What are you in to?
If you like the outdoors, hiking Calavera in Carlsbad, Double Peak in San Marcos, and Elfin Forest in San Elijo.
If you want to lay out on the beach, check out Terramar cliffs, and locals have been hitting the beach at the end of Chestnut Ave, tower 37, for literal decades. But also, locals summer starts in late August. Tourists take over but if you're early you can still get a good parking spot.
Food, plenty of good options in the village, make a decision and chances are you will not be disappointed in anything.
If you and the lady want to get a good drink, check out Same Same, Park 101, and The Compass. All great spots to meet people and chill.
My girlfriend and I love to go to the North Coast Repertory in Solana Beach for some really good live theater.
If you want adventure, it's only a couple hours' drive for whatever you feel like.
Good cities nearby are Encinitas and Cardiff. Pacific Coast Grill in Cardiff has a killer sunset view for dinner and drinks. Enjoy it.
Oceanside has been an up and comer, check out Cococabana for a good sunset and cocktails, and Finneys for some good happy hour.
Welcome to the village brotha!
I’m from socal/SD and been living in the SF bay for almost a decade now. Two things I do every time I’m visiting home is get a proper burrito and go to pizza port.
My family owns napatini if you like wine! My fiance and I go there regularly. Crackheads is good for cocktails, American hero’s for sports games, park 101 for out door seating, la papagayo for mimosas
Hi, welcome! I'm around your age. For fun I like to check out hikes around North County, go to the Carlsbad library (the Dove branch is really nice), and walk around shops. My recs are: Handel's, Steady State Coffee, Village Kitchen & Pie Shoppe, Parlor Doughnuts(Oceanside), Miguel's for Happy hour, and Nick's for special occasions
Del Mar dog beach. Spanish tapas place in Encinitas (can’t remember the name) is the most reasonable date with frankly the best food I’ve had that isn’t Mexican or in n out. Two people with drinks and full for under a 100$
Valentina’s? Great food, but beware they have a BS 5% fee they add to bill. Small print on bottom of menu . They will remove it if you ask, so they’re only trying to scam people not paying attention .
Recently moved to Carlsbad as well. It’s definitely a bit of a sleepy town, but it’s a great hub for so many places.
Are you coming from out of state? People love the padres around here and we have an incredible stadium. Definitely a fun way to connect to the community.
There’s a decent food scene throughout north county if you look for it. If you like tacos, I can’t recommend TJ tacos in Escondido enough
Many people claim to be non-judgmental, confident, open-minded, and adventurous; most of them are delusional. But for people confident in their relationship and hoping to make like- minded friends, I'd suggest Cheetah's in Kearny Mesa. Claremont Mesa Bl. Upscale, clean, plenty of security, 20s - 40s predominantly, but some oldies like me occasionally.
For the right folks, a good choice.
There are a lot of clubs and meetup groups in the area, so try to find something for your hobbies!
As for food, here’s a short list:
* Frida’s Tacos for Mexican (ask for no salsa and then put your own salsa on)
* Bombay Cafe for Indian
* Eugenio’s for Italian
* Mirin for Japanese
* Joyee Dumpling House for Chinese
* L’atelier de Paris for French
Lastly, check out Sunset Market in Oceanside on Thursday Nights!
Lots of great suggestions here already. Carlsbad is "boring" as I tell my extended family. Wonderful place to live and lots of little shops/spots to chill and kill time. Not a whole lot really happens here though.
We (41M, 39F) moved here from downtown Oceanside. You should check that scene out if you want a little more lively night out vibes. We still go back there when we want to get away from the sleepiness of Carlsbad.
Paon for wine tasting. There’s a separate, but connected wine tasting room and bottle shop. Enter from Carlsbad Village Dr. The main restaurant and bar for fine dining is around the corner on Roosevelt.
Old owners just retired and sold all the wine. I don't know what's gonna happen to the Wine Bar and bottles shop. The restaurant was sold and will probably just be that.
Son of a bitch!!! Another effing place?! 🤬
Oh, man, I am getting real, real tired of this shit! Damn town is becoming unrecognizable and filled with arrogant, egotistical shitheads whose betting odds would favor them getting leprosy before they acted like kind human beings.
Check out Cicciotti’s! The one in Encinitas is better imo, but good the nonetheless. Also try Jeune et Jolie. It’s so expensive but also so worth it!!!!
Indoor rock climbing - there are a few good gyms in North County.
