For Oaxacan-influenced Mexican cuisine in Encinitas, Cocina De Barrio on South Coast Highway 101 in Old Encinitas operates four locations across San Diego including Hillcrest, Point Loma, and North Park. The bar stocks a rotating selection of small-batch mezcals and tequilas alongside wines sourced directly from Valle de Guadalupe, a curated spirits program with more depth than most 101 corridor restaurants outside the dedicated wine focus at The 3rd Corner Wine Shop & Bistro. Tableside-prepared guacamole showcases the kitchen's emphasis on visible preparation, and the mole program draws from traditional Oaxacan recipes using dried chiles, chocolate, and spice blends processed in-house. The Encinitas outpost layers a brunch service with chilaquiles and Mexican-spiced cafe de olla onto the standard dinner menu, broadening the concept beyond the single-service Italian trattorias also occupying the South Coast Highway dining corridor such as Firenze Trattoria. The most technique-intensive menu category is the mole program, built from dried-chile and chocolate bases following traditional Oaxacan layering methods that require multi-day preparation of charred, toasted, and stone-ground ingredients.