Our first time here and we are thoroughly impressed. The cocktails were unique and delicious. Happy Hour is amazing and the apps (we ordered 6 for our table) were all delicious. Our only tiny concern was the Poke came out grayish, but tasted amazing. The octopus was tender the pork belly was tasty, not as fatty as we like it and a tiny bit dry, but the flavor was good. The buffalo fries were soo good. We will be back. read more

Have been to Craftsman with friends and with the family and all times were enjoyable. The atmosphere is warm and inviting. I would describe the food as comfort food. I have had good wine here and a really good martini. Overall a good place for drinks and/or dinner. read more

Incredible food and wine selection. Best dinner destination in Encinitas if you want to stay close and avoid the extra drive to the coast. Again - worth repeating- the wine selection and prices are worth coming here just to grab a couple bottles to go. read more

Agree with all the other reviewers here, Craftsman is still working out the kinks. Food was average, with the highlight being the local albacore appetizer and the low point being the grass-fed burger (that is not really grass-fed). I guess we were expecting better quality ingredients and a more even dining experience as Blue Ribbon is so wonderful. I give them an extra star for a generous corkage policy, much appreciated and we would give them another shot because of that. Service however was very spotty, with our server forgetting several items in the order and long pauses between courses. In the end, we had to physically flag her down to get the check. read more

Unfortunately our first visit here must have been a fluke. We've been here 3 times since and each time the service has just gotten worse. Every time we've come the place has been nearly empty and there is 1 person acting as host, server and on one visit even acting as bartender. On our most recent visit it took over an hour for our burger and sandwich to come out. When it came out we were served the wrong sandwich and the burger we ordered medium rare was well done. We had waited so long we just kept the wrong sandwich and ate the burger as it was served. The waiter was apologetic and seemed embarrassed but we won't be back. There is no excuse for poor service and incorrect orders from the chef when there are a total of 4 people in the restaurant. read more

We went in for a few beers and decided to try some of the apps. which are half price all day on Tuesdays. We order and split the beet salad with goat cheese, pistachios, arugula with vinaigrette. The salad was tasty and all, but a few foodie critique comments. The beets were clearly from a jar, with most of the local food now being farm to table this was a disappointment, the goat cheese was not of high quality and was just clumped in a few spots, and the vinaigrette was so salty, much was not needed when you have goat cheese and pistachios already. Next we shared the dessert cheese plate, again jarred items like the figs which was a jam and not fresh figs. the honey which said it was local was thin and we had to ask for more since just a little dime size drop was put on the plate, there were only 2 small kinds of cheeses, one was a brie that lacked the flavor of a hearty brie and the other may have been manchengo. There were apple slices from a standard green apple and micro micro greens as you can see in the picture. The walnuts were pretty tasty though. The beer section was pretty decent and the wine selection was vast. We do have something nice to say about the bar tender and one of the hostesses, Charlie the bar tender was personable , very attentive and made great drinks and the blonde waitress with the pony tail kept us entertained. We may show back up for a second try, but with so many farm to table restaurants, this place should re-evaluate it's chefs, the plate to me seemed to lack the best ingredient, LOVE. read more

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Went to Craftsman yesterday with my bff and her 19 year old niece on her suggestion. Great find! We each ordered something different and split to share. We had the burger with blue cheese / crispy tender fries, seared salmon sandwich w/ side salad and short rib mac and cheese. All were excellent choices. The burger was big and covered the whole bun. Cheese was plentiful. Salmon sandwich was served on the yummiest butter grilled bread. Mac and cheese was as good as the other two dishes. We will go back. Now, why 4 stars? Not food, not service, not ambiance. The chair backs. I'm skinny and the metal chair back was killing me. I'll be prepared next time. Highly recommend. read more

Great appetizers and entrés. Like their selection of craft cocktails. Try the bacon wrapped dates!!!

