Executive Chef Jason Ambacher presides over this modern Balinese restaurant and bar along Coast Highway. The setting may be casual, but Dija Mara serves bold and vivid dishes like beef rendang and herbaceous, tamarind glazed whole sea bass.

Vanessa and Fernando Gomez built on Escondido success by opening Four Tunas in the Mission San Luis Ray Historic Area. Notable Mexican seafood dishes include charbroiled pescado zarandeado and spicy aguachile rojo with shrimp, scallops, and octopus.

Chamorro cuisine, named for people from Mariana Islands like Guam, is a rare find Stateside. At this Pacific island-inspired restaurant, start with Chamorro fried chicken featuring skinless thighs marinated in soy, garlic, onion and vinegar. Plates come with achiote stained red rice and cucumber and tomato salad. Spoon on savory Finadene sauce that blends soy, vinegar, and scallions.

Tara Lazar and F10 Hospitality built on Palm Springs success in Oceanside with High/Low in the Mission Pacific Beach Resort and High Pie in the neighboring Top Gun House. Toes on the Nose, their breakfast plate, checks every box, from the supple waffles to the soft-scrambled eggs and house-made sausage patties. Their bacon flight is a welcome repeat from F10 desert mainstay Cheeky’s.

A stylish fox flanks the door at this charming ice cream parlor. Meghan Koll sources from local farms to fuel 20 multifaceted flavors that draw on global influences. She also makes cones and ice cream tacos (“yes, like the chocotaco”) in-house.

Oceanside Sunset Market debuted in 2007 and has grown to house 235 globally diverse vendors and draws approximately 450,000 visitors per year. The market spans 5 city blocks, runs on Thursdays from 5-9 p.m. and also features live music and bounce houses.

Chef Chris Carriker features seasonal California cuisine for three meals daily within The Seabird Ocean Resort & Spa. At breakfast, silky house-cured salmon and a brioche sandwich featuring rosemary ham, Gruyère, and soft-scrambled egg stood out.

Oceanside native Charlie Anderson partnered with Hector Reyna on this airy pizzeria in 2013. Chef Stephen Reyna (Hector’s son) attended Culinary Institute of America and worked at Delfina before joining his Dad. They named signature pizzas for local businesses like RAEN (sunglasses), Captain Fin, and Chemistry. The smoky Brixton Pie name checks an Oceanside apparel brand and co-stars tomato, Grana Padano, lemon zest ricotta and pepperoni. Adjacent Privateer Marketplace & Wine Bar opened in 2016.

Red Rooster is a dive bar north of the 5 freeway that dates to 1963 and sports a stylish rooster logo. Sara Black took over in 2005. During my visit, a single bartender/cook presided over the smoky grill. Their classic half-pound Rooster Burger featured good char, melted American cheese, grilled onions and Ortega chilies. Pair with French fries, onion rings or “frings.”

Rose Cafe chef-owner Katie Speck attended the Culinary Institute of America and embraces Cali casual at her floral, flavorful cafe and bakery in South Oceanside. Her all day, breakfast and lunch menus live up to her motto: where sophistication meets comfort.”

Chef Davin Waite and wife/partner Jessica Waite also run The Plot and Wrench & Rodent Seabasstropub in town. At Shoots Fish & Beer, which shares space with BottleCraft, chefs butcher whole fish in-house to make flavorful dishes like spicy fried sea bass collars and a “fishwich” featuring a fried albacore patty. During my visit, they sliced and served toro as sashimi with chile oil.

Chef Roberto Alcocer also brought Michelin recognition to sister restaurant Malva in Baja’s Valle de Guadalupe. Valle, his modern Mexican restaurant in the Mission Pacific Beach Resort, serves an 8-course tasting menu, which is available with Mexican wine pairs. They also offer a four-course El Sillón Bar menu and an a la carte bar menu with comfort foods like cheeseburgers and quesatacos.

Wrench & Rodent Seabasstropub has a kooky name, but the Waites (The Plot, Shoots Fish & Beer) take sourcing seriously and turn out ambitious food. A fun and funky setting includes a Johnny Cash surfboard, swordfish wearing a Christmas wreath, and Unicorn Xing sign. The nigiri/sashimi selection includes local options. Some of Waite’s most inspired preparations skip rice entirely.

California Surf Museum has been in its current space since 2009. The museum documents surf culture and houses surfboards including a Waikiki-style “Makai” board that surf icon Duke Kahanamoku made in 1923 and Bethany Hamilton’s shark-bitten board. The “Stars, Cars & Guitars” exhibit tracked surfing’s depiction in pop culture from 1958-1965, including Gidget, Jan & Dean “Surf City” and 1961 John Milius movie “Big Wednesday.” Science fans will appreciate their Coastal Data Information Program (CDIP) buoy, which measures waves and sea surface temperature. Don’t miss the 3-sided “Secret Spot” surf mural from local artist John Lamb.

At Mellano Farm Stand in South Morro Hills, my daughters panned for gems, played on farm-themed bounce houses and tasted different wildflower honeys. Mellano also has weekend tractor rides and live music, and in October, a corn maze and pumpkin patch.

We boarded a boat named Nala from Oceanside Harbor Village for a two-hour Pacific Ocean tour along the coast. We spotted playful common dolphin pods, a solitary sunfish, and a “raft” of sea lions. Saxon, one of the staffers, even saw a stingray. “Bait balls,” big schools of tiny fish, have been known to attract gray, minke, humpback and fin whales, but not that day.

The Seabird Ocean Resort was a family-friendly hotel with beach access, a great pool area overlooking the pier and movie nights. My daughters enjoyed making tie dye T-shirts. Seabird also hosts sand art and seashell painting as part of daily crafting classes.

Pacific Surfliner travels along the coast between San Luis Obispo and San Diego and stops in downtown Oceanside. This is a good option if you plan to stay local. Downtown has plenty of hotels, restaurants and bars. An Uber/Lyft can easily take you further.