I’m looking for a casual spot for a wedding rehearsal dinner in January. The wedding is at Carmel Mountain Ranch Estates and the wedding party is staying at the Fairmont Grand in Del Mar. It seems like there’s not a lot that fits the bill near the venue so I was thinking something in Del Mar near the hotel or even between the two locales. I am flying blind and don’t know much about dining in SD, especially in Del Mar. Has anyone been or heard of these places in Del Mar or do you have a suggestion? Vegetarian-friendly is preferable.
Le Bambou (Vietnamese)
Pacific Social (“New American”)
North Italia
Tamarindo (Mexican)
Zel’s (seafood & a little of everything)
En Fuego (Mexican)
Cucina Enoteca (Italian)
Kiin Thai
Any help or tips would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Le Bambou (Vietnamese)
Not super vegetarian friendly, and I love vietnamese but I don’t love LB…
Pacific Social (“New American”)
Limjted vegetarian iirc.
North Italia
This is a chain. You’ll please all the constituents food-wise, but I doubt a chain feel is what you want for a rehearsal dinner (even a casual one and even at an upscale chain)
Tamarindo (Mexican)
Nice and a new entrant. Very busy and bustling - not sure how that translates to rehearsal dinner. Good food and accommodating for vegetarians.
Zel’s (seafood & a little of everything)
Limited vegetarian options.
En Fuego (Mexican)
Nope. Prefer Tamarindo.
Cucina Enoteca (Italian)
LOVE LOVE LOVE. They have an upstairs indoor/outdoor area you might be able to reserve. I’d go here - even though it’s a bit further than the other options.
Kiin Thai
Never made it, but in general Thai options around there are not that hot for vegetarian food.
I picked them from Yelp based on location and price point, but don’t know much else about them. Between the two SoCal boards I posted on you’re the only one who knows all of them! Lol. This helps a lot! It’s 23 adults and 2 kids.
Cucina has their group stuff on the website including the Spence options and numbers accommodated in different areas - plus menus, which made me hungry!
We love the pizza and pasta there, but the group meals have some strong crowd pleasers like the chicken and more.
One other thing to consider is views / ambience. Cucina upstairs especially is lovely, and even downstairs has a nice feel, but there are no views. Del Mar main stretch options will have ocean views.
On that main stretch - Tamarindo, Monarch (above Tamarindo, casual but with a big terrace), Beeside, Villagio, Il Fornaio (that’s also a chain, but the views counter that).
Villagio may be fancier / pricier than you want, and Beeside’s vegetarian options are largely apps/sides (but there are a lot, so they may be willing to be flexible about what can be repurposed as mains).
They had to postpone their wedding last May so everyone is pretty excited.
This is great info. So far, the initial contenders are Cucina Enoteca, Beeside & Tamarindo (if they can accommodate a big party) and Il Fornaio. I am a little worried about steps with a couple of the grandparents. Do you like Cucina’s lower level?
It’s starting to edge up the ladder. They have a few nice areas to choose. Also a lot of group dinner options. Price is doable.
I contacted Beeside first. There’s a big margin in price between the two available areas. $7500 F&B for the balcony or $2000 F&B for the side terrace, which isn’t completely covered and requires renting a tent for $500. in case of rain. Hmmm…
The folks at Tamarindo are very nice but don’t seem as experienced at group dinners. I’m waiting to see what quote they give. Plus I’m a little worried about space.
You can’t really go wrong with Cucina Enoteca - the restaurant group tends to have overall high quality places, e.g. Cucina Urbana (which was there original place closer to SD downtown in Hillcrest.)
I gotta trust the man who can find a good pecan pie for delivery in Boston after Thanksgiving!
Waiting for more info from Tamarindo. Hubs is understandably starting to act like Steve Martin in Father of the Bride. But It seems like we won’t have to compromise on anything (food, atmosphere, comfort) with Cucina Enoteca.
I rather like Enoteca. We’ve hit it up a few times while being in the area for soccer tournaments. It meets the needs of the most particular of eaters while also being good.
Once I hunted the F&B manager down she was super friendly, accommodating & professional. It wont be high-season, so they’re offering a whole section to ourselves with no F&B minimum, plus the perks like custom menus, etc.