We are weekly patrons of the happy hour here. Prices are great ($5 drafts, $3 off appetizers/flatbreads/salads). Cassidy has been our server many times and she always done a great job. She is very friendly and attentive. The burgers are great, as are the flatbreads. The popcorn with truffle salt is addicting! Our 5-year-old son is a little foodie when it comes to desserts and devours the butterscotch pudding when we let him get it. We plan to be back next week! read more

It's kind of sad, to be honest. The food was great (except for the BBQ plate). But the service was atrocious. It wasn't even very busy, but my husband and I sat there for over 15 minutes with empty plates in front of us, and the server saw, but did nothing. We'll be going back for the food, and we'd like to try more than their lunch menu, but hopefully we can have a better service experience. Although, it seems like that is a trend with them. Great food, horrible servers... read more

Waiters and waitress are very proud of their food. I found they are good, not that far exceed. I would come again for a quiet chat time with one or two people( not big group) , if I am around encinita. read more

Just (finally) went here for the first time the other night. Why did we wait so long? Love it. Great atmosphere, lovely service (Aubrey!), nice selection of low-to-high priced wine, delish happy hour specials.... Liked the deviled eggs, pork belly was fatty scrumptiousness, and our burgers were beautiful, We'll be back for sure. read more

I do like this place, but I'm just waiting for John Taffer from Bar Rescue to go in and start firing people for drinking on the job. Bartender was hammered last night and the hostess kept coming to ask for another "marg" from him. Our mules had to be remade twice because the bartender kept forgetting to add ginger beer, the key ingredient of a mule. I'm mixed now on this place, maybe management will do something about it, maybe they won't. Either way, place has strong potential. read more

Another mediocre place in north county... Such a bummer. I want to like this place but I just can't. The drinks are great and they have a gigantic wine list which is great, but with no ambiance, poor service and mediocre food, there are better places for happy hour or drinks. Come on north county. read more

Very old English, rustic ambiance! Food was out of this world! Scallops mouth watering, beet salad amazing, Brussels spouts yum! Josh was our server and he was easy but accommodating! Will be back for more! read more

I wish I could give them no stars. Came in for a nightcap at 9:30p and got totally ignored. Other tables still had drinks and food and the table next to us even got an ADDITIONAL drink while we were still waiting for someone to even come by to see what we were planning to order. I understand if the night is winding down and you're trying to wrap it up and they maybe didn't want to start a full dinner order before the kitchen clised. But my problem is that they didn't even ASK. They didn't acknowledge that we were there, We just wanted a drink, no food. After 15 minutes of waiting and trying in vain to make eye-contact with SOMEONE WHO WORKED THERE we left and walked over to Firefly, which was a very gracious host. read more

My second visit today for Mother's Day and it did not disappoint again! Had the BLT Eggs Benedict and it was delicious!! The popcorn was bomb! Luis was our server and he was fantastic -- attentive and friendly. Will definitely return. read more

Always a great welcoming place for familys. ivan the GM makes it a great atmosphere! We started off with the cali- mari wich was one of the best. We also had the octopus and the brussle sprouts all great apps we finished off with the porterhouse steak and some great wine. Definitely coming back so if you havent been here you should give it a try ! read more

Second time I've come here and had a pretty unpleasant experience. My friend and I came here for what we hoped was going to be a great cheat day meal. Took about 15 minutes from the time we asked for water till we got it (it was not busy at all) then it took about 30 minutes for my friend and I too get our burgers. after our food was delivered we both noticed that our burgers were well done (we asked for medium rare) and the buns were stale and dry. My friend was too hungry and decided he would just eat his while I was going to wait to flag down my server to let her know that I would like to get a new one. Long story longer...20 minutes pass by, and our server never came back to check on us. I ended up having to get up and tell someone that looked like a manager that about my meal. I ended up leaving pretty hungry and pretty bummed about this happening for a second time. I really want to like this place, as I live right around the corner. Seems like it might not be meant to be :( read more

