The Lost Abbey: Confessional

Went there for a holiday beer excursion with my boyfriend and his follks. The atmosphere was great. There were booths, tall tables and the front of the establishment was almost completely open (very bohemain). The beers on tap were some of my favorites. I just wish there were more taps than bottles

One of my favorite places to grab a brew! The staff there is incredibly nice and knowledgeable of the brews. It’s always a great environment there and they allow outside food. There’s a gnarly pizza place next door or one could scoop up some Cardiff Crack and enjoy over a cold one at Lost Abbey.
Cheers!

Came here to fill a growler up… Which happened to be from Culture Brewery. The dude behind the bar had a stick up his butt and said that he can’t serve us because the growler was labelled by Culture. We asked if he could cover the label for us with tape, he said he can’t provide those services for us. I mean wow. From an environmental standpoint what a stupid rule. We’re reusing a growler and supporting local breweries. Way to be a complete idiot and turn away a loyal customer. Learn some customer service skills and think twice before turning us away.

Would be a great place if there were not a zillion kids running all over!
There are kids inside and out running out front and it is loud and not enjoyable for adults looking for adult conversation.

Finally made it to lost Abby !! Great beer, right on the coast ! Mellow vibe ! Had hop concept tropical and juicy !!! So glad we made it here!

Been here a few times and have been meaning to give them a good review. Definitely a welcome addition for craft beer fans along the north county coastline. So far parking has always worked out for me — never know along the coast establishments. Beers are delicious. Staff is always friendly and helpful. Love the ambiance — good job! Pizza close by! Seriously tasty, but might be a bit over-​priced. Still, great that Lost Abbey let’s you bring food in. Can get packed — but I call it «intimate». I’d recommend coming in on an off night. Who doesn’t need a beer on a Wed or Thurs? All in all, a great place to meet up with friends. Job well done Lost Abbey! Bueno!
I did read the negative post from Sim L. and have to say, thanks for giving Unilocal a bad name. There’s nothing like a negative review from someone who didn’t even visit the establishment for the purpose of being patron. Your post does absolutely nothing for anyone except to tell them that if you’re looking for a public restroom in Cardiff, don’t go to Lost Abbey — no sh*t lady, I could have figured that out all on my own without your pointless review. I’m not a business owner myself, but I do have friends who are, and I imagine your post is pretty galling. It’s like me being upset with the corner Starbucks barista because she didn’t give me the correct directions to the car wash I was looking for. WTF? You didn’t want to come in and get a beer, but wanted to avail yourself of the restroom? Huh? Maybe you should work a little less on your honesty and significantly more on your subtlety skills. Serious, who does that? And then posts a negative review for enforcing what is an industry standard. Hey, the next time you’re at a Denny’s or a Cheesecake Factory, go up to the hostess and say, hey, I’m not really going to eat here, but can you point me in the direction of your bathroom? What do you think they’re going to say to you? Now I admit I’ve used a fast food, convenience store, or gas station for a much needed pee stop without being a patron — everyone does, but you don’t freaking announce it! Geezuz christ lady, what are you, blogging for a homeless advocate website? Start your own, ‘where to go if you need to pee’ website directory for god’s sake if you think there is a need for that. Unilocal is not the platform. Not that I’m against homeless people, they need the dignity of a clean restroom like the rest of us. But that’s not a tasting room’s job. Obviously if they’ve posted a sign and are enforcing an industry standard, it’s likely that it’s been a problem with the establishment. Have you been to a tasting room for a beer Sim L. We patrons of such establishments need good access to available restrooms. We don’t want them clogged up with tourists out for a stroll, passersby, or anyone else who isn’t there supporting the joint. TP costs money lady! How’d you like random people pissing in your toilet? Hey, but thanks for making it all about you and your bladder. Clearly you’re from the Millennial generation. And that pour guy working the door probably has to clean that bathroom from time to time. He probably does it with a smile for customers because that’s what he’s paid to do. He’s not there to keep the general public flowing into Lost Abbey’s restroom. BTW, thanks Lost Abbey for keeping the restrooms clean and available for those of us who actually are customers. That’s what I want in a freaking business! I support you and you support me. But the cou de grau of your post, Sim L., that really nullifies the whole post in it’s entirely is that you describe the door man as «brown skin». Really? You sure it wasn’t ‘red skin’ or ‘yellow skin’. Not sure where you’re from, but round these parts we typically don’t describe people by their skin color, but use ethnicity or heritage background (even if we’re not entirely sure), as a better descriptor. Not to be all PC, but that’s some serious southern crap you’re pulling right out of the gate. Racist much? Hey, thanks for the diversity Lost Abbey, god know’s Cardiff needs it! Unilocal needs to pull this pointless review from a whiney self-​enthralled bigot and keep information flowing that actually helps people make good decisions on where to spend their money.

