It was 2022 when a food-and-beer concept headed by a trio of diverse individuals sharing a love of fresh sea fare and craft beer debuted as a small takeaway counter in a venue within a venue in Oceanside. That operation was Shoots Fish & Beer (previously doing business as “Shootz”), which despite its diminutive presence inside the Bottlecraft bar and bottle-shop within the Tremont Collective, quickly gained an impressive following behind a menu of poke bowls, innovative seafood specials and locally brewed beers.
Shoots’ culinary side is headed by esteemed local chef and restaurateur, Davin Waite of Wrench & Rodent fame, and pro-surfer-slash-poke-enthusiast Cheyne Magnusson, while the beers—which are available on draft and in cans beyond the company’s homebase—are the responsibility of Chris Slowey. A popular figure within the local beer scene, Slowey is CEO of CLTVT, a local design-build firm that has worked on dozens of local brewery projects. In doing so, he’s made connections with brewers at AleSmith Brewing and Embolden Beer Co. who have gone on to develop and contract-brew Shoots’ beers. It’s a less orthodox model, but one that has proven successful enough that Shoots is expanding.
Last October, ownership announced that they were in the planning stages for a second location in Carlsbad’s Village area. Like its predecessor, the new space is part of a collective on Roosevelt Street called The Cottages, where it will share an outdoor dining patio with Waite’s new plant-based eatery, The Plot, Revolution Roasters and Stella Jean’s Ice Cream. As the entity spearheading the project, Shoots’ owners personally reached out to the coffee shop and creamery operation, as well as non-culinary tenant, Pack Ratt Records, asking them to join them at The Cottages.
“Carlsbad Village is experiencing a resurgence with the arrival of creative culinary concepts, and we wanted to bring a little O-side style and grit along with some other legit businesses from around the county,” says Slowey. “We invited Stella Jean’s up from San Diego because we love their ice cream and there is just nothing like it here in North County. It was the same with Pack Ratt. We think it’s important to help keep the vintage record, skate and surf-shop vibe alive in a historical beach town like Carlsbad.”
In Carlsbad, Shoots will have its own 890-square-foot space—a “cottage”—allowing the company to further define and expand on its surf-and-sea-inspired motif while offering a broader food menu. That bill of fare will be split, with a permanent roster of offerings (click here to preview that portion of the menu) offset by creative daily specials. The finishing touches are being applied over the weekend, and the public will get its first look at Shoots’ new location when it soft-opens on Monday, August 21.
The venue’s 20 taps feature Shoots’ core offerings (a light lager, blonde ale, West Coast IPA and double IPA), collaborations with other craft operations, plus guest ales and lagers from other breweries. Hard seltzers and kombuchas as well as agave-based ready-to-drink cocktails will also be on tap. That, plus the variety of food and drink available from Shoots’ neighbors, makes for a something-for-everyone situation Slowey and company set out to provide.
The Cottages is a lessons-learned type of development. We love the aesthetic and communal vibe that collectives like Tremont Collective and Del Mar Highlands’ One Paseo offer. We believe that if you curate and match up the right food, beverage and retail brands and experiences, it can create a unique experience that you just don’t get from a development where a landlord just leases neighboring spaces to whoever comes along. This allows us to have full control of the experience and we can’t wait to show this space to North County.”
Chris Slowey, Co-founder, Shoots Fish & Beer
When asked if the Shoots team is interested in expanding or perhaps even building more collective projects to house eventual satellites, Slowey responds in the affirmative. He and his colleagues have enjoyed the process of designing The Cottages from the ground up, bringing on the businesses that will call it home and creating a cohesive development filled with complimentary tenants. But before they set their sights elsewhere, they’ll stay focused on Carlsbad…and getting that alcohol license.
The hours of operation for Shoots’ Carlsbad location will be noon to 7 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and noon to 8 p.m., Friday through Sunday.
Shoots Fish & Beer’s new venue is located at 2956 Roosevelt Street within The Cottages in Carlsbad’s Village area