VAGA Restaurant & Bar

"Perched high with an oceanfront view, Encinitas’s Alila Marea Beach Resort and its destination restaurant Vaga lend a romantic feel to any date night (certain dish names, like the “Venus clams,” enhance the feeling). Start with the confit-style duck carnitas, which come with black beans, salsas, and homemade tortillas, or the aguachile-like tuna crudo for a lighter touch. Main plates like the smoked short rib or half-chicken make for an easy sharing situation, grounded by sides like a crisp potato rosti pocked with caviar. Wash it all down with a pour from the smartly curated wine menu." - Helen I. Hwang, Eater Staff

"Vaga’s dining patio provides sweeping views of a quiet slice of Encinitas shoreline. Take a seat in the open-air lounge centered on a fire pit, or peek in the open kitchen. The coastal California menu features salt-baked beets and Kanaloa catch of the day." - Helen I. Hwang

"At Vaga, the cliffside Encinitas restaurant located inside Alila Marea Beach, founding chef Claudette Zepeda writes a love letter to her hometown, San Diego. Deeply personal dishes like birria clams, Baja caesar, hoja santa griddled cheese, and perfectly balanced crudos spotlight ingredients and traditions drawn from the surrounding landscape and her growing collection of culinary influences. It's the flagship restaurant of the relatively new Alila Marea Beach Resort, dramatically perched above the Pacific Ocean. The food plays with the culinary influences that converge in San Diego, sourcing pink plates and bowls from local potter Mike Totah of The Wheel Stoneware. The tasting menu features wines from BIPOC makers, including several Mexican wines. Zepeda's favorite dish includes sweet seared scallops paired with celery root purée, chili crisp, and a fresh and punchy 2020 Bruma Chardonnay Valle de San Vicente, Mexico." - Maria Yagoda

"Vaga is one of the few white tablecloth experiences in coastal Encinitas, located steps from the beach in the Alila Marea Resort. It’s got one of the best patios in the entire area with unobstructed views of the Pacific ocean, so try to time your dinner when the sun is going down. They use a lot of Mexican ingredients like epazote and hoja santa in dishes like a pork chop with rich mole, apple, and cauliflower, and all of it makes for one of the better meals you can have in the whole San Diego area. If you’re a larger group, grab a table in the dining room that has a huge fireplace to catch the action of the open kitchen, or hit up the outdoor bar and lounge area if you’re feeling more lively. photo credit: Deanna Sandoval" - Ligaya Malones

"The Alila Marea Resort made a splash when it opened this past spring, perched atop a cliff with sweeping views of the ocean, and Vaga is its signature restaurant. There’s no bad seat in the house at this restaurant, and the views and cocktails will have you wanting to return. (We recommend coming early before your dinner reservation to grab a drink and relax on the patio lounge.) The menu changes seasonally, but the grilled octopus and 26-ounce Tomahawk steak are mainstays, and diners have been talking about the wood-fired Baja seabass with charred cabbage." - Marie Tutko, Archana Ram