Mission Ave Bar and Grill

A block from the Oceanside pier, Mission Avenue Bar and Grill has run this stretch of downtown since 2014, sending out duck confit and a Philly-style cheesesteak with short rib and melted cheddar from a kitchen that splits the difference between elevated plates and pub grub. Wagyu steak and a lobster grilled cheese sit on the same menu as fried chicken and cornbread, alongside a decently stocked wine list and drafts of local beer, cider and mead. More than 200 whiskeys line the shelves behind an infinity bottle that blends the last ounces poured from finished bottles. On a busy Saturday night an acoustic guitarist plays the patio while a mixed-age crowd fills the tables and the bar three deep.