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VAGA Restaurant & Bar, Encinitas, CA

VAGA Restaurant & Bar

4.5
4.5
226 Reviews
$31 to $50
American

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 p.m.
Booked 55 times today
Experiences are available.
  • Good for special occasions
  • Great for scenic views
  • Romantic
For a true “vaga”, the journey is never-ending; the spirit and palate, always curious. Drawing ingredients and inspiration from near and far, VAGA explores San Diego’s ever-changing confluence of culture and wanderlust. From its perch on a coastal bluff in Encinitas, California, VAGA keeps one hand in the ocean, one hand in the farm, and both eyes on the horizon.

VAGA Restaurant & Bar is located on Level 2 of Alila Marea Beach Resort. Valet parking is available through the resort for $5.00 per car before 5 pm with validation only. After 5 pm, valet parking is $10.00 per car with no validation required. Self-parking is not available.

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    American, Seafood, Steak
  • Hours of Operation
    Brunch Daily 7:00 am–2:00 pm Bar Daily 11:00 am–11:00 pm Dinner Mon–Thu, Sun 5:00 pm–9:00 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–10:00 pm
  • Phone number
    (760) 452-3484
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Cash not accepted, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Executive Chef
    Chef Ananda Bareno
  • Private party facilities
    VAGA Restaurant provides exceptional private dining experiences and breathtaking ocean-view venues for your upcoming event or celebration, accommodating up to 40 guests. For further details, please reach out to the restaurant directly or email alilamarea@alilahotels.com.
  • Neighbourhood
    Encinitas
  • Cross Street
    La Costa and Highway 101
  • Parking details
    Valet
  • Public transit
    Valet Parking: VAGA offers valet parking through Alila Marea Beach Resort. Valet parking before 5 pm is $5.00 per car with validation only. After 5 pm, valet parking is $10.00 per car with no validation required. Self-parking is not available.
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Outdoor Firepit, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Vegan, View, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Experiences

  • New Year's Eve Dinner

    US$168.95 per person

    Dec 31, 2024 only
    Ring in the New Year with an exquisite three-course dinner. Our seasonally curated menu is a celebration of flavors, thoughtfully crafted to offer an unforgettable dining experience. As we savor each course, let's raise a glass to new beginnings, surrounded by the warmth of friends and family. Here's to togetherness, cherished memories, and the promise of a bright year ahead.
    New Year's Eve Dinner photo

What 226 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.5
4.5 based on recent ratings
  • 4.4Food
  • 4.5Service
  • 4.7Ambience
  • 4.1Value

NoiseModerate

Loved For

  • North San Diego

    Innovative

  • North San Diego

    Romantic

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
VAGA Restaurant & Bar offers an "amazing view" and "fantastic food," making it a top choice for special occasions. While service can be slow at times, the "friendly and attentive" staff often make up for it. Dishes like the trout and skirt steak are "over the top excellent," enhancing the overall dining experience.

226 Reviews
  1. Naomi

    San Diego

    6 reviews

    3.0

    6 reviews

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 5
    Food was excellent. We felt like we really didn’t have a server. The host mainly took care of us. The server stopped by to take our food order after 25-30 minutes of waiting. Our host was about to take our order and then the server realized or remembered. They forgot our appetizer and our poor host had to bring our food over after having to take our drink order to begin with. But the food was excellent. But once the bill came and we had to wait again for them to run the card we were just ready to get out of there.

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  2. Isabella

    San Diego

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    We got to the restaurant at 10:00am on the dot to check in for our 10:00 reservation. The hostess said it would be 5 minutes to be seated and about 20 minutes past when we went back up and mentioned we had still been waiting. They continued to seat other people who had come after us over and over. When we went back up and mentioned we had still been waiting the gentleman said it would still be a bit. Kind of confused as to the point of our reservation as the restaurant was not busy at all and we waited 30 minutes to finally be seated. Food and ambience was great, that was really the only redeeming part, probably won’t be back though considering the staff who checked us in and how long we had to wait when we had a reservation.

