Went to Eschale for the 1st time Thursday evening. Drawn in by the mostly positive reviews. The place was moderately busy, but seemed to be understaffed. Tables are tiny but well spaced. The menu is pretty sparse and unconventional. We ordered the mussels, quesadilla, and salad. Huge plates with small portions. The mussels were good but very peppery. The quesadilla was interesting but almost impossible to eat gracefully - too soggy to pick up, too difficult to cut up with the dull knife provided. The salad was again interesting - the best of the 3 dishes we tried - but composed of large pieces of lettuce and veggies that needed to be cut into manageable bites with (again) the dull butter knife by which point it turned into a soggy mess. Overall, our impression was that they are trying too hard to be trendy. The prices were out of line with the food. We left largely unsatisfied. The experience would have been acceptable at bistro prices, but they're charging for fine dining. read more

Went here and was told Chef Tuma was one of the best in town. It all looked so good so I told them to have Chef Tuma decide and go dealer's choice to which he made me the steak fish as pictured below. Ended up being one of the best meals I have had in a while. Will definitely be back soon! read more

Echale - Wine Bars Near Me - Encinitas, California

Échale is a great addition to downtown Encintas. We sat at an outside table for 4. Our server made suggestions of popular dishes - we tried their take on street corn followed by main courses and fries. Between the 4 of us we tried the burger, hanger steak and tacos. Everything was easily foodie level. Ask for an extra napkin if you have the burger. It is crazy good - two of us had this. We shared both desserts even with JoJo's across the way. No regrets as the desserts are amazing. Oh, and the owner brought out some of our food. I was the only one at our table that had read the reviews. And they were surprised when I told them some of the stories posted. Maybe it was just a misunderstanding but he was nice, normal, whatever to us. We all considered this a foodie spot as everything we ate was exceptional. read more

Go find this place in the lumberyard where the French bakery used to be. It's indescribably good with a unique personality that is like haut cuisine meets bdsm. No pretense, no run-of-the-mill farm-to-table beach vibe - you won't find ipas or build your own poke bowls here. You will get flavorful fresh get-in-my-belly food that looks worthy of a magazine cover. Yes, a stream of random tourists float in asking for straws and wifi while your mind is being blown by the food, but you can enjoy the show and wash it down with a sur lie white and a smile. The server was incredibly gracious and the owner has badass gravitas. Come eat here. read more

Echale - Scallop ceviche is unreal - Wine Bars Near Me - Encinitas, California

The food was fresh and delicious. Unique flavors and great service. New favorite spot in Encinitas.

The food here is some of the best in N County. The burger is the best I've had and the steak is spectacular. The only drawbacks I have are that it is beer and wine only and the ambiance is just okay. Overall I love good food so will definitely be back! read more

Food - expensive but pretty delicious so chef did a great job Wine - big selection - also really good but expensive Service /staff - same issue as other reviews, the owner came across really off towards us. We couldnt figure it out as we spent over $250, didn't send anything back or complain, said please and thank you.....Unfortunately won't be back due to feeling very unwelcome. read more

Place was ok when it was at the wine shop in Solana Beach. It didn't look like they had a clue how to run an actual restaurant. Food was horrible wine selection garbage. Wait staff didn't have a grasp on the menu, drinks or hospitality. Owner didn't seem to care a bit. It's a case of them biting off more than they can chew. A friend said the same thing, but I went anyway. Won't be back. read more

I've heard great things about Echale and finally was able to go a few weeks ago with a larger party. We ordered a variety of apps and entrees and shared so I was able to try many things. My favorite appetizer is the mussels and and my favorite Entree was the steak but everything I had was amazing! I've now been there 2 more times including my birthday dinner with my family. The staff is very accommodating and friendly although seemed a bit understaffed the last time I was there. The dining area is quant but wished the chairs were a little more comfortable. Overall, I am so excited to have a new restaurant with delicious food. Encinitas needed to up the culinary game and this has hit the mark! read more

Came here for a dinner with a friend, and despite them having couple large birthday parties, they were able to seat us. The staff was very attentive. Food was delicious - especially the butternut squash dish. read more

