The North County institution is now operating out of the former Top Choice Fish Market space, adjacent to its original home. The new footprint represents roughly 20 percent of the size of the historic European market and restaurant that closed in October 2024.
Instead of the sprawling grocery aisles, full-service restaurant seating, wine shop, and expansive butcher cases customers once knew, the revived Tip Top Meats is currently offering a streamlined operation focused on limited prepared goods, a deli counter, housemade sausages, desserts, and a reduced retail selection. The reopening marks the latest chapter in one of San Diego County’s most closely followed food sagas.
A look at the new menu board confirms that Tip Top’s comeback is centered on its core DNA: sausages, schnitzel, deli meats, and hearty comfort staples but in a streamlined format. The current lineup leans heavily into hot and cold sandwiches, including pork schnitzel, bratwurst, knockwurst, pastrami, corned beef, roast beef, and the iconic Big John Burger. Classic sides like German potato salad, sauerkraut, coleslaw, and macaroni salad remain in rotation, anchoring the operation firmly in its old-world roots. Breakfast appears to have returned in a limited capacity, with pared-down versions of the once-famous morning plates.
What’s noticeably different is the scale. The sprawling European grocery aisles, extensive import selection, and full-service dining room that defined the original Tip Top are no longer present. Instead, the new iteration operates as a compact deli and prepared foods counter, with a curated selection of mustards, pickled goods, and packaged sausages lining the front shelves. The dessert case features classic cheesecakes and European-style cakes, but the bakery program is tighter. It’s unmistakably Tip Top, just distilled to its essentials.
A look at the new menu board confirms that Tip Top’s comeback is centered on its core DNA: sausages, schnitzel, deli meats, and hearty comfort staples but in a streamlined format. The current lineup leans heavily into hot and cold sandwiches, including pork schnitzel, bratwurst, knockwurst, pastrami, corned beef, roast beef, and the iconic Big John Burger. Classic sides like German potato salad, sauerkraut, coleslaw, and macaroni salad remain in rotation, anchoring the operation firmly in its old-world roots. Breakfast appears to have returned in a limited capacity, with pared-down versions of the once-famous morning plates.
What’s noticeably different is the scale. The sprawling European grocery aisles, extensive import selection, and full-service dining room that defined the original Tip Top are no longer present. Instead, the new iteration operates as a compact deli and prepared foods counter, with a curated selection of mustards, pickled goods, and packaged sausages lining the front shelves. The dessert case features classic cheesecakes and European-style cakes, but the bakery program is tighter. It’s unmistakably Tip Top, just distilled to its essentials.
Founded in 1967 by German immigrant Joachim “Big John” Haedrich, Tip Top Meats began as a traditional butcher shop before evolving into a North County landmark. Over nearly six decades, it grew into a multi-faceted European market and restaurant known for its in-house sausages, imported specialty goods, hearty breakfasts, schnitzel platters, and old-world hospitality.
For generations of Carlsbad residents, Tip Top was more than a place to buy bratwurst or order the Big John Breakfast. It became a holiday staple, a gathering place, and a living tribute to European culinary tradition in coastal North County.
In late 2021, the adjacent Top Choice Fish Market, an expansion seafood-centric concept launched in 2017, closed quietly, signaling early signs of contraction. Then in January 2023, Big John passed away at the age of 94, leaving the business in the hands of his children.
By mid-2024, deeper challenges surfaced. A long-running legal dispute tied to Top Choice Investments, LLC, a separate real estate entity connected to the property, culminated in a settlement and eventual sale of the 6118 Paseo Del Norte complex for $4.6 million in December 2024. Though the Haedrich family retained ownership of the Tip Top Meats brand, the loss of the lease forced the closure of the original market and restaurant in October 2024.
On its final days, lines wrapped through the parking lot as longtime patrons came to say goodbye. Many believed it was the end.
Instead, the family secured a new lease within the same building and began the slow, inspection-heavy process of rebuilding in the former fish market space. Health department setbacks and permitting delays stretched what was initially framed as a short hiatus into a 16-month absence. Now, the lights are back on, but expectations must be recalibrated.
In announcing the reopening, ownership shared an enthusiastic message with longtime customers. The family noted that the current launch is a soft opening, with operations not yet running at full capacity, but said the overwhelming excitement from the community, and the unmistakable aroma of bratwurst back on the grill, made it impossible to wait any longer. They emphasized that this new chapter is dedicated to the legacy of “Big John”, whose commitment to quality, pride, and genuine service shaped the business for more than five decades. As the team settles into its rhythm, ownership says their dedication to Old World European recipes remains stronger than ever and they are eager to welcome customers back, one bite at a time.
The current iteration operates as a compact hybrid deli and specialty shop. Customers will find a curated selection of prepared foods, classic sausages, sliced meats, desserts, and a smaller assortment of European grocery staples. Seating is limited, and the expansive restaurant service that once defined Tip Top’s breakfast and lunch rush is no longer the centerpiece, at least for now.
Ownership has previously acknowledged the challenge of reopening at just a fraction of the former size, emphasizing that the new model requires operational adjustments and patience from loyal customers accustomed to the old scale.
Whether this scaled-back version can recapture the energy of the original remains to be seen. But for many North County residents, the reopening itself represents continuity, proof that Big John’s legacy has not disappeared entirely.
Tip Top Meats is now open at 6118 Paseo Del Norte in San Diego's North County city of Carlsbad. For more information, visit tiptopmeats.com.
The current iteration operates as a compact hybrid deli and specialty shop. Customers will find a curated selection of prepared foods, classic sausages, sliced meats, desserts, and a smaller assortment of European grocery staples. Seating is limited, and the expansive restaurant service that once defined Tip Top’s breakfast and lunch rush is no longer the centerpiece, at least for now.
Ownership has previously acknowledged the challenge of reopening at just a fraction of the former size, emphasizing that the new model requires operational adjustments and patience from loyal customers accustomed to the old scale.
Whether this scaled-back version can recapture the energy of the original remains to be seen. But for many North County residents, the reopening itself represents continuity, proof that Big John’s legacy has not disappeared entirely.
Tip Top Meats is now open at 6118 Paseo Del Norte in San Diego's North County city of Carlsbad. For more information, visit tiptopmeats.com.
Originally published on February 23, 2026.