Carruth Cellars is a tucked‑away barn‑style winery with a walk‑up counter and a casual "sit…read morewherever you want" setup. The vibe is relaxed, but overall the experience felt pretty average. Prices are on the steeper side, and the wine itself was just okay. No one really checks in on you, so the service leans very hands‑off. Water is self‑serve, and they have a few small snacks you can grab and pay for, but nothing that stands out. A simple, no‑frills stop -- nothing special, but fine if you're already in the area and want a quick glass.

After a nice date with my wife and shopping for some gifts, we finally decided to stop by Carruth…read moreCellars. We went with the wine tasting flight and it was a great way to explore their lineup. I usually go for the Zinfandel, but this time the Sauvignon Blanc ended up being my favorite--bright, crisp, and super refreshing. The Rosé, "Unicorn," Zinfandel, and Cabernet all brought their own solid character too, from light and fruity to rich and structured. Perfect spot in Cedros Design District to grab a glass, relax on the front patio, and people watch after walking the shops. Super chill coastal vibe, friendly service.

Quick stop before boarding our train and glad we did! Culture Brewing is a quick walk (across the…read morestreet) from the Solana Beach Transit Center so make sure you stop by here before or after (I recommend both :))! Clean spot and people are so friendly! They have plenty of seating inside and outside in the back. They have a nice bar seating area at the front with a big window to look onto the street. There are a couple spots to sit out front as well. Lots of people and a great vibe! It is dog friendly as we did see some adorable pups! They even has some cool art for sale that's hung on their side wall. They have pretty cool merch (great logo!) to check out when you walk in. As well as a cold box for your to go beer and some snacks. They did have a food truck out back and it smelled great! They have a couple bathrooms and they were clean enough! Staff super friendly and got our beer quick! Hubby had the IPA and I always go for the stout! So good and cool/refreshing after a long day in the sun! We'll definitely be back on our next trip to Solana Beach!

I really love coming here on Monday nights for run club and its always a treat after run club to…read moresocialize afterwards in this wonderful venue! Tonight I tried a 10oz boozy cherry sour slushee as I was totally soaked in sweat after a 4 mile run. Others in my group also a hot sweaty mess so I didnt feel bad. One guy I am friends with was trying to wring out sweat from his shirt, thats how hot and humid it was tonight for a run lol. Unfortunately, this drink did not do it for me. There wasn't any wrong with the drink but the consistency was off and I felt like I was drinking air and not a slushy. It was just too pumped with air and had no critical mass to it. I still give this place 5 stars because I have been coming here for the past couple of months for run club and beers are consistently good, service always friendly and they also give us a 10% discount for being part of run club! Great place to gather for a jog and to socialize after, you'll def find me here on Monday nights over and over again!

We popped in for their street faire, and while the street faire itself was small and a quick…read morewalkthrough, the vendors were great and we could not escape without buying a few things. We strolled over to the tasting room and went with a mixed tasting flight. Our server was amazing, while I do not really enjoy the more tannin mouthfeel wines and prefer the sweeter ones, my wife really enjoys the opposite of me. Our server was intent on finding something that I enjoyed, and turned me on to the wine slushy, which was refreshing, and perfect and scarily good! We also decided to eat dinner here, and we shared a Harvest Salad (Spring Mix, Apples, Dried Cranberries, Goat Cheese, Mixed Nuts, Julie's Balsamic Vinaigrette). and we split a pizza that was half Blanca (Ricotta, Mozzarella, Lemon Olive Oil, Fresh Herbs, Hot Honey, Truffle Oil), and half The Papa B (Tomato sauce, Mozzarella, Fontina, pepperoni, Jalapenos, Onions). We asked for it a little crispy, and parts of it were really sort of burnt, but 100% would order again, hold the ask for a "little crispy" next time lol. The ambiance here was nice, it is dog friendly so there were several dogs lounging around and hanging out, the tasting room has both a nice indoor bar area, with table seating all around, as well as a pretty decent sized outdoor area that has shade cover and lots of tables. They had live music outside, and it was great that it added to the ambiance, without being overpowering and not allowing for conversation. Great little place will happily revisit!