Went to brunch with friends on 5/7/17. Never have I ever been more disappointed and frustrated with a wait staff. We arrive, get our table pretty quickly with no problem. About 10 minutes goes by and I ask my friend, "do you think a server will come see us?" We had to flag one down who then told us "oh, I am not your server, she is," (pointing in some random direction). He said "we're really backed up, sorry about that." To which I thought, that's fine, totally understandable. He took our drink orders, and three of the four of us got our drinks (another 10 mins later). Three of us got drinks and my coffee was forgotten. Again, I can forgive, but no one has yet come to really be our server. Finally after another 10 mins of no one giving a crap about us, I flag down another server who the other guy had pointed to and said "it doesn't seem like anyone wants to serve us, can we get a server?" And she gives me a deer in the headlights look and is like "uh, okay." Orders taken, I finally get my coffee, which immediately had to be taken back because there was a lipstick stain on it. Again, something I can forgive. But literally the entire time we were there, no one wanted to wait on us. It honestly was beyond confusing. Anytime we needed a refill or needed something, we had to physically stop someone and they would give us this attitude like "I told you I am not your server." To which I thought "well who the hell is? We don't mind being patient, but someone needs to effing wait on us!" Our servers had the worst attitudes about it and their lack of intelligence on figuring out who the hell should serve us was so frustrating. So, the bright side. The food was incredible. I mean, literally one of the best french toasts I ever have. If you ever go, get the Capn Crunch French Toast. This literally saved my experience somewhat. Even though the food was so good, I don't know if I could give this place another shot because as a paying customer, we felt like an inconvenience just for existing. I had just coffee, but my friends bought the unlimited mimosas and bloody mary's. Neither of them got refills. Tried flagging them down, and they'd say "oh yeah," and forget. Honestly, management should be ashamed for not training their employees customer service 101. And by customer service 101, I mean taking a freaking order or assigning a server to a table. Even though it was 5 star food, it was definitely 0 star service, to that I cannot forgive. read more

The Salted Butterscotch Pudding is to die for! They also have a good selection of Micro Brews on tap. A must go whenever I am in Encinitas.

I live up the street from this place. It great food and service. The menue is hit and miss for me. I just had the short ribs and they were good but over priced for a rib with mad fat. Over all I really love there sister company blue ribbon pizza in the lumber yard. I give this place a 4 star! read more

Stopped in for a drink. Margarita was amazing. We also ordered the popcorn as a snack. Delish. The atmosphere is the best, bartenders were super nice and attentive. I would love to go back and eat. Everything that came out of the kitchen looked so good. Place was packed. So much fun. read more

Very dry and expensive baby back rib. The chicken wing used to be good and crispy is not. Not consistent and expensive

The food was delicious both times I've been to the craftsman. And the happy hour deal allowed my friend and I to try many of the small plate offerings. But my favorite is still the butterscotch pudding dessert. You won't be disappointed. read more

The food was pretty good. The portions are decent. The place is really loud especially since the tables are very close to each other. The service was average. Our server was not as attentive as others had to come by to refill our drinks. He was quick to provide us the bill. I probably wouldn't come back. read more

Just ate here for the first time and i really enjoyed it and so did my boyfriend! He loves bar food and got a burger. I am a vegetarian and expected to get a salad or something of that sort but i saw on the menu that they have a homemade veggie burger with yummy toppings. Usually these kinds of restaurants have frozen veggie patties, not this place! It was delicious! Would definitely recommend. read more

Enjoyed our family visit here. I ordered the lobster bisque, and a salad. Hubby had a burger and fries. Both our meals were excellent. We also ordered their brussel sprouts. They were very tasty, I highly recommend. Overall fun place with good food, service, and ambiance. Fit for us foodies! We will be back. read more

I love blue ribbon with my whole heart and was so excited when they opened up craftsman near my house ! Wow where to start, the girls all here are so sweet they really care about what you want. The manager is a complete gentleman you feel like you've been his friend for a long time. And of course food was amazing ! I got the Wisconsin burger and wow amazing. Edgar was my server and he's such a caring guy. I would recommend this place to any and everyone. read more

One of the best veggie burgers I've ever had. Amazing butterscotch pudding. Can't wait to go back.

