16 Best Restaurants in North County and Around, California

For authentic Italian cuisine, head to the “Good Fork” where you'll feel like you've stepped into the home of your long-lost Italian relatives, no matter where you’re from. Nearly every dish—Neapolitan-style pies, eggplant Parmesan, lasagna Bolognese, vegetarian ravioli—is made from scratch, with many of the ingredients imported from Italy; even the star of the show, “Isabella,” their golden-domed pizza oven, was handmade in Naples. The pizzas are your go-to though, with their blistered crust, fresh toppings, and artisan-cooking techniques that make them perfect to fold, bite, and eat. 

When you bring a renowned Cordon Bleu–trained chef to a small pie town in the mountains, you get Jeremy's on the Hill where Julian locals have been counting their culinary blessings since 2007. As the area's most upscale restaurant, this cozy spot has gained a solid reputation thanks to Jeremy's commitment to quality cuisine reflected in the farm-to-table menu. At the young age of 21, he wowed customers-turned-fans with grass-fed bison meatloaf, filet mignon with whipped potatoes, cremini mushrooms with truffle oil, and his signature Brussels sprouts sweetened with pineapple. Although the menu features grilled steak and locally grown pork and veggies, the stars are rack of lamb and some of the best burgers around.

One of the fastest-growing companies in the United States, Stone staked out a hilltop overlooking Escondido to create, brew, and sell its beloved craft beer in a gorgeous, solar-run facility. Thirty-six craft and specialty beers are always on tap in the tasting bar and the bistro, which has indoor and garden seating for lunch and dinner, where you can dine on an ingenious menu that features yellowfin ahi poke nachos, hand-braided IPA pretzels, and Wagyu beef burgers; save room for a real beer float. The company store offers signature items; check their website for weekly events.

It's lively, it's casual, and it's the coolest spot to share tapas with a date over a glass of wine. This Leucadia-based bistro turns heads with its black-and-white decor, as does the Spanish-meets-Mediterranean menu inspired by the owners’ travels. Start off with oysters and bite-size cubes of patatas bravas (spicy potatoes), and keep the plates coming with the authentic jamon ibérico, seared artichokes, and shrimp bathed in chili oil. Don't be afraid to eat with your hands and sweep dishes clean with a fist-full of bread.

With over 100 items on its menu, this local watering hole seems to collect hungry patrons ranging from hippies to hikers and is the place to go any night of the week. A large, dimly lighted room houses the horse shoe–shaped bar and dining tables, and the menu lists pasta, burgers, seafood, and pizza in addition to old-fashioned entrées such as liver and onions, ribs and steaks, and a mixed grill. Dinners come with soup or salad, and mashed potatoes and vegetables. There's live music Friday and Saturday (October–May) at 8 pm, but a juke box keeps tunes going regardless of the day. 

An offshoot of Bankers Hill's CUCINA urbana, CUCINA enoteca occupies a grand two-story space in the Flower Hill Promenade shopping center and is as notable for its whimsical decor—antler chandeliers, burlap-wrapped chairs, and more than 400 horse figurines honor the restaurant's proximity to the Thoroughbred Club—as it is for its beloved Italian food. There are many familiar favorites like the creamy polenta board and pizzas, as well as unique enoteca plates, including short-rib pappardelle, and chicken fra diavolo. The bustling bar and on-site wine shop serve more than 200 varietals, all sold table-side at retail, plus a $10 corkage fee. For a little zucchero in your life, try the chocolate panna cotta with pomegranate and candied pumpkin seed.

The parking lot in front of D'Carlos is always full, a sure sign that Ramonans like this casual family-style dinner house. The menu offers something for everyone: burgers, sandwiches, salads, steaks, barbecue, seafood, and pasta. Old-time favorites include chicken-fried steak and homemade meat loaf. The place can feel chaotic, but friendly waitresses are surprisingly efficient. There's also patio dining in good weather.

In 1976, a fisherman and captain teamed up to deliver fresh, quality seafood at a decent price. Today, they run two restaurants including this North County branch that lacks an ocean view but makes up for it with perfectly cooked fish and simple preparations from a menu that changes daily. You can't go wrong with their famous crab cioppino or their garlic prawn linguine. The baked oysters and clam chowder are perfect on those rare June gloom days. The scene is lively, crowded, and noisy—it's a great place to bring the kids.

This meat-focused eatery fills bellies with farm-to-table cuisine like bacon mac and cheese, and a 12-ounce pork chop served over house grits. Add a sunny-side-up farm egg to your burger, chop, shank, or homemade pasta, and if you’re into sauces, the chef is on point with lick-your-plate gravies with garlic, onions, and herbs. Burgers and sandwiches come with hot fries served in a brown paper bag, stylistically in line with the quirky-rustic decor made from repurposed materials. The Flying Pig is a member of the Slow Food movement, meaning food is fresh, not fast.

