The Craftsman New American Tavern

One of the best veggie burgers I’ve ever had. Amazing butterscotch pudding. Can’t wait to go back.

A group of us had Sunday brunch here recently. The food was terrific. Delicious variations on Eggs Benedict, a wonderful pastrami hash, huge biscuits, and bottomless mimosas or Bloody Mary’s. The service was good, but one of our party did not get her meal with the rest of us – it was sent to another table by mistake. She asked them to comp a drink but no go. Another one of our party, who is recovering from surgery for a broken leg, tripped in the bathroom on a drain that was covered by a rug. Overall good food, decent service, but not great at responding to issues.

A solid four rating, been two times and the food is tasty! These are tvs with sports playing, casual atmosphere, friendly servers, and the food is tasty! good prices and I’ll be back for number three visit soon!

Not a great experience tonight. I have been here numerous times and although I’ve never found the food exemplary, it is usually acceptable, and I haven’t had issues with the service before. Not tonight. We sat at our table over 10 minutes before I finally asked the busboy to find our waiter/​waitress. When our food came, it was slid across the table at us. No one ever checked on how we were doing. The octopus (which is usually good) was cold when it arrived. The mushroom bruschetta was soggy and unappetizing. At the end of the meal we waited and waited and no one ever came by. I finally picked up my phone and called the restaurant and asked for our waiter to come to our table (which worked beautifully by the way).
Can’t say I will ever return.

Madeline B. you really made our dinner experience last night from great to extraordinary! Not only was the food very tasty but the service was fabulous.
If you have never tried the «Beer Cheese Fondue» with Pretzel bread, you have missed out! The Buttermilk chicken was juicy with garlic spinach (my request) and the Burgers as usual, incredible.

My second visit today for Mother’s Day and it did not disappoint again! Had the BLT Eggs Benedict and it was delicious! The popcorn was bomb! Luis was our server and he was fantastic — attentive and friendly. Will definitely return.

Cute place! Sat on the patio because the inside was very «fishy» smelling. Tried the popcorn. Delicious!

Craftsman tavern is a dependable bistro/​gastro pub/​wine bar. Every time I come in I have a great experience.
Décor: rustic and eclectic.
Staff: helpful and knowledgeable
Food: flavorful and unique
Drinks: stiff cocktails and great wine selection
I can recommend the salmon, burger with fried egg, spinach salad, and roasted Brussel sprouts. The poutin is excellent too. My fiancé loves the beef short rib.

The best meal in Carlsbad, hands down. Great food! Dinner options a plenty and their Sunday brunch is delicious.
Sunday brunch: Love the mushroom burger & egg and fried chicken biscuit and gravy Sando. With $ 9 bottomless bloodys and mimosa. MMM!
Dinner: SO many options and they are all delish! We always pop a bottle of Olenik Vineyards Pinot, try it it won’t disappoint!
Finally, ask for Amy to be your server. She is one of the best we have had anywhere, a good kind person who is good at her job and truly enjoys it.
Cheers!

We are so happy to have Craftsman as our neighborhood gastropub/​hangout. We go there often and are always impressed with their service, food and beer/​wine selection.
There prime ribs special is to die for.

Great food, great wine selection (excellent pricing on some of our favorites) I am on the LCHF lifestyle — My Prohibition Burger with no bun & Brussels Sprouts were delish and fit perfectly with the way I like to eat.

My girlfriend suggested this place for Sunday Brunch so she made a reservation at 10 am and we were here, happy and ready to eat. There were so many good things on the menu, I didn’t know what to order, whether to get breakfast or lunch, or brunch, so I went with my urge to get poutine.
Food:
–Husband got the breakfast sandwich
–Melissa got the eggs benedict
–I got the poutine
–Kids shared the french toast
–We all shared the black seed truffle popcorn (delicious! and yes, I’m a cool mom to let my kids eat popcorn at 10 am)
It’s a pretty cool place and I can see myself hanging out here for happy hour. The popcorn arrived and we devoured it in seconds, my kids couldn’t get enough. Then our food came and we all got quiet because we were so busy stuffing our faces. My husband kept talking about coming back to try the deep fried brussel sprouts, I’m not a sprouts fan so to each their own.
Service was great, but then again there weren’t many people there early in the morning. Nonetheless, I plan to come back for happy hour, just for the popcorn alone!

This place rules. The menu has so many good options, it’s hard to choose!
I had the Prohibition burger and it was top notch. The burger itself was done just right, it came with thick cut bacon, a pile of jalapenos, and avocado. The cocktails are well made and the place itself has a great vibe. What more can you ask for?