I've been here twice...once right around their opening and the experience was great. Unique dishes, well presented and great atmosphere. The second time about a month after my first visit was underwhelming. Over salted dishes, dry fish and cramped quarters. It was a Friday night and they were already missing ingredients and/or wine from the menu. The outdoor chairs are unstable so I recommend you sit inside if you dine here. The restaurant has a lot of potential, so I hope they can overcome the new restaurant challenges. read more

Cool vibe that reminds me of meatpacking New York. The owner [John] was friendly and interesting, even letting us try a new wine not on the menu yet. The mussels were some of the best I've had... highly recommend. Perfectly tender in a delicate sauce that looked rich but was perfectly balanced!! Music on point... go check it out! read more

Food was great, no problem there. Compliments to the chefs! The star is for them. Otherwise, I would give a 0. Issue 1: Drinks. As a wine bar, you would think that they would have a better selection. And the cocktail and beer selection is laughable. The cocktails taste more like poorly flavored water. Issue 2: Owner, Jon. Wow, what an asshole. Mexican restaurants are usually so friendly and fun. Echale seems to be racist and cater to the older white folks. I won't get into specifics, but if you look at the Google reviews, you can see the 1 star reviews name him as the issue. Would not recommend going here if you're a POC. read more

Date night or girls night out super fine service with delicious food and wine bar vibe ambience

We arrived at Echale on a Sunday at 6 expecting the usual Mexican fare - enchiladas with lots of drippy cheese. After looking over the menu we almost left, still having a taste for tacos and burritos. But the ambiance was soothing. And our server, Kate, raved about the young chef from Oaxaca. As we sipped our wine, we took another look at the menu. We elected to stay, ordering the shredded pork wrapped in banana leaves, and the salmon. Both were astonishingly good. The presentation was beautiful and the flavors, magnificent. The strawberry churro with ice cream and chocolate was the perfect ending to a perfect meal. We left thinking, "finally! A restaurant meal that was worth the price." Both artistic and satisfying. read more

Such a great new spot in Encinitas! I highly recommend the open face quesadilla. I could have had 10 of them! Very cozy and the service was outstanding. read more

Food was wonderful snd interesting. Service was spot on and ambiance intimate yet casual.

Yes!! Good service. Food is pretty good and also the wine. I like it. A lot. Get a happy hour going

I would give it 10 stars if I could. This place isn't your traditional wine bar or Mexican food spot. This goes beyond what's imaginable. Very creative. With unique, hand picked, wine selections. Service (from Ash) was extraordinary. I enjoyed their Wagyu burger, oysters AND a very decadent Cacao ancho olive oil cake. Can't wait to come back!!! read more

Delicious food, amazing wine and a rad place. Get there early to get a seat! Would recommend 10/10

We started with the ceviche and ordered the bolognese and halibut for our entrees. Everything was delicious and service was wonderful! read more

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Had a great time here. Would love to see it on a weekend with more people. Food was delicious and the service was fantastic.

Service was terrific and the food was delicious! The wine list is innovative, which we really enjoyed. Highly recommend!

Perfect date spot, or simply a place to get a drink. Of all the wine bars in North County I felt like they really curated quality (highly rated) options with a purpose in multiple categories. I will be back. read more

I was so excited to try this place, and happy to report it did not let me or the rest of the family down. With the exception of the bolognese, I'd recommend everything. The bolognese was fine, it just didn't carry the same flavor that all the other dishes did. Favs included the sashimi, oaxacan mole, cochinita pibil and mussels. Service was very good and the wine tasty! read more

The best food my family and I ever had. Amazing ambiance and unique tasty food. This place was a 10/10. The staff and owner are amazing. This restaurant is a gem. read more

Echale - Tomahawk Steak - Wine Bars Near Me - Encinitas, California

**not an allergy friendly restaurant** Someone in our party had a dairy allergy and the chef refused to modify any of the dishes. How hard is it to not put cheese on a salad? Or throw a piece of fish in a pan with oil rather than butter? Just rude, arrogant, and not what you'd expect from a new restaurant in a small town trying to make a name for itself. People talk! On top of the awkwardness of our friend with the allergy literally having nothing to eat, the apps took 40 mins to come out even though the restaurant was half full (on a Saturday night..yikes not a good sign!). My fish arrived cold, like it had been sitting for 15 mins. The positives: the flour tortillas were delicious and the wine was great. The mussels were a standout. Overall the prices were just too high for the amount of food we got, and the attitude of the chef left a bad taste in our mouths. We won't be going back. read more

