Carlsbad, California: Any Recommendations?

I am going to be in Carlsbad for the first time for a few days next month. I know next to nothing about the city except that it is a resort town and there are some caves somewhere nearby.

Any recommendations on things to do or places to eat? For restaurants, I'm equally interested in the very high end and very low end (the latter particularly if it means top-notch CA-style Mexican food).

Thanks!

The only thing I know about Carlsbad is from when I was in the Marines a few years ago and they told us to stay away from there due to some kind streak of violent crimes.

That info is about 6 years old though, so good luck.

PM me if you have any questions, but I don't think there's a ton to do there. My advice would be to borrow/rent a bicycle and ride up and down the coast during the day, then go back to places you saw later in the day. It's all little restaurants and boutiques, then the beach. I would recommend La Jolla Cove to walk around.

There's the Premium Outlets that have a Barney's outlet that can be good sometimes. Also South Coast Plaza is just 45 minutes up the freeway, a pretty epic mall if you want to shop.

I have lived in Carslbad and although there is not a whole lot going on in Carlsbad itself, it is relatively cloe (30-40 min drive) to downtown and there are a lot of nice areas between Carlsbad and Downtown SD.

In Carlsbad itself, the La Costa Club/Resort is nice and it has a pretty decent restaurant/bar that I believe is called the blue fire grill. Pricey, but good food and a nice bar with an outdoor, heated patio overlooking the golf course.

About 10 mins south of Carlsbad is Encinitas, a nice beach town with some nice restaurants and shops. For a hole in the wall, but delicious Mexican place, try Juanitas on highway 1. Also in Encinitas is Kaito Sushi, a very authenticN solid Japanese restaurant a few minutes inland and a great Tapas restaurant called Q'ero. Moonlight beach is a nice beach, but I don't imagine you'll be swimming or surfing this time of year.

Del Mar, about 20 mins south of Carlsbad has a nice little shopping area known as the Del Mar Plaza. It is a nice place to walk around and there are a few bars in there as well. A good restaurant in this area with a nice view is Pacifico.

As mentioned above, La Jolla is a nice area and I recommend you spend a day there walking along the cove and hitting some of the shops and restaurants on Prospect st. This is really a beautiful area about 30 minutes south of Carlsbad. Although I have never eaten there (only drinks) the sky room in the Valencia hotel is suposed to have great food. It is pricey, but the view is amazing.

As for Downtown SD, there is not a whole lot going on, but I really enjoyed Cucina Urbana - a modern Italian fusiony menu with a good wine bar on my last visit.

Make sure you hit up In N Out burger while you're there and get some good baja style fish tacos too.

http://www.tiptopmeats.com/

(Second hand recommendation)

Thanks to all. This isn't a choice destination for me, but I intend to make the best of it.

Originally Posted by juniper

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http://www.tiptopmeats.com/

(Second hand recommendation)

I will recommend. Overpriced goods in their shop though. Ive been to other euro stores in the area that have better prices. However their food prices and servings can't be beat. It's usually a solid meal everytime I go.