Tucked away in an unassuming strip mall off the 101 is one of San Diego’s culinary jewels. A refreshing take on coastal Mexican set in a tastefully brooding atmosphere.Multidimensional, refreshing and just plain delicious this is a worthy contender for any Friday or Saturday night.Simply put, come and eat. It wont disappoint.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Darcy Chopin
Delicious fine food. Everything was carefully prepared and very enjoyable.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Duck with Mole
Brandon Nolte
Cute little wine bar and delicious food. We had the hamachi sashimi and duck with mole and fig. Both were excellent! Would definitely come back.
Kim
Food for me and my husband was not up to the hype. And, me being vegetarian, there were few options. Wine by the glass was limited. Service was good when the wait staff came by which was not at key moments in the visit. I had to get up to approach the wait staff away from the table twice during my visit. The ambiance is intimate albeit only because it is such a dark room. Tables are close to one another. Chairs were not the kind that invited an extended stay.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Matt Chojnacki
I was shown this place by a local friend and i loved it. Fun service from the staff, unique wine bar experience with some tasty dishes. The burger and mussels a favourite!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Sue Kerzner
Really enjoyed the food and service. Nice atmosphere. It got a little noisy with other people. But overall a nice
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Flora Desponts
Everything we had was so tasty and the deserts are insane!! Especially the churros!
Adam Rosenberg
All around fabulous experience!I was staying in Encinitas on business and ate here both nights I was in town. I seldom double down on a restaurant like that when I'm traveling but it was too good that first night. The second night reaffirmed my choice.Both nights were slower than I would have expected but that didn't hamper the vibe a bit.I had the Bolognese the first night, and while a tad spicier than I would have liked (I'm a wimp when it comes to spice, so I know that's purely a personal preference) it was absolutely delicious. I had a skin-contact (orange) wine the first night, which I had no experience with prior, but the bartender (who turned out was the owner) was more than excited to talk me through it. The second night I had a chilled red and the Steak Au Poivre. I could eat that steak every night. It was basically perfect... I hope I can find an excuse to get back to Encinitas, so I can enjoy Echale again!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Tyson C.
Small spot in the Lumberyard shopping complex. Inside your packed in like sardines. During busy times it can get quite loud inside. Very little to no noise dampening. It's really hard to have a conversation with the person next to you. Service is good and friendly. Food and wine are excellent, but may have sticker shock at the end of the night. Portions are rather small, even the wine pours seem light at $18 a glass. Keep in mind this is wine from Valle de Guadalupe. The wine seems marked up more than most places. Might not want to go during busy nights. Great place for people not adventure enough to drive to Valle de Guadalupe.
KayAnna A.
We decided to try this restaurant on a busy Friday night because we could not get a reservation for a larger group anywhere. I will say we did not research the restaurant or look at the menu before coming here so finding out it was a wine bar, with tequila focused drinks, and a variation of American fused Mexican food was very interesting to say the least. It was nothing that we could have expected, but was delicious. Service was great and we were seated as soon as we arrived. We all started out with different wines, but I had the chilled red Barbera. I loved it but it definitely has a flavor that builds with every sip. I did try their dry and crisp rose aka FikyFiky rosa, but it was a little too dry for my liking. My fiancé and I each ordered the Wagyu green chile burger and we were both surprised and impressed with how good it was. Honestly the menu seemed a little too high priced and had a very limited selection so we were surprised to find the best priced item and for it be wagyu. After seeing what our friends ordered, our entree was definitely the biggest, which again made no real sense. The burger itself was fantastic. The dry aged ribeye wagyu was well worth it. The roasted garlic aioli and green chile combo made it even better. We would go back for this burger alone.
Delicious food!! We came in on a Friday night at 7:15 pm to a mostly empty restaurant but it took some time for someone to greet and seat us. They serve natural wines and we got a pinot noir and a red blend. For dinner, we started with the tuna tartare and the salad and for mains we had the steak au poivre and halibut amandine. The starters were light and refreshing but the mains were truly memorable. The steak was cooked perfectly and the peppercorn sauce was creamy without being heavy. The halibut was a true stand out; perfectly seasoned, and balanced with umami from the tomato and freshness from the frisée. We did have to flag our server down for water and wine so they could probably benefit from another server or food runner but when she was at our table, she was helpful and present. A wonderful dinner.
