Slated to open around early October, J. Brix’s flagship tasting room will be located at 250 North City Drive, Suite 10, in San Marcos at the North City development. Newtopia Cyder currently occupies the building, but Jody says now that their lease is signed, the cidery will begin moving out at the end of August so J. Brix can enter what he calls a turnkey space. “It’s beautiful,” he adds. 

The couple always had their eyes open for the right opportunity, but they hadn’t found one until North City reached out to them with this space. “We have said for years and years of looking around and seeing what was available that it would have to be exactly the right thing,” Emily recalls. “There had to be no question that this was the perfect opportunity.” 

The 890-square-foot corner suite checked all the boxes, featuring high ceilings, natural lighting, indoor and outdoor seating, a spacious wooden bar, and plenty of nearby businesses and community events, keeping foot traffic high. J. Brix won’t have a kitchen, but guests can bring their own food; stop by nearby Buona Forchetta, Milonga Empanadas, or Umami Japanese; or grab a quick munchie from behind the bar. 

Jody estimates that, depending on the season and availability, they’ll have six to 12 different wines on tap and in bottles, ranging from the traditional to the esoteric. “If you like wine, we’re going to have something for you,” Emily promises. 

Emily says they hope to continue nurturing San Diego’s hyper-local wine community by providing a new place to gather, learn, and enjoy good company and great wine—ideally bringing vino people together. Jody feels that, while the local craft beer community has merged as a single unit, San Diego wine needs to catch up. “It’s time,” he says. “You can see it coming.”

San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events

Cali BBQ Opening at 32nd Street Naval Station

Cali BBQ owner Shawn Walchef opened his barbecue joint in Spring Valley in 2008 and has experimented with expansion ever since. His ghost kitchens at Barrio Food Hub and Aztec Food Hub didn’t work out, but a suite at Snapdragon Stadium crushes it every event. Though his attempt to bid on a space in the new airport terminal wasn’t accepted, a new Cali BBQ space is coming this August at Naval Base San Diego off 32nd Street in Barrio Logan. It won’t be open to the general public, but Walchef couldn’t be more stoked to bring his brand of barbecue to the servicemembers and employees with on-base access. (Those without can hit up the original location in Spring Valley or check out Cali BBQ the next time they’re at Snapdragon Stadium.) Cali BBQ will be the first local restaurant on the base.

“Our goal is to be the best possible partner with the Navy, so it hopefully opens up other opportunities—because we would love to be on Camp Pendleton,” Walchef says. “We would love to be on North Island. There are a lot of amazing men and women that take care of this country and need to eat … We think we can be a credible, quality, local option for them.”

Beth’s Bites

• Escondido burger destination Burger Bench is opening a second location at 230 Main Street in Vista this fall—probably around October, estimates co-owner Derek Loranger. Customers can expect the same menu and hours as the OG outpost at the forthcoming Vista location. 
• Happy second birthday to Pizza Port in Imperial Beach! Head there on Saturday, August 17, from noon to 5 p.m. for a family-friendly celebration with pizza, beer, barbecue, and (in true Pizza Port fashion) a tie-dye station. 
• Hello Betty has said goodbye and reintroduced itself as The Surf Club, thanks to new ownership taking the reins at the Oceanside spot. Things are running as before (i.e., live music and a rooftop bar), but expect a fresh facelift when renovations begin later this year. 

Have breaking news, exciting scoops, or great stories about new San Diego restaurants or the city’s food scene? Send your pitches to [email protected].

The post J. Brix Wines Opening First Tasting Room This Fall appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

To make it so, the Lakehouse tapped Jarrod Moiles, former executive chef of renowned high-end, food-obsessed resort Rancho Valencia.

“The idea was to have a chef-driven restaurant on the golf course versus just having the generic grill golfer’s restaurant,” says Moiles, who’s both exec chef and director of F&B at the San Marcos resort. To build the menu, he took inspiration from his childhood in the Massachusetts countryside, where farm-to-table was just the way things were done, not a marketing cliché.

