Overall 24 Suns was a great dining experience. My wife and I did the tasting menu and we enjoyed the majority of the dishes. She and I have different pallets, especially when it comes to textures so she liked some things more than I did, like the wood ear mushrooms for instance. The sauce was delicious but, for me, texturally, it just wasn’t my jam.
There was one misstep during service which is why I gigged them one star for food but I’m not going to dwell on it because the staff quickly corrected course and more than made up for it. They comped us the caviar add on.
In retrospect, after seeing some of the à la cart offerings that came out of the kitchen, like the duck, we somewhat wished we had gone that route versus the tasting menu.
We didn’t do the drink pairing but the cocktails we ordered were great! My wife got the Red Lantern and I got the Bourbon drink with Black Walnut.
The staff was phenomenal! Conversational and fun.
My party and I chose to go with the a la carte option rather than the tasting menu.
Dining here was a wonderful experience overall. Nearly every dish was executed with elegance.
My favorite dishes of the night were the dumplings and the Duck Breast from the 5 Region Duck course. They were perfectly balanced, incredible in flavor and easily the standout courses for me.
The only reason I’m not giving a 5 star is because of the wagyu and abalone dish. While the cooking technique was spectacular, the wagyu was exceptionally tender, the dish was unfortunately over-salted.
Despite the one dish, the meal was inventive and thoughtfully crafted.
5
Fantastic dining experience. Each dish was unique and an experience in itself. The textures and flavor combinations created unexpected pleasures while not being too crazy for our simple tastes. Excellent service and attention to our table's needs, too. The birds nests, shrimp turnip loaf and sliced beef were standouts, but the menu changes frequently so you will always have something new to try.
5
**Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐★ (4.6/5)**
24 Suns is a phenomenal addition to the North County dining scene, filtering serious, fine-dining Chinese contemporary cuisine through a beautifully casual lens. Located in a modest strip mall space on Mission Ave, the interior has been completely transformed into a sleek, welcoming, and high-energy spot.
The concept—rotating the menu based on the 24 solar terms of the traditional agricultural calendar—is incredibly innovative. Every dish relies heavily on seasonal local ingredients and showcases phenomenal wok control and depth of flavor. A few standouts from our visit were the meticulously crafted jiaozi dumplings and the spectacular half duck, which perfectly balanced rich texture with bright, acidic notes. The beverage program is also highly curated, offering fantastic wine and sake pairings that perfectly complement the intense regional flavors.
Service was welcoming and knowledgeable without an ounce of pretension. Giving it a very solid 4.6/5—this team has immense talent, and the food speaks entirely for itself. An absolute must-visit in Oceanside, and we will definitely be back to see what the next micro-season brings!
5
Fabulous! We sat at the counter and got to interact with the servers, who were all genuinely happy and proud to be part of this impressive restaurant. Don’t dismiss this place just because it’s in a former dive bar in a strip mall with 2 white guys in the kitchen. Food does not need to be 100% authentic to be delicious, so keep an open mind and just enjoy the experience!
