We have been anxiously waiting for the reopening. After being released from the hospital we stopped for dinner at tip top. The food is as great as it has always been as well as the service. It is such delight to know we can have our favorite meat market to go to. Thank you for reopening and God Bless You & Your Family, Marilyn & Tony Granich. read more

Went there on 4/19 and got 2 prime rib specials. It's to go only and they any au jus. Got 2 ribeye as well. The ribeye cost a were pricey but so good. Grilled them up at the hotel. read more

Tip Top Meats - Meat Shops Near Me - Carlsbad, California

Sadly, TipTop is a shadow of its former self. The meat counter has a much smaller selection and their frozen items are far less than they used to have. They tried to offer all the same services in a small space - restaurant, grocery, meat counter and really they should have just picked one thing and stuck with it. Now all fall woefully short. I was willing to drive 25 minutes to get there before, I'm not anymore. We also bought cooked ribs, which turned out to be raw inside and had to cook them for over an hour and we didn't feel too good after eating them. read more

I am writing this review for a specific situation I experienced on Monday, April 20, 2026. I was disappointed with the recent experience at Tip Top Meats. I live in Escondido and drove out to Tip Top Meats in Carlsbad to grab a few assorted deli meats. I know why so far for when there are deli's located in my area. Well, Tip Top has German deli meats and food items I cannot buy at any local deli store in my area. Plus, my mother (German) who is 87 does not get around much, enjoys the german food items. I arrived at Tip Top at 7:25 PM. I walked up to the counter; there were two ladies behind the counter talking to each other and a young man wiping down the butcher countertop. He asked how he could help. I said, I would like to get some deli meat. The two ladies behind the counter looked at me and walked through the door behind the counter, which I assumed leads to the kitchen. The young man said the deli clerk just walked to the back and he would go get her to help me. He returned and told me the deli just closed. I confirmed with him that the store was open until 8pm and it is only 7:30. He replied, "yes, but the deli closed early tonight and next time I should arrive before 7:00 PM". Wow, what?! I could understand if I arrived 7:50 or they were not taking meal orders or the deli had different operations hours. But none of the above applied in this scenario. They were still taking meal orders as there were 3 customers in the store. There were no signs posted in the store or online identifying the deli or butcher counter had different operations hours. Right or wrong I got the impression, the deli section was slow, they already cleaned the meat slicing machine and did not want to dirty it up and then have to clean it up again. First, way to go on the customer service level. Second, if business operation hours are posted, unless stated otherwise, the entire store should be open until closing. It will be a while before I go back, not the customer service level I remember. read more

I'm truly happy that Tip Top has reopened. Though it's smaller inside, there's still a abundance of European delicacies on the shelves, Tip Top's excellent selection of sausages, great steaks, and they've managed to keep a full-service kitchen with the familiar menu of German specialties and excellent sandwiches. On my last visit, I ordered a classic Ruben sandwich. It was huge! - more like a sandwich and half. Hot and flavorful, with melty cheese and a generous portion of delicious German potato salad on the side. There's no inside seating any more, but plenty of outdoor tables with umbrellas make for an enjoyable al fresco experience. read more

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Tip Top Meats Version 2.0 is an excellent example of transforming and growing into a great combination of a high quality of fresh meat products and home cooking meals reminiscent of traditional values and time honored recipes. When you think of Tip Top Meats, what comes to your mind? Quality and fresh meat? A delicatessen with a variety of offerings, including European cuisine? Friendly and helpful staff? Entrees cooked and seasoned to perfection? All of the above!!! The market has been reduced in size, but looks cleaner, more efficient and organized and with the familiar limited European products you may be familiar with. The staff is so friendly and the Menu boards have been upgraded to a digital display version. There's so much to see and admire. We were there to try the breakfast/brunch menu. Tried two items: -#4 French Toast, slices of brioche bread, tallow fried, and with a polish sausage 10/10: the sausage was incredible! Crisp skin and well seasoned meat. The French toast was also very good. -Bagel with Lox, toasted plain bagel and the salmon lox and veggies 10/10: the lox was delicious, not too salty and a very generous portion. Capers, sweet onions, tomato slices and cucumber were provided with an additional 2 quarter spears of pickles. I was able to make 2 open faced lox on bagels with a lot of extra lox to spare. Lots of seats and tables outside with umbrellas. The food is all to go. Looking forward to coming back for dinner. I'm so excited that they came back and reopened Tip Top Markets Version 2.0!!! The original restaurant and store is closed up with boxes that you can see through the window. I hope they bring back the sit down restaurant. Keep praying all!!! Big John always said: "By Our Quality, We Shall Be Known". read more

