Home is where the heart is, making it a dangerous place to use sharp kitchen knives. Obtain stomach stuffing safely with today's Groupon: for $7, you get $15 worth of fresh café fare and more at Roxy Restaurant & Ice Cream in Encinitas.
Slinging delectable dishes for more than three decades, Roxy Restaurant is a survived artifact of the flower-power era that continues to blossom with fresh ingredients and Middle Eastern flavors. Steal whiffs from a cup of awesomely aromatic Jamaican coffee topped with cinnamon before practicing palate-Pilates with an order of mushrooms sautéed in garlic butter and burgundy wine. The chicken quesadillas mute howling hunger pains with melted cheese, onions, and hot green chilies ($6.95), and the squash enchilada casserole entices dolphin-like squeals out of joyous diners and highly evolved jellyfish with bites of butternut squash, fresh corn, and low-fat cream cheese ($14.95). Piping-hot tongues can lap splashes of the melon ball cocktail, sporting a spirited blend of vodka, Minidori, and Triple Sec, and garnished with a slice of lime and a cherry. Glowing neon signs, adobe floor tiles, and paintings by local artists enhance Roxy's eye-inspiring atmosphere to complement a night of artful eating.
Reviews
Yelpers give Roxy Restaurant & Ice Cream an average of four stars. Four Insider Pagers give it an average of four stars.
- Roxy has the most awesome veggie food! I love their salads and nachos. The restaurant has a nice atmosphere and the staff is really friendly. – Jennifer H., Yelp, 8/26/10
- Roxy is the cutest little restaurant. They have a sort of diner atmosphere, with local homemade ice cream and things like burgers. But they also serve some mediterranean dishes and a wide variety of unique vegetarian offerings. – Natalie Barringer, Insider Pages
Roxy Restaurant
Every year at the San Diego County Fair, Roxy Restaurant doles out roughly 7,000 of its falafel burgers. These award-winning creations feature a falafel patty with melted cheese, tomatoes, and sprouts. The strange part is: the falafel burger might not even be Roxy's most popular item. That distinction probably goes to the artichoker, a sandwich that, much like the healthiest wedding cakes, is stacked with marinated artichoke hearts, black olives, and sunflower seeds. Chicken enchilada and grilled fish sate meat eaters, but it's the creative, vegetarian-friendly dishes such as these have helped keep Roxy a go-to spot in Encinitas since 1978, when brothers Shoja and Shahram Naimi opened it as an ice cream shop. The brothers have continually built upon that modest foundation over the years, but they have never strayed from their dedication to fresh ingredients and made-from-scratch, preservative-free cooking.