Nice, small relaxing bar hidden in the plaza. Good port and lost abbey beer. Mellow atmosphere. Fun place to visit during the day.

This is a great location for a microbrew… Cardiff was in desperate need and The Lost Abbey fit the bill. This is a cool little tasting room that has a great selection from Port Brewing and Lost Abbey. If you’re familiar with the brewery you should already know your selection but if you’re not, if recommend the wipeout IPA or devotion, both are delicious. The facility itself is welcoming and the service is awesome. They don’t serve food here, so either eat ahead of time or get pizza next door, or think about grabbing some BBQ from seaside market next door and bringing it in. Overall a nice new addition to Cardiff.
Pros–
Beers
Service
Spatial utilization
Location
Price
Hard to find beers
Bottles & Draft
Food nearby
Pet friendly
Cons–
No food
Parking stinks

Really nice atmosphere as soon as you walk in! The bartenders are fast and FRIENDLY — gave an extra bean (that’s a dollar for you non-nor’easters) just for the knowledge about the products.
Got the ‘Amigo’ which was just perfect on a hot day. I do not like IPA’s due to the bitterness — but the amigo was close to an IPA without being overly bitter. It was so good that I had to another and write this review before I was influenced by the magic of alcohol.
Next time, I’m getting a flight…

Lost Abbey door man with long dark hair, brown skin, and cap on is a total d*ck. I asked politely to quickly use their bathroom and be in and out but he redirects me to the upstairs bathroom which I checked was locked at night time. I go back downstairs wait for him to be done talking to another patron (when I easily could’ve just snuck past him while he was preoccupied but I didn’t) to tell him,
«Hey it’s closed up there and I really need to go, can you please just let me use it, I tried Starbucks already and they’re closed.»
This ass-​hat continues to deny me by suggesting that I go across the street to Jbox when they were also closed 9:30pm and their restroom is within eye-​sight. I seriously think he knew all these places would be closed or locked yet, he just wanted me out of his face. He finally just says, «I can’t let you in man that’s for paying customers and we don’t want people to have to wait for you.»
Never have I been to an establishment that guards their restroom like Fort Knox with the most passive-​aggressive douche door man with an ego. I enjoy Lost Abbey beer but I’m not trying this place out because of that ridiculously rude and disrespectful employee.
The point is, I could’ve easily just had him card me, walk inside, use the restroom, and leave. I chose to be honest about my intentions and this is how rudely he treats me because it’s really going to be that much hassle to let me use the toilet? SMH…
Great job hiring this guy.

Busy weekend in San Diego so the über fare out there was $ 70. Rainy to top it off! SO WORTH it! Awesome awesome awesome beer! Friendly staff made us feel welcome and answers all our questions. Made some great recommendations! Wow! We will def be back!

Finally! Yay! So happy to discover a new tasting room in Encinitas/​Cardiff since we’re severely lacking in comparison to, say, Vista and San Diego.
This spot just recently opened and it’s an absolute gem. The staff is attentive and friendly. Also, the perimeter is dog friendly which is a HUGE plus. Just be aware it’s a pretty small establishment and you’re not able to take your beer outside to the larger grassy area, so if you can’t find a seat with your pup on the small patio, you’re outta luck.
As for the beer, they serve both Port Brewing and Lost Abbey brews (the former being their sister brand). Devotion Ale is my fave – we even took some to-​go. Living in San Diego, I’ve definitely developed a taste for IPAs but nothing beats a solid Belgian style in my book.
East Coast pizza next door is friggin’ delicious (how did I not know about this place either?) and you can easily grab a slice and bring it back to the Confessional.
Keep in mind google maps will likely take you to the wine place right around the corner. Just search for the pizza joint instead and you’ll end up in the right spot.
Can’t wait to go back! Seriously, the mere act of writing this review has me all jazzed again – mouth watering. Love it. Even took a pint glass home (as if I need more of those). The gothic crucifixes are just too cool.

