Copper Kings Burgers is officially back in Oceanside. The locally grown smash-burger operation has quietly soft opened its second brick-and-mortar restaurant at the former Northern Pine Brewing space and completing a homecoming more than five years after Copper Kings first began building a following through pop-ups along the North County coast.
The opening arrives considerably later than originally anticipated, but the doors are now open and the kitchen is serving. Copper Kings tells SanDiegoVille that the restaurant is currently operating with food only while awaiting its alcohol licenses. Beer and wine service is expected to begin in September, followed by a full liquor license in October. A formal grand opening celebration is being held until the beer and wine license arrives, with the date still to be determined.
The new restaurant represents a significant step up from Copper Kings' San Marcos flagship, both physically and in what the kitchen is capable of producing. The roughly doubled capacity includes a private dining space and outdoor patio, while the facility will also function as a central production kitchen for the growing company.
And while the burgers that built the brand remain at the center of the operation, Oceanside is getting several dishes that aren't available at Copper Kings' original restaurant. Four new entrées have been created specifically for the Oceanside location, substantially broadening a menu historically built around smash burgers, sandwiches and loaded comfort food.
The most ambitious may be the Guinness Stew, made with braised short ribs, mushrooms, carrots and barley in a thick Guinness broth and served with house-baked Irish soda bread and butter. The dish is a nod to co-founder Dermot Owens' Irish roots, which have already helped shape the personality of Copper Kings' San Marcos restaurant.
There's also a Seasonal Pasta, currently featuring linguine tossed in a creamy sweet pea purée with pecorino and fresh snap peas, finished with Parmesan brittle and accompanied by house-baked focaccia.
The new Spice Bag Chicken Thighs lean even further into the Irish influence. Two brined, bone-in fried chicken thighs are dusted in the restaurant's Spice Bag seasoning and paired with fries, bell peppers and onions, miso coleslaw and curry sauce.
There's also a Seasonal Pasta, currently featuring linguine tossed in a creamy sweet pea purée with pecorino and fresh snap peas, finished with Parmesan brittle and accompanied by house-baked focaccia.
The new Spice Bag Chicken Thighs lean even further into the Irish influence. Two brined, bone-in fried chicken thighs are dusted in the restaurant's Spice Bag seasoning and paired with fries, bell peppers and onions, miso coleslaw and curry sauce.
Rounding out the Oceanside exclusives is Fish N' Chips, featuring freshly battered seasonal white fish with malt vinegar-dusted fries and house-made herby tartar sauce. A gluten-free version swaps the fries for tater tots.
The additions are possible in part because Copper Kings has far more kitchen space to play with in Oceanside. Co-founder Jonathan Petr previously explained that the larger restaurant would allow the team to explore everything from weekend pastries and breakfast sandwiches to a supper club and other dishes that weren't practical at its smaller San Marcos location.
The additions are possible in part because Copper Kings has far more kitchen space to play with in Oceanside. Co-founder Jonathan Petr previously explained that the larger restaurant would allow the team to explore everything from weekend pastries and breakfast sandwiches to a supper club and other dishes that weren't practical at its smaller San Marcos location.
Of course, the familiar Copper Kings lineup made the trip west as well. The menu includes the burger that started everything, simply called The Burger, made with six ounces of the restaurant's smashed house beef blend, American cheese, griddled onions, pickles and Copper Sauce on a Japanese milk bun. There's also The Big Burger, a nine-ounce version for anyone who considers six ounces insufficient.
Other staples include The Western, with American cheese, griddled onions, bacon, pickles, fresh onion and a choice of Kings Sauce or Carolina Gold; The G.O.A.T., featuring fried herbed goat cheese, house-cured bacon, arugula, pickled onion and Tarragon Aioli; and the Spicy Burger, loaded with pickled tri-colored chile peppers.
The restaurant also hasn't forgotten vegetarians. The Tree Hugger combines fried green tomatoes, arugula, pickled red onions and Tarragon Aioli, while the Confused Tree Hugger adds house-cured bacon to the otherwise meatless creation. Elsewhere on the menu are the Pastrami Mami, Shiitake's All That, Fowl Play fried chicken sandwich, loaded fries, rotating loaded potatoes, salads, desserts and an extensive lineup of scratch-made sauces.
That scratch-made philosophy has become Copper Kings' calling card. The restaurant says its Japanese milk buns are baked every morning, its beef is ground in-house from butchered sub-primal cuts, its American cheese is made in-house and its sauces are prepared from scratch. Desserts, breakfast pastries and breads are also produced in-house by a trained pastry chef. Copper Kings' current website similarly emphasizes its fresh ingredients and from-scratch production.
For the team behind Copper Kings, opening in Oceanside is more than simply adding location number two. Co-founders Jonathan Petr and Dermot Owens originally launched the business in 2020 after losing their jobs during the early stages of the pandemic. Petr had previously operated a food truck in Los Angeles, and the pair turned to a mobile operation at an unexpectedly advantageous moment: pandemic restrictions meant breweries and bars needed food service in order to remain open.