Grilled salmon picatta, beet and goat cheese salad, birria tacos, loaded potato skins—a lot of dishes on Moiles’ first menu are a tribute to San Diego and SoCal farms and ranches like third-generation, family-run Brandt Beef. For kicks, he also does cheddar cheese-dusted onion rings, an ode to a culinary icon of the cellophane bag movement: Funions.

The restaurant got a full remodel and remake and still sits at the heart of the Lake San Marcos. Moiles says they recreated it with locals in mind. “We realized we need to focus on who’s coming and living here, and who’s moving into San Marcos right now,” he says. In other words: Keep the quality high and the tendency to resort-gouge away from the prices.

Golfers seeking classic culprits will still find burgers, beer-battered fish and chips, and the mandatory club sandwich. The lettuce will just be a whole lot greener. Aiolis will have chefy-ness. Bread will matter.

They also added more space for folks to gather, including a bright, modern lounge with dark wood accents. A full renovation of the dining room, bar, and patio is set to take place in the future, but with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Kermit-colored driving range, it’s not hell on the eyes.

After all, there are few things more satisfying than watching people exercise while spending quality time with quality beer and upgraded spuds.

Brickmans reopened April 1. The restaurant is located at 1750 San Pablo Drive, San Marcos, inside The Links at Lakehouse.

The post First Look: Brickmans at Lakehouse Resort appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

Eat & Drink

San Marcos has a variety of delectable dining options conveniently located downtown in Old California Restaurant Row. This Spanish-style plaza houses a dozen chain and regional restaurants, many of which are open for outdoor dining, including mainstay Fish House Vera Cruz, gold-rush-inspired Old California Mining Company, and North County’s first microbrewery, San Marcos Brewery & Grill. Just up the street you’ll find Mama Kat’s. This charming café named for the owner’s mother offers breakfast favorites, specialty coffees, pastries, and pies.

Fish House Vera Cruz

Justin Halbert

San Marcos has some tasty drink options, too. Meadiocrity’s sweet honey wine supports local beekeepers and helps hives thrive. Visitors to Sunshine Mountain Vineyard can enjoy its varietals on a patio overlooking the lush, rolling hillsides.

Antique Village

Justin Halbert

Shop

Tucked amid the warehouses and showrooms along Furniture Row is Antique Village, a one-stop shop for vintage jewelry, collectibles, coins, china, toys, memorabilia, and more from over 60 vendors. San Marcos also caters to crafters and creators with stores like Yarning for You, Grand Country Quilters, Quilt in a Day, and Discount Hobby.

Double Peak

Justin Halbert

Play

Affectionately known as “San Parkos,” this city is blanketed with green space and trails for hiking, biking, and horseback riding. Double Peak, accessible via scenic Discovery Lake, is one of the most popular treks. At the top of this 1,000-foot climb in the San Elijo Hills, hikers are treated to views stretching from the mountains to the sea. Not a hiker? Not a problem. There are plenty of outdoor options for you, too. Head to Lake San Marcos for a day on the water. Lakehouse Hotel & Resort rents motorboats to cruise along the calm waters, and you can even explore the lake by gondola by booking an advance tour with The Black Swan Gondola Company. End the day with a cold one at Decoy Dockside, the resort’s restaurant, which has two spacious decks.

Discovery Lake

Bonus!

Nearby Elfin Forest is a hiker’s paradise and Halloween-lover’s delight. Legend has it that shadowy apparitions, a wicked witch, and a ghostly woman in white roam this rugged reserve after dark. However, after-hours visits are strictly off-limits for a dangerous practical reason: Mountain lions and the other wildlife who call the reserve home need to do what they do undisturbed.

Mama Kat’s

Justin Halbert

The post San Diego Neighborhood Guide: San Marcos appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

Tri-tip sando anyone?

Deanna Sandoval

In an innocuous-looking restaurant, a culinary romp around the world awaits. The catch: It isn’t located Downtown or Little Italy or North Park. It’s in the emerging north.

