Besides running two locations of Shoots—one in Oceanside, one in Carlsbad—the founders of the local seafood joint and bottle shop all work other full-time gigs. Retired professional surfer Cheyne Magnusson builds wave pools all over the country. Chris Slowey is CEO and principal designer of CLTVT, the local design and architecture firm behind builds like The LaFayette Hotel in North Park, Tremont Collective in Oceanside, and Kingfisher in Golden Hill. Davin Waite is the founder and chef of Wrench & Rodent Seabasstropub and The Plot. Craig DeMarco founded Upward Projects, the hospitality group behind concepts like Postino WineCafé and Joyride Taco House in Phoenix, Arizona.
But when something hits hard enough to keep coming back again and again, it’s gotta be something special. And to these partners, Shoots is their something special. That’s why they’re opening Shoots #3 in Leucadia, hopefully by fall or winter of next year.
The first opened inside Bottlecraft at the Tremont Collective in late 2021, where they launched the original menu of poke bowls and tacos made with locally caught seafood. Carlsbad came next in 2023 as the first independent location with its own craft beer program and signature house beer. They’d been eyeing different coastal locations for the third space, and the 1,300-square-foot indoor space with a 400-square-foot outdoor patio in Leucadia checked all the boxes.
“The plan is to do a total of four or five,” says Slowey, so Leucadia won’t be the last of Shoots’ eventual expansion. (Possibilities range anywhere from San Clemente to Ocean Beach, he says.) Shoots Leucadia will offer the same menu approach as the first two: three standard tacos, three standard poke bowls, and its own version of “Daily Grinds,” daily specials unique to each location. It’ll also include a small bottle shop and 20 craft beer taps, including their house Japanese Lager.
Courtesy of Shoots Fish & Beer
But while they’re still presenting beer as a cornerstone of the business, Slowey says they’re dropping the second half of the former name to simplify the concept. Gone is Shoots Fish & Beer. Moving forward, it’s simply Shoots.
With at least a year of construction ahead of them, Slowey says it’s a little early to be talking about their plans in too much detail. “We don’t want to have the sign that says ‘Coming Soon’ for a year,” he says. Plus, the city of Encinitas isn’t exactly known for rushing permits to build new restaurants (just ask the dudes at Chick & Hawk).
So while we wait, what Slowey and the rest of the Shoots gang wants you to know is this: their approach to integrating into coastal communities, hosting surf and skate events, and bringing a lively energy alongside local seafood made simply but intentionally will remain at the heart of their mission. “We just want to keep consistent with what we’ve created already,” he promises. “We’re super excited about it.”
Shoots Leucadia opens late 2027 at 914 N. Coast Hwy 101.
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Beth Demmon is an award-winning writer and podcaster whose work regularly appears in national outlets and San Diego Magazine. Her first book, The Beer Lover's Guide to Cider, is now available. Find out more on bethdemmon.com.