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- a staple of Carlsbad we had to check out, there's a line on the weekends but it moves fast and there's plenty to look at in the store so time moves quick! - the menu is massive and has so much variety we'll be back to try more - outdoor seating only! (1) Lamb shank: pretty tender and flavorful! Love that we get so many sides too and a bread roll (2) Octoberfest platter: this was our favorite! So worth for the price ($17.22) and each component was yummy read more

Tip Top Meats - Interior - meat service area - Meat Shops Near Me - Carlsbad, California

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So glad to see this open again. It reopened in what used to be the seafood shop part of the original. Obviously a smaller space so the variety is considerably less but still many meat options as before. Very friendly folks at the meat counter. Many different sausages, liverwurst and meats as well as a few game birds. I would like to see the ranges of mustards return. The breakfast menu offers many options with prices a bit higher than previously. Sandwiches and lunch items are available for takeaway or outdoor tables (only a few). Excellent beef, pork and lamb selection, still including some prime options. read more

Tip Top Meats - Wild Boar steaks - Meat Shops Near Me - Carlsbad, California

Carlsbad just wasn't the same with out this institution, I'm so happy it's back! Parking wasn't bad, as people were coming and going constantly while I was there. The location is in the former tiptop fish market, which is quite a bit smaller than the old location next door. They do have it organized well but it a tight squeeze when you have a crowd. The food side of it has many choices including some old familiar items. The meat side of it has refrigerated meats and all the sausages you missed you can grab to go. The butchers are helpful and quick and have beautiful looking cuts of meat. Everyone inside was commenting how happy they were to have it back! There is some outdoor seating and there were quite a few families outside enjoying their lunches. Welcome back! read more

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They're back and twice as good! The location is small but don't let it fool you. They carry everything that you missed. Meat, cheese, sausages, sauces, bread, mustards, curry catsup and more. They have everything from lunch take aways to dinner. There is very little seating and this place is popular so plan to take it to go. Tip: If when you first walk in, if there are a bunch of people hanging out, they already ordered and are waiting for their food. Order at the register. read more

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They're back! To the throngs who've been waiting for their promised return, the long wait is over. Tip Top is in the soft opening phase, and we stopped in after lunch nearby to see what they're offering. They were doing a land office business at 1:30 p.m today (Tuesday) They're in the same location, but only in part of the space. There's a deli case, a cake and pastry case, and a fresh meat case, along with several freezer cases (frozen meats, and several shelves of bread and grocery items. You can also purchase hot food (mains, sides and sandwiches) and cold sandwiches either to go or to eat at one of the five outdoor tables. There's no indoor seating. Prices are low on the food they prepare. I wasn't able to try any today so we'll have to review that another time. No prices are posted on the grocery items which is something I hope they make a high priority to correct very soon. Meat prices are high, but so is the quality and variety. Today was just for window shopping, so I'll update the stars when they've officially opened and I've made purchases. I definitely want to try the takeout food. For now, they look promising yet still have a way to go. That's what soft openings are for. read more