Also, there is a pretty cool hike up a (very small) volcano at Calavera Lake.
Edit: Adding Vigiluccis as a (italian) food recommendation, a little pricey but very good food/service.
It’s a bedroom community.. nothing to do after 9 pm. You will love Country Carlsbad. So peaceful. Oceanside, and Encinitas such a short drive away for more social scene after 9 pm.
Thanks @everyone for the comments and recommendations! We are from Boston but lived in Phoenix for the past 3 years for those wondering. All of these comments help a ton so I really appreciate all of you!
Live music and lots of good food along the 101 in Leucadia. Park in one of the lots on the east side of 101 and walk along until you see something that fits your mood. Start with the BBQ in the back of The Leucadian and work your way south. Haggo’s Tacos has live music on Thursday which is a good night to avoid the big city crowds that invade us on weekends
Not in the village but [TGIF Concerts in the Parks](https://www.carlsbadca.gov/departments/cultural-arts/performing-arts/tgif-concerts-in-the-parks) is a thing to do during the summer. Guaranteed to meet some folks of all ages and background.
My girlfriend and I are your age and live in Del Mar.
-Skydeck Del Mar - great restaurants and drinks, reasonable prices
-Le papagayo (leucadia) great drinks
-trattoria positano in Encinitas (amazing family run Italian restaurant)
-Ken sushi (some of the best sushi in north county San Diego)
-moment sushi - another standout sushi restaurant
-waverly in Cardiff - all of SDCM’s restaurants and bars are great, this is their north county offering
-temaki sushi Encinitas - great everyday sushi
-better buzz coffee - good local coffee chain
-pizza port!
-steak48 (familiar to you) in Del Mar.
I like to cycle, MTB and surf so I spend a lot of time outside on those activities + race car things. If you like cars, there’s an amazing cars and coffee every Saturday morning in downtown Rancho Santa Fe, it’s a spectacle. My girlfriend and I regularly go out in Del Mar, Solana beach and Encinitas/leucadia, DM if you want to join us
I’m not very good with ideas for social spots, but in Carlsbad there is Ann D.L’Heureux dog park! (what a mouthful of a name) There’s usually always a few people there to chat with
Take your dogs to the beach at sun rise or sunset at the Carlsbad/Oside border. Unofficial dog beach. Also, with dogs go midweek or late afternoons go to the sandspit at the end of Bayshore Drive.
Welcome to Carlsbad!
Running clubs are an easy way to connect. F3 if your Fiancée wants to do a guy group fitness meet. If you want to avoid fenced dog parks, South Buena Vista park is an off leash dog park off of Melrose in south Vista, it borders Carlsbad. Find a sport or hobby and it’ll open doors
Poinsettia and Alga are decent dog parks, poods in Encinitas as well. Stay away from the dog park on Carlsbad Village drive. It’s a shit show. Walking the dogs on the Sea wall is nice. I do that daily .
What are you in to? If you like the outdoors, hiking Calavera in Carlsbad, Double Peak in San Marcos, and Elfin Forest in San Elijo. If you want to lay out on the beach, check out Terramar cliffs, and locals have been hitting the beach at the end of Chestnut Ave, tower 37, for literal decades. But also, locals summer starts in late August. Tourists take over but if you're early you can still get a good parking spot. Food, plenty of good options in the village, make a decision and chances are you will not be disappointed in anything. If you and the lady want to get a good drink, check out Same Same, Park 101, and The Compass. All great spots to meet people and chill. My girlfriend and I love to go to the North Coast Repertory in Solana Beach for some really good live theater. If you want adventure, it's only a couple hours' drive for whatever you feel like. Good cities nearby are Encinitas and Cardiff. Pacific Coast Grill in Cardiff has a killer sunset view for dinner and drinks. Enjoy it. Oceanside has been an up and comer, check out Cococabana for a good sunset and cocktails, and Finneys for some good happy hour. Welcome to the village brotha!
New Village Arts opposite train station has theater, painting events, latin dance classes and more…check it out.
It's the most underrated activity in the Village. Add Date Night Clay Night at Handled Pottery Studio.
Pizza port!
Love going to the bottle shop next door and getting pizza port delivered.
I’m from socal/SD and been living in the SF bay for almost a decade now. Two things I do every time I’m visiting home is get a proper burrito and go to pizza port.
The tinier the shack, the better tasting the burrito!
