My work commute from Leucadia to the northernmost border of Oceanside along state Route 76 often leads me to take Coast Highway 101 back to discover new additions to the food and beverage scene.
While Oceanside as a whole is burgeoning with new gems, the stretch known as “South Oceanside” or “South O” by locals has recently captured my attention.
There is an abundance of dining and drinking options near Vista Way and Coast Highway, though the district extends up to Oceanside Boulevard.
I’ve embarked on a project to explore some restaurants over a series of columns, delving deep into some while covering the breadth of offerings the area presents. With a penchant for and appreciation of the aroma of burning wood, I’ve often caught a delightful whiff while passing by Heritage BBQ on the southeast corner of Vista Way and Coast Highway.
Being a fan of smoky goodness and always eager to try a new BBQ joint, I recently stopped in for lunch and found myself with the deck all to myself.
From my vantage point on that corner, I could see old favorites like Don’s Country Kitchen and Hill Street Doughnuts, along with newer spots like Home State, Corner Pizza, Artifex, and Tanner’s Prime Burgers, the last of which has been garnering rave reviews. Tanner’s Prime Burgers is particularly notable for serving one of the most celebrated burgers in recent memory.
This location is also the newest for Corner Pizza, which has been drawing crowds at its Leucadia location for a few years now with its eclectic mix of pizza, oysters, meatballs, and more, not to mention a really nice wine list.
But back to my South O experience and the BBQ goodness at Heritage. BBQ for lunch can be tricky as it’s hard to go light, so my plan was to order a variety and have leftovers for dinner. The sandwich selections all looked tempting, including a Bahn Mi with smoked tri-tip, a smoked Cubano with pulled pork, chopped brisket, heritage French dip with shaved tri-tip, and a variety of burgers, tacos, salads, and entrées.
I opted for The Carolina, which features pulled pork tossed in sweet and tangy BBQ sauce, house mustard, pickles and slaw. It is served on a brioche bun with a side of El Rancho Potato Salad with buttermilk ranch dressing, celery, and green onions.
This was a substantial sandwich, easily shareable and providing more than enough for dinner, especially with the sizable portion of potato salad. It was messy but delicious, and though I was tempted to devour the entire thing, I exercised portion control and packed away the rest for later.
At $18 for a dish that provided two meals, I consider it a good value.
I couldn’t visit a BBQ joint without trying their ribs, so I ordered a half-pound of spare ribs, unsure of what size portion that entailed. I was surprised to receive just two very meaty and delicious ribs in my order, though for $16, three would have been more satisfying.
Nevertheless, they were as good as any I’ve had in a long time, and I understand the food costs and time involved in smoking meat to perfection, so given the generous portion of my sandwich, it all balanced out.
I look forward to another lunch visit soon to explore their salad options, which include smoked turkey and pulled pork to lighten the load.
Their daily smoked meats include brisket, smoked turkey, pulled pork, prime tri-tip, homemade sausage, and spare ribs. Combos are available with two or three meats and two or three sides, which might be the way to go for dinner, considering their enticing list of sides, including Texas chili, elote, charro beans, onion rings, fries, slaw, roasted veggies, and mac and cheese.
Entrées include Brisket Mac & Cheese, Loaded Baked Potato, Half Smoked Chicken, Grilled Salmon, and Ribeye for Two, offering some of the better values on the menu.
I’ll likely start off dinner with one of their signature cocktails, draft beers, or wines. They keep dessert simple with one offering of Banana Puddin’, featuring yellow cake, vanilla custard, cinnamon chips, banana, and strawberries.
Please stay tuned for more Lick the Plate adventures from South Oceanside, featuring established and new restaurants on the scene. It’s wonderful to see such a diverse range of culinary options covering various price points and flavors, not to mention excellent people-watching opportunities.
Heritage BBQ is at 2002 South Coast Highway, Oceanside, or visit www.heritageoceanside.com.