Went last night, it was crowded for a Tuesday night. The place is LOUD. Really loud. Overall I would say the food was good but the service was bad. I ordered the sweet corn soup (delicious), shared the heirloom tomato salad (great, but the plates they brought out for us to share the cold salad were piping hot), and a side of mac & cheese, which was good but a little heavy on the blue cheese. For dessert I got the bittersweet chocolate tart. I would not order it again - the cookie crust was darn near impossible to break open, and the rock salt on top was unappealing. When we were seated we waited 25 minutes for the server to show up. I got the "southside" drink and it was awful. I sent it back and asked for a cosmo, which was delivered nearly at the end of dinner. All of our food: salads, soups, main courses, was brought out within minutes of each other. The waitress was trying to arrange all these plates on the table, it was ridiculous. We were never asked if we wanted a second round of drinks, too bad because we wanted to have some wine so we went to a wine bar down the street. Since the food was good I will try this place again...it just opened so I think they have some staff issues to work out. But if it is the same way after a few months I likely will avoid it. read more

Two stars is generous. I can speak on behalf of the group of 6 of us who dined there last week. First off we had to SCREAM across the table to be heard. Secondly, two had horrific cocktails they had to return. Funny, the second friend didn't know the other had ordered the same drink and returned it, as she had arrived after. Then there was a gnat in my other friend's wine. The service was so slow that we were forced to order dinner and miss happy hour though we should have had plenty of time. My food (shrimp with pasta) looked lovely on the plate but once I dug in, I got the impression it had been plated long ago as the noodles stuck together in a clump. Sauce had little flavor, shrimp was overcooked & dry. So many strikes against this place I have no desire to return. Bummer as it's so convenient and I was hoping it would be great after hearing so many raves about Blue Ribbon. read more

This is a great place for a quick bite at the bar or dinner with friends. Chef Wade creates amazing food. The only negative is the noise level can get kind of high because of the ceilings. read more

Sadly, my score started out at 4 stars the first week with the thought it would probably go to 5. I have been here a couple more times and each time it has been more disappointing. The burger and fries, although seemingly pricey, was well worth the cost. Shishito peppers are great. However, since then I have been disappointed with the sausages, the duck confit was mediocre, and surprisingly the porchetta, which was high on my list to try, was dry and not all that exciting. If those dishes were 15 instead of 25 they probably would be OK but at the price I expect something notable. All of this said, service has been fine and I would come back for a burger and a beer. I still love Blue Ribbon. read more

Delicious sweet potato fries & tuna sandwich.

The wife and I dropped by here for restaurant week with a 1-year-old and friends. They kept my kid well-entertained with a mason jar full of crayons. (Thankfully taking them out and putting them back in never got old.) The food was generally solid. My corn soup and fried chicken were excellent, as was my wife's butterscotch pudding dessert. However, my wife's scallops were slightly salty, her corn fritters were way dry, and my lemon tart was too sweet to finish. The drink prices were excellent given the generous pours. Overall, I'd go back. read more

Great, varied menu. Love the farm to table quality. Reminds me of SF. Servers are friendly. Atmosphere is quaint and comfortable. Everything I've had is excellent - short ribs, burger, cocktails, brunch and bread pudding. Not sure why only 3 star average? read more

My wife went here again to enjoy a night out. My wife always loves the popcorn and the fried brussel sprouts. I loved them both also even though I am not a fan of sprouts. My wife loved her pan seared salmon and I had high hopes for their BBQ'd / smoked angus brisket. I did not love the brisket. I know brisket isn't a great cut of meat to start with but I've had it and enjoyed it when it was tender. This had big chunks of fat and the meat wasn't especially tender though it didn't have a nice smoke flavor. Loved the mac n cheese side but wasn't thrilled with the beans or cole slaw sides. Dessert was the smores which was good but really wanted something with chocolate overload and they just don't have it on their menu. If someone from the restaurant happens to read this review, please count this as a request for a serious chocolate option. read more

We had a party of 18 people for Mother's Day, and we couldn't have been happier. First, the manager (sorry, I can't remember everyone's name) made sure we had a table all ready to go the second my wife's 94 year old mother walked in the door. Our server was fantastic. She accommodated our desires to have 4 separate checks for our party. All 18 dishes arrived at exactly the same time, so no one was watching their food get cold while others waited. The food was delicious, and priced right. The bloody mary bar and the bottomless mimosas were a nice plus, too. Up to now, my wife and I have hated going to restaurants on Mother's Day. Interminable waiting, errors in the service, bad food, etc., all made for a forgettable day. But we came away from this relaxed and happy. Kudos to the Craftsman manager, our server, the cook, and all the staff. We're planning to return next Mother's Day, so save us a table! read more

Awesome food. Been there a few times and never disappointed. The scallops are particularly good, as is the dessert caramel budino.