Flying Pig Pub & Kitchen – Vista

Whenever I come here in always blown away with the staff, food and drinks. I’ve never had a bad experience here… Each time I’m there my service gets better… If you’ve never been I highly recommend it. You won’t be disappointed… Their beers and wines are the best in town, I’m usually only a white wine lover but this place is the only one that I’ll have red, yea that good. Go in and check it out the owners are an amazing couple check out their other location in downtown Oceanside.

Had brunch here last Sunday with the family. It was lovely. The menu was strange, but I loved what I picked. Those grits were so fabulous! The portions were generous, the service was excellent, and the
coffee was REALLY GOOD! Everyone really enjoyed their meal choices. Thank you for a lovely time!

Have been here twice and plan on coming back. First time we got the burgers for lunch and they were underwhelming — nothing special, but not bad either. And with such a small menu we thought everything on the menu should be good. The Niçoise salad was excellent.
The second time we came was for dinner. We ordered the pork katsu as an appetizer, and pork shank and pork chop for dinner. Everything was excellent. The curry with the katsu was well balanced and had a good heat to it. The pork chop was perfectly cooked and the polenta that came with it was so tasty. The pork shank fell off the bone and had great flavor.
We ordered drinks, too. The pink pig and vista sunrise. The menu said that the bartender has a daily special drink, but the waiter had to check and said the bartender didn’t make one for the day. So that was a little disappointing. Could have been easy enough to make up a drink for the day? A shandy would have been a clever choice in a pinch. Oh well.
Overall a trendy place to grab a drink and food. Would recommend.

The Flying Pig has a prime location in revamped downtown Vista and brings their local organic farm-​to-​table food concept in a nicely polished atmosphere. Compared to the neighboring competition (the trendy Belching Beaver) you get warm and inviting ambiance without the frozen «bar food» experience.
I found the staff to be friendly and able to balance just the proper amount of checking-​in. The Flying Pig prides themselves on encouraging patrons to ask about specific items on the menu — so if you’re one of those «ask extra questions» about your food ordering types, you should feel totally at ease here.
Since I went on a less crowded Sunday afternoon, the overall environment permitted for a friend and I to have a comfortable and private chat in the outside patio area without any difficulty hearing one another. If you go during the busy dinner hours, anticipate a wait for a seat and the background noise inevitable in crowded room. Bottom line is that this place blends decent food, good service, and interesting décor. Truly this is a welcome addition to the city of Vista.

Just had an amazing birthday dinner at Flying Pig tonight. Service was night and day better than the last time we were here. And the food was so delicious! I was worried about vegetarian options for my daughter and husband, but we ordered the stone fruit salad, Mac and cheese (without bacon), and truffle mushroom gnocchi (chef’s vegetarian creation). They need to make that gnocchi a regular menu item because I seriously could have licked the bowl clean, and I wasn’t even the one that ordered it!
The pork shank and burger were the other dishes we tried, and both were also delicious. Service was amazing, also! They wrapped leftovers into cute little swans. Definitely one of my favorite places in Vista!

Came here for my dad’s birthday, we have been to the coast highway one a few times. I definitely like the vibe and location of this one a bit more.
Food was different but just as good as the other flying pig.

My BF and I celebrated our 9 month anniversary here. We are house sitting for some friends and stumbled across this gem. Shannon our server was simply fantastic and very attentive and recommended amazing selections. We started with pink pigs and the mac n cheese with bacon… everything mac should be. I had the beef burger which was mouthwatering good. My BF enjoyed the pork shank… the meat fell off then bone and was juicy and delicious. We finished our meal off with the Tahitian vanilla ice cream and root beer reduction Shannon gave us shots of their root beer to sample and it was the perfect thing to wash down dessert with. What a great experience. Food, atmosphere, and service was amazing. Highly recommended!