With flavors from Latin America and Asia and a little Southern cooking, the dishes at Inland Tavern in San Marcos remain rooted in Southern California. Prime example: the Korean Cali Burrito. Skirt steak is marinated in a sweet and spicy Korean gochujang sauce and then grilled, wrapped up alongside thick-cut fries (essential, or else it’s not a Cali burrito), given a deep note with caramelized onions, and served with a cooling curry sauce.

Delicious.

Located on the main commercial artery of San Marcos Boulevard, Inland Tavern is surrounded by fast food chains, and for now, a clanking orchestra of construction as the city erects its Creekside District (a $108 million project to build bridges, bike lanes, and trails, restore habitat, prevent flooding, just generally improve the area). This summer, the restaurant relaunched its menu under chef Keith Lord, who started his career at the Lark Creek Inn in Marin County, before becoming a staple in San Diego’s catering scene (Wild Thyme, Picnic People). Lord worked closely with owner Pete Zacarias on a land-and-sea menu—enough intrigue to lure adventurous palates without scaring away the timid.

The word ‘elevated’ is overused in food journalism precisely because it works in cases like this: Inland Tavern does elevated pub food. Take the Caesar salad, for instance. It’s garnished with rose water-pickled onions for a gentler bite and dusted with finely grated nutty, salty Parmigiano-Reggiano—flavors that contrast beautifully with the creamy dressing. Slivered Brussels sprouts add enough substance to order as a meal, and crushed croutons bring just enough crunch and yield—thankfully unlike the rock hard, bagged-and-boxed squares that have wrecked the roofs of mouths for generations. This salad is exceptional.

Inland Tavern’s ‘elevated’ Caesar salad

Deanna Sandoval

If dining with a group, start with a few rounds of shrimp and salmon poke seasoned with furikake and served with taro chips (ask for more chips). Then add the flatbread with labneh, a soft Mediterranean yogurt so thick it’s nearly the consistency of cheese, drizzled with olive oil and amped up with za’atar (a spice blend starring toasted sesame seeds, sumac, and oregano).

Next, order the Katsu Crack Sando. This one’s substantial enough to share, and may require a fork, a knife, and ambition. The famed tri-tip from Seaside Market (known colloquially as Cardiff Crack) gets the katsu treatment (breaded with panko crumbs and fried) while griddled slices of Hokkaido milk bread aims to contain crunchy kimchi slaw, garlic aioli, hot mustard, and Asian BBQ sauce.

A perfect order at Inland Tavern

Deanna Sandoval

For vegetarians and vegans, well, there’s always water and oxygen. Not much. But they’ve got a few salads and a hearts of palm ceviche, which proves zesty and refreshing with microgreens, quartered watermelon radish slices, and charred lime. Again… elevated. As I snack on cream cheese-stuffed garlic milk bread rolls (softer and fluffier than the average bread roll), I watch a pair of regulars hem and haw over the ceviche, then suspiciously inspect the dish, and finally call chef Lord over to rave about it.

In addition to its new menu, happy hour specials include 20 percent off appetizers and $2 off craft beers on tap, a Taco Tuesday lineup of carnitas, carne asada, and shrimp tacos, and half-off wings on Wednesdays.

I’ll make it out for weekend brunch as soon as I’ve had my fill of that Caesar salad.

The post The Perfect Order: Inland Tavern appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

The famed Stefano Ferrara pizza oven burns anywhere from 700 to 1,000 degrees.

Photo Credit: James Tran

This lake has racy secrets. I can just tell. It’s lined with unassuming single-story homes that have their own tiny docks, pontoon boats moored until the next martinis. Martinis tend to be plural on lakes. A giant inflatable unicorn suns in one of the yards, its vinyl rainbow mane lightly bleached. In the middle of the lake, a 30-foot-tall fountain blooms, like an indie version of the Bellagio water show. There is a man standing in a gondola with a striped shirt and a flat-brim hat, guiding his love canoe with his love oar. I call down to ask him how big the lake is. Says about a mile. Says there’s a little waterfall at the end. Says for a price he’ll show me a sunset.

