The Craftsman Tavern

I ordered a meal for takeout last night buttermilk chicken $30, the portion was minimal to say the least, bland, no seasoning, mostly breading. There is cheaper & better in town. Not returning

Saturday night, my friends and I dined at this restaurant, and it was a delightful experience. Despite being a party of five, we were seated quickly, which was impressive given the bustling atmosphere.

The menu offers a wide array of tempting options. My friend and I opted to share four appetizers, which turned out to be a generous amount of food—something to keep in mind for future visits!

First up were the Brussels sprouts, which I highly recommend. They were perfectly crunchy, saucy, and boasted an excellent blend of flavors. The poke was next; while the fish was of high quality and tasted good, I would have loved if it included seaweed salad and wonton chips instead of the provided chips. The sweet potato tater tots were another highlight, accompanied by ranch and BBQ sauce. They were delightfully crunchy on the outside and came in a large portion, ideal for sharing. Lastly, the fondue cheese dip didn't quite meet my expectations for flavor, though the pretzel bread was enjoyable.

One of my friends ordered the burger with butternut squash soup, and she couldn't stop raving about it. Another friend chose the four-cheese ravioli and highly recommended it as well.

The service was exceptional; our server was both kind and efficient, handling the busy evening with ease. The restaurant was packed, with not a single empty seat in sight.

As for drinks, I tried the blackberry cider beer, which I found quite nice.

Overall, I highly recommend this restaurant. The delicious food and inviting ambiance ensure I'll be returning!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Deep Fried Brussels Sprouts, Butternut Squash Soup

Atmosphere was kind of cool. We were looking for a new place to enjoy. Got seated right away which was good. Waited for about 20 minutes before anybody checked on us. Finally someone took our order then came back 15 minutes later and retook the order cause he lost it. I asked for our appetizer first and then our main and of course they both came out at the same time...... hello. Tried to ask for plates but had to get up and get our own. The manager told our waiter and the waiter then came to apologize. Upon starting to drink my beer I felt something on my lip was yesterday's cheese. I showed the manager and the he replaced it. So the moral of the story is that I'm not one to look for hand outs but usually with something like this you would at least get the offer to discount the bill or hey sorry about your dirty glass I'll drop the appetizer. Nope just got the whole bill. Oh well needless to say we won't be returning.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 2

Service: 2

Pretty basic food. Probably won’t go back again. They also didn’t have a “high” chair for the high tables…. asked for a booster seat instead. The booster seat didn’t have a buckle to secure it to the chair. Not very kid friendly. Overall the food was mediocre and experience was okay.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 1

Service: 3

This place is cozy and friendly. Friendly staff for sure. The food was top notch and had interesting flavors. Clean and quite atmosphere. Was served right away and fast delivery for the food. Prices are what is to be expected for the food they serve. Dogs allowed which I love. Would recommend.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Relatively good Happy Hour pricing.
Burger was ok.. nothing spectacular, but a decent price to include a beer during Happy Hour.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 5

Mediocre food at a premium price

We eat out at a lot of places in Encinitas, and we're excited to try this place based on the reviews.

The food was presented nicely but left a lot to be desired.

Fries were very crispy but could have used salt. Fish for the fish and chips was an unappetizing flavor and had a very soft mushy texture, but the batter was light and crispy. Prohibition burger was decent, but $4 dollars extra for fries made it too expensive for the quality of the burger and quantity of fries.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 3

Service: 4

Great place, Nice layout, good food.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Our local place to hang out and have a great dinner!

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 5

Great, fast service and wonderful friendly staff.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Deep Fried Brussels Sprouts

A delightful but basic bar and tavern. Fish and chips were quite good.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 3

Service: 4

Excellent ambiance. I love a good old All-American food spot that cares about the quality too. If I would have got there a little bit earlier, we could've not ordered brunch like noobs. Can't wait to go back and try the burgers and other things on the menu because what food we saw going out looked and smelled mouthwatering.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 4

Great food!

I never eat fish..but based on the Instagram post with a picture of their Mahi Mahi..it looked sooo good I had to try it.WOW!!! It looked just like the picture posted and was FANTASTIC!!! My new go to dish!!Love it!!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Puddin, Fish, Grandma's Deviled Eggs

Had a very nice waitress. Very friendly and nice. Had the meatloaf. Was very good.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5