid friendly, alot of patio's. For bottles/cans to go, there isn't an excellent option. OK options are Bevmo on Vista Way (200 yards from my home) and Tap That.
Sushi at Wrench & Rodent, beer/cocktails/food (brunch) at Local Tap House, ticking beers at Barrel Republic, Bagby Beer Co. for beer and food, Northern Pine for BBQ and beer, Masters for a pricier more upscale meal, Flying Pig for pork and beer, Breakwateris okay for beer, Beach Break Cafe for breakfast, Urge for beer and whiskey, Revolution Roasters for coffee, The Pour House for cocktails and live music, LTH for dive bar with a good beer selection. Probably a bunch of other stuff I'm missing.
Belching Beaver has a large tasting room in Oceanside that is worth a visit. For my tastes, I would skip Midnight Jacks and Black Plague. Oh Mission Ave Bar/Grill has 25-30 taps and killer burgers. Ryan mentioned LTH for dive bar, but I think he means PCH bar and Grill. LTH (local tap house) is killer I was there last night. Depending the age of your kids, this place is packed and LOUD so i can't bring my boy there but he really enjoys Bagby and Pizzaport Carlsbad.
I agree with @Izzy_Izumi except I believe Pizza Port Carlsbad can fulfill options 1, 2, 3 and 4. Right next door to Pizza Port is their own bottle shop. Inside the resturant they have arcade games, it is very family friendly, I have never not seen multiple families in there. They serve wine and soda. Other than that, I believe Stone Brewing in Escondido is a good option simply becuase its beautiful and they have a gigantic garden/seating areas in the back and huge open areas for kids to run around.
Yeah, again, I haven't been there in so long that I'm not sure how the PP bottle shop shapes up to maybe more hidden gems around the area.
If you make it over to PP Carlsbad they have a special one time can release in 6pks. They did a collab with the Full Pint crew for their 11th Anniversary Tour. This one is called Executive Members DIPA. $20 for 6pk. This one is so good. I wish I had grabbed another 6pk. This one wont last. Edit: It is available at all PP locations.
Yeah their bottle shop is aiight, nothing crazy. Texas liquor has some good bottles but they upcharge like a MOFO
Barrel republic in oside, pport in Carlsbad i suppose stone in escondido, you could go to churchills, sublime or urge in san marcos should you venture a bit more. Also belching beaver in vista/oside. Have fun.
There's a Stone Company Store in Oceanside. It's an underrated place to pick up bottles --last I checked Fyodor was still there, for example.
Thanks everyone for the recommendations! I should be all set for our trip this week. One final request - I'll gladly accept any recommendations of local breweries/beers to watch out for in beer stores. I can generally get all the big players here in CO (Stone, Alesmith, Port/Lost Abbey, Modern Times, Ballast Point, Green Flash).
Burgeon is in Carlsbad and you can pick up their cans either at the brewery or at bottle shops. Not sure if you get Beachwood out in CO but you may find some of their stuff around too so I would highly suggest picking up either their hoppy or coffee-forward stuff. Co-sign on Bagby and Pizza Port, my little guy loves those spots almost as much as we do. PP also has a location in Bressi Ranch, which could be near depending on where in Carlsbad you are staying/hanging out. As for other kid-friendly spots, Moonlight State Beach is awesome and has a great playground if you have a younger one. Handel's Ice Cream is walkable too and you aren't too far from some solid food: Crack Shack for Fried Chicken and huge patio space, Betty's Pie Whole Saloon for savory & sweet pies are two of my go-tos. Enjoy North County!
Got back from our beach vacation yesterday, and just wanted to say thank you to everyone for their recommendations. A few highlights: 1) Hung out upstairs at Bagby Beer. Good beers and a spacious area for the little one to burn off a little energy. 2) Mason Aleworks (Urge Whiskey Bank) - had the Fluffy Bottoms IPA and C's Get Degrees IPA. Both were solid. Food was delicious. 3) Made a quick stop a Pizza Port Carlsbad for a Swami's IPA. 4) We ended up at Carlsbad State Beach and had Board & Brew for Lunch. They sandwiches were delicious and my wife and I shared a Burgeon NE IPA which was terrific. We also shared a Newtopia Belgian Pineapple Cider which was equal parts confusing and delicious. 5) Didn't have time to make it a bottle shop, but I did pick up a sixer of FW 805 which I thoroughly enjoyed. Thanks everyone!
Bumping this to highlight a few shops for the north county folks. Frazier Farms has a solid selection of local stuff, and I was recently able to get some Revision cans (Planet Lovetron, State of Haze, Citra City) at the Vista location. Gourmet Liquor in San Marcos is near where I work and I was able to get some Brouwerij West cans (Citra and Popfuji!). I have mostly been picking up cans at the source, especially with Far West Lounge open, but I hadn't seen these two shops mentioned on the forums. Cheers!