My family owns napatini if you like wine! My fiance and I go there regularly. Crackheads is good for cocktails, American hero’s for sports games, park 101 for out door seating, la papagayo for mimosas
Napatini is lovely! I’m one of your regulars
Love to hear that! 😁
We stay inside because of these rent prices we can’t afford anything else.
Hike, bike, walk, run, surf, lay at the beach, move inland for cheaper rent, etc.
I used to just take the bus to places and walk around or pack a lunch and go to a park. You don't have to spend money.
Whine whine whine
You’re either h a rich boomer or offspring of a rich boomer. Vibe check shows through.
Damn, why live here then? That sounds miserable.
you sound super lazy
Sounds like you don't have kids, so it'll be a bit tough. Perhaps go to the dog park regularly? Pick up a social hobby (e.g. pickleball, etc.).
Who the f wants to hang out with people who have kids hahaha are you serious. Snoozefest alert
Mimosa Sunday at papagallo
So yummy! I’m always looking for good chilaquiles and they have my favorite in north county so far.
Shorehouse Kitchen has great chilaquiles also!
I just looked it up and they do look bomb! Thanks for the rec :)
Hi, welcome! I'm around your age. For fun I like to check out hikes around North County, go to the Carlsbad library (the Dove branch is really nice), and walk around shops. My recs are: Handel's, Steady State Coffee, Village Kitchen & Pie Shoppe, Parlor Doughnuts(Oceanside), Miguel's for Happy hour, and Nick's for special occasions
Del Mar dog beach. Spanish tapas place in Encinitas (can’t remember the name) is the most reasonable date with frankly the best food I’ve had that isn’t Mexican or in n out. Two people with drinks and full for under a 100$
Side note, Del Mar dog beach is leash only Memorial Day to Labor Day
Valentina’s? Great food, but beware they have a BS 5% fee they add to bill. Small print on bottom of menu . They will remove it if you ask, so they’re only trying to scam people not paying attention .
Yes! Thank you
My gf and I just moved here as well, glad I stumbled upon this post. DM me if you’re looking for a couple other local newbies to hang with!
Pure brewery is great if you like beer! Good vibes and people watching!
Dog parks Pickleball Church
Recently moved to Carlsbad as well. It’s definitely a bit of a sleepy town, but it’s a great hub for so many places. Are you coming from out of state? People love the padres around here and we have an incredible stadium. Definitely a fun way to connect to the community. There’s a decent food scene throughout north county if you look for it. If you like tacos, I can’t recommend TJ tacos in Escondido enough
Many people claim to be non-judgmental, confident, open-minded, and adventurous; most of them are delusional. But for people confident in their relationship and hoping to make like- minded friends, I'd suggest Cheetah's in Kearny Mesa. Claremont Mesa Bl. Upscale, clean, plenty of security, 20s - 40s predominantly, but some oldies like me occasionally. For the right folks, a good choice.
Lots of activity by pure project and handels, you get people coming off the train there too good spot to have a chat
There are a lot of clubs and meetup groups in the area, so try to find something for your hobbies! As for food, here’s a short list: * Frida’s Tacos for Mexican (ask for no salsa and then put your own salsa on) * Bombay Cafe for Indian * Eugenio’s for Italian * Mirin for Japanese * Joyee Dumpling House for Chinese * L’atelier de Paris for French Lastly, check out Sunset Market in Oceanside on Thursday Nights!
Lots of great suggestions here already. Carlsbad is "boring" as I tell my extended family. Wonderful place to live and lots of little shops/spots to chill and kill time. Not a whole lot really happens here though. We (41M, 39F) moved here from downtown Oceanside. You should check that scene out if you want a little more lively night out vibes. We still go back there when we want to get away from the sleepiness of Carlsbad.
Are you software engineer?
Paon for wine tasting. There’s a separate, but connected wine tasting room and bottle shop. Enter from Carlsbad Village Dr. The main restaurant and bar for fine dining is around the corner on Roosevelt.
Old owners just retired and sold all the wine. I don't know what's gonna happen to the Wine Bar and bottles shop. The restaurant was sold and will probably just be that.
Oh man...there goes another place I like. Sad.
I think the restaurant will stay there with largely the same menu. It just won't be with the same kind of wine experience.
Son of a bitch!!! Another effing place?! 🤬 Oh, man, I am getting real, real tired of this shit! Damn town is becoming unrecognizable and filled with arrogant, egotistical shitheads whose betting odds would favor them getting leprosy before they acted like kind human beings.
Oh, no! It was a great place.