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  3. Angela

    Denver

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 4
    The food could have been good, but the menu needed some serious editing. The shishitos weren’t blistered, but maybe sautéed and soggy. The crudo was bizarre and pretty tasteless. The beet salad was ok, but had way too much fennel. Short ribs were good, but needed some polenta or mashed potatoes. The caramel “pudding” dessert was dry and needed ice cream or whipped cream.

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  4. Bradd

    Phoenix

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We really enjoyed dining at VAGA. Great food, great view, and great service.

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  5. Sheri

    VIP

    Greater Boston

    3 reviews

    3.0

    3 reviews

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 5
    Excited for Christmas Day brunch. We sat in the bar for 20 minutes waiting for our table on the patio. Hostess and bartender were friendly, mimosas were good, view was beautiful. Hostess came and got us, brought us to the table farthest on the end, with the best ocean view. Lovely! Server came and got our drinks and appetizer order. Said he was covering for another server because she was very busy. Um, okay? Five minutes later he brought my son's drink and tried to take my half-full mimosa from the bar away; I stopped him, kind of bewildered why he'd do that. Ten minutes later he brought out the basket of pastries and my son's espresso, and we figured he'd be back right away with my black coffee and to take our orders. Pastries and espresso were delicious but I sure would have enjoyed a coffee with my pastry. Half an hour later, we were hungry and I still wanted coffee, so we left. Went up to the entrance host and asked for our check. Wow. No one even came close enough to our table during that half hour for us to call out to. It's like they completely forget we were there. I guess they must have been extremely short-staffed because it was Christmas, but you'd think that a hotel of that caliber would not have too much trouble attracting wait staff? I guess you'd be wrong?

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  6. Lauren

    San Francisco

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Jessica took wonderful care of us and we enjoyed a fabulous Christmas Eve dinner. The entire staff is so professional and welcoming. We will be back soon!

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  7. Christine

    VIP

    San Francisco

    9 reviews

    3.0

    9 reviews

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 4
    We found the menu quite limiting and the food was not a quality expected at a restaurant of this caliber. The server was very nice, but we had to flag him down multiple times and service was slow. We saw our meals sitting under warming lights at the kitchen for several minutes, then called our server over to ask if that was our food. He looked surprised and offered to check … yes it was, and we’d watched it sit for quite a while. We went to the host stand to ask for a dessert menu. This is a restaurant we’ve been wanting to try and sadly we don’t think we’ll return.

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  8. Richard

    VIP

    San Francisco

    18 reviews

    5.0

    18 reviews

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Best breakfast, lunch, or dinner in Encinitas with a Jew of the ocean !

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  9. Will

    San Diego

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great service. Great food. Great drink. Great views.

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  10. said

    San Diego

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 3
    Overall good but nothing particularly great except for the view!

    Is this helpful?

FAQs

VAGA Restaurant & Bar is rated 4.5 stars by 226 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 p.m.
Booked 55 times today
Experiences are available.
Google Map for VAGA Restaurant & Bar

2100 N Coast Highway 101, Encinitas, CA 92024

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Cross Street
    La Costa and Highway 101
  • Neighbourhood
    Encinitas
  • Hours of Operation
    Brunch Daily 7:00 am–2:00 pm Bar Daily 11:00 am–11:00 pm Dinner Mon–Thu, Sun 5:00 pm–9:00 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–10:00 pm
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    American, Seafood, Steak
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Parking details
    Valet
  • Public transit
    Valet Parking: VAGA offers valet parking through Alila Marea Beach Resort. Valet parking before 5 pm is $5.00 per car with validation only. After 5 pm, valet parking is $10.00 per car with no validation required. Self-parking is not available.
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Cash not accepted, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive Chef
    Chef Ananda Bareno
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Outdoor Firepit, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Vegan, View, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine
  • Phone number
    (760) 452-3484
  • Private party facilities
    VAGA Restaurant provides exceptional private dining experiences and breathtaking ocean-view venues for your upcoming event or celebration, accommodating up to 40 guests. For further details, please reach out to the restaurant directly or email alilamarea@alilahotels.com.
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