Pacific Coast Spirits Kitchen and Tasting Room — Restaurant in Oceanside

The last time we came here, we had such a good time. The food was great and the cocktails were better.

Since a friend was in town, we got a few people together to visit PCS again and although the drinks are still TOP NOTCH, the menu was overhauled and none of us were very impressed with the food in general.

With one exception: my wife did love the goat cheese salad. Instead of sprinkling goat cheese like other places might do, they plopped a huge slice of goat cheese right onto the place. It was massive, and looked like a large piece of cake. This salad is a little unconventional in that way but we liked it.

The Pretzel Nuggets were just okay. The bread itself was fine, though it could have used substantially more rock salt. The included cheese sauce or dip was really lackluster. It lacked in boldness and flavor and I can honestly say it might be the blandest dipping sauce for a pretzel I've ever had. They also topped off the pretzels with a hatch chili pimento cheese. It looked strange on the plate, as if it fell off some other dish in the kitchen and right onto the top of the pretzel bread.

The Umami Shrimp Salad Rolls were terribly disappointing. The bread overpowered any contents inside and I could not tell I was eating a shrimp salad. I don't recall getting any actual shrimp. I believe it's there, just didn't taste any. The rolls themselves were nice and if you replaced the shrimp salad with hot buttered lobster, I'd be blown away...

Two folks ordered the Brisket Philly and the verdict was a resounding "meh". I didn't try them or get a photo so I can only take their word.

The menu has interesting looking tacos and even wings, but you can only order them on one day: either Tuesday for tacos or Wednesday for wings. These should be available on the regular menu.

I hate dropping my score for PCS since I did love coming here the first time and I do think their cocktails are some of the best in Oceanside but the food program (which I believe is VERY important especially when serving alcohol) has taken a noticeable hit. Maybe this is just a seasonal thing and it'll get worked out soon...

I'll still absolutely bring friends to grab cocktails here as I love the vast drink menu but we'll have to eat somewhere else first.

Note: service was great, as was the first time. We can't underscore how nice it is to have a pleasant and...

A great, open-air distillery and restaurant with a vast selection of spirits and cocktails!

I loved this restaurant. We were promptly seated at a little 2-top in their main dining area, right next to a huge open window with a great view of the street.

We kicked things off with a round of cocktails: a Skeleton Kru for me and a Sand Dollar for my wife. All cocktails made here use spirits from the distillery, with the Skeleton Kru showcasing their PCS White Rye Whisky against notes of brown sugar and peach. It was fantastic.

We ordered the albacore tuna rolls to start, which in my head were sushi rolls, despite the menu clearly stating the we're little tuna sandwiches on Hokkaido milk buns. After tasting them, I was delighted anyway. To those sensitive to heat, the toasted garlic with chili pepper flakes on top packs a mild punch.

I cannot gush about the chicken and biscuits enough. Two juicy, dark, perfectly lightly battered chicken thighs sit filleted atop a fluffy, gently sweet biscuit. A hot honey cascades down the entire mountain, a golden river of rich deliciousness perfectly melding with the salty chicken and the buttery biscuit. My mouth waters thinking about it.

I had a Manhattan Blonde to finish the meal off, and throughly enjoyed their take on the beverage.

I have a propensity to try to find reasons to love a restaurant. This one made that job incredibly easy by not giving me anything that I didn't love. I can't...

I loved everything about this place, the music the vibe but of course you came here to read about the food. I ordered the duck burger it was delicious the bread was like biting into a fried cloud perfectly crisp on the outside still deliciously soft on the inside and durable enough to not fall apart while eating it. The fries were perfectly golden the ranch was zingy and delicious definitely no hidden valley here. My boyfriend ordered the brisket it was perfection the bbq sauce was the best part so flavorful we were both bummed that we couldn't take a bottle home with us. The coleslaw was crunchy fresh and delicious. We ordered the pork belly for the starter that would be the only room for improvement it was a little over cooked for our liking but even so still delicious I loved the mustard sauce on it. I dipped it into the bbq and it just made it even more delicious. I ordered the Baja margaritas and it was so refreshing I loved the cilantro that they added. My bf got the blonde ale it was hoppy and flavorful as well. The staff was super friendly our server was kind and attentive even though we sat outside in a far corner we were not forgotten at any time. We will...