The Rooftop Bar

Beautiful and fun vibe at The Rooftop Bar in Oceanside. We had eaten at another establishment and stopped here for a nightcap. Went up the elevator and when we proceed to the bar, quite a line waiting to be seated. Luckily we were with a local and we completely bypassed all of this and went up the ADA ramp and walked right it. We went to the bar area, quickly found a seat. We ordered drinks at the bar and, sadly, did not order food. People next to us had ordered food and we kept looking over our shoulder at the beautiful plates wishing we hadn't just eaten. Delicious drinks and really nice place to take in Oceanside's beachside nightlife. No ratings here on food or service since we didn't partake.

Beautiful ocean view and huge potential, but consistently terrible service and poor execution. We stayed at the hotel and planned to come here often during our staycation. That plan ended quickly. Day 1: Cocktails were genuinely bad. Beer was fine. Sandwich was decent. We were quietly watching the sunset, snacking, drinking in silence. A waitress suddenly appeared behind us and loudly told me I was not allowed to smoke there. I do not smoke. I was confused and showed her the half-eaten chips in my hand and on the plate. Instead of apologizing, she doubled down, saying she “smelled cigarettes,” then claimed she saw something “cylindrical.” There was nothing on the table, nothing in my hands, nothing anywhere. Only after all that did she offer a half-hearted apology and walk away. The interruption was accusatory, loud, and completely unnecessary. It killed the mood and made us leave early. No attempt was made to fix the situation or acknowledge how uncomfortable it was. Day 2: I was refused alcohol because I did not have my passport with me (though I had two foreign gov't issues IDs including an international drivers license), which is fine, but apparently I aged backwards overnight. I ordered a freshly squeezed grapefruit juice instead. When I asked for something fresh first, the waitress told me they had Dole pineapple juice, which already says a lot. The grapefruit juice arrived warm, with no ice and no straw (I had to ask and wait for one). My husband ordered a dirty martini. It was one of the worst he’s had with cheap and stall green olives and low quality vodka in it. The “marinated Castelvetrano olives” on the menu tasted like basic grocery-store jar olives with some weird herbs on it. Questionable at best. We asked for the check early and left with everything we ordered still on the table. No one asked how things were or why we were leaving. This place lives off the view, but atmosphere, service, and drinks matter. Right now, the staff actively ruins what could be a great rooftop bar. Wasted potential.

The food was top tier and the service was great - unobtrusive and anticipative which is what I’m always looking for. I would DEFINITELY order the artichoke, amazing dish, and the chicken sandwich is really great as well. I like that they used chicken thigh instead of breast for the sandwich, gave it a way juicier flavor. The Brussels sprouts also have this incredible flavor with Mediterranean nut mix on top. The food quality paired with the view is unmatched.