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the new-and-improved and considerably downsized edition of TIP TOP MEATS finally got the city of Carlsbad to give them flight clearance. stopped to check the inventory, which, in spite of being in the much smaller space next door to the old place, is very well curated. realizing we were edging dangerously close to hangry, we decided to order breakfast. I had the BAGEL and LOX, and the wife unit had a BREAKFAST BURRITO with steak, eggs, cheese, and potatoes. you know you're leaning to hard into the whole parent thing when your first reaction is "we gotta come back on Saturday with the kids." so, if you're in the neighborhood this weekend, maybe we'll see you there. ps: been back two more times this week. 3 stars for the food. 5 stars for the groceries ... read more

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Tried the new smaller location and still a winner for us: Due to the smaller location you'll find fewer German groceries to grab (no alcohol) but the butcher is still amazing. Came to buy some German cake slices and the assortment was great. Assistant was very helpful explaining what all they had to offer. Food is to go. read more

Tip Top Meats - Chocolate Awesomeness - Meat Shops Near Me - Carlsbad, California

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I was looking forward to visiting the new Tip Top Meats. It is a deli counter with zero seating inside. The service is nice but very, very slow. We ordered and waited outside at the small cafe tables. When the food finally came out - it was just okay. Miss the old place. read more

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Came back for the Turkey Sandwich and fries! Very good! Lines were short at 1000. Limited seating and Togo is your best option! read more

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​I am writing this to alert fellow shoppers to check expiration dates carefully here. I recently purchased several Ritter Sport chocolate bars, only to realize after the fact that they had expired on January 11, 2026. ​When I brought this to the attention of the supervisor, I was told the items were purchased in December and should still be "okay" to eat. However, upon inspecting the rest of the Ritter Sport inventory on the shelf, I found that nearly all the other flavors were also past their "Best Before" dates. ​While I've enjoyed this store in the past, it is disappointing to see a lack of inventory rotation and a dismissive response to a valid quality concern. Please double-check your labels before heading to the register. read more

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DO YOU KNOW WHAT TODAY IS? TODAY IS TOMORROW! {*deep, mature British voice-over*} High atop a wooded hill called Gobbler's Knob, there lives a celebrity groundhog named Punxsutawney Phil. Every year on Feb. 2nd, thousands of people gather here in person, millions more watch online, and everyone awaits this centenarian hog-school-dropout's next weather forecast. If Phil sees his shadow, winter lasts 6 more weeks. If he doesn't, spring is near. That's it. That's his whole system. Even though we have satellites, supercomputers, Doppler radar-- and apps that reliably amalgamate this data -- we're still, "Yeah, but what does that random rodent say?" The tradition started 150 years ago when Dutch immigrants reinvented the German custom of using a badger to determine the weather. When they got to America, they were like, "There's no badgers... but we do have this chubby little fellow who needs a bath and a haircut. Close enough." One oddity about Phil is he is immortal. He's the SAME forever-groundhog since the 1800s?!. Most groundhogs live 10-14 years, but Phil gets a magic potion every summer, "The Elixir of Life". Each dose gives him seven more years. Hence the name "Groundhog Day". Not "Groundhogs Day." But because it's 2026, there are now OTHER poser groundhogs with ring-lights making their own predictions on TikTok. When other ratfluencers are trying to steal your shtick, but with short, comedic, lip-synced shadow-dances... you know you're in for an Influencer mega-battle.. So what does this vampire varmint do to compete? Is he gonna just chill up in a tree, sip his hog-elixir, and ignore DMs from Podcasters asking for a Zoom? Nope. He leverages his brand. He gets out in public in his Phil‑mobile-- a bus with a platform where he waves to the crowds like the furry little dictator that he is. Legend. Pro tip: Having received their own "Elixir of Life", Tip Top Meats will be continuing it's 50+ year run in Carlsbad by re-opening on Groundhog Day 2/2/26 in the same location, but a smaller, upscale footprint. This "Groundhog Day" style do-over will focus on core menu items, butcher offerings, and takeout service. My favorites were always the Reuben, Big John Breakfast, and the imported cheese and sausages. read more