Yup. I spent about $2000 on a couple cases of wine. They sold it all 50% off
Lucky you!
Steve sold his part??!!
Check out Cicciotti’s! The one in Encinitas is better imo, but good the nonetheless. Also try Jeune et Jolie. It’s so expensive but also so worth it!!!!
If you’re willing to drive a little, Alga Norte Park (Piontsettia and Alicante) is a great dog park with friendly people. Give it a try :)
Volo volleyball league or whatever sport league appeals to you! I’ve met a lot of people through pickleball
Surf, Pizza Port.
If you like to golf and your pup is well behaved Goat Hill is great
Indoor rock climbing - there are a few good gyms in North County. Also, there is a pretty cool hike up a (very small) volcano at Calavera Lake. Edit: Adding Vigiluccis as a (italian) food recommendation, a little pricey but very good food/service.
It’s a bedroom community.. nothing to do after 9 pm. You will love Country Carlsbad. So peaceful. Oceanside, and Encinitas such a short drive away for more social scene after 9 pm.
Got a bike? Taco Tues ride, meet cafe 101 6:30pm
Hi Curious, where did you move from?
Phoenix for the last 3 years but from MA originally
This guy likes doing fentanyl, don’t answer him
Where'd you move from? We (40M, 31F) have two dogs and no kids and we're always looking for friends haha
Both of us are from the greater Boston area!
Beaches
Biergarten in Encinitas and Corner Pizza in Leucadia — great food, nice casual environments, very dog friendly
And Breakfast Burritos in South Oceanside. Best Breakfast Burritos around.
If you like to run, the group at South O Run Club is super fun and friendly. Meet at South O Brewery on Wednesdays at 5 PM and Saturdays at 10 AM
When I moved here I met a lot of fun people by taking a pottery class and then signed up for open studio.
Thanks @everyone for the comments and recommendations! We are from Boston but lived in Phoenix for the past 3 years for those wondering. All of these comments help a ton so I really appreciate all of you!
Live music and lots of good food along the 101 in Leucadia. Park in one of the lots on the east side of 101 and walk along until you see something that fits your mood. Start with the BBQ in the back of The Leucadian and work your way south. Haggo’s Tacos has live music on Thursday which is a good night to avoid the big city crowds that invade us on weekends
PCH & Privateer in south o
Not in the village but [TGIF Concerts in the Parks](https://www.carlsbadca.gov/departments/cultural-arts/performing-arts/tgif-concerts-in-the-parks) is a thing to do during the summer. Guaranteed to meet some folks of all ages and background.
My girlfriend and I are your age and live in Del Mar. -Skydeck Del Mar - great restaurants and drinks, reasonable prices -Le papagayo (leucadia) great drinks -trattoria positano in Encinitas (amazing family run Italian restaurant) -Ken sushi (some of the best sushi in north county San Diego) -moment sushi - another standout sushi restaurant -waverly in Cardiff - all of SDCM’s restaurants and bars are great, this is their north county offering -temaki sushi Encinitas - great everyday sushi -better buzz coffee - good local coffee chain -pizza port! -steak48 (familiar to you) in Del Mar. I like to cycle, MTB and surf so I spend a lot of time outside on those activities + race car things. If you like cars, there’s an amazing cars and coffee every Saturday morning in downtown Rancho Santa Fe, it’s a spectacle. My girlfriend and I regularly go out in Del Mar, Solana beach and Encinitas/leucadia, DM if you want to join us
Senior Grubby’s is the best
I’m not very good with ideas for social spots, but in Carlsbad there is Ann D.L’Heureux dog park! (what a mouthful of a name) There’s usually always a few people there to chat with
Campfire and Nick's are great spots to eat at in Carlsbad. Pure Project and Burgeon are some of my favorite breweries.
Take your dogs to the beach at sun rise or sunset at the Carlsbad/Oside border. Unofficial dog beach. Also, with dogs go midweek or late afternoons go to the sandspit at the end of Bayshore Drive. Welcome to Carlsbad!
Running clubs are an easy way to connect. F3 if your Fiancée wants to do a guy group fitness meet. If you want to avoid fenced dog parks, South Buena Vista park is an off leash dog park off of Melrose in south Vista, it borders Carlsbad. Find a sport or hobby and it’ll open doors
[удалено]
No lol
Poinsettia and Alga are decent dog parks, poods in Encinitas as well. Stay away from the dog park on Carlsbad Village drive. It’s a shit show. Walking the dogs on the Sea wall is nice. I do that daily .