A Local’s Walking Tour to Oceanside’s Food Scene

From the beautiful beach, chef driven restaurants, cozy cafes, amazing seafood and a laid back causal attitude, Oceanside is a town packed to the gills with hidden gems that only a local would know about.

The interior dining room at allmine pizza in downtown Oceanside.

That’s where Carla and Linda Walking Tours comes in, for the last 10 years they have been hosting walking tours throughout Oceanside showing other locals, and tourists where the best spots are in town! These foodies know their stuff and they know the people that do it, lending them an interesting perspective that Is worth hearing about.

They offer two main tours, a North O’side and a South O’side, as well as a variety of other private tours, a Vista tour and coming soon a beer tour! The main tours consists of 5-7 spots ranging from coffee, drinks, breakfast and dinner. After being walked around and educated on the history and backstories, you are shown to your seat that has been reserved for your group. Carla and Linda have already ordered for you as well, so the food and drinks come swiftly! They pre plan with the restaurants to showcase their best dish or two so us participants can quickly enjoy their hard work before moving onto the next stop.

We started our tour off at the iconic Rye’s and Grind, a Jewish deli pumping out stellar bites like these loaded hashbrown tots with pastrami! Of course, Carla and Linda showed us around and even let us in on the secret in the bathroom, look for the hidden button!

After a quick walk down the road, Carla and Linda educate us on some of the little-known facts and history of Oceanside. Even taking us into a historic hotel The Fin to learn more about the storied past, which I always appreciate!

Next a walk to the heart of the new downtown of O’side where Escondido winery Orfilia has an adorable wine bar and restaurant. As we sat down, bottles of locally made San Diego County wine were quickly poured! Chef Luke here surprised me, I was expecting maybe some cheese and meats, but a local Sea Bass seared perfectly with a tasty veggie sauce was brought out. Not only was this incredibly delicious, but impressive!

Delicious Sea Bass paired with local Orfilla Wine

After a glass of wine, it’s just a quick walk to our next stop, The Rooftop Bar at the Mission Pacific Hotel where we are shown up to the top for a quick walk around and a group photo. We mentally took a note to return for a sunset cocktail!

Some of our group members! A great way to meet fellow foodies!

As we walked down, Carla and Linda gave us a quick history lesson on the redevelopment plan for Oceanside. We were surprised with how much they knew and the progress that Oceanside was making in the continuing improvement of their downtown district.

Next it’s just a quick walk to Toasted, a brunch spot from the team at locally founded Sammy’s Woodfire Pizza. Carla and Linda had a table prepared and pancakes were already coming out as we came in the door! Chef crafted some of their famous red velvet pancakes and perfectly cooked eggs benedict that any foodie would approve of!

For a dinner recommendation, Carla and Linda brought us to a spot I have never heard of! allmine is an adorable family owned spot that was created to be that cozy neighborhood joint serving up solid Italian comfort food with tasty local beverages. A gorgeous steak charcuterie board was brought out adorned with tasty pickled veggies, sauces and thick freshly made focaccia begging for a smothering of sauce!

As the tour winds to a close we are given a packet of coupons from local vendors, perfect for those who are here in town for vacation or just foodies like us who go out to eat way too much!

If you are a foodie, tourist, or just looking for a history lesson with some bites in between, Carla and Linda Foodie Tour is a must add to your Oceanside trip. They are foodies who are not only passionate about Oceanside, its history, its people, and its unique and eclectic food scene, but are also generally good people that you just want to have a drink and bite with.

For more information and to book a tour, head to Carla and Linda Foodie Tour here.