OCEANSIDE — A new, walkup restaurant concept offering takeout seafood has opened next to the vacant restaurant that previously housed Ruby’s Diner on the end of the pier.
Jessica and Davin Waite have opened their fourth local restaurant, Brine Box, in a 109-square-foot walkup kiosk. The restaurant is modeled after a “chippy,” a type of casual fish and chip shop common in English seaside towns like where Davin Waite visited family in the summertime as a child.
“Brine Box is a great way to give residents and visitors yet another reason to walk to the end of the pier,” Davin Waite said. “It’s a perfect crossroads of England and California, the two places I love the most.”
The Waites are well known for several existing Oceanside restaurants like the popular Wrench & Rodent Seabasstropub, a creative sushi and seafood restaurant; The Plot, a 100% plant-based, zero-waste concept; and Shoots Fish & Beer, a sustainable poke shop.
Davin Waite is a classically trained sushi chef who likes to push boundaries with his creative use of ingredients while minimizing food waste and featuring local fish and produce.
Previously named Seafoam in earlier design concepts, Brine Box has taken over a portion of the building that once housed Ruby’s a 1940s-style diner that resided at the end of the 1,954-foot-long pier for 30 years before closing in early 2021.
Waite explained why the restaurateur couple chose the end of the pier for their new food venue.
“I’ve always loved the end of the pier because seeing the lights in the ocean is one of the first signs that I’m home when driving into town,” he said.
According to the owners, Brine Box will showcase the best catches available in the region’s waters seasonally, like rockfish in the winter and swordfish and tuna in the summer. The menu will also feature local halibut, sablefish and black cod, among other options.
The restaurant’s grand opening menu includes fish and chips, curry chips, sea-animal fries, spam, egg and cheese, Korean BBQ prawns and seasonal salad, and a seared albacore and seasonal salad combo.
“Not only am I excited to do our version of fish and chips, I’m excited to take the amazing local seafood we have and put it on stage,” Davin Waite said.
Although focused primarily on fresh seafood, both cooked and raw, the restaurant will also incorporate locally farmed produce as well, including plant-based options. Rachel Hurley, Brine Box chef de cuisine who has worked with the Waites at Wrench & Rodent and The Plot, will lead the restaurant and create its seasonal dishes.
The Waites also teamed up with designer and general contractor Chris Slowey of CLTVT Design, who styled Shoots Fish & Beer and The Plot, and designer and architect Andy McCabe of Tecscape to create the new Brine Box look.
Oceanside City Manager Jonathan Borrego thanked the Waites for their “continued investment” in the community on behalf of the city and wished them success.
“Brine Box is a fabulous addition to our beloved Oceanside Pier,” Borrego said. “It fills a long-standing need for a quality yet affordable food to-go option at this location.”
Brine Box is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. For more information, visit www.osidebrinebox.com or check out the restaurant’s Instagram @osidebrinebox.