I have wandered onto the set of Ozark. It all feels too suspiciously idyllic and hidden in plain sight to not have one or two versions of Jason Bateman running illicit lake schemes. Someone tells me Lake San Marcos is unincorporated, a word that’s always had an appealing “Timothy Leary of real estate” ring to it. No boat is allowed to have an engine over 9.9 horsepower, so it’s a nice, safe lake full of buoyant golf carts.

Forty-eight years a native and I’ve never been here. How did this manmade wonderpond of suburban serenity escape me for so long?

The puffy unicorn suggests a younger crowd is moving into Lake San Marcos, which has primarily been a golden-aged community. To be fair, it still has a strong elder scene, but an influx of new blood is also suggested by the fact that I’m eating some bruschetta and drinking a gigantic Aperol spritz on the deck of an impressive modern restaurant—Amalfi Cucina Italiana—overlooking the man in the love boat trying to sell me sunsets.

From the coast of Amalfi to the coast of San Marcos—a feast.

Photo Credit: James Tran

Lake San Marcos was created in 1946 when the landowner built a 50-foot dam on San Marcos Creek so he could have year-round access to water for his onion, tomato, and walnut crops. In the late ’50s, the lake was bought by three brothers—Bob, Don, and Gordon Frazar. More than a few thought Gordon (the lead dreamer) was nuts—a neighborhood on a glorified pond? A community in a then-rural area too far from San Diego and much too far from LA? They drained the lake, increased its size to 80 acres, and built the first master-planned lakeside development in California (also one of the first in the country). It was the first housing community to have built-in cable TV (no gaudy antennas on rooftops), and one of the first to have all utilities underground.

They put in a couple golf courses, a community center, and a grand two-story restaurant hanging over the water (originally called The Quails Inn, now Amalfi). They filled the lake with bass. The first houses were sold in 1963 for $30,000. And by god, it worked. Locals called it “the compound.”

Over the decades it’s had its share of issues. Mostly with water quality, due to agricultural runoff and algal blooms. The water can look muddy in spots and the algae can stink. It’s no Crater Lake. But in recent years a few municipal entities have taken to cleaning it, adding water purifiers. On the two days we dine here, the only scent we catch is the lusty musk of wood-fired pizza.

Imperfections aside, I love it here. Far as I’m concerned, this is boat-ramp La Jolla.

Amalfi lit up at dusk for the martini pontooners.

Photo Credit: James Tran

I also love Amalfi’s artichokes. Full stalks and hearts and tender leaves, lightly pan-fried in olive oil and served on a bed of arugula and shards of Grana Padano Parmesan.

The dish looks spartan, like just a few great things rested on a plate. But it’s incredibly delicious, proof that sometimes the best cooking technique is restraint. Amalfi imports them from Civitavecchia, Rome. In Rome, artichokes rank somewhere between carbonara and the Pope.

Amalfi opened here in summer 2020, a timing best described with many curse words. And yet, here they are. The main dining room—with its window-rich A-frame overlooking the lake—is jammed on a Saturday for lunch, packed for Tuesday lunch, stuffed for Wednesday dinner. This fact isn’t surprising given the team: four Italian friends and former leaders of the Buona Forchetta group. Chef Marcello Avitabile was the executive chef of Buona Forchetta, and is a five-time World Pizza Champion.

Some pretty famous Italian speck and sausage on a blistered pie.

Photo Credit: James Tran

Visitors see his oven when they first walk in—a custom Stefano Ferrara (the Ferrari of pizza ovens) built in Naples, golden tile, formidable, hot as hell, designed to do one thing perfectly in its lifespan. So no surprise Amalfi’s pizza is instantly in any “what’s your favorite in the city” conversation, thin crusted, leopard spotted, laden with famous ingredients. For instance, the Valtellina has speck imported from Alto Adige Sudtirol, the revered mozzarella provola di Agerola, Brie, caramelized onions, and Italian sausage flown in from Campagna. Or just get a Margherita, or have them stick a plain dough circle in the oven and eat the crust by itself. It’s that good.