Actually I really liked it. Kind of small with a good atmosphere. Food and wine goo too.

Happy happy-​hour! Great smoked chicken rolls and smoked pepperoni, so delicious!
We come here at least once a week :)

Bad service right from the get go. My boyfriend and I came here for a friend’s going away party. When our friend’s table was already full, one waiter told us we could sit at the communal table across the way. After sitting here for a few minutes, a waitress told us we couldn’t sit here because it’s reserved.
Then a different waiter told us to sit at a random table that was free. After sitting down, the hostess kicked us out of the table because they have reservations and a wait list. She then told us to go back to the communal table (where the one waitress told us it was reserved). After telling the hostess the situation, she didn’t event apologize, take responsibility or say she’ll try to handle the situation.
Overall, bad communication and not good service, and we haven’t even ordered our food yet!

Excellent Gastropub!
Came here with The Hubzz, a friend, and our puppies. Though we would have loved to sit in their hip little dining room, but the patio suited us just fine. Start with the Heirloom Black Seed Popcorn with Black Truffle Salt and Parmigiano Reggiano. Wholly Crap… these are addictive!!! So in love!
Next up, the deep fried Brussels sprouts with bacon, capers, and apple cider vinaigrette. I might have not shared with the group. Don’t judge!
Crispy Kalua Pork Belly with Purple Sweet Potatoes and Sweet Soy Glaze… um… duh!
Clams with chorizo… to die! Pair all these with the great beers, wines, and cocktails they serve and you are good to go! Enjoy!
TIP: They are super pet friendly on their patio, so feel free to bring the poochies.

My wife, kids and I stopped in here for an early dinner. We wanted a restaurant in this area and hadn’t yet been to the Craftsman. The food looked great from the Unilocal reviews.
Prices listed are HAPPY HOUR (2:30−6:30pm) prices.
What we ordered:
* Pulled Pork Sliders ($ 6)
Average. These were good but not like uh-​mazing.
* Deep Fried Brussels Sprouts ($ 8)
UH-​MAZEBALLS. Bacon, capers with bits of crispiness everywhere. So good!
* Tequila Marinated Prawns ($ 10)
I thought these were great. I wanted to drink the chipotle-​butter and corn cake sauce. Comes with toasty bread.
* Crispy Kalua Pork Belly ($ 6)
The best six bucks you’ll spend in this restaurant. Just awesome.
* Two Kids Mini Burgers ($ 14)
Very plain. No lettuce or tomatoe. Just meat and mini-​buns. Still, our kids loved them so who cares what I think…
* Lost & Found Lost Abbey Ale ($ 5)
Great, darker-​colored beer. Not too strong and a deal at five bucks.
* Julian Cider ($ 5)
A solid cider on any restaurant’s menu.
Though this is a «tavern», there were LOTS of kids and babies around. It’s very kid-​friendly which we liked a lot. It seemed like half of the restaurant were filled with adults and the other half, with families.
Our server, Cassidy, was gracious and attentive even though she almost sliced her finger off cutting something in the back (her finger? lol). Bill came to $ 64.80 and we had leftovers and full stomachs.
We most definitely will come back! Save us a seat.

Bottom Line: Good food and cute décor with great happy hour specials but at peak times this restaurants is loud and cramped.
I like the Craftsman but it is by no means as awesome as its sister restaurant, Blue Ribbon Pizza. Here is what I really like about the Craftsman:
— Great happy hour specials
— Lots of options on the menu; good food but nothing mind-​blowing
— Friendly hostesses, bartenders and servers
— Good craft beers on draft; fun cocktails
— Cute décor
— Easy to get to with plenty of parking
I like The Craftsman for happy hour or a meal at non-​peak times but on a Friday or Saturday night, it just feels too chaotic. The tables are too close together so you overhear conversations easily and know yours is overhead too. In fact, during one of my visits here, the people next to us chimed into our conversation. I think it almost felt nature for them to do that because our tables were about six inches away.

The Craftsman is pretty freaking delicious and is brought to you by the creators of Blue Ribbon Pizza, also in Encinitas. This joint is very nicely decorated and has a pretty good location. The food here is actually very good, my go to is their burger and fries, very tasty and cooked to perfection nearly every time. Pair the burger with an ice cold beer and finish the meal off with their famous butterscotch pudding and you have yourself a happy tummy.
Pros–
Menu
Location
Taste
Butterscotch Pudding
Service
Friendliness
Ambiance
Décor
Cons–
Menu changes
Kind of an odd entry, host sometimes isn’t present
Crowded