We’d been wanting to stop by the Flying Pig for a while now — downtown Vista is really starting to be the walking mecca of North County — with the new roundabout and walking paths.
We went on a Saturday night after seeing a movie and the place was somewhat crowded, but after only a short 15 minute wait we were seated. The vibe was laid back and the ambiance was eclectic — although with the crowd was a bit noisy to try to hear the conversation just across the table.
The food was pretty good, I had the fish but it was a little dry and under seasoned. He had the steak and it was very flavorful! Will definitely be back again, but will skip the fish.

Not realizing that Vista down town is becoming beer-​lover haven and the happening place in North county, we stumbled here after two attempts to find an establishment to eat without having to wait 45 minutes on a Friday night. URBN is a 60 minute wait just for a pizza, not seats, pizza! Belching Beaver Tavern was 45 minutes to dine in (not beer garden).
Eclectic decorations everywhere. The host greeted us quickly and suggested that we head to the bar seating. The area also allows people to order from the dining menu, so we sat ourselves down. We quickly ordered their house special pasta: duroc pork ragu with spaghetti ($ 16.5) and a CAB burger (certified angus beef). We saw a lot of people ordering their truffle fries and come in a large portion for a really good price. They also have about 30 beers on tap, so we ordered a raspberry wheat (refreshing!!) and stone’s double IPA. I was told that they have a limited liquor license so they are only allowed to serve cocktails with soju in it other than beer. Not sure if they will have a full license eventually, but just beers alone was plenty of selection.
Our food arrived and boy my plate of pasta was a good hefty size. I probably would get half as much from Cucina Urbana’s pasta dish that costs more than this one. Granted, their pasta here isn’t made in-​house, but still a great deal and more than filling portion. [[EDIT: I was informed that the pasta was made in-​house, my mistake! Though it tasted unusually different for being fresh]] The spaghetti was cooked just slightly underdone, and needs maybe 1 more minute of cooking. The pork ragu was just omg-​hit-​the-​spot!!! It’s super flavorful and seasoned just perfectly, not too much fatty pieces and the pork was very tender. I was very impressed by their ragu. The toasts it came with were grilled and there was plenty of ragu to eat with them!
The burger was also very delicious, juicy, and cooked to medium rare as it was ordered! The fries was seasoned with vinegar and salt, and so so so crispy.
We were super satisfied with our meals, and no complains about their service. They were friendly and helpful. Will definitely return in the future and try out some other dishes!

This place has a cool atmosphere and is right down the street from my house so I was really hoping for great things and a new potential go-​to spot, but this place doesn’t deliver.
My biggest complaint is the food menu. It’s fairly small, high priced (for what you get), and they are trying waaaaay too hard to be creative with the food.
We went there for dinner one night and ended up leaving without placing an order because we couldn’t find a single thing that even looked good to eat. In an effort to give this place a second try we noticed the Brunch banner outside one weekend and gave it a go. Another disappointment. The menu is just lousey and expensive. I’m sure the chef is talented, but its like adding a tail and eye lashes to a car and wondering why people are interested in buying it. You may love it that way, but the general population just wants something a little easier on the eyes.

Let me start by saying the place is cute and funky. The servers were friendly but the food was not good. There were 4 of us and the food ranged from mediocre to awful. I had étouffée on grits. The shrimp although battered and fried were ok but the mussels tasted bad so I couldn’t eat them. Two in our party had the shank which they said was ok. Another had the halibut special eating only half. Maybe a great spot for drinking and appetizers but not for dinner. Very disappointed. I expect places with 4 stars to have good food. This place did not.

This is an awesome place with even better food!!! My service was amazing and I absolutely love how they can twist ingredient to make my mouth water. Love coming we will be next tine we go out.
Thank you Gabriel for you fine service

Updated review… Still 5 fabulous stars! Mothers Day brunch was awesome. Glad to see Roddy again, glad the place was jumping! Had the new sashimi appetizer. Omg so fresh and delicious! We’ve been coming to the Oceanside Pig ever since they opened and to this one on the day it opened and then some! Still frequent both with never a bad meal! Well done Pig! You’re our favorite!
2÷4÷16 Celebrating 2 years post stroke. Celebrated last year in Oside Pig. Delicious as usual. Loved the new mussel recipe! Great octopus salad. Michelle shined as our server. Would have been stellar if the pecan pie was served warm not cold.