Raw chicken. Slow service things came at all different times. Waitress did her best, owner was hanging out did nothing to help. Super $$. Save your money go anywhere else in encinitas. read more

Had lunch with a group and two of the fried chicken sandwiches came out raw/undercooked. Rest of the food was mediocre. Service and ambiance were nice however little was done to remedy the raw chicken issue, had to ask that they be removed from our bill (after both were immediately sent back). I understand it's a new restaurant but serving raw poultry isn't acceptable. read more

Not sure where all the 5 star reviews come from. Service was okay, not great. Food was nothing special - the halibut was overcooked and very dry. Overpriced place with extremely small portions. Decore was nothing but dead flowers on the wall and hanging from the ceiling, with one rose stuck on the wall with blue painters tape. Chairs were hard wood and not comfortable at all! Bring your bleacher seat pad for comfort! $300 lighter in the wallet for a party of 5, paid for a totally UN-awesome dinner. read more

We were really excited about the opening of an "upscale " Mexican restaurant in Encinitas. The menu is very limited but considering they are new we went with an open mind. We ordered the tamal It was definitely not exciting with too little cochinita pibil (so little you could not identify the taste) but the biggest sin was that the masa was drastically under salted. Easy fix right? Oh no, when I requested salt I was told "we don't have salt". When the owner came back around to ask of our dinner I expressed the fact that I did not enjoy the tamal due to the lack of salt but thoroughly enjoyed the bolognese. He snapped back that he would let the chef know. We ordered a dessert that took almost 50 minutes to come. Rude and arrogant is not what I go out to dinner for read more

While the food was quite good, this review and my refusal to return is based solely on the owner. He's a complete jerk, and you can find other reviews that have called him the same or worse. We were very friendly, polite, complimentary and spent a lot of money, however the owner couldn't be bothered with being even borderline polite in return. I read an article where the owner said he "never set out to please a large group of people. We set out to please a very narrow group of people - ourselves." Pretty hard to have repeat customers when you have no desire to please them. I have no desire to return. read more

love this restaurant! the ambiance is amazing and the space feels really intimate. service was a 10/10 - our server provided some amazing recommendations and was able to give us a comprehensive description of everything on the menu including wine. wine selection is extensive, we shared a bottle of the chianti, which was delicious. highly recommend the yellowtail sashimi & the salmon. the flavors of everything we tried were delicious and the dishes were unique. will definitely be back!! read more

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Pretty good food, but horribly slow service. They have an interesting wine menu, but it requires some explanation and there are no servers or some to help you. Would not return. read more

been a couple times; good food and service in a "cali-rustic" atmosphere. small, eclectic wine list as well...

Great little spot with amazing food and wine options. We had several plates and all were awesome and the atmosphere was great too. Highly recommend read more

Amazing food, amazing wine and amazing service I can't say enough about how great this new wine bar/restaurant is. It's. A little hidden treasure in Encinitas. read more

The food was really good, but the prices are high. We paid $124, before tip, for 3 small glasses of wine, 2 appetizers, and the halibut entree. The piece of halibut was much smaller than what people have posted. We were definitely still hungry when we left as the portions are small. They had only 1 wait person for the entire inside. She was doing her best, but they really need 2 people. We won't be back. There are just too many other great places in the area for the price. read more

Wow! I took my daughter here this summer and we had a terrific dinner.My husband and I were gifted a generous gift certificate this month from houseguests and we were able to dine at Echale twice the last 2 weeks. What a treat! We had inarguably the best burger we have ever had - anywhere! Hands down. The fresh pappardelle and oxtail in the Bolognese are delicious - perfect blend of spices. Our two appetizers - the yellowtail sashimi and special hamachi collar this evening - and lobster special with lobster chowder - all provided such fresh new & interesting flavors. We are early diners so no problem getting a table as it gets busy while we are dining and we enjoyed dining at the bar this evening. Great service all three visits. We definitely will be back! read more

Amazingly unique Mexican restaurant with a great selection of natural wines. Best burger I've had in a very long time. Definitely the place to eat if you want something cool, different, and delicious read more