Union Kitchen & Tap Encinitas on South Coast Highway 101 has served New American cuisine from its reclaimed-wood-and-modern-furnishings dining room since May 2011, anchoring the southern end of Old Encinitas's restaurant corridor near the J Street intersection. Three separate dining areas, a main bar, and an outdoor patio with fire pit seat the crowd, pairing local craft beers and boutique wines with a menu of skillet cornbread, rockfish and chips, and honeycomb olive oil cake — a gastropub range that complements the artisan pizza focus at Blue Ribbon Artisan Pizzeria across the corridor. San Diego County's Department of Environmental Health assigns the kitchen a 95 out of 100 inspection score. Weekend brunch reservations are recommended, and the late-night kitchen runs until closing on Fridays and Saturdays, extending Coast Highway 101's dining window past the earlier last-call at Plumeria Vegetarian Encinitas nearby. The cocktail program builds around seasonal ingredients and house-infused spirits, served on a rotating menu alongside a cellar wine list featured at reduced pours during weekday specials.