The Confessional is a decent alternative when the Brewery Tasting Room is closed. If you’ve never been to the main brewery, many of the same elements are same such as the artwork and fairly limited seating.
On a positive note, there are several different food options that in the same shopping center that you can bring in to the tasting room, like pizza or sushi. That being said, I’d recommend just finding time to just head to the main tasting room to take advantage of a full draft selection and bottle availability.

What a welcome addition to Cardiff! With a neighborhood feel and cool ‘Confessional’ themed décor, this place is fun with a relaxed vibe. Board Meeting brown ale, which is brewed with coffee and cocoa nibs under the Port Brewing label (sister company) is fantastic! 4 oz tasters are reasonably priced at $ 1.25 and whole beers are only $ 5. They offer at least 15 beer options and all are served in really cool glasses. As with most tasting rooms, no food is served, but they allow food to be brought in. East Coast pizza joint next door is now KILLING it with the free marketing and hungry beer drinkers! Their pizza is top notch. There is some seating at the bar and at various tables inside as well as some barstools near the open-​air entrance. I highly recommend this place for Sunday fun day festivities!

Admittedly my memory of this place was a little blurry ;) Came here with a few drinking buddies on a Saturday and I have to admit it’s a nice little place to get a beer. Cardiff is such a small sleepy town so one more place to grab a drink is a welcome sight. Love the sign above the bar… it really fits the theme of Lost Abbey. Will be back sometime to try the other beers!

Great new spot for the Cardiff community– I love when a North County brewery invests in a tasting room closer to the beach, especially Lost Abbey. The spot itself is somewhat hidden– it is tucked away in the corner of the shopping center. It is small, yet intimate and has a little patio area so you can enjoy a beer outside. They had a great selection of both Port and LA on tap. I definitely would come back here again, especially after a day at the beach.

It’s great

Excellent addition to Cardiff. Right next to east coast pizza, ummm kind of a match made in heaven. Delicious beers on tap, a cozy indoor seating arrangement and small patio area makes this place great to have a beer and a good conversation. Acceptable to eat pizza from next door in this place! Uh yes please!

I think the 100+ other breweries in San Diego have set the bar high, even the 2 dozen secondary tasting room only places have left me wanting each time I’ve come here.
It’s basically the same crowd as Bier Gardens, if they were not here for food. It’s locals who hate the crowds that swarm in to local bars and drink PBR and well drinks. The other aspect of it is, size. My first apartment was bigger than this and actually it had more bathrooms too. I’m not going to spend too much time on how busy it was opening day or about the issues not addressed yet.
I’m sure they were limited to design here, but why would you have a massive long bar when you can only serve beer on the small side of it. Nothing wrong with bellying up, but your basically just selling merch on the long bar area. Too many tables keep it crowded, cramped patio. Seems very much like they had a restaurant designer do their layout when even the best restaurant consultants aren’t ideal in the beer centric world of San Diego. Nice work trying to hide that support beam.
The beers are good, it’s what they carry at the main facility. I wish they had some tasting room only beers, draw some people out to come here specifically. Pricing is ok, tasters are cool when your at the bar, but shuttling back and forth they could really make that more efficient. Paper menu’s make ordering slow with all the newbies. Security is handcuffed with design inadequacies. For a brewery that’s on the bigger side to put so little effort into a long awaited endeavor is kind of disappointing. I would think that expanding into a city is more important about the actual place rather than where it is. This is tucked away in a busy family friendly area of Cardiff. I like the dark wood interior, it’s noisy so I haven’t heard anything but loud people or kids outside. Still awaiting approval on growler fills, patio barriers, more glassware and merch.
Stick to the weekdays as the weekends tend to be amateur drinking hour.

We came here on opening night. Actually I am here and it is opening night. Yay for mobile apps. Even with a wait, it wasn’t too bad and we were able to grab a few slices of pizza from next door. Once we were in, ordering was quick and easy. The tap list is about twenty deep. They also have a small take out bottle selection. The room is very small. About fifty people. There is a small outdoor patio, which I am currently sitting at, it sits about ten.
I would expect this place to max out on the weekends regularly.
Very nice looking and still has the fresh paint smell.
I live down the street and plan to visit often.
I do wish the single stall bathroom units were unisex.