Amalfi is far more than a pizza joint with fancy light fixtures. It’s a whole ode to the culinary scene of the Amalfi coast, with housemade pastas, apps, seafood, and specials. Start with the fried eggplant, tossed with San Marzano tomato sauce and topped with burrata cheese—a recipe that’s been passed down through Chef Avitabile’s family for three generations. The bruschetta is bright and beautiful, even if I wish it were toasted more—baked in the wood-fired oven, spread with burrata, topped with heirloom tomatoes, Meyer lemon zest, and olive oil chosen by Italians who know what great olive oil tastes like. The team grinds the beef for their polpette (meatballs) in house, but the key is that sauce. The meatballs rest in the San Marzano sauce for hours, trading flavors back and forth until everything is right in the world.

The house-ground meatballs rest in San Marzano sauce for hours, trading secrets.

Photo Credit: James Tran

The pizza in a jar is cute, but it’s a bit of a jumble. I don’t care if the pizza is on a plate or in a jar or on a bed of $100 bills, but I’m a stickler about wanting char on that crust and I didn’t get any. I calmed down about this immediately when I saw just how massive their bar program is—cocktails and Italian wines and beers of all stripes. It’s part Italian restaurant, part beverage emporium. Try the Amalfi Spritz (Aperol, Solerno blood orange liqueur, Prosecco, soda water) or the Four Seasons (Bacardí Superior rum, Giffard pamplemousse, cinnamon-bark syrup, lime, pineapple, and a stick of torched cinnamon).

Mind if we smoke? The Four Seasons cocktail is rum, grapefruit, cinnamon-bark syrup, lime, and pineapple, topped with torched cinnamon.

Photo Credit: James Tran

For seafood, the dish that sounds terrible on paper but absolutely works is the ravioli—filled with shrimp scampi and Buffalo mozzarella, then sautéed in a pan with butter and basil. The intimidating part is that they then airlift a whole heap of Baja ahi tartare atop. Sounds odd, but I’ve had raw tuna tossed in browned butter at a sushi restaurant and it’s a revelation. This is basically that, plus handmade pasta.

They take two days to concoct their Bolognese, and it’s about as classic as they come (Chef Avitabile cooked in Bologna for most of his career). It’s 100-percent grass-fed beef (no pork), ground the day before to let it dry-age overnight. Chef does the same thing with the veggies for the soffritto (Italian mirepoix)—dices and then rests them, which he says removes the acidity and water. The sauce is slow-cooked for six hours. Also try the boscaiola, a pink sauce (tomato, touch of cream) with farmers’ market veggies and two kinds of imported meats: sausage from Campagna and prosciutto from Emilia-Romana.

Even if San Diego’s drought one day drains the lake and it turns into a museum explaining to future generations what lakes were—I get a feeling Amalfi will still be right here.

The post Review: Amalfi Cucina Italiana appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

December 3

San Diego Model Railroad Museum’s Modeler Citizen Series

Join this virtual series for a special viewing and discussion about Walt Disney’s Carolwood Barn in Griffith Park, Los Angeles. Learn about Disney’s great love for trains and hear from two volunteers at Walt’s Barn on the story behind the amusement park’s mine train. The series is part of the museum’s 40th anniversary campaign, raising money to commemorate its grand opening in 1981.

December 5

Iration at Del Mar Racetrack

Watch the reggae rock band Iration perform music from their latest album, Coastin’, which debuted at no. 2 on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart. The live show, Coastin’ at the Drive-In, will be the band’s first in-person, socially distanced concert.

2260 Jimmy Durante Boulevard, Del Mar

Salt Hot Pilates instructor and owner Betsy Blumenfeld teaches at the Intercontinental Hotel

Vistal at the Intercontinental Hotel Pilates and Happy Hour

The Intercontinental Hotel’s on-site restaurant, Vistal, is hosting a Pilates and happy hour combo from 3 to 5 p.m. on December 5. The event is complimentary (the ticket price is only to cover Eventbrite fees) to celebrate the restaurant’s new happy hour menu. But first, get your sweat on with Salt Hot Pilates instructor and owner Betsy Blumenfeld on the hotel’s terrace overlooking the bay. Then, reward yourself with $7 happy hour specials and White Claws to sip. Masks are required and social distancing guidelines will be enforced.

