Restaurateur John Resnick’s first Carlsbad restaurant opened in 2016, championing open-flame, wood-fired cooking before it was trendy. Chef Eric Bost took over the kitchen in 2021. His menu embraces the lively spirit of communal dining while infusing West Coast energy, drawing inspiration from the Pacific Northwest and California’s varied landscapes—coasts, forests, mountains, and deserts.
Campfire encourages communal dining with a playful menu divided into “Trailhead” small bites, “Kindling” lighter shared appetizers, and “The Fire,” which features what Bost calls “entree-ish” dishes that can be shared or ordered individually. Most dishes are kissed by the live fire, whether oysters warmed over coals with smoked oxtail dashi, ember-roasted prawns with prickly pear and candied habanero, or koji-aged ribeye seared to a perfect crust. The flavors are rich and craveable, though Bost’s fine dining background often peeks through in the plating.
Cocktails are a strong draw, with many guests stopping for a drink at the 25-seat copper bar before dinner at Jeune et Jolie. The wine list skews avant-garde, highlighting natural wines from boutique producers, alongside local beers and cider on tap.
The restaurant was once an auto repair shop, now defined by its WWII-era Quonset hut–style corrugated metal arch from nearby Camp Pendleton and vintage camping-inspired décor. The atmosphere is rustic, friendly, and boisterous. Outdoors, picnic tables sit beneath a trellis alongside a kid-friendly area anchored by a 12-foot tent. A dedicated kids’ menu offers chicken, fish, noodles, grilled cheese, and market vegetables. Campfire is an ideal dinner spot for families and groups, with communal tables seating up to 12, and larger parties accommodated across multiple tables.
Although Bost has reimagined the menu since taking over, three classics from Campfire’s opening remain: porridge bread with sea salt and charcoal butter, chermoula-charred broccoli with lime and peanuts, and an interactive s’mores dessert with housemade marshmallows, graham crackers, and Valrhona chocolate bars for toasting over a pot of red oak coals.
“It’s meant to be fun, celebratory and nostalgic,” Bost says. “I don’t have an ego behind the food, like this has to be mine. If people love it, let’s do what people love.”