Veggies with a view could be the subtitle for this venerable Cardiff restaurant that grew from a simple juice shack. Ki’s is well known for heart-healthy, gluten-free, vegan, locally sourced, ovo-lacto, vegetarian-friendly dishes like huevos rancheros, filling tofu scrambles, taco plates, chopped salads with feta and nuts, seasonal juice, and carrot ice-cream smoothies. "The Kicker" juice is packed with nutrients like kale, apple, ginger, cilantro, and spinach. From 4 to 8 pm, the menu takes a step forward with macadamia-coconut mahi-mahi, miso-glazed salmon, and filet mignon topped with a mushroom Cabernet sauce.

Over the past decade, this coveted ocean-view spot in Del Mar has seen restaurants come and go, but finally Monarch did it right by transforming an 8,000-square-foot facility into dining space, an entertainment venue, and a sundeck for patrons and their pups. Inside, the California coastal menu itself is as cool as the 1970s decor, with rattan furniture and a poster of Tom Selleck greeting you at the bar; outside a bridge connects the restaurant to “Monarch On The Deck” where grab-'n'-go goodies can be enjoyed with live music Sunday from 3 to 6. Good luck wrapping your mouth around the short rib pastrami sandwich, brined for five days and piled high on toasted marbled rye. There’s no skimping on the lobster and shrimp sliders, and the boat fries are perfect for scooping homemade ranch or aioli dip. Burgers, salads, and wood-fired smoked wings are just the right portions to save room for the Hawaiian doughnuts with Tahitian vanilla gelato.

Local families flock here for great pizza and handcrafted brews, which started in 1987 when siblings, Gina and Vince Marsaglia, bought a struggling pizza place in Solana Beach. Following the success of this original location, they've opened branches in Carlsbad, San Clemente, Ocean Beach, Bressi Ranch, and Imperial Beach. Pick a spot at one of the long picnic tables, choose traditional, gluten-free, or whole-grain beer crust for your pie and any original topping—such as the Monterey, with pepperoni, onions, mushrooms, and artichoke hearts—and tip back a brew from one of the longest boutique lists in San Diego. 

For four generations, recipes have been handed down the line of this Sicilian family who opened their first restaurant in 1920. From Milwaukee to Julian, they set down roots in the quaint pie capital in 1982 and never looked back, creating this casual, red-checked-tablecloth kind of place, where you can dine outside in good weather. The menu is consistently on-point with Sicilian classics like spiedini—stuffed slices of rolled beef on skewers—calzones that are big enough to share, pizzas, and pasta dishes. All sauces, dressings, ravioli, breads, and desserts are made from scratch. There's a small bar (serving beer and wine only) that's popular with locals.

Don't let its location above the Lexus dealership dissuade you; this swanky restaurant is designed as three restaurants in one: a formal glass-walled dining room; a lively patio with firepits and cabanas; and the lobby bar with leather couches and a wine shop. No matter where you dine, try the macadamia-and-coconut-crusted sea bass, or the slow-braised short ribs, followed with a cocktail using one of the more than 125 vodkas. For something different, come for “Tuesday Date Night,” which features two entrées and a bottle of wine ($75).

Restauranteurs John Resnick and Eric Bost—of Jeune et Jolie and Campfire—are keeping Carlsbad on the culinary radar with their latest creation housed in an 8,000-square-foot former boogie board factory. This is where people come to grab-and-go or spend the entire day with a laptop open ordering brioche French toast and fresh pastries for breakfast, grain bowls and wood-fired sandwiches for lunch, and pizzas and rotisserie chicken for dinner. Despite the casual vibe, there’s an elevated approach to the menu with homemade bread, pasta, and pastries. The street-facing patio and full bar make it easy to lose track of time.

Veggies with a view could be the subtitle for this venerable Cardiff-by-the-Sea restaurant that grew from a simple juice shack. Ki's is well known for heart-healthy, gluten-free, vegan, locally sourced, ovo-lacto, vegetarian-friendly dishes like huevos rancheros, filling tofu scrambles, taco plates, chopped salads with feta and nuts, watermelon juice, and carrot ice-cream smoothies. The menu also includes turkey wraps piled on wheat bread and dinner entrées such as Thai seafood curry, roasted Jidori chicken, or Asian salmon salad on a bed of organic greens, all prepared with minimal fat. Get a table up top for incomparable ocean views, but be prepared for a wait, as service is rather slow.