A Day in Encinitas
I recently went on a trip to the San Diego area for a few days to soak up some sun and have a relaxing little getaway. One of the days of my trip was spent all in Encinitas and that day was one of my favorites of my entire trip - and honestly one of my favorite vacation days ever since it included so many of my favorite things all day long. This day was filled with three of my favorite things - brunch, the beach, and beers.
BRUNCH
To kick off the day, we went out for brunch at Le Papagayo. The place was busy on a random Thursday morning with locals and tourists alike and had a great atmosphere. It was a little chilly that morning so we opted to eat inside but sat right by the open windows so we could enjoy watching people pass by on Highway 101. Everything on the menu looked delicious and it was such a hard decision to choose what to have for brunch. I eventually decided on the chorizo tacos and they were absolutely amazing. There was even a large group that got seated right after I got my food and asked about what I got and some of them decided that they had to try it for themselves.It's said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day but brunch beats breakfast by a mile.
BEACH
One of my requirements for this trip was to have a beach day and today was that day. It took me so long to recall the last time I had a true beach day where I was in a place that I could actually get in the water and swim the day away. We ended up doing just that at Moonlight State Beach. Throughout the day the clouds would roll in and out so it wasn't the perfect beach weather that you would think of but any day spent at the beach is a great day - no matter the weather. There was a rotation of sitting and reading and hopping in the water with a boggie board and catching the waves all day. The beach was busy all day but never too crowded and I wish I could have stayed here longer.
BEERS
After a long day at the beach it was time for dinner and we happened upon the Modern Times taproom in downtown Encinitas and decided to cap off the day there. They have over 30 different beers on tap with a mix of mainstays and special releases and a small menu of food that is all vegan. I tried a couple of special hazy IPA releases, but was tempted to try one of their tasting flights because of the clever names they have for them (you can chose between getting an "OG Edition" or "#NewMoney" flight). For dinner, I ordered a beyond brat which was the first time that I had tried any "beyond" meat and I have to say the flavor of it was spot on and it was pretty delicious. The only thing that the beyond brat didn't get from a traditional brat is the type of snap that you get when you bite into it but overall it tasted pretty much the same.This taproom is huge and was very busy on a Thursday night. We got the last couple of chairs on along the side of the bar and like with our brunch spot, this is a place where locals and tourists collide. A local that was sitting next to us at the bar overheard where we went to brunch and he supported our decision because that was one of his favorite places to go and grab breakfast. The taproom also has some really cool decor with cross-stitch done into vintage tennis rackets, extravagant wallpaper, succulents hanging from the ceiling, and vintage postcards covering the walls of the bathrooms. The atmosphere, decor, and delicious food and drinks really come together here to give you a great appreciation and understanding of the Modern Times experience.
All in all, this has been one of my favorite single vacation days. I got to spend a relaxing day in a beautiful town doing a few of my favorite things and enjoyed some great food and drinks. If you visit Encinitas I could not recommend checking out any or all of these places even more if you're like me and love brunch, beaches, and beers.