Restaurants in Vista

At Al's Cafe in the Village, diners get their french toast Hawaiian-style and covered in Cap'n Crunch. Simple twists to classic comfort food like this keep diners on their toes as chefs cook up a menu of Hawaiian-inspired and traditional American eats. Breakfast platters come steaming from the kitchen all day, from five types of eggs benedict with ingredients including house-smoked salmon, to 12 different types of omelets. Afternoon meals include Angus burgers crowned with green chilis, traditional Hawaiian loco moco with hamburger patties on rice, or any of the lengthy menu's 13 sandwiches, including one layered with Carolina turkey breast, fresh pineapple spears, and center-cut bacon. The eatery is eminently kid-friendly, but grownups will be pleased with Al’s selection of beer, wine, and champagne served in glass sippy cups.

Sport Sushi showcases seafood and rice in myriad combinations under the glow of six mounted flat-screen TVs that broadcast sports games. Spicy yellowtail hand rolls, stacks of nigiri, and salmon rolls fill the menu, which also boasts specialties including tiradito, a dish that pairs thinly sliced raw fish with spicy citric olive oil, and cabo tataki sashimi, seared tuna with spicy garlic and cilantro ponzu sauce. Parties can settle down at tables or perch themselves at the sushi bar where they can watch the chef’s agile hands through glass panels or simply stare lovingly at their own reflections.

At Cicciotti’s Trattoria Italiana & Seafood, chef and author Gaetano Cicciotti and his staff of kitchen craftsmen wood-fire pizza crusts and sauté fresh seafood using original recipes. Like Pac-Man’s Italian relatives, diners chomp their way through morsels of tender pasta mixed with mouthwatering ingredients such as creamy tiger shrimp, homemade meatballs, sun-dried tomatoes, and a creamy gorgonzola pesto sauce. Noodle-free fare includes chicken, veal, and seafood, which arrives shrouded in white-wine sauce or cloaked in mozzarella cheese and marinara sauce. In addition, an extensive wine list helps patrons match their meal with a vintage vino for a duo of flavors that’s more dynamic than a Bruce Willis and Mr. Peanut buddy-cop flick.