Ron Delegge
The flavors, plating and atmosphere are all first class. Staff is friendly and knowledgeable. This type of place isn’t invented by accident. Will anyone notice? I sure hope so. The bar for nourishing food with meaning and quality has been raised in Encinitas. And it’s about damn time.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cochinita Pibil, Tamale
Jim M.
Went to Eschale for the 1st time Thursday evening. Drawn in by the mostly positive reviews. The place was moderately busy, but seemed to be understaffed. Tables are tiny but well spaced. The menu is pretty sparse and unconventional. We ordered the mussels, quesadilla, and salad. Huge plates with small portions. The mussels were good but very peppery. The quesadilla was interesting but almost impossible to eat gracefully - too soggy to pick up, too difficult to cut up with the dull knife provided. The salad was again interesting - the best of the 3 dishes we tried - but composed of large pieces of lettuce and veggies that needed to be cut into manageable bites with (again) the dull butter knife by which point it turned into a soggy mess. Overall, our impression was that they are trying too hard to be trendy. The prices were out of line with the food. We left largely unsatisfied. The experience would have been acceptable at bistro prices, but they're charging for fine dining.
Chris Dodds
I’ve been here many times and can’t get enough. Best food in town hands down. My two favorites are the bolognese and the hatch chile burger—both are incredible! They have wines you won’t find anywhere else and a laid back yet upscale vibe that really feels good, oh yeah…and the desserts are to die for ???
I used to really enjoy this spot but my last dining experience here put a bad taste in my mouth and this restaurant definitely lost what used to be loyal customers. The owner lacked communication which resulted in us spending way more money than we had anticipated due to this lack of communication. I’m pretty disappointed in the inauthenticity of the whole experience. I will not ever be returning.
Tucked away in an unassuming strip mall off the 101 is one of San Diego’s culinary jewels. A refreshing take on coastal Mexican set in a tastefully brooding atmosphere.Multidimensional, refreshing and just plain delicious this is a worthy contender for any Friday or Saturday night.Simply put, come and eat. It wont disappoint.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Delicious fine food. Everything was carefully prepared and very enjoyable.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Duck with Mole
Cute little wine bar and delicious food. We had the hamachi sashimi and duck with mole and fig. Both were excellent! Would definitely come back.
Food for me and my husband was not up to the hype. And, me being vegetarian, there were few options. Wine by the glass was limited. Service was good when the wait staff came by which was not at key moments in the visit. I had to get up to approach the wait staff away from the table twice during my visit. The ambiance is intimate albeit only because it is such a dark room. Tables are close to one another. Chairs were not the kind that invited an extended stay.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
I was shown this place by a local friend and i loved it. Fun service from the staff, unique wine bar experience with some tasty dishes. The burger and mussels a favourite!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Really enjoyed the food and service. Nice atmosphere. It got a little noisy with other people. But overall a nice
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Everything we had was so tasty and the deserts are insane!! Especially the churros!
All around fabulous experience!I was staying in Encinitas on business and ate here both nights I was in town. I seldom double down on a restaurant like that when I'm traveling but it was too good that first night. The second night reaffirmed my choice.Both nights were slower than I would have expected but that didn't hamper the vibe a bit.I had the Bolognese the first night, and while a tad spicier than I would have liked (I'm a wimp when it comes to spice, so I know that's purely a personal preference) it was absolutely delicious. I had a skin-contact (orange) wine the first night, which I had no experience with prior, but the bartender (who turned out was the owner) was more than excited to talk me through it. The second night I had a chilled red and the Steak Au Poivre. I could eat that steak every night. It was basically perfect... I hope I can find an excuse to get back to Encinitas, so I can enjoy Echale again!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Small spot in the Lumberyard shopping complex. Inside your packed in like sardines. During busy times it can get quite loud inside. Very little to no noise dampening. It's really hard to have a conversation with the person next to you. Service is good and friendly. Food and wine are excellent, but may have sticker shock at the end of the night. Portions are rather small, even the wine pours seem light at $18 a glass. Keep in mind this is wine from Valle de Guadalupe. The wine seems marked up more than most places. Might not want to go during busy nights. Great place for people not adventure enough to drive to Valle de Guadalupe.
