Dini’s By The Sea

my family thought we should try this place out and we were disappointed the food was just ok it was busy the server was overwhelmed we decided we would give it another try sometime but other friends said it was great the view from patio was beautiful.

We stayed at the tamarack hotel next door so of course we had to check it out. First time we came here we were stopping in for breakfast at 10:00 a.m. when they first opened. We sat at the bar. My husband and I both noticed a weird odor in the bar. minus a star for that. The service was good. I got a create your own omelet. It didn’t come with toast which I thought was weird. I had to order it on the side. Instead it comes with weird undercooked muffins. The omelet was good. I got fruit on the side and ended up not eating it because it was slimy. We came back later in the day for a few drinks and the bar was packed! It was valentines day so it was pretty much all couples. Can’t say I recommend the food but if you are staying at the tamarack it’s worth stopping in for a cocktail.

Aside from some colorful servers, the bar’s nothing too special, but certainly unpretentious and filled to the brim with locals. We had drinks here a few times, and breakfast, for which we wish they opened earlier. Can’t go wrong with a build-​your-​own omelette, and a basket of muffins. With 10% for guests, the best reason to stay at Tamarack Beach Resort may be having this place within stumbling distance.

Fantastic! Great service and great food almost every time! A true local staple! You will not be disappointed here!

Boyfriend loves the fish tacos… I didn’t eat. Enjoyed the atmosphere and drinks.

Food wasn’t very good. Waiter literally gave no shit about us. I was mind blown how much she didn’t care about her job. I put 2 star because the view wasn’t bad if your into that kind of stuff. Everything else was bad.

I have walked by this place many times during workouts so I have seen the crowds that hang out on the patio. My visit pretty much met my expectations. We only had drinks, so I cannot comment on the food. They do a champagne brunch on Saturdays and Sundays. On my visit, the crowd was not the typical tourist or slightly more affluent people you see in Carlsbad. The cops had to be called because of a lone guy that was harassing guests. The waitress was conversing with a patron about personal matters. Overall impression-​if you want a quick drink stop by. Otherwise go to one of the bars in the village.

Dini’s sits right on the coast in Carlsbad. If you’re looking for a very nice restaurant, with a great view of the beach, this is one of them. I recently went there to celebrate a friends birthday. I had the turkey sandwich, and it was wonderful.
We were seated right away and the service was excellent. I’ve been there for beer pairing dinners as well. If you have a chance to attend one of those, where the brewery comes in with the beer, and Dini’s pairs each dish to the beer being served. It’s a very nice way to check out the new brews and some very fine food.
All in all, whether you’re there for a relaxing lunch, or a nice dinner, Dini’s is just a very nice restaurant, with a great view, in the village of Carlsbad.

This review is mainly on a drink that came out horribly. Ordered a mango mojito margarita and it came blended. Didn’t look appealing to begin with and tasted like water mixed with minced mint leaves. I just couldn’t drink it so i asked for a regular margarita on the rocks which tasted bland but the second time around finally came out right. Got french fries too which i loved, very crispy and tasty. Our server was very nice though and the ocean view was just great.

Dinis is in such a great location it is hard not to go. Been here many times until late in the night. I even had my 21^st birthday here. It has food during the day and then turns into a local dive bar by night. Good drinks. Average food. Good views and good times.

I enjoyed all the food and drink we had. The stacked ahi tuna is refreshing. The oysters Rockefeller is yummy and we had the skewered prawns! Great appetizers. I had Dini’s salad. My hubs had the 18oz ribeye. All was awesome!

Unbelievably bad service and front door management. We walked in at eight pm after the sunset rush precisely so we could grab a quick table and enjoy less of a raucous crowd.
Upon arrival the dining rooms and patio were literally less than half full. Upon check in with the too young intake person we politely asked for a patio table. She rolled her eyes and snapped back ‘I have reservations so you will have to wait at least ten minutes’.
So be it. We waited in the cramped lobby for well over ten minutes. No new diners arrived. No others were seated in the half empty restaurant. I asked again if we could grab an outdoor table of our preference. No response
We left. We left hungry and disappointed. The front desk staff at this place appears to enjoy the petty power of mistreating their diners. It’s likely a direct reflection on the entire organization who may figure if you are fool enough to come here you’ll just have to deal with the staff disdainful attitude.
Unilocal is critical to combat places like this who appear to have grown long in the tooth at the consumers expense.

I called a week and a half ago to make reservations for my birthday. I called the evening before to confirm and they said they had no record of the reservation and so I made it again. Unprofessional!
Food was okay. I had the stuffed avocado and I had to keep picking shells of of my mouth. I ordered a shirley temple and the bartender made it with club soda. I had the waiter bring me another one made correctly and he said the bartender ran out of sprite and needed to refill the sprite and that’s why he made with club soda. WTF??? And I had to keep swatting flies away from my daughter, drinks, and food. I won’t be back.

So happy I can call this our local beach side bistro, I do really love this place. We have been here several times before in the past 16 years & was I so happy when my husband surprised me with a romantic dinner last Monday evening.
We had reservations & so we were seated right away upon arrival.
We even scored a spot outside so we could admire the ocean, such a beautiful scene. Our waiter was this young guy, he was great, attentive, quick, thorough & kind.
We ordered a flat steak entrée & a filet mignon entrée, both were delish & so were our drinks. Strong enough & yumm.
I love love the name «Dini’s By The Sea» because Dini is my (nickname) name & so when I drive by I can’t help but always say; «there’s my restaurant!»
Anyhow I saw one of the waitresses wearing the cutest pink tank top with the name «Dini’s» on it & so she told us that she & the other waitress’s actually designed it themselves ! So cute!!! So we bought one for me & I love it.
We watched a beautiful sunset from the patio area after we fished out delicious romantic dinner yeay! Definitely a fan of the is place.

