Hit the Road, Snack
A Food Lover's 24-Stop Guide to the Pacific Coast Highway
Road tripping with an ocean view.
Pack your bags! In honor of life’s most delicious highways, we give you Hit the Road, Snack, our travel guide of things to eat, see, and do this summer from coast to coast.
When I was 19, I hopped into a car with my cousin Becky and drove from my parents' house in Atlanta, Georgia to Los Angeles, California. After a couple days in L.A., we took the Pacific Coast Highway up to Portland—stopping at the John Steinbeck archives in San Jose, Palo Alto, and Berkeley for a research project along the way.
The trip was formative for both of us: It taught us how to be better drivers, how to write on the road without getting carsick, and how to pass the time on long stretches of highway (i.e., true crime podcasts). It was on the PCH where I grew to fall in love with all of the great food and nature between California and Oregon, where the two most important people in my life live now.
Becky loved Portland so much, she ended up moving there a couple years after our trip. My brother moved to Southern California in 2012, and every year I make it out there to see him, pit stopping in Portland to see Becky as well.
This summer, Becky and I will be driving from L.A. to Portland to relive that old Steinbeck trip. To prep for it, I asked my colleagues what we should eat and where we should stop. Here's what they said:
"Neptune’s Net in Malibu!" —Victoria Maynard, VP of finance
"Paradise Cove." —Sam Stahl, chief revenue officer
"I’ve been to Duke's. I didn't necessarily go for the food, but for the view of the water. Saw dolphins playing." —Becky, my cousin
"Temescal Canyon, about a mile from the PCH, is a nice hike I do frequently." —Kevin, my brother
"Swanton Berry Farm in Davenport, north of Monterey. They sell their jams and berries and slices of strawberry pie on the honor system. There's a wooden box with a slot to put money into and a change drawer next to it to take back what you need, trusting that any strawberry lover is gonna be honest about what they took and how much they should pay for it." —Anna Billingskog, food stylist
"Nepenthe has the best views of the Pacific, incredible burgers, and a great wine list. There's also a New Agey gift shop right next door. I love Big Sur; it really is the most beautiful place in the country. It just smells amazing: half ocean smell, half forest smell." —Sam (again)
"Big Sur Bakery has amazing baked goods, beautiful salads, burgers, and wine. Totally cute little place along the road." —Josh Cohen, test kitchen director
"There are so many fantastic taco spots in Santa Cruz that it's pretty hard to go wrong, but I always love stopping at Taqueria Los Pericos on the way into town for their loaded burritos and salsa/condiments bar." —Erin Alexander, assistant editor of partner content
The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is probably my favorite boardwalk in America. It's huge, technicolor, and cheesy—what Coney Island used to be in its glory days. Get an ice cream cone or a hot dog and read a short Steinbeck novella (The Red Pony or Tortilla Flat, not The Pearl) on the beach.
"In Half Moon Bay there's a place called Sam's Chowder House we never fail to stop at every time my family drives along Highway 1 California. It's gotten serious acclaim for having the best seafood in the Bay Area (I've never encountered a single grain of sand in the chowder) with spectacular salmon burgers (they're coral pink) and house-made ice cream topped with small batch olive oil for dessert. Plus, we saw whales last time. " —Maggie Slover, copywriter
"In West Marin, stop at either Nick's Cove or The Marshall Store for lunch (both are about 20 minutes past Point Reyes, which any PCH-journeyer will be stopping to check out anyway. Speaking of, get a blueberry scone at Bovine Bakery while you're doing that; it's colossal and has a light, buttery crumb that makes it feel almost like a scone-muffin hybrid (in a very good way)." —Ella Quittner, lifestyle writer
"I would walk the 2,894 miles from here to Portland—yes, I looked it up—for the lemon ricotta pancakes at Tasty n Alder." —Chrissie Gruebel, copy director
"For food along the Oregon Coast Highway, King Neptune Drive-In and Tillamook Creamery. Short Sands Trail for a scenic hike." —Tim McSweeney, senior graphic designer (and Portland native)
"Ecola State Park, where they shot The Goonies." —Becky (again)
"There’s one place Becky and I went back to three times in one weekend. Let me find it for you... (comes back a couple minutes later) Roseanna's Cafe! We also love Clearwater Restaurant. And oh my god, these fish chips in Astoria. Wait, one more: this teeny tiny restaurant on the dock in Port Orford is like being inside a book set in some pirate story. The one lady (who owns it, maybe?) is a bit grumpy, but the others are suuuuuper nice. You can dine in, buy fresh raw seafood to-go, or grab fishing and crabbing bait and gear there." —Hannah, my other cousin (also an Oregon native)
"Strangely, Eric, a lot of the random spots we hit on the coast seem to taste pretty good (not Michelin star, but better than you'd guess). I don't know if that's because they are actually good and some really talented chef got sick of living in cities to have an easier life...or if we were just hungry on the road." —David, my other other cousin
As for me? I love picking berries on Sauvie Island Farms. They have the usual suspects—blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries—but what I get most excited about are the local Oregon marionberries, which make the best jam ever.
Written by: Eric Kim
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34 Comments
A must place for fish and chips...The Pelican in Cannon Beach, Haystack Rock is right outside the beautiful window view of the Pacific Ocean.
Also, Moe's, or a number of places in Depot Bay for clam chowder.
Bring big, stretchy, pants...you will need them! BB💐
St. Orres just north of Gualala is a landmark and the food is consistently excellent. Local ingredients creatively prepared, we dined there for special occasions and Sunday brunch.
And in Point Arena, Franny’s Bakery is a tiny shop on Main Street (aka Highway 1) that has delicious pastries and some savory offerings as well.
In Elk, stop for breakfast at Queenies Diner. Heart dishes like corned beef hash, huge omelettes and pancakes and waffles. Funky, friendly and delicious.
There are a lot of great local businesses on this stretch of the coast that depend on tourism, so plan to take your time driving through here.
I was very surprised you skipped all of Sonoma County, however, especially the road between Jenner and Mendocino. It has to be one of the most spectacular coastlines anywhere.
And for food, In particular, TwoFish Baking Company is not to be missed. It’s just south of The Sea Ranch (a nice place to rent a vacation home, all price ranges). Twofish’s food is fantastic.. and it’s much more than a bakery. While their caramel sticky buns are legendary their sandwiches are also incredible. The turkey sandwich I had recently had an inch and a half of real turkey breast, smoked fresh in their own smoker, on bread baked that day. And it’s right on the coast with a beautiful ocean view in a very cool 1858 building. Worth a visit to the coast all by itself!
For the most spectacular sunset you’ll ever see, I highly recommend dinner at the charming and romantic Rivers End restaurant in Jenner. Their farm to table style dishes are all made from local seasonal wine country ingredients.
Plus you’ll even see seals swimming from the ocean into the mouth of the ethereal Russian River as you dine. Just be sure to make a reservation!
www.ilovesunsets.com
Another favorite is Wild Flour Bread in Freestone Ca. It’s probably the best bread you’ll ever eat in your life, made from organic sour dough starter and fresh baked each day in a wood fired oven, fueled with eucalyptus wood. Most ingredients are grown in their garden/orchard that’s out back. They always have samples, so you can taste everything before you buy! Just know they are closed Tues. - Thurs. so you’ve gotta go on a weekend.
www.wildflourbread.com
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