North City food and drink offerings - San Marcos, CA

A few hours of exploration was in my weekend forecast at the new North City described as "An urban, mixed-use development in the heart of North County San Diego". I was able to join several social media ladies to check out the new restaurants serving the area.

Grit Coffee

To start was Grit Coffee for some coffee and tea from the neighborhood coffee shop. Order from the barista on the left and sip nonchalantly on the barstools or tables to the right.

The friendly group of foodies and life style influencers did their thing... snapped pics of the drinks, the shop and themselves having a good time! 

I mostly mingled since I don't drink coffee but did smile at the glasses filled with dark brew. The colors made me think of a beautiful stout!

Fresh Healthy Cafe

The next stop was more to my tastes... smoothie bowls and other refreshing options at Fresh Healthy Cafe!

Do you heart this kind of food too?

Acai is my preferred base though their new spirulina dish was a contender with its unique taste and flavor too. I especially enjoyed the green colada smoothie! Stop by for a light breakfast or snack anytime of the day.

Prep Kitchen San Marcos

Besides Del Mar and Little Italy, Prep Kitchen has this third new location within North City! The chefs were generous and provided plenty of samples from their menu including bites and cocktails!

Samples included salmon, tuna sashimi, mini sliders (my fav), chicken slider, etc.

Example of the full size chicken sandwich... I'll take fried chicken skin and moist meat any day... feed me more!

Newtopia Cyder

We have Newtopia Cyder in Mira Mesa which Dennis frequents often. I had no idea until now that they had a second tasting room!

A range of flavors to choose... everyone has their own preferences when it comes to drinks but we would recommend "Chai Me a River". Ask the staff for tasters to explore the options.

Cheers to the new location! We are lucky to be so close to the original.

Umami Japanese

Sometimes you need a little sushi in your life. Umami Japanese is that place to happily fill the void.

This salmon bomb was an explosion of deliciousness in my mouth. I wouldn't hesistate to order this sashimi dish again!

Everything was so fresh and we were dazzled by the presentation! I would visit more often if it were closer to home!

Mason Aleworks / Urge Gastropub

North City even has a brewery in the vicinity! There is an entrance to Mason Aleworks that goes through Urge Gastropub.

Would you like a glass of beer?

The can artwork is vivid and colorful. Nice beer can designs here.

And on to the food at Urge Gastropub, which has two other locations in Rancho Bernard and Oceanside... We arrived to a table full of goodies of which all aren't even pictured. On the bottom left, they don't look fancy but I could NOT stop eating these addictive buffalo cheese curds! Also available for tasting were fried shrimp, mac and cheese balls, etc.

I'm also a fan of flatbreads so had to have a slice of this too. The options are great at Urge.

North City San Marcos

There's still quite a bit of construction but the main walkway we took had restaurants on both sides with Mason and Urge in their own section nearby. Parking is available in the nearby garages and I am expecting this community to grow better with time.

Disclaimer: I was invited to dine here and the food and drink were complimentary. I was not otherwise compensated and all opinions are my own.