A new Southern European bistro and wine bar opens in Oceanside on Thursday, October 17. Located on the ground floor of the Flats at 1931 S. Coast Highway, Merenda is a warm and cozy restaurant, bar, and wine shop with a Mediterranean-leaning menu.
The name, Merenda, is inspired by the Italian word for “snacks”, made for a casual gathering using simple ingredients. Its rotating offerings will revolve around sharing, showcasing plates of house-cured charcuterie and hard-to-find cheeses, crudos, Nicoise salad, mushroom caneles, and lo scalda nduja, a spicy Calabrian sausage spread served in custom-made ceramic in the shape of a whimsical dog. A lit tea candle sits underneath to warm the dish so the rich paste can be easily spread on crusty bread. Chef advisor Travis Hayden, an alum of Rustic Canyon in Santa Monica, designed the opening menu.
Beverage director Heidi Greenwood (Cucina Urbana, Herb & Wood) brings her expertise to the wine list, focusing on low-intervention and sustainable wines with selections from Italy, France, Portugal, and California’s Central Coast. Displayed on shelves near the restaurant’s entryway, the bottles will also be available for retail. Four wines will be on tap at the bar, along with cider and mead from San Marcos-based Raging Cider.
The restaurant occupies 1,872 square feet with 63 seats inside and eight seats outside. Flexible seating allows for large parties, including a more private wine room separate from the main restaurant floor. Its bar has 11 seats, and residents in the 18 new apartments above the restaurant will be able to make reservations at the bar as a benefit. La Merenda will launch by offering Thursday to Sunday dinner service, adding lunch hours starting next month when they’ll also begin to stock select grab-and-go foods from their menu.
Seasoned design firm Bells & Whistles (Jeune et Jolie, Campfire) helped bring the chic space to life; special details include a Portuguese tile mural made by a Montreal artist depicting a neighborhood gathering of friends that hangs above the kitchen and custom metalwork by a cider master from Raging Cider in the brick bar area.
Co-owner Aaron Crossland grew up in Oceanside, frequenting the surf shop located two doors down from Merenda, and his wife, Lauren Crossland-Marr, is a food anthropologist. Inspired to bring the concept of “merenda” back home after spending a sabbatical in Italy, they also used a chapter from their favorite cookbook, Honey From a Weed, as a guide for the bistro’s design and artwork.
“We wanted to open a place where we can drink the wines we like and have the food we want to eat,” Aaron Crossland tells Eater.
Merenda Menu
Merenda, 1931 South Coast Highway, Oceanside. 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday to Sunday.
1931 S Coast Hwy, Oceanside, CA 92054