7 Best Restaurants in Solana Beach, North County and Around

Get ready for a true French garden experience, where you can sip espresso, pluck flowers from galvanized buckets, and even hold a bunny. This flower shop-meets-café experience has lite bites and pastries that will have you sinking your teeth into a flaky croissant and saying “merci!”

Breakfast foodies religiously line up for a table at this cheerful A-frame restaurant for the chance to dig into wholesome food made from scratch like organic quinoa Benedict, multigrain pancakes, and French toast stuffed with fresh ricotta. Built from reclaimed wood and salvaged bricks, the eatery has a green roof, solar panels, and is insulated with recycled denim—all of which helped it earn platinum LEED status. Breakfast is served all day, but you can opt for sandwiches, salads, and burgers for lunch. You also can’t go wrong with the Thai steak salad made with grass-fed Angus or the cucumber and avocado sandwich with a side of homemade potato chips. The attached grab-and-go bakery opens at 7 am for train commuters. There is even a doggie menu for patio-side pooches. 

One of North County's best restaurants, across the street from the Del Mar Fairgrounds and racetrack, offers French cuisine with California flare. Chef-proprietor Jeffrey Strauss brings a caterer's sensibilities to the details, like a mix-or-match selection of sauces—such as wild mushroom, béarnaise, au jus, grain mustard, or peppercorn—to complement the simple but absolutely top-quality grilled meats and seafood. Appetizers can be very clever, like the Kim Chee seafood martini. Whatever you do, save room for dessert; you can watch the pastry chef build it for you at the demonstration area in the dining room. Popular sweet endings include apple tart tatin and chocolate peanut-butter bombe. The comfortable rooms are painted with murals of bucolic country scenes, and the service is quiet and professional.

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-type 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. 

Get ready for savory perfection with a concept built around locally sourced ingredients from ranchers, fishermen, and farmers who are dedicated to their harvest and sharing the beauty of their bounty. While the all-day breakfasts are a hit, it’s what’s between the bread that matters, like Brandt beef patty burgers, smoked tri trip sandwiches, and beef sliders with house-made chips. Order at the counter for breakfast and lunch, or take it up a notch after 4 pm with full-service dinners offering dry-aged Brand beef with Chino Farms greens. The Chef’s daily Brand Beef Tasting menu is what keeps customers loyal. If you fall in love with a cut, simply order any dry-aged steak from the onsite butcher with a bottle of wine from the in-house market.

Across the street from the Del Mar racetrack, this classic old-fashioned, family-owned, steak and seafood house is a high-roller's heaven and a perennial favorite with jockeys celebrating their wins. The food is simple but good, and the menu highlights roasted prime rib in addition to filet mignon, pan-fried scallops, and such starters as lobster bisque and jumbo shrimp on ice. Everyone from the pianist to the waitresses is well aware that smiles and prompt service can result in tips as generously sized as the gigantic Australian lobster tails that the menu demurely lists at "market price."

In 1976, a fisherman and captain teamed up to deliver fresh, quality seafood at a decent price. Today, they run four restaurants across California 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.