ENCINITAS — The Encinitas Planning Commission on Thursday approved plans to transform the site of a former Filiberto’s Mexican restaurant at the northwest corner of South Coast Highway 101 and West D Street into a craft beer and taco establishment.
Plans for Craft Coast Brewery and Taco Stand, which has locations in Oceanside and San Marcos, include a 1,490-square-foot outdoor patio dining area replacing the existing drive-through, exterior building upgrades and minor site improvements.
The craft brewery and taco shop will be located between Gelato 101 and Modern Times.
In December 2021, a fire destroyed a significant portion of Filiberto’s restaurant, requiring substantial repairs that left the space vacant until recently.
The commission also approved a property boundary adjustment to align the southern lot line with existing structures. The project will feature landscaping additions, including planters, and maintain the existing bike parking area with modifications to comply with city and state regulations.
Under the state’s Alcohol and Beverage Control, Craft Coast sought a Type 23 license, which authorizes the manufacture and sale of beer onsite. Although no brewing will occur on-site, the business plans to extend its existing licenses from other locations.
The restaurant’s hours of operation will be 11 a.m. to midnight, with outdoor alcohol service concluding at 10 p.m. and ambient outdoor music ceasing at the same time. No live entertainment is planned for the site.
“We’re super excited about the opportunity to bring our business to Encinitas. This is a place where we’ve grown up, we’ve lived here, we’ve dined here, we’ve hung out here for years and years,” said Blake Masoner, co-founder of Craft Coast, during the meeting. “[It] has been a dream come true, to say the least.”
During the meeting, the commission addressed concerns about pedestrian safety and site design. A condition was added to the approval requiring exterior doors not to swing into the public right-of-way. Questions about landscaping and patio cover drainage were also resolved, and the project met city standards.
The motion to approve the project passed 3-0, with one abstention and one commissioner recused.
