COMMUNITY • Oside Flavor 2021

Community

THE OSIDER NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

Chef Willy of Naegi, Best Flavor Award winner.

A TASTE OF OCEANSIDE’S FINEST

WORDS: SHELBY ROWE PHOTOS: ZACH CORDNER

There’s no debate over the top-notch eateries in Oceanside. We’re lucky to be surrounded by such talented artists that make absolute magic in the kitchen, and behind the bar. If you’ve ever wished you could try them all—then you’re not alone!

Oside Flavor, an annual event hosted by The Osider and PierClub, gave North County that exact opportunity. On September 15th, Oside Flavor kicked off its third annual event at Goat Hill Park with an impressive lineup of new and old flavors, live music, art, and a silent auction.

With a stacked list of vendors, Oside Flavor gave locals an opportunity to sample the finest restaurants, bakeries, and breweries all in one place. It was a night full of epic food and drinks, but also community. Taking place on the Wednesday after Labor Day, it was the perfect way to kick off the beginning of “local’s summer” together.

With the tourists almost fully out of town, the night gave our community—who debatably works harder in the summer months than any other time during the year—a chance to slow down, celebrate each other’s accomplishments, and taste the best of what Oceanside has to offer.

As you already know, all of us in Oceanside like to have a good time. So, needless to say, the vibes were running high all night.

From the late afternoon and well into the evening, the mingling, eating and drinking were in full swing. Drinks were flowing between Local Roots, Seaborn Cocktails, Northern Pine Brewery, and Spicy Mike’s Michi Mix and Dip—just to name a few.

And the food? Undeniably, the main attraction. Of course, the restaurants around town that you know and love served up nothing but the best for the main event.

Beach Break Cafe gave us a taste of their oh-so-beloved and delicious coffee cake. LTH

served their smackin’ tuna ceviche and mango margaritas. Privateer came through with some seriously scrumptious pork nachos. Emerald Isle served their famous BTL tacos and Craft Coast threw down their mouth-watering tacos al pastor and tacos de birria.

Alongside these veterans, some new restaurants entered the scene: Shootz Fish x Beer served up the finest furikake rice with smokey yellowfin aguachile—earning some fish-loving fans before their grand opening scheduled for the beginning of November.

Naegi was a crowd favorite with Chef Willy taking home the Best Flavor Award and $500 for his crackin’ fried chicken sandwich. If you were there and got to taste it, then consider yourself lucky. The pop up is now closed, leaving us waiting and wanting for more. But, the word’s out that the team has something else in the works. It’s safe to say we’re all ready for their next move.

Like any party, the vibes turned up a notch after sunset. With string lights above and those dancing shoes below, Obed Padilla carried us into the night with his sweet and funky sounds. Killing it is an understatement—Obed put on an impressive show, closing out a night for the books.

While not explicitly written, Oside Flavor is an event by locals, for locals. Everything we have in our community is a direct reflection of the people who are bold enough to go after their dreams— whether it’s a restaurant, a local distillery, or an up-and-coming artist. Coming together to celebrate each other is what Oside Flavor is all about.

A huge THANK YOU goes out to all the vendors that participated and everyone who attended. We’ll see you again next year!