3 Delicious Reasons to Check Out North County San Diego

North County San Diego isn’t terribly far but it sometimes takes a deliberate effort to explore! With a planned visit to stay in North County for a few days, I knew I needed to do some more investigating into the coastal foodie scene and I managed to find some real treasures!

What I love about North County is the growing awareness of health and wellness. More and more places are offering locally sourced and natural ingredients, gluten alternatives, and vegetarian and vegan options. Without intention to specifically seek out these factors, I was happy to partake in their availability.

I love places that are completely customizable like this new local franchise called Grabbagreen in Encinitas. Their space is bright (green), crisp, and inviting. From juices to smoothies and bowls of all kinds, there are no wrong choices here; and I’m always excited to see extras like Tumeric and Chia seeds.

My adventures here started with a delicious green juice (my personal favorite blend including parsley, kale, celery, cucumber, lemon, apple, ginger, and tumeric). Followed by the must-try Moroccan Mac’n’Cheese with quinoa pasta, chicken, and harissa. For those of you who haven’t tried quinoa pasta, you wouldn’t even know that it wasn’t the typical glutenous pasta! But the real fun came in building a bowl. I started with quinoa as my base and then added egg, edamame, avocado, yam, and spinach, followed by some delicious shrimp, chimichurri sauce, feta, and topped with chia seeds. It was soo filling and amazing that it took me the entire day to eat!

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Juices and salads are great, but so are nice, thick, juicy burgers that are stacked and loaded with locally sourced and natural ingredients. Say hello to Craftburger Company located in the heart of Carlsbad.

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I was soo eager to sink my teeth into the Cali Craft Burger but had my reservations about the “seasonal fruit” addition. After chatting with Alex, the owner, I found out that the fruit rotates often and right now they’re using a homemade spicy strawberry glaze made with Carlsbad strawberries (which was amazing!). All my burger needed was some cheesy fries and a local draft beer to encompass the perfect meal.

Ok, now I have a secret to share, I’m OBSESSED with sprouts! So when I saw some toast piled high with them from OH! Juice, I knew I had to get there stat. Check out my Garden Stack, Taste of Italy, and Hummus & Slaw toasts. These toast options are packed with flavor and fresh ingredients, and as a bonus, they’re vegan! These toasts also pair well with a Dark Detox Steamer which is as black as my soul! Just kidding, but it is detoxifying and tasty!

Now on to this beautiful rainbow you see, delicious cold-pressed juices. My favorites were Fiji Fusion, which has young Thai Coconut water and a stone fruit called Lucama in the blend, and Glow, which has Tangelo and Tumeric (my favorite anti-inflammatory).

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The coastal drive is always a pretty one, especially on clear and sunny days, so jump in the car, put the windows down, and pump up the jams. And now my question is, where are you headed first? Drop a comment and let me know your thoughts!

Happy eating!

xoxo