Fast-Casual Spin on Southeast Asian Street Food Drops Into Downtown Oceanside

Built on a foundation of beloved regional street food from countries around Southeast Asia and East Asia, Mak Mak Organic has landed near the Oceanside pier with fast-casual dishes centered around pastured chicken, organic tofu, and tropical fruits.

Informed by a lifetime’s worth of travel, the menu from chef and owner James Limjoco (Sublime Ale House) includes his take on Thai khao man gai and Hainanese chicken rice, both based on flavorful poached chicken, available here with various sauces including its classic accompaniment of fragrant ginger scallion sauce. Both Japanese and Korean techniques go into making Mak Mak’s fried chicken, which is marinated then batter-fried in potato starch and cornstarch and coated in pineapple teriyaki or gochujang glaze. All entrees come with either coconut, garlic-ginger, or plain Jasmine rice alongside a cup of chicken bone broth or vegetable broth.

There’s also fried organic tofu, vegan mapo tofu, handmade chicken or vegetable dumplings, and Filipino recipes from his family’s kitchen, including sweet and savory lumpia.

Besides beer and wine, Mak Mak Organic’s bar is the launching point for Limjoco’s new seltzer brand, Wyld Ventures. With plans to sell crowlers and eventually retail the drinks, which are available in both hard and non-alcoholic versions, Wyld Ventures’ flavors range from lychee-guava lemonade to dragonfruit-soursop and kumquat-calamansi.

Kimberly Motos

Kimberly Motos

Kimberly Motos

Ryker Photography