The Best Places to Eat in Carlsbad, by the Record

The room is dressed in shades of rose and flooded with natural light, which sets the tone before you've looked at a single menu. This is a nouvelle French fine dining spot in Carlsbad, where the wide-open kitchen turns out a prix fixe that most regulars default to, though the bar suits a shorter visit. The cocktail program holds its own, and The New York Times flagged the desserts. It holds a Michelin star.

1. AAA Four Diamonds
2. Michelin Guide 1 Star
3. The New York Times Fraise · The 14 Best Restaurant Desserts We Ate Across the U.S.

The evening starts outside on a heated patio, then moves to a counter wrapped around the open kitchen, which is about as much warning as you get that Lilo is an event. This Michelin-starred tasting menu in Carlsbad runs through New American cooking built on Japanese kinmedai, California abalone, and wagyu, with a James Beard semifinalist behind the stoves. The New York Times put it on their restaurant list, and you can see why once the orgeat ice cream arrives.

1. Michelin Guide 1 Star
2. Wine Enthusiast Top 50 New Restaurants
3. The New York Times The Restaurant List

1. Forbes Travel Guide Forbes Recommended

A custom-built 12-foot wood-burning hearth anchors this fire-forward American restaurant, which lives inside a midcentury Quonset hut with teepee-on-the-patio energy and zero apologies for the glamping aesthetic. Smoke touches most things on the menu, from grilled octopus to slow-cooked brisket. The DIY s'mores arrive over a small pile of live coals, which is either the most on-brand thing imaginable or the most on-brand thing imaginable.

1. Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant

1. Sprudge The Sprudge Guide To Coffee In Encinitas, California

1. Sprudge The Sprudge Guide To Coffee In Encinitas, California