My wife and I pulled up here last night and saw a huge crowd congregating around the front door — we thought, yep typical wait for a Friday night gastropub… And we were right, 45 minutes. What do we do? Head over to the Peppertree joint next door for a shake, which I also checked into. Review for that coming soon ( Unilocaler double header!!).
Anyways, this joint has a bit of a retro flair with some shabby chic décor. Bright red walls and chandeliers decorate the place. They have a great selection of craft beers from both local and remote breweries. I ordered an Irish red from Oceanside. Accompanied that with the Bacon Mac & cheese and the pork Burger. Mac & cheese was okay, but the pork Burger was definitely something new — good flavor and came with some delicious truffle fries.
I’d say that the food and service was worth the wait and I’d like to come back to sample more of their beer offerings and their flatbread dish!

Felt like trying a new place I’d never been and while searching Unilocal found this restaurant with a super cool name and great reviews so I came.
I was dining alone so arrived at 645pm on a Friday hoping I could get a spot at the bar anticipating a crowd. I was right. This place was packed and got more full as I sat. The space is nice and open with indoor and patio seating in a seamless experience. Bar straddles indoor and outdoor. Staff was super friendly at door and at bar.
The menu gave me plenty of options. Others at the bar were having mussels which looked fantastic (guests vouched for them as well). I thought I’m at the pig do I’ll pick one of their signature pig dishes — Duroc pork chop.
Bartender convinced me to add the egg on top. So I did. My dish arrived and I saw this beautiful egg on top of a double cut chop. It’s served with creamy polenta, sherry braised castelvetrano olives, shallot, garlic, chili & petite mustard greens. Does it taste as good as it sounds? Absolutely! Great sear, flavor, and temperature. Polenta was super creamy. They use it with several of their menu items. Clearly a winner comfort food.
I loved everything about this place except that I had to wait 45 min for my chop. Maybe it takes longer to cook slow as it was really juicy but would have been nice to know that up front. Or maybe it was just that the kitchen was backed up due to the crowd. Either way just know it might take awhile but it was worth the wait. The person next to me ordered a burger to go and got it in about 30 min so that’s more average I think.
Neighborhood seems very trendy for Vista. This is a new up and coming area with new construction apartments or condos and several restaurants in a few block radius. The pig has its own pretty large parking lot so that’s a plus as there’s not much in street parking.

Love the Flying Pig. We are close to the one in Oside so that’s our normal location, we were having double date night with friends that live in Esco so we chose Vista as the middle ground.
Parking can be a challenge.
We were on a 35 min wait for a table, Friday night 7pm. Not bad. It’s much larger than the Oceanside location. Menu is also a bit different than that one.
Found seats at the bar with some luck, while we waited. Bar was overrun, service was not that fast. But I am not taking stars away for that. They can’t help how busy it was. And they had ample staff. I think because they offer craft cocktails as well as beer/​wine, it takes longer. All that grating lime peels, crushing ginger, etc since everyone has to have a special drink these days. The prosecco my friend had came in a huge goblet. But it was flat. The chick that seemed to be the wine connoisseur exchanged it for her and opened a new bottle. My friend still didn’t like it but didn’t say anything else.
We got our table in the promised time range. Got the Truffle Fries and the Fritters. Fries were salty for my taste, and I am a salt whore. But that’s ok. I wasn’t there to be healthy.
I got the short rib, it was delicious as expected. FP knows how to cook up an animal. Tasted the others… NY Strip, Mac N Cheese, both delicious. I was not able to taste the Pork Burger… my bf let our friends have a quarter of it then scarfed it down before I could steal a bite. I’ve had it before though. Very good.
Server didn’t know much about the wine list… when I asked for a glass of Sangiovese she look at me like I had 2 heads, and then showed me a food menu and asked me to point it out… I told her it’s not an appetizer, it’s wine. Oh, ok… then 5 min later comes back with a wine list and again asks me to point it out. LOL. Anyways, service was attentive enough, food was good, ambiance was fun, we will surely go back.