901 Bayfront Court, Embarcadero

December 5–31

Mission Fed ArtWalk’s Virtual Experience

Mission Fed ArtWalk’s 36th annual show is going virtual. The monthlong celebration of the arts will feature nearly 100 local, national, and international artists; discussions; activities for the little ones; and plenty of opportunities to purchase original works for your own personal art collection. The activities will be hosted by ArtReach San Diego, a nonprofit dedicated to providing workshops and classes to schools without an arts program.

December 6

San Diego Vintage Collective Market

Shop gifts from San Diego’s community of over 80 vintage and handmade vendors at Liberty Station’s Art District. The collective’s very first event will host guests with a California Dreamin’ theme and plenty of unique finds to shop for you and your loved ones. Masks are required and social distancing guidelines will be enforced.

2825 Dewey Road, Liberty Station

December 13

Cocktail Hour: Songs of the Rat Pack at CSU San Marcos Drive-In

Head to the drive-in at Cal State San Marcos for an evening celebrating the works of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr. The live performances, accompanied by bands like the D. Ben-jamin’ Horns, will cover the Rat Pack’s most notable hits, like “The Best Is Yet to Come” and “My Funny Valentine.”

333 South Twin Oaks Valley Road, San Marcos

Iration at Del Mar Racetrack on December 5

Dane Hodgson

The post Things to Do in San Diego at a Distance in December appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

Fourth Annual Festival of Dankness

Where: San Diego Waterfront Park

When: August 25

Pretty much everything you need to know is in the name. But check out this lyrical riff from the festival’s website describing it as “an armada of the world’s most powerful beer sorcerers will descend upon San Diego’s beautiful Waterfront Park bearing gifts of unparalleled hop-centric wonderment.” General admission tickets ($50) include food vendor access and unlimited 2oz pours from 60 local breweries like Pizza Port and North Park Brewing Company, as well as some from as far as Chicago, Denver, Portland, Seattle, and Anchorage. VIP tickets ($80) buy you early entry and first crack at food vendors and beer. Bonus: They have bicycle valet.

Del Mar Craft Beer Festival

Where: Del Mar Thoroughbred Club

When: August 18

Unlimited beer tastes from 100 local and international brewers set to the sounds of live DJ sets. Tickets ($35-42) include racetrack admission.

Stone 22^nd Anniversary Celebration and Invitational Beer Festival

Where: Cal State University San Marcos

When: August 18

Beers from Stone Brewing and 55 other local and international breweries poured in endless 2 ounce tastes from names like AleSmith Brewing Company, Eel River Brewing Co., South Park Brewing, Maui Brewing Company, Insurgente, and more. Take in live music, head to the cigar lounge, and hit up the food vendors, who will be serving complimentary tastes. Tickets are $65 but designated drivers can get one for $15.

3 Beer Festivals Happening This Month in San Diego

Try a world of beers, one little glass at a time. | Photo: Modern Times

The post 3 Beer Festivals Happening This Month in San Diego appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

Decoy is the new two-story, lake-view restaurant and bar concept from Eat.Drink.Sleep., the hospitality company behind JRDN and Cannonball. It’s a pretty stunning part of the rehab of the Lakehouse Hotel & Resort at Lake San Marcos. Overseeing the “great outdoors” dining concept for both floors is chef Danilo Tangalin, most recently with JRDN. The 1,000 square-foot, indoor-outdoor bottom floor is called Dock Bar, where lake people can drink some craft cocktails and beers, plus casual bites like burgers, duck meatball banh mis, and ostrich empanadas (anyone who’s driven to the Wild Animal Park has seen the ostriches on local farms).

