My first experience with Angelo’s Burgers was at its Encinitas location. This was my introduction to gyros, which quickly became part of my post-surf feeding frenzy.
Fast-forward a few years, and I recently learned that Angelo’s is celebrating 48 years as a family-run restaurant. So, I thought it would be fun to revisit them and share their story—a classic story of an immigrant doing well while filling a niche and a slice of local history.
And, as they say, their menu and portions are enormous, making Angelo’s one of the best values around. I caught up with Louie Regakis, son of founding couple Tony and Debbie Regakis, to learn more about their incredible story.
LTP: Your dad, Tony Regakis, has a great story coming from Crete, Greece, to the US and making Angelo’s a big success. Can you share his story and journey to Oceanside?
Louie: My father’s journey is a classic immigrant story, who came with nothing, worked hard and lived the American dream. Being the eldest of six kids, he needed to find a way to make money to send home to his family. After serving in the Greek military for six years, my father immigrated to the USA for a better life and fresh opportunities.
The one thing he was very familiar with that required little use of the English language was cooking. Thankfully, he had learned to be a chef in the Greek military, so he decided to put his skills to work. He headed to the USA and started scoping out different states and cities, and eventually, he fell in love with the city of Oceanside because it closely resembled Crete in terms of landscape and climate. This was where he would start his family and grow his business.
In 1978 he opened his first location, the South Oceanside location. Soon after he opened his second location (downtown Oceanside), which he later closed to open the third location by the pier because it had a drive-thru. He then opened the fourth near Oceanside Boulevard, and finally, the Encinitas location. He ran all these restaurants with my mom, Debbie, my sisters, and me. It was, and continues to be, a family-run business with three generations currently working at the remaining two locations.
LTP: The early days of Angelo’s in Oceanside reads like the wild west. What was Oceanside like then in comparison to today?
Louie: Oceanside has changed a ton over the last 48 years we have been in business. When my father opened Angelo’s, downtown Oceanside was considered a dangerous, transient city, with lots of crime. The rest of Oceanside mainly was known as a quiet beach town with a strong military vibe because of Camp Pendleton.
There weren’t many restaurants or businesses, but that intrigued my father. He knew Oceanside had major potential, and the fact that the base was right next door was huge. To this day, my father credits Camp Pendleton as one of the biggest reasons for his success. They supported him tremendously when he was first starting out in the late 1970s and 80s and still to this day.
The city started to grow in the ’90s and especially in the 2000s. They fixed up the downtown area near the pier, added cool restaurants, shops, and hotels, and made it cosmopolitan. More people began moving in, new neighborhoods popped up, and the whole place got a fresh, more modern feel.
Now, Oceanside is this awesome mix of laid-back beach life, fun tourist spots, and a growing arts and food scene. Thankfully, it still has that small-town charm. Fun fact: When my father opened Angelo’s, Coast Highway was called Hill Street, and Hill Street had a bad reputation. He was the person who spearheaded the team that helped rename Hill Street to Pacific Coast Highway, and once that changed, it brought so much business off the freeway and into downtown Oceanside.
LTP: You grew up working in the restaurants, tell me about your early roles and how that has evolved into your current ownership role with your wife, Eleni.
Louie: Growing up working in a family-run restaurant taught me a lot about life. From a young age, I took orders, cleaned tables, washed dishes, cooked and helped wherever needed. It wasn’t always easy — long hours, weekends, minimal social life, and the pressure to keep things running smoothly — but it gave me a strong work ethic and a real sense of responsibility. I watched my parents pour their hearts and souls into Angelo’s, and being part of that taught me the value of hard work and dedication.
Looking back, those years shaped who I am today. It wasn’t just a job — it was our life, our family and our way of making something meaningful together. After almost 20 years of working side by side with my father at multiple locations, he felt I was ready to run my own location. In 2009, I took full ownership of the South Oceanside location. I am the front of house face, and my wife runs all the back of house operations. It is a great balance because I really get to focus on the food, customers and vendors, my wife focuses on all operational aspects behind the scenes.
LTP: Many folks (me included) are not aware that your menu includes much more than burgers. Tell me about that diversity and some of the standout menu items.
Louie: We hear that way too often, and part of that is because we aren’t huge advertisers. You either know Angelo’s because you grew up here or a local tells you to stop by. Seeing people’s faces when they come in and see our massive menu for the first time is always funny.
First and foremost, we offer breakfast, lunch and dinner all day, and everything is made fresh. You can get a burger at 6 a.m., or a French toast combo at 11 p.m., which has always set us apart from other restaurants in the area.
We make classic American fast-casual diner food, Greek and Mexican food. Our fries are fresh cut, and we hand-cut/hand-batter our onion rings, zucchini and chicken strips. We also make our own sauces, salsas (our famous ranch!) and chili. We also have over 17 local craft, domestic and imported beers on tap!
With regards to standout menu items, I would say our burgers (especially our Big Mouth, Monster Bacon Cheese, Avocado Burger, Chili Burger and Pastrami Burgers), Vienna Premium Beef Chicago Style Hot Dogs, Gyros Sandwich, Pastrami Sandwich, Chicken Strips, Fish tacos, Breakfast Burritos, Cali Burritos, Breakfast sandwiches, Biscuits and Gravy, Omelets, French toast, Avocado Toast, Greek Chicken Salads, Acai Bowls, delicious shakes, our massive bag of fries, onion rings or zucchini (to name a few!).
We pride ourselves on the quality of the food we offer per serving. Greek people don’t believe in small food portions. We like to feed our customers so they get the best bang for their buck and leave with a full, happy belly.
This year, we’re incredibly proud to celebrate 48 years of serving our Oceanside community. This milestone means even more as we also celebrate my dad’s 80th birthday—he is the heart and soul of this restaurant.
What makes this moment truly special is that three generations of our family are now working side by side, learning from the example my father set decades ago. His passion, work ethic, and love for this place and city inspire us daily.
As we look ahead, we’re excited for the next generation to carry the torch and keep the tradition alive for another 48 years and beyond. We sincerely thank the city of Oceanside and North County for their endless support over the years. It’s been an honor to grow with this fantastic community, and we’re so grateful to be a part of it.
Angelos can be found at 2035 S. Coast Highway and 621 N. Coast Highway in Oceanside.