Great surprise in Vista
Rare to find a eatery in Vista with a varied and developed menu. While some dishes were not the best I’ve tasted, the service, atmosphere were well worth the visit. You’ll find them eager to please and the Mac-​n-​cheese was a surprise. Finish with the apple spice cake and you’ll not leave dissatisfied.

The husband and I decided to give the Flying Pig a try again. We had been to the Oceanside location on a couple of occasions, which was all the rave when it opened! I never really «got it» though! Where I must give them credit, is for taking a chance and forging the way for the plethora of restaurants that came after them in Oceanside! They were definitely ahead of their time on the gastropub scene that has followed the North County craft beer movement!
The new location in Vista is more sightly than the former business that occupied the premises (As I recall, it was a converted bank). This area is part of the newer Vista re-​development district, which is really beginning to take form. Luckily, this site is now a rustic haven for foodies to delight in various forms of meats, cheeses, flatbreads and salads and let’s not forget the brews! There is wine too!
The menu size if good… not too many choices and not too few! However, nothing jumps out as unique or «I really have to try this»! This is something that really disappoints me in regard to the gastropubs locally. I believe you have to create something unique, something you are known for… the funky album cover menus are only going to be novel the first time and pricey pub food will fail in the hands of poor service and preparation.
I am a loyal customer to many restaurants and I like to try new things too. With this in mind, I want a place that creates desire… a place you want to come back to for more! The Flying Pig just doesn’t do that for me!
Here are the areas that have more to be desired:
1. Service — the service is super slow. This has been our experience at both locations. Never have we had above mediocre service. I really feel the staff need to be trained better to make the customer experience a priority!
2. Food — the food has come out cold, this may be more of an issue with service than with preparation itself. On our last trip I ordered a flatbread and it was really dried out. It was like eating rubber.
3. Parking — the parking at the Vista location is limited. Be aware of this prior to visiting. They open in the early evening and to get parking you will need to arrive early.
I really want to love the place due to it’s location, concept and lovely patio! However, proximity, décor, and ambiance will only go so far.
What I seek is well prepared food, solid service… and I would like to add not waiting for 30 minutes for beverages of any kind to arrive at the table!
My favorite part of our visit was the novel golden spoon that was brought out with our Mason Jar dessert. At least our evening ended well.
#IWantToLoveIt
#TheGoldenSpoon
#TheMasonJar

I’ve been here a few times. I’ve been here on a weekday and weekend night. On the weekend the wait wasn’t that long and we had a larger group. They have an outside bar that you can order a drink at as you wait for your table. Being that the restaurant is still new you can tell that they are still working out some kinks. They have an amazing ambience and I like how they have decorated the restaurant.
Once we sat down The server came over right away and took our drink order. It took some time for drinks to arrive and instead of coming together they came a little staggered.
Make sure to always ask them what their daily specials are as they change every day. So far I have tried the bacon mac & cheese, the pork belly burger and the try tip steak. The bacon mac & cheese was OK but a little too bland for my taste. The pork belly burger was very very tasty and I ordered it with their truffle fries. I really liked the garlic aioli that came with the fries. The tri-​tip steak was very tasty and tender. It almost melts in your mouth as you eat it. I got it with the smoked mashed potatoes which were pretty good.
Overall this is going to be an amazing restaurant where it’s located and help change downtown Vista. As a work out the kinks they will just continue to get more and more efficient and continue to crank out top-​notch food.

The Flying Pig in Vista is likely one of the nicer restaurants in the area. This little oddly located restaurant is actually a great dining spot and a wonderful place to get your craft brew fix. The menu is quite substantial and tasty, have eaten the burger, mussels and poutine fries. All of the items were absolutely delicious and large in portion. They really have an eclectic beer selection with a lot of hard to find drafts that make this place a pseudo hidden gem. Pair the food, beverage and service with a natural indoor/​outdoor ambiance and you have yourself a fantastic eatery in Vista. Highly recommended.
Pros–
Ambiance
Pet friendly outdoor seating
Menu
Beer selection
Friendly staff
New and modern architecture
Cons–
Location
Parking