When North County residents want a premium cut of meat, they can now head to The Wise Ox at The Beacon in La Costa, a chef-driven butcher shop where they’ll find the same beef, pork, lamb, and chicken used across Trust Restaurant Group, all hand-cut by butchers who know their meats.

Pasture-raised, quality meats at The Wise Ox La Costa

A neighborhood favorite since opening in North Park in 2020, chef and owner, Brad Wise, brings the same dedication to quality meats, classic techniques, and bold flavors to his newest locale. This means all animals are pasture-raised, naturally subsisting on a diet of grass and grain before harvesting, and are free of hormones and fillers.

Taking the art of butchery to a whole new level, The Wise Ox’s team of talented butchers can be seen daily breaking down whole lambs, trimming dry-aged steaks, trussing chickens, and casing sausages.

Impressively a zero-waste kitchen

Marinades, sauces, and spice blends are the same you’ll find across the menus at Trust, Fort Oak, Rare Society, and Cardellino, and are incorporated into take-and-grill meats such as tri-tip, pork tenderloin, and whole chickens. With an ethos toward sustainability, The Wise Ox operates as a zero-waste kitchen – all scraps, trim, and leftovers are repurposed to create other products (stocks, butters, tallow, etc.), and are used to create ground beef, lamb, and pork.

The Wise Ox La Costa Deli

The deli is a standout of The Wise Ox. With its own cult following, Chef Wise’s lineup of sandwiches includes an “about as authentic as you can get” Philly Cheesesteak, a Dry-Aged Burger, and a Smoked Turkey sandwich that features house-smoked turkey, toasted sourdough, and avocado.

Diners can look forward to sandwich specials each weekend, along  with a sunny patio and beer on tap to take advantage of onsite. Alongside these offerings, a robust retail section features Chef’s favorite pantry items, and craft beer, and wine from Wine Director Ben Zuba. Bottles will be the same favorites seen across Trust Restaurant Group menus.

Get your own monthly subscription

A monthly meat subscription curated by Chef Wise, the Ox Box features 10-ish pounds of premium beef, chicken, and pork, some marinated, some spiced, all of which are vacuumed-sealed for easy storage. The idea is to offer the best of the butcher shop, and by extension, Trust Restaurant Group, empowering subscribers to recreate their favorite dishes from the restaurants at home.

Included in each box is a recipe and access to our website with more dish ideas and cooking tips from the team. Ox Box-ers can pick up their box on the first Thursday of each month at either the La Costa or North Park shop.

See you there

The Wise Ox La Costa hours of operation are Wednesday to Saturday, 10AM-7PM; Sunday to Monday 10AM-5PM. Sandwiches are served until 5PM every day.

The Wise Ox La Costa is located at 7750 El Camino Real Suite P, Carlsbad, CA 92009.

See you there, San Diego!