Total slam dunk for a Sunday afternoon! This quiet neighborhood gem has monthly paint nights and…read moreis extremely comfortable and cozy allowing dogs. Highly recommend the pizza! The crust is absolutely perfectly cooked and very fresh basil, arugula and sausage toppings absolutely drive the flavor home. Combine with a few glasses of wine and you have yourself pretty much the perfect weekend getaway! Highly recommend.

Tonight I was looking for a place just to get a single glass of wine. I drove around for a while…read moreand finally came upon a place I've seen for years that have never actually gone inside and that was the Meritage wine market. I walked in holding a piece of homemade sourdough bread, I recently purchased, hoping that wasn't rude but the lady who waited on me, Julie was fabulous. She chatted with me and offered me the perfect wine, which was just what I wanted then she gave me a little splash of something else before I left. The ambience was very casual. Three other moms were there chatting and gathering I felt very comfortable by myself. I eventually got the Bill not feeling rushed at all and was shocked when it was eight dollars. There wasn't a place for the tip and Julie told me they did not do tipping in return for the wonderful time. I had there I promised I would write a review and tell others that if you want a casual place to meet some friends, have a glass of wine and not feel pressured to buy anything. This is your place. It's near Champaign bakery in pancake House. If you're into food sometimes though you just want a single glass of wine... Or maybe two.

Super helpful. I had very specific varietals/regions in mind. They assisted me in finding those as…read morewell recommending similar wines. Great options. Highly recommend

EATING MY WAY THRU ENCINITAS (5 stars)…read more - EVENT: awesome; worth it - FOOD: variety - VIBES: mainly 45+ (in age)... Encinitas crowd What a chill and delicious event. I found this event well put together. The Main Street office opened up all day for people to get their tickets to avoid the line around 5 which helps the decluttering of people and that cutting into the 3hrs to enjoy food and drinks. Staff of event, residence, and restaurant staff of Encinitas are SO KIND. Every person I've engaged with were welcoming and open. I've been to many of these "Taste of..." in different cities and states and by far this one was very much liked. This event had Mexican, Filipino, Italian, American, Pizza, desserts. Variety! :: PRE-EVENT :: The day the tickets went on sale I secured the goods as I heard this always gets sold out. Months in advance. The map is also your ticket that you wear around your neck for shops to cross off you visited. Also received a small cup with 10 tickets for 10 sips. Don't have to one at each stop, can use all 10 at one stop if you like. I used one drink ticket and ended up giving my tickets away to others - because I don't really drink-drink. :: WALKING ON A HWY :: 33 stops. Food at the restaurant stops and shops serving the sips. Plan strategically to where you park! Started out at the furthest restaurant (PINA) and worked all the way to the most southern restaurant (UNION), head back north to the center and tackled all the other places. Most people would reverse this order - so it was nice to avoid people clutter. :: EATS :: Can't list them all but will try to sun it up. I love how there was a mix of restaurants and a variety of foods. Unlike Taste of Leucadia there were 3 restaurants serving pasta. This event only one Italian restaurant on the list and the only one serving pasta. This event was serving Mexican, Filipino, Italian, American, Pizza, desserts. :: FAVORITES :: CARIN DI RIA - serving pancit, lumpia, adobo, rice. Of course I'm Filipino and I've ate here many times and it's my favorite Filipino restaurant in SD. The amount of "non-Filipino" walking away saying "this is really delicious" "so good I never had Filipino food before" made my heart happy. PINA - serving street taco + churro waffle. I've ate here before when the restaurant opened up and it wasn't great. They def improved! Came back and was blown away. Staff here were SO FRIENDLY and I've enjoyed out conversations at the bar before the event even started. The good they served for the event was AMAZING. That street taco was so flavorful and so good it was one of my favorite bites of the night. The churro waffle was also very taste. Who is this chef? Compliments to the Chef! BROAD STREET DOUGH - serving mini donuts. Many flavors to choose from only 2 can be picked. These donuts were delicious af. I went for blue berry and Oreo. Longest line but worth the long wait. :: LEAST FAVORITE :: THE FISH SHOP - serving grilled shrimp. Not sure what ingredients they used but it was not as good sounded. Their bite was 3 shrimps. But 1 would have been decent or plenty enough. 3 sounds nice only if the taste was good but it really wasn't. I saw in the trash near by so many people were throwing their shrimps away. How sad, I didn't even take a picture of it. :: MISSED :: It is always my goal to complete all but either I'm full or things ran out. I did well! - ECHALE WINE BAR AND KITCHEN: long line and slow. A lot of people passed this up. - THE NASA SHOP/LOCAL SCOOP: 1hr left of 3hr event and there was nothing to serve (how weak!) JABA APPROVED. Until the next review...