I love this place.
I moved here a couple months ago but have been here at least 10 times.
Everything I’ve had on the menu has been fantastic.
We recently had a hiccup with the wait staff in that they royally sucked but it was a one time thing and the management completely made up for it by comping our meal.
Love the bartenders and servers, if I wasn’t pregnant this would definitely be my watering hole.
And it’s ocean front. WIN.

Surprised I’ve never reviewed this place. Dini’s is an awesome place for drinks, hanging with friends and happy hour. The location is absolutely amazing and the service is wonderful. One of the primary reasons to head to Dini’s is the views, nearly all the seats in the building have outstanding ocean views and the outdoor dog friendly patio is awesome. Pair the views, with the ambiance, the beer selection and the service and you have yourself a 5 star establishment. Highly recommended.
Pros–
Location
Views
Parking in back
Prices
Beer selection
Outdoor dog friendly patio
Service
Ambiance
Friendliness
Great sunsets
Cons–
None really

I wanted to eat at Dini’s for a second time before leaving for home. I didn’t get a chance.
This is a great little spot. You have the choice of sitting in the dining room, on the patio or on the bar. I find that the patrons are pretty well split:
The dining room seems to draw and older and more mature crowd that needs some quiet time with dinner.
The patio draws young families and groups of people — some of them with sizable mouths.
The bar is a ruckus. That’s where all the, at times, rowdy youngins hang.
We went for the patio close to sunset.
What a gorgeous view! It does not matter where you sit on the patio, you are getting an ocean view.
This is a bistro-​style restaurant right along the highway.
You can get shrimp coctail, calamari, oysters, tacos, nachos, crab cakes, a range of soups and sandwiches, wings, mac n’ cheese, linguini, fish and chips, alfredo pasta, mahi maji, quesadillas, ribeye steak — the menu is all over the place.
I went with the clam chowder, side of calamari and a Cobb salad.
I was very pleased with everything! I had chowder at two other places in Carlsbad and this was, by far, my favorite of the three. The calamari was served as sliced steaks and had a light batter and was served with a size of a sweet-​spicy Asian inspired sauce. The cobb salad was ginormous! And quite delicious.
Great spot, excellent find. Excellent service, too!

Lived in Carlsbad for 21 years and I went to Dinis with my girls for the first time last night and… LOVED IT.
Happy hour on Wednesdays is from 11:30am to 7pm… UR kidding right!!! #heaven
They also have $ 6 dinner plates and I got the 2 enchiladas. it comes with rice beans and guac and they are AWESOME.
the drinks were amazing. I got 2 sex on the beach drinks, 1 SOB shot, and a dinis chocolatini which was bomb.
Our server Brandon was very professional and the pineapple/​cake vodka shots were a great treat!!!
This place is awesome. total Carlsbad gem. and the view is killer.
Only good things to say!!! I will be back! Maybe today for drinks before the beach!!!

Dini’s is sort of a «treat myself» place.
It’s a place I like to go when I want to get away from my usual places in Encinitas and go a little bit outside my typical range. I have yet to eat in the regular dining area or order off the full menu but I Like a few items from the bar menu and I am a creature of habit so once i find something I like I tend to stick to it. At Dini’s, that item is the prime Rib Sandwich Dip. Comes on a Brioche roll, stacked with prime rib slices, large amount of fries and a nice size of Aus jus. I love that stuff. I dip my fries and sandwich in there. I know I’m not the only one who does that but It sure is good. Craving it now and I might be up that way in an hour or two.
With an ocean view and a decent size bar we have a good time there. TV’s all over the place. Alisa orders the tacos. Only on the bar menu can they be ordered and at about $ 3 or $ 4 they are packed with chicken, cilantro, cheese and tomatos and onions. A good size taco for the price. Occasionally I get the Turkey sandwich which usually comes on a roll or type of bread that I’m not a fan of but with a simple request they will be happy to make it out of something of your choice. very nice about the change orders too. Service is good at Dini’s and they are always friendly.
If you wonder about brunch… yes they do it. Though I have not been a participant yet, I know it’s sure to be in my near future. I love brunch.
Parking in rear and happy times ahead. Go for a walk after you dine. It’s right there on Coast Highway across from the beach in Carlsbad.
Happy Dining

I’ve been to Dini’s several times at night but only for drinks, there’s always a lively crowd and everyone’s always in a great mood!
I ate here for the first time last week and I’m more than impressed with the food. I thought it would be your typical bar food but it actually was very fresh and tasty.
I had the ahi tuna stack which is something I order every time I go to a place that offers it. What I enjoyed about this one was the mango that it was stacked with it and the wonton chips. I don’t care for tortilla chips so this was perfect for me!
My friends had the sampler which they thoroughly enjoyed. I had a bite of their shrimp which was grilled to perfection and they loved the crab cakes so much that they ordered an order just of those. I had half of one of the crab cakes, I thought they’d be deeply fried but they weren’t, they were softly breaded and you could taste the crab, they were truly delicious!
Mondays are a great night to go as they offer Happy Hour all night long. The appetizers are $ 2 off, the wine is $ 6, there’s a special on beers and well drinks are $ 3.75. Their website does need updating, the appetizers are actually a $ 1 or so higher than what they are on the physical menu.
The place could use a remodel, I know that’s kind of the authentic look of it but it is the closest place to the water and people definitely go in there to catch the sunset and enjoy a cocktail. I think if it was a little upgraded they’d bring in a bigger crowd but I also imagine business is going great for them just how it is!