Attached a receipt on this review.!! Last place you can get a serious meal at a good price. Hope this place finds a new location soon before they lose their lease.

Noooooooo! Tip Top Meats has lost their lease. It's over September 30. They say they're looking to relocate and it isn't 'over'. I'll hope for the best, but I'll make some extra trips to Carlsbad to enjoy their extra-generous breakfast deals before then. Best deal going today: $5 Brat & Beer - a single brat with a toasted roll and a pickle, plus a beer. The beer alone is close to $5.

This food was just as good as it always was. I got the jagerschnitzel, which was really good. The potato salad tasted differently than in the past, which wasn't as good as I remember it. Maybe too much vinegar? I felt the waitstaff this time around was more rude than in the past to the customers. I also learned that they will be closing their doors come the end of September, which is a huge disappointment as I really love the food here and shop at the market for high quality meats. I do hope they consider reopening at a different location.

I have very little experience with German food, but this stuff was good and the prices were better. They have tons of sandwich options, steaks and meat. It's in the back of a German grocery store that is also very well stocked with meat if you want to cook at home. Every meat entree comes with a roll, soup or salad, sauerkraut and or red cabbage, and a potato dish. All of that for an average of $12 is crazy. You will have two meals worth of food here. Now to be honest it's not anything life changing in terms of innovation or flavor. But if you want a huge meal after the beach or shopping at the outlets, this place is it. This place has been here for many generations, family owned. The unfortunate part is that they're closing September 30th because their lease is up and won't renew there. They're not sure if they'll try to move somewhere else, but if they do, I'll try to follow.

Combination market and restaurant. Really good, unpretentious German food.l! I guess this is called casual dining - you wait in line to order and take a number to your table, so you can be found when your food arrives. The market had a great assortment of meats, baked and prepackaged goods. Their Napoleons looks great so I brought 1 home (I prefer custard between the layers, but theirs were a cream based filling). I've been told that Tip Top Meats is closing at the end of Sept, ( https://www.sandiegoville.com/2024/06/north-county-san-diegos-57-year-old-tip.html?m=1)

We only discovered Tip Top 2-3 years ago, and it instantly became our favorite restaurant from that first visit, so we left recently with a heavy heart to learn that their greedy landlord is kicking them out at the end of this year! D: Those who have dined here will understand this rollercoaster of emotion. Those who haven't yet: Tip Top Meats/Deli is shielded in a time capsule from the Clinton era. Case in point: last week I ordered the Steak & Stein for $18.69, which includes a humongo piece (14~16 oz boneless) of New York Strip (since the Filet Mignon charged at the same price was sold out by the time I got to the cash register) + a stein of beer + soup or salad + 2 sides... all for $19 in June 2024. These prices may not be as outrageous in other parts of the country with lower costs of living, but food prices as low as this is rare to come by in California! I'm convinced it would cost more to grill that piece of stek at home! not to mention the time spent cooking... Cheap meals are one thing (and mostly a thing of the past), but cheap + delicious? That's Tip Top's specialty! Beyond the amazing steaks, everything on their menu has impressed us. The restaurant is connected to the deli of the European grocery store in front, so all the sandwiches are loaded with fresh meats and the tops, their sausages are fantastic (natürlich!), the Jägerschnitzel ($13.49) transported us back to Munich during Oktoberfest, the Osso Bucco ($16.61) was saucy and tender. And possibly the star of all the stars is the Big John Breakfast ($10.38): 3 eggs, home fried potatoes, toast and AYCE pork links, bratwurst, Polish sausage and ham, served from 6am to noon. Pro-tip: since the line for the cashier is nonstop in the mornings (likely because of this deal!) we were able to get meat/sausage refills from one of the nearby servers! Food aside, the service is equally stellar! In our 6+ visits, the restaurant has always buzzed with hungry diners (and for good reason!), yet the servers and cashiers remain friendly and efficient! When you speak to the servers, they treat you as if time stands still and they are completely attentive, and then 30 seconds later, they seamlessly return to feeding the masses! The level of service here harkens back to a bygone era where servers really cared about making connection with patrons... and the cozy décor and well-worn, yet impeccably tidy and spotless trays play into the continuity of this nostalgic ambiance. Tip Top Meats is a breeze -- the location is conveniently off the 5 freeway, near LEGOLAND and the temporarily closed Carlsbad flower fields. There's ample parking available in the surface lot. Once you arrive, just stroll past the grocery store (but make sure to peruse their awesome and affordable selections before you leave!), join the queue and place your order at the cash register, then find an available table. It's that easy! Oh, and remember to bring cash for tipping... strangely you can't leave tip on their Clover POS system D: And lastly, a PSA to any benevolent baller food enthusiasts out there to save Tip Top Meats from closing so the 99% can continue to enjoy affordable, hearty German-American dishes in California. Thanks in advance!! :D

I've been several times over a span of many years but have not written a review. My last visit was a couple of months ago. I only ordered a side of bacon, toast and coffee. However the person who took our order was impatient with me. She kept telling me I needed to order eggs and I told her I only wanted bacon. Maybe she got confused because my friend ordered the Big John's breakfast with all you can eat meat (doesn't include bacon?). Anyway I felt her impatience was a bit rude. Fast forward to yesterday's visit, I told my friend (first timer) we should be prepared to order to avoid what I went through last time. This time there was a line so my friend had time to find a pamphlet menu which I didn't see the last time. They do have a limited menu they post above the counter. Right before placing our order someone in line asked if they could see a menu so we gave them ours. Our order taker wasn't the same as last one . She was friendly and helpful. They had #OxtailSoup featured and I wanted to give it a try. She recommended it and said it was delicious. My friend and I split a #PastramiSandwich on rye with fries. There was hardly a wait once we were seated - which was right after we placed our order. The Oxtail Soup was not what I expected. It wasn't in a clear broth and was a dark brown thick soup. The oxtail was puréed and not chunky as I was expecting. It wasn't bad and I thought it could probably just need more salt or saltine crackers. I kept it healthy (less sodium) and ate it as is. The Pastrami Sandwich came grilled to my liking but it probably would be better if there was cheese. My friend didn't want dairy but commented she saw an order with cheese and it looked really good. Next time I won't split it. I wanted a light lunch today. The pastrami was tasty and I added yellow mustard to my half of the sandwich; my friend added Dijon to hers. We polished it off . My real reason for visiting was to pick up #EggNoodles from their #Market. They have a wide variety of #BechtleGermanEggNoodles #MiniLasagnaEggNoodles is what I came back for So delicious when I made them for a #BeefStroganoff recipe. I love the texture and presentation of these noodles too. I will come back to try their other types of noodles. I also picked up #ABCHotAndSweetChiliSauce I been wanting to try and #JuniperBerries that was needed in one of my recipes but I couldn't find it at a local grocery store. I plan to keep trying the menu items until I find a favorite as their Market will keep me coming back for sure.

I'm surprised people complained about the speed of service. They take your order, you serve yourself to soda or coffee (unlimited refills) and find a table. There's a market for browsing if you can't sit still. We arrived at 9:00, waited in line which took about 10 minutes and it's 9:36 and we got our order. 2 breakfast with coffee was about $20. Insanely inexpensive compared to the prices of other places, including Dennys. And it is located literally down the street from Legoland and Carlsbad Flowers.

I met up with my long time friend and her family for breakfast at their favorite place. We enjoyed a nice breakfast. I ordered the veggie omelette that came with a side of roasted potatoes and crispy bacon. The portions were really big and we were all super stuffed! This restaurant is a very busy deli and market. It was packed when we were there.