Where the Surf Meets the Turf (Flavor Del Mar)

I met up with some girlfriends for happy hour at Flavor Del Mar (4-7pm everyday and all day Sunday and Monday), and while we had a fun time catching up and laughing, I'm glad to report the food and drinks were also awesome. 

This restaurant is located on the top floor of the Del Mar Plaza and has some great views of the ocean (though the happy hour was limited to the bar and lounge area, so I didn't get to enjoy the sights). I was slightly worried about the parking situation, as it can get a little hairy trying to find a spot on the street (especially during summertime), but I was pleasantly surprised to find the restaurant would validate parking in the garage beneath it.  

Some places have limited happy hour menus, but Flavor Del Mar has quite the selection, for both cocktails and food. In addition to a Karl Strauss summer draft for $3, they have 6 different cocktails for a solid $6. I started off with my go to libation, a sangria. Even though there wasn't any fruit in it, minus the obligatory maraschino and orange slice off the glass, the sparkling acai sangria was still good and had just the right amount of booziness for me.

We also ordered the pickled fingerling potatoes ($6), which were SO good. We definitely went through the small pot of creme fraiche before the potatoes were gone. If you enjoy salt and vinegar chips, this is like a grown up version of the snack.

After we polished off these potatoes, we ordered some more, in the form of duck fat fries. These were just as good, and there was enough to feed 4 girls with some serious appetites. Did I mention these guys were only THREE DOLLARS? Man I love happy hours.

I also ordered a spiced tai, which has bacardi spiced rum, lime, disaronno and orange liqueur. This was definitely on the stronger side, obviously, and after getting through half of it, I decided I wanted to order a dish basically to myself (why none of the girls wanted any, I have no idea), the spicy crispy shrimp ($8). They had a light tempura batter and the yuzu vinaigrette help cut through the smokiness of the chipotle sauce. This was my favorite of the night (maybe due to the alcohol).

We also had edamame ($2), which were perfectly good, but I forgot to snap a picture of them. But we all know what edamame looks like, so no biggie, right? 

I try to vary the places that I go to because I like trying new restaurants, but I can't wait to get back to Flavor Del Mar for happy hour. Stiff drinks and quality food for such a sweet price, gotta love it.


Flavor Del Mar 
1555 Camino Del Mar
Del Mar, CA 92014
(858) 755-3663