Wonderful little cafe, nice selection of traditional dishes. Did NOT disappoint!! Must try, you will love it!!

I need to stop in again, but had to at least try the Lumpia and dipping sauce which was excellent. Will definitely sit down next time instead of take-out to try more menu items. Service was very prompt and friendly.

The food was amazing! The service was not so great. The sisig was really good and the Halo-Halo was to die for! Highly recommend!

Rating: 4.5/5 CARiN de RiA is a gem of a Filipino eatery in the middle of the Encinitas strip. My wife and I had the pleasure of visiting twice, and the food quality has been consistently great, with standout dishes like the chicken tinola soup and desserts that left us excited to return. On our first visit, we were greeted by the owner, Archie, whose warmth and attentiveness elevated the experience. He took the time to listen to us and even went out of his way to ensure we were taken care of, like offering to warm our calamansi juice without hesitation. It's clear Archie cares deeply about his customers and their experience, which makes the place feel even more special. The ambiance is also worth mentioning. The space has a warm, tavern-like feel, which adds to the cozy, welcoming atmosphere. While they don't have a liquor license, they serve Filipino beers, making it a great spot to relax and enjoy a meal with a cold drink. The food highlights: * Chicken Tinola Soup: Full of flavor, with big pieces of sayote squash--just like how it's made at home. Generous portions, perfect for sharing. * Calamansi Juice: Potent and refreshing, a rare find for us since moving out on our own. * Flan: Thick and creamy, melting in your mouth. * Mango Float: A dessert masterpiece, with layers of mango ice cream, graham crackers, and vanilla ice cream. My wife's favorite! On our second visit, the experience was slightly less engaging. The server was functional but not as personable. At one point, I tried to mention our conversation with Archie the day before, but it felt like she didn't hear me--or possibly ignored me. She also hesitated when we asked to warm the calamansi juice, saying it would need to be microwaved. While there were other customers in the restaurant, which may have made it overwhelming, the service felt a bit rushed and impersonal compared to the previous visit. We also tried the tapa off the Not So Secret Menu during our second visit. While the cut of beef was good and the price reasonable at $22, it didn't quite meet our expectations. We noticed the chef was on his break when it was prepared and heard the server say, "I got it," which makes us think she may have cooked it. While we can't be sure, this could explain why it tasted a bit different than expected. Despite this, we plan to return. CARiN de RiA is a great Filipino eatery, and I'm confident that with a better experience in the future, I'd happily change this review to a 5. It's a place worth supporting, especially with Archie at the helm.

The friend brought me here because it is close to her work and she wanted Filipino food. I've had Filipino food before, but this was my first time here so I didn't know what to expect. We order a set and got to try a lot of different dishes. My favorite was the Caldereta! The beef was literally so tender and melted in my mouth. We got garlic rice and that was also really good. The staff was really nice and I really liked the interior design of the restaurant. It was pretty and definitely a nice date place or good place to hangout with friends. Will come again and recommend :)

The best Filipino food in Socal! So happy we get to try this on our way to San Diego and we went here again to eat on our way back. The oxtail karekare is so good, dinuguan- so good, the ice cream?! The best!

Came here cuz my friends came the week before. Service was friendly. We wanted to try a little bit of everything. What we ordered Calamansi Juice - good. Not too sour Lumpia - nice, hot and crunchy Pancit - a little more wet than I'm used to Bistek Tagalog - so good Salmon Sisig - wish there was more salmon and less bell pepper and onions, but did like that the veggies were cooked down Halo halo - is a must have. Yummy Filipino Chicken Curry - I liked it. Had I little kick to it I do wish the portions were a little bigger. We would come back to try other things

Soon after our hike at Annie's Canyon Trail in Cardiff, we were surprised to see a stand-alone Filipino-American cuisine restaurant nearby in Encinitas called Carin De Ria. At first, the name of the restaurant did not register with me and I thought it might be a case of morpheme segmentation. But as I read it repeatedly, it clicked, and I realized it actually read as "carinderia," which is a popular term for a Filipino restaurant that serves simple, affordable and locally inspired home-cooked food. We thought that this place took a bold stance by situating its restaurant away from the demographic norm, but we were not surprised to see people welcoming and enjoying the food, as the cuisine is quite appetizing. We were impressed with the presentation of the food we ordered; everything came in style and was colorful. The appearance was one thing, but we were fully satisfied with the taste as well. Everything we ordered was delicious. We tried to order all the Filipino signature dishes like kare-kare (beef curry), afritada (beef stew in tomato sauce), pansit, pork ginataan (meat in spicy coconut milk), BBQ chicken on a stick and lumpias, all of which did not disappoint our palates. Highly recommended and we will definitely stop by again in the future.