Encinitas is getting a fresh pour of beer and Baja-style tacos right under its most famous landmark. Craft Coast Beer & Tacos, the Oceanside-born brewery and taco stand, is lining up a third North County location in downtown Encinitas this summer. The new outpost is headed for the long-vacant former Filiberto’s space beneath the city’s iconic Encinitas arch and is planned as a mix of indoor seating and a large outdoor patio. If the timing holds, it will join Craft Coast’s existing Oceanside and San Marcos locations and bring its beer-and-taco formula to a busy stretch of Coast Highway 101.
What It Will Pour and Serve
According to San Diego Magazine, the Encinitas location will span roughly 3,000 square feet of indoor-outdoor space and is slated to open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, with the potential for late-night weekend hours. The tap list is expected to feature about a dozen taps, including Craft Coast’s five core beers. On the food side, the menu will stick with the brand’s Baja-style lineup of tacos, mulitas and bowls, along with a built-in salsa bar designed by Ralitsa Kombakis.
City Sign-Off and Site Changes
The Encinitas Planning Commission has signed off on a plan that removes the old drive-thru and adds a roughly 1,490-square-foot patio, plus exterior upgrades and minor site tweaks, The Coast News reports. The project is pursuing a Type 23 license, and commissioners placed conditions on hours and outdoor service. Documents discussed at the hearing outlined operations from roughly 11 a.m. to midnight, with outdoor alcohol service ending at 10 PM. “We’re super excited about the opportunity to bring our business to Encinitas,” co-founder Blake Masoner told Coast News during the meeting.
A North County Growth Story
Craft Coast launched in Oceanside in August 2020 and later expanded into a repurposed Rip Current Brewing production space in San Marcos, which now serves as the company’s brewing headquarters, according to San Diego Beer News. The San Marcos facility added a canning line and extra room for increased production and to-go packaging, moves the founders have described as necessary to support additional locations such as the planned Encinitas spot.
Industry Backdrop
The Brewers Association’s 2025 industry review estimates that U.S. craft beer volume was down about 5 percent while craft beer’s economic impact held near $72.5 billion. The trade group says that combination is pushing many small brewers toward hospitality-first models. In that climate, breweries that can pair solid food with their beer, like Craft Coast with its tacos-plus-taps setup, are positioned with a strategic edge as the market settles into a new normal.
What Comes Next
Craft Coast is targeting a summer opening for the Encinitas outpost and plans to mirror its existing lineup of Baja-style tacos, mulitas and rotating beers. For updates and a confirmed soft-open date, check Craft Coast’s website. Locals can expect a casual indoor-outdoor hangout integrated into the busy downtown strip near Modern Times and Gelato 101.