We decided to try this restaurant on a busy Friday night because we could not get a reservation for a larger group anywhere. I will say we did not research the restaurant or look at the menu before coming here so finding out it was a wine bar, with tequila focused drinks, and a variation of American fused Mexican food was very interesting to say the least. It was nothing that we could have expected, but was delicious. Service was great and we were seated as soon as we arrived. We all started out with different wines, but I had the chilled red Barbera. I loved it but it definitely has a flavor that builds with every sip. I did try their dry and crisp rose aka FikyFiky rosa, but it was a little too dry for my liking. My fiancé and I each ordered the Wagyu green chile burger and we were both surprised and impressed with how good it was. Honestly the menu seemed a little too high priced and had a very limited selection so we were surprised to find the best priced item and for it be wagyu. After seeing what our friends ordered, our entree was definitely the biggest, which again made no real sense. The burger itself was fantastic. The dry aged ribeye wagyu was well worth it. The roasted garlic aioli and green chile combo made it even better. We would go back for this burger alone.
Restaurantji Recommends
Delicious food!! We came in on a Friday night at 7:15 pm to a mostly empty restaurant but it took some time for someone to greet and seat us. They serve natural wines and we got a pinot noir and a red blend. For dinner, we started with the tuna tartare and the salad and for mains we had the steak au poivre and halibut amandine. The starters were light and refreshing but the mains were truly memorable. The steak was cooked perfectly and the peppercorn sauce was creamy without being heavy. The halibut was a true stand out; perfectly seasoned, and balanced with umami from the tomato and freshness from the frisée. We did have to flag our server down for water and wine so they could probably benefit from another server or food runner but when she was at our table, she was helpful and present. A wonderful dinner.
The flavors, plating and atmosphere are all first class. Staff is friendly and knowledgeable. This type of place isn’t invented by accident. Will anyone notice? I sure hope so. The bar for nourishing food with meaning and quality has been raised in Encinitas. And it’s about damn time.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cochinita Pibil, Tamale
Went to Eschale for the 1st time Thursday evening. Drawn in by the mostly positive reviews. The place was moderately busy, but seemed to be understaffed. Tables are tiny but well spaced. The menu is pretty sparse and unconventional. We ordered the mussels, quesadilla, and salad. Huge plates with small portions. The mussels were good but very peppery. The quesadilla was interesting but almost impossible to eat gracefully - too soggy to pick up, too difficult to cut up with the dull knife provided. The salad was again interesting - the best of the 3 dishes we tried - but composed of large pieces of lettuce and veggies that needed to be cut into manageable bites with (again) the dull butter knife by which point it turned into a soggy mess. Overall, our impression was that they are trying too hard to be trendy. The prices were out of line with the food. We left largely unsatisfied. The experience would have been acceptable at bistro prices, but they're charging for fine dining.
I’ve been here many times and can’t get enough. Best food in town hands down. My two favorites are the bolognese and the hatch chile burger—both are incredible! They have wines you won’t find anywhere else and a laid back yet upscale vibe that really feels good, oh yeah…and the desserts are to die for ???
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chicken Tinga, Local Cacao Ancho Olive Oil Cake, Strawberry Shortcake Churros, Hamachi Crudo
I used to really enjoy this spot but my last dining experience here put a bad taste in my mouth and this restaurant definitely lost what used to be loyal customers. The owner lacked communication which resulted in us spending way more money than we had anticipated due to this lack of communication. I’m pretty disappointed in the inauthenticity of the whole experience. I will not ever be returning.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 1