I really was looking forward to checking this out. While navigating the map, I made my way through…read moreas much of the places as I could. I was rather disappointed in how there wasn't that many vegan options available considering that Encinitas literally has a whole bunch of vegan places. Even restaurants I know to serve vegan didn't even offer a sample choice. So I was bummed by that. I did however, love how there was a lot of kombucha stops so that kinda helped improve my mood. Overall, still a cute idea.

Non nonsense winery. Not a wine and cheese type experience. If you want to taste some wine and…read moregain some knowledge this is the place. Bought 6 bottles and unfortunately I'll have to go back and get more. This has turned into our favorite wine.

I purchased a few bottles of their wines to try them. The 2014 Sangiovese had a sour after taste…read morefor this vintage. Next, had a No Vintage Melbec. Was inky looking. Had no nose. Was smooth and the more you let it sit out, it rewarded you with more fruit forward. Was not sweet though. Was better with food but you could enjoy by itself. Since I previously placed this review, I visited this winery and my opinion changed. The wines I previously tasted don't do justice to their full menu of delicious wines. The winery charges $25/person to taste 6 wines but they waive fee if you buy at least one wine. The pours to taste the wines are generous pours. You'll end up buying more than one bottle I guarantee it. The tasting room is located inside a warehouse building in front of their front office lobby. The staff is very personable and welcoming. Their wines run $18-$25.

We love Ray, great tour good vibes awesome wine! Rocking wine tours is your one stop shop!read more

This was truly an amazing experience from start to finish! From the booking process to the actual…read morebus experience and, of course, the wine tasting, everything was exceptional. Knowing that our company event was in such great hands gave us tremendous peace of mind. A BIG shout-out to Toby and his team for going above and beyond to make us feel welcomed, attended to, and truly special even though they also had other guests. We sincerely appreciate Rockin' Wine Tours and look forward to another fantastic trip in the future. Your team should be incredibly proud of the experience you provide. Great job, and thank you for making our event so memorable!

This was such a unique experience. The food was incredible and SO MUCH. Definitely arrive hungry…read more Our tour guide, Dirt (yes that's his name) was very engaging and knowledgeable. I am a local and still learned so much about our cute town. Perfect for locals and out of state guests. Highly recommend.

I was really disappointed with this food tour. I've done several in the past and this one just…read moredidn't compare. The biggest issue was the structure of the experience. It started with a donut and then included two more desserts along the way crepes, and gelato. That felt excessive and unbalanced. Typically, food tours are paced more thoughtfully with a variety of courses like appetizers, soups, salads, and a solid main dish. The pasta was underwhelming and didn't feel like the highlight it should have been. You could tell the meatballs were previously frozen. Not one person finished the taste. Overall, the tour lacked variety, balance, and quality. It just didn't feel well thought out or worth the cost. It needs to be revamped. I really wanted to enjoy it, but unfortunately it missed the mark.