The 8,000 square-foot dining room upstairs will focus on freshwater fish and game, largely cooked in a wood-burning oven. Elk osso bucco will come over risotto and topped with mint salsa verde, while the whole roasted lavender duck is designed to share. There’s also a wood-and-bronze private dining room.

The upstairs has fireplaces, images of wildlife, lake-faring paraphernalia, green velvet booths, and large-scale landscapes of forests and California redwoods. Blue velvet chairs dot the dining room. Over 300 buoys hang overhead in an art installation by Hollis Brand Culture, who helped create the space with Eat.Drink.Sleep. director of design, Anthony Garcia.

Enough words. Please enjoy the first known photos of Decoy Dockside below.

FIRST LOOK: Decoy Dockside

FIRST LOOK: Decoy Dockside

FIRST LOOK: Decoy Dockside

FIRST LOOK: Decoy Dockside

FIRST LOOK: Decoy Dockside

FIRST LOOK: Decoy Dockside

FIRST LOOK: Decoy Dockside

FIRST LOOK: Decoy Dockside

FIRST LOOK: Decoy Dockside

FIRST LOOK: Decoy Dockside

FIRST LOOK: Decoy Dockside

The post FIRST LOOK: Decoy Dockside appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

FIRST LOOK: Inland Tavern

The post FIRST LOOK: Inland Tavern appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

Map of San Marcos

• 1. COMING SOON
  Slater’s 50/50
  Decadent gourmet burgers (e.g. ground bacon soaked in bone marrow butter) and milkshakes arrive in San Marcos this spring. 110 Knoll Road

• 2. EXPANDING
  Lakehouse Hotel & Resort
  The newly renovated, charming lakeside resort and country club is open to the public, and will soon be adding a fine-dining restaurant and glamping sites. 1025 La Bonita Drive

• 3. NEW
  Pizza Port
  This top-notch brewery’s newest location features a canning line, 40 taps, a full menu, house-made ice cream, and an arcade for the kids. 2730 Gateway Road

•  

• 4. NEW
  Dos Desperados Brewery
  This homebrewing husband and wife craft IPAs and Belgian-style beer. 1241 Linda Vista Drive

• 5. The Lost Abbey & Port Brewing
  The tasting room, which serves some of San Diego’s most significant beers, belongs on every beer tourist’s agenda. 155 Mata Way

• 6. Rip Current Brewing
  This year-old brewery’s saisons, rich stouts, aggressive IPAs, and experimental brews are making their marks on the San Diego scene. 1325 Grand Avenue

• This Month in San Marcos

  • March 12
    Healing Hearts Mural Art talk on Afghanistan and Pakistan at CSUSM

  • March 15
    Free bicycle maintenance class at Trek Bicycle Superstore

  • March 23
    San Marcos Alive, celebration of the arts at San Marcos Civic Center

• 7. Churchill’s Pub & Grille
  Go for serious beer, a laid-back atmosphere, wing night, and vegan specials. 887 West San Marcos Boulevard

• 8. Old California Restaurant Row
  This 15-resto strip houses spots like Sublime Ale House, San Marcos Brewery & Grill, Fish House Vera Cruz, and Fratelli’s Italian Kitchen. 1080 West San Marcos Boulevard

• 9. North County Wine Company
  A friendly wine shop and bar offering a knowledgeable selection and great prices. 1099 West San Marcos Boulevard

•  

• 10. Foster’s Family Donuts
  Stop at this favorite for soft donuts with quality glazes and fillings. 627 South Rancho Santa Fe Road

• 11. Trek Bicycle Superstore
  Prepare to hit San Marcos’ bike paths and mountain trails with Trek’s huge selection of bicycles, parts, and accessories. 1617 Capalina Road

• 12. Fortis & Yogalux Fitness Center
  Heated yoga, indoor cycling, boot camp, TRX, and more! Whether the close proximity to Pizza Port is a blessing or a curse is up to you. 2712 Gateway Road

The post Neighborhood Guide: San Marcos appeared first on San Diego Magazine.