Executive chef and proprietor Carl Schroeder sets the standard for seasonal, farm-to-table cuisine, even picking out the produce himself at the famed nearby Chino Farms. The restaurant, across from the Surf Sports Park, hosts a three-course tasting menu in the restaurant and a sushi-centric a la carte bar menu. 

The Cucina restaurant collection, which also includes Michelin-recognized Sorrella, found a North County home in the Flower Hill Promenade, not far from the Del Mar Fairgrounds. Expect Italian flavors combined with Southern California seasonality, like the half chicken fra diavolo or sweet pea cappelletti and ricotta, served family style.

The friendly open-air brewery has swinging seats and a birds-eye view of the lagoon. The only brick-and-mortar location for Viewpoint also has standout eats like the backyard burger and the fish board with local halibut fish dip and lox salmon to pair with its wide selection of fantastic beers. Try the Lager for Ukraine, the proceeds of which are donated to local Ukrainian refugees.

Tucked in the corner on the second floor of the Del Mar Plaza, you’ll find this quaint Japanese restaurant with a sushi bar and outdoor patio space. The sashimi is delightful, along with hot dishes like grilled yellowtail collar. Happy hour specials run Monday to Thursday from 5 to 6 p.m. with deals on sushi rolls and Japanese draft beer.

The Del Mar outpost from owner Annie Benaroch, who started Parisien Gourmandises in La Jolla, has brought her excellent rolled croissants to North County. The the croissants with a distinctive fruit and cream puree that is flown from France.  

With sweeping views of the sea from the floor-to-ceiling windows that wrap around three sides of the restaurant, guests can toast the sunset with a cool grapefruit frose while the bartender shares a daily poem. Local tip: They don’t take reservations, but you can pop in earlier in the day to request a table for your party at a preferred time. 

An’s expanded from North Park into North County with its rich gelato flavors. With a staple of favorites and a rotation of creative flavors, embark on the Full Flavor Tour to sample all the ice cream. Popular ones include Cypress, a chocolate gelato with Brazilian cocoa put through a Dutch process that brings out a brownie butter flavor, and there’s also Thai Tea gelato, called Sbai, a tea-flavored ice cream spiced with star anise, tamarind, and cardamom that uses 22 pounds of Thai tea for each batch of ice cream.  

The Latin American restaurant sits next to the sidewalk, a perfect perch for people-watching. Try the short rib tamarindo with braised meat and baby kale, along with a wide array of tacos with filling choices like standby carnitas or octopus and mahi. 

Located along Route 101 with festive flags and a bright yellow awning, the longstanding Mexican restaurant is known for its powerful margaritas. Stroll down the outdoor stairs to La Cantina, the patio terrace, to sip on their Rosa Picante or Still Smoking mezcal margarita. Try their popular chicken guajillo enchiladas and carne asada fajitas as well. 

The second-floor coastal Del Mar restaurant boasts Mediterranean dishes like housemade pita with a trio of dips, PEI mussels, and fjord salmon. Pair with their honey-inflected version of the French 75, the Hive, which is also the name of the hidden speakeasy the team has opened in the second location of Beeside in La Jolla. 

The cozy South American restaurant specializes in fusion and contemporary Peruvian cuisine. Popular favorites include Peruvian specialties like lomo saltado, stir-fried filet mignon served with garlic rice, and chicha morada, an Andean drink made from purple corn, fruits and spices.  

This family-owned French-inflected Vietnamese restaurant focuses on grilled, roasted, steamed and stir-fried plates. Dishes, like grilled shrimp and beef, are meant to be wrapped in lettuce or rice paper and dipped in sauce. They also have crispy chicken and vegetable Imperial rolls and shaking beef.

The seafood restaurant has expanded to add three more locations in Orange County since it first opened more than five years ago in the Beachside Del Mar Plaza. Try the cioppino, North Shore garlic shrimp, and happy hour oysters available from 3 to 6 p.m. (There’s also a happy hour to go menu.)

Overlooking the Los Penasquitos Lagoon, this casual New York-style pizza joint serves fresh slices from the oven, along with old-school meatball sandwiches and calzones. Be sure to grab a garlic knot before they sell out. The place gets busy when you can grab a beer at the outdoor bar and enjoy the sunset.  

With a view of the salt marshes in Oldd Del Mar and the North Torrey Pines Road Bridge, the restaurant has opened this year, embracing its Italian roots. The same team behind Villa Capri, including Naples-born chef Ivan Napolitano, has invigorated the restaurant with fine service and sunset happy hours. Order gems like branzino alla livornese (Italian sea bass with white wine sauce), and scratch-made pasta dishes with salmon in vodka pink sauce or lasagne Bolognese.