So glad they are back. Much smaller than before but with many of the store and meat counter favorites. Seating for 30-35 out doors under sun umbrellas only. Posting many pictures from April 2026 now. read more

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Been back a couple times once for breakfast and once for lunch for the family. Something is different with the front help compared with the original. It could be because they just reopened and are getting into the groove again. My first order took a long time. It seemed like the order was misplaced. Second order was more efficient but took longer than I expected also. But the shop was busy. Maybe my order was more complicated. But anyway a slight reduction in stars. We're still going back. read more

Tip Top Meats - New sign, fresh paint. - Meat Shops Near Me - Carlsbad, California

Great place to pick up sandwiches, a few choice German desserts, sauces and meats, have a nice German hot meal. I'm so glad this place opened back up, take yourself and your family here, great people, great food! read more

Tip Top Meats - 2026 menu boards - Meat Shops Near Me - Carlsbad, California

Thank goodness they're back! This is our go-to market for scrapple and other unusual meats. It was so nice to visit, and see all of the happy customers. read more

Almost as great as before limited only by space, smaller inventory, and condensed menu. The items that are available are as good as they ever have been, and prices are just as reasonable. Get real food for the same price as fast food. My 30+ years of going to Tip Top continues... read more

OMgosh, where do I start? This is not the Tip Top of old. This is a tiny tiny take out deli type shop, and unfortunately the food has taken a serious nose dive. Ordered a pastrami sandwich and a slice of cake from their dessert case by the cashier. The sandwich had very little meat on it for $14 and what was there was dry and hard. The cake had a very strange, very strong chemical taste to the point where I literally had to spit out what was on my mouth and throw away the rest of the slice. I am usually of the 'there's no BAD cake' thinking so for me to spit it out and throw the rest away, it was seriously chemical tasting to the point where it was weird and scary- like what on Earth is in this?? Never ever again. Do yourself a favor and go elsewhere. read more

I stopped by there with a friend to get a Reuben sandwich. The place has been open again for about a month, month and a half. The Reuben was tough almost un edible half took home. I had to cut up very small pieces and give to the dog. I should've asked for a refund, but I was so disgusted with the whole thing I just left. And I went to get a Reuben somewhere else are we and it was delicious. I know people are happy. TikTok is back in business, but I won't be one of their customers. read more

I am so happy they're open again! The staff is amazing. I like the Big John Burger, their desserts are delicious and its a great spot to pick up some German style eats. $20 for a steak dinner cant be beat. read more

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Amazing hidden gem. Staff is great very nice deli selection. Loved their German potato salad. Very clean great prices

Service was great Food was great I will go there again and recommend to friends and family read more

Tip Top has re-opened!!! Hallelujah . Had a bomb Pastrami sandwich! Some of the old staff is there too! Can't wait to go back!!! Limited seating and training new people so please be patient while they get up to speed. read more

Tip Top Meats - Pastrami with Swiss cheese and German potato salad. If you want any condiments on it (mustard, etc) you need to request it. - Meat Shops Near Me - Carlsbad, California

Top Quality Meats and other delicacies for a reasonable price and friendly hardworking employees.

So glad they're back. Don't tell anyone! It will get packed. Best kept secret for an amazing filet dinner. Great quality steaks and familiar faces! read more