The restaurant also hasn't forgotten vegetarians. The Tree Hugger combines fried green tomatoes, arugula, pickled red onions and Tarragon Aioli, while the Confused Tree Hugger adds house-cured bacon to the otherwise meatless creation. Elsewhere on the menu are the Pastrami Mami, Shiitake's All That, Fowl Play fried chicken sandwich, loaded fries, rotating loaded potatoes, salads, desserts and an extensive lineup of scratch-made sauces.
That scratch-made philosophy has become Copper Kings' calling card. The restaurant says its Japanese milk buns are baked every morning, its beef is ground in-house from butchered sub-primal cuts, its American cheese is made in-house and its sauces are prepared from scratch. Desserts, breakfast pastries and breads are also produced in-house by a trained pastry chef. Copper Kings' current website similarly emphasizes its fresh ingredients and from-scratch production.
For the team behind Copper Kings, opening in Oceanside is more than simply adding location number two. Co-founders Jonathan Petr and Dermot Owens originally launched the business in 2020 after losing their jobs during the early stages of the pandemic. Petr had previously operated a food truck in Los Angeles, and the pair turned to a mobile operation at an unexpectedly advantageous moment: pandemic restrictions meant breweries and bars needed food service in order to remain open.
Copper Kings began preparing food from a shared Oceanside commissary kitchen and popping up at breweries, wineries and other businesses throughout North County. The concept grew from one trailer to a larger trailer and eventually a second mobile kitchen before the team opened its first permanent restaurant in San Marcos in 2023.
The San Marcos restaurant helped establish Copper Kings as one of North County's most acclaimed burger operations. But Oceanside remained part of the plan.
Copper Kings announced its return to the city last November, revealing that it would take over the former Northern Pine Brewing property. The team initially hoped to have the restaurant operating much earlier in 2026, at one point targeting spring before permitting and opening logistics pushed the debut deeper into summer. Now the wait is finally over.
The restaurant also inherits a space with plenty of local food-and-drink history. Northern Pine Brewing operated at the Horne Street property before closing, and the significantly larger footprint gives Copper Kings the room to become something more substantial than simply a second burger shop.
Once the alcohol program comes online, the team intends for the Oceanside restaurant to function as a full restaurant and bar. Owens' Irish heritage and devotion to Arsenal Football Club have already made San Marcos a destination for English Premier League and Champions League matches, and the owners previously said Oceanside would continue that tradition with early-morning watch parties and Guinness game-day specials.
For now, Guinness may be going into the stew before it comes out of the taps. Copper Kings says its beer and wine license is expected in September, with the full liquor license anticipated in October. The restaurant's grand opening party will follow, although management is holding off on setting a date until it has a clearer timeline for alcohol service.
The staggered opening means this first phase is essentially about the food, which isn't necessarily a bad introduction for a business whose slogan remains, "Life's too short for crappy burgers." It also brings Copper Kings' story full circle. What began during the pandemic as a mobile business serving burgers in Oceanside brewery parking lots has returned five years later as a considerably more ambitious restaurant, bar and production facility of its own.
Copper Kings Burgers is now soft open at 326 N. Horne Street in San Diego's North County city of Oceanside. For more information, visit copperkingsburgers.com.
Originally published August 25, 2026.
The San Marcos restaurant helped establish Copper Kings as one of North County's most acclaimed burger operations. But Oceanside remained part of the plan.
Copper Kings announced its return to the city last November, revealing that it would take over the former Northern Pine Brewing property. The team initially hoped to have the restaurant operating much earlier in 2026, at one point targeting spring before permitting and opening logistics pushed the debut deeper into summer. Now the wait is finally over.
The restaurant also inherits a space with plenty of local food-and-drink history. Northern Pine Brewing operated at the Horne Street property before closing, and the significantly larger footprint gives Copper Kings the room to become something more substantial than simply a second burger shop.
Once the alcohol program comes online, the team intends for the Oceanside restaurant to function as a full restaurant and bar. Owens' Irish heritage and devotion to Arsenal Football Club have already made San Marcos a destination for English Premier League and Champions League matches, and the owners previously said Oceanside would continue that tradition with early-morning watch parties and Guinness game-day specials.
For now, Guinness may be going into the stew before it comes out of the taps. Copper Kings says its beer and wine license is expected in September, with the full liquor license anticipated in October. The restaurant's grand opening party will follow, although management is holding off on setting a date until it has a clearer timeline for alcohol service.
The staggered opening means this first phase is essentially about the food, which isn't necessarily a bad introduction for a business whose slogan remains, "Life's too short for crappy burgers." It also brings Copper Kings' story full circle. What began during the pandemic as a mobile business serving burgers in Oceanside brewery parking lots has returned five years later as a considerably more ambitious restaurant, bar and production facility of its own.
Copper Kings Burgers is now soft open at 326 N. Horne Street in San Diego's North County city of Oceanside. For more information, visit copperkingsburgers.com.
Originally published August 25, 2026.