I consider myself lucky to have found this spot while searching for lunch in this section of the coast. Further research told me that they had only reopened recently after a long break and from a much bigger location. Another lucky break. No indoor dining, just a couple of umbrella tables out front, which were again lucky to snag. The fresh butcher section here looked great, perfect for grabbing something to grill or roast at home. The smallish European grocery section held some unique selections too-like an amazing selection of imported Ritter Sport chocolate bars! But we were here for lunch. They have a three meal a day menu here which is deep and diverse, with many of the usual suspects at breakfast. Dinner choices cover European cuisine plates such as Sauerbraten, Schnitzel, and Osso Buco, or Prime Rib, Steaks, or Meatloaf. For lunch you can choose burgers, and hot or cold sandwiches. Available sides include three different potato salads, coleslaw, sauerkraut and spaetzle. Most definitely lots to choose from. The service seemed a little scattered but that may have had as much to do with customer knowledge as the folks behind the counter. After perusing the options and seeing some items come from the kitchen, we chose to split a Roast Pork cold sandwich on a French roll. 8oz of House made Roast Pork with choice of cheese, and what you like from lettuce, tomato and mayo. Chose chips as our side but added an 8oz container of their German Potato Salad. My DW loves a good vinegary German Potato salad and this hit the spot absolutely for her. I'm not a fan. The sandwich was delicious, despite a roll that was a bit less than fresh. The flavor profile for the pork, nicely herby. Good portion for splitting. We felt lucky al around after dining here. Look forward to returning next time we are in the area. read more

Went there today to pick up a few German retail items. I swear, soon it will be cheaper to book a flight to Germany and bring the things home yourself. What I really didn't like was that I was shamelessly overcharged today. I asked for German Tilsiter, which is a very rich and creamy, yet very stinky cheese. They didnt have it but they had American Havarti. Not as stinky and creamy, but ok. I asked for 1 pound of that. Aldi sells the Havarti with dill for $2.99 a pound. I had other items on my list, checked out and paid. When I got home and opened the shopping bag to put my items away, I noticed that they charged me not for American Havarti but for German Tilsiter, which used to be anywhere from 10-12 dollar per pound. Mind you, they didn't wven have Tilsiter! I had gotten Havarti! And for they American Havarti, they charged me the hefty price of $26.98 per pound, punched in as German Tilsiter - when in reality I went home with about a pound of $5 Havarti. Not cool. read more

Tip Top Meats - Havarti cheese, charged at a premium - Meat Shops Near Me - Carlsbad, California

Tip Top has reopened in Carlsbad!!! Time for the Big John Special!!! They're located at the same place and the food is still great!!! read more

Tip Top Meats - Tip Top has reopened today!!! - Meat Shops Near Me - Carlsbad, California

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A classic in Carlsbad. Great pricing and great meat! A great dining area with lots of space to sit. Great for kids!

I've only been once, for shopping....found what I wanted. I'll try some food to go next time. The current menu looks nearly identical to the old one....just a little more expensive, which is expected, and prices are still very reasonable. read more

I have eaten at Tip Top Meats periodically for years. I usually make the trip for a special day in September to have a huge breakfast and buy a gigantic steak to grill later in the evening. Today I wanted to check the opening hours and found out that they have closed. This is an absolute shame! This was one of the last OG spots in the county that offered something else besides tacos. Not that I don't love tacos, but it was nice to have variety. I really hope they open another restaurant/butcher shop somewhere else, but this time they BUY THE BUILDING AND THE LAND so they don't get squeezed out by the corporations. Such a sad time for San Diego. Without these OG spots, San Diego is becoming one big corporate eatery. read more

Tip Top Meats - Tomahawk steak - Meat Shops Near Me - Carlsbad, California

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Everything was excellent, just like old times! A great place to find European delicacies read more

They're back! I took home the European sausage plate and asked for spicy mustard and horseradish. It was as delicious as I remembered it to be. My food came out hot and ready to go in less than five minutes as well. That may have been based on what I ordered and that I arrived at 2pm. I would recommend getting your food to go. I overheard some customers sitting at one of the two tables outside, saying they didn't know what to expect so they brought their own chairs. You may want to bring your own table while you're at it. Hahaha! Also, a friendly reminder, if you want pleasant service, please be pleasant. The person in front of me was unnecessarily rude. read more

Elated they are back!!! Excellent deli, comfort food, German egg noodles, Stroganoff...

The food is amazing. Fills the belly with yummy goodness. We highly recommend this relaunch on the original