Dining and Local Attractions

Oceanfront Restaurant and Brew Pub. A community place for great beer, food, and conversation. The award-winning brewery and restaurant has become a favorite for locals and a destination for world travelers to come together to celebrate beer, friends, and fun.

Website: www.hmbbrewingco.com
Phone: (650) 728-2739
Reservations: Reserve

Rustic bar & restaurant with burgers, milkshakes, craft coffee, draft beer & a tranquil beer garden.

Website: thebarnhmb.com
Phone: (650) 560-8363
Reservations: walk in

Nestled on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Half Moon Bay, Sam’s offers stunning sunsets, true oceanfront outdoor dining, and a casual and authentic seafood experience reminiscent of an East Coast style seafood house. Sam’s serves lobster, crab, fish and chips, fried calamari, fresh oysters and clams from the raw bar, and many fresh fish dishes such as salmon and halibut. NBC-TV’s The TODAY Show featured Sam’s famous Lobster Rolls, which were selected by the Food Editor as one of the five “Best Sandwiches in America”. Watch the crashing surf inside by the fireplace, dine outside under a cozy heat lamp, or settle into an Adirondack chair near a toasty fire pit on Sam’s dog-friendly patio and enjoy the crisp, salty ocean air. Sam’s welcomes well-behaved pups on the back patio, on a first come, first served basis.

The outdoor spirited "South Beach Bar"offers beach shack décor and eclectic palm tree heaters—grab a beer or enjoy a casual meal at the bar while watching the windsurfers below. You’ll get a great view from every seat in the house, inside or out.

Website:samschowderhouse.com
Phone: (650) 712-0245
Reservations: Reserve

Duarte’s Tavern offers American country cooking, spiced by the Portugese roots of the Duarte family. They cook local fish depending on the week’s catch and a tavern menu of simple dishes, nothing fancy. Almost all of their vegetables and fruits are from the restaurant garden or grown locally. They feature wines from the Santa Cruz mountains, and their fully stocked bar makes a mean Bloody Mary. Be sure to try the combination artichoke and green chili soup!

Website:www.duartestavern.com
Phone: (650) 879-0464
Reservations: Walk In

It’s Italia opened in 1997 as a San Francisco style trattoria and pizzeria serving gourmet pizzas, house pastas, and creative salads, always with a California Italian flavor. It has an extraordinary menu

Thirteen years later, having moved on to Main Street, the menu has expanded to include seafood and meat selections from our rotisserie and mesquite grill, artful pastas and award winning pizza, creative salads and antipasti, and an array of house desserts. A Tuscan style courtyard patio with fireplaces and a fountain is ideal for large parties and receptions. The full bar and locally famous bartenders create a lively social ambience nightly. Over one hundred fifty bottles line up on the wine list from Italy, California, France, Spain, Australia, and New Zealand.

Website:itsitaliarestaurant.com
Phone: (650) 726-4444
Reservations: Reserve

At the Moss Beach Distillery they are committed to serving quality food made from quality ingredients. They use all-natural meats & poultry, wild-caught seafood, and organic vegetables whenever possible. The fry oil is free of trans-fats. They strive to give you great food & great service in a comfortable, beautiful setting.

Overlooking the ocean is their heated outdoor Seal Cove Patio, where they welcome all well-behaved dogs and their owners. Watch whales swim by and seals sunbathe below while snuggling in a provided cozy blanket next to one of their natural gas fire pits. The patio offers a casual setting so you can feel free to stop in for a quick Bloody Mary or spend the day eating, drinking and listening to waves crash on the shore below. There are no reservations for the patio seating. Enjoy self-service food and beverages from the upstairs or downstairs bar. If you are interested in full service dining, they are happy to accommodate you in one of their upstairs dining rooms.

Website:mossbeachdistillery.com
Phone: (650) 728-5595
Reservations: Call

sac·ri·lege – noun – a  violation or misuse of what is regarded as sacred.

At Sacrilege, they embrace the irreverent, the uncommon, and the unexpected.  From Wasabi + Pickled Ginger Saison to burgers on an English muffin to their extraordinary, ever rotating tap list, you can have faith that they will transcend the typical, in pursuit of the memorable.

Located just a half a block north, the perfect place to grab a beer, lunch or dinner.

Website:sacrilegebrewing.com
Phone: (650) 276-7029
Reservations: Walk In

Authentic Thai cuisine in Half Moon Bay. Comfy nook offering familiar Thai dishes, plus several veggie items in a relaxed atmosphere.

Phone: (650) 560-0076
Reservations: Walk In

Pasta Moon is committed to the Farm to Table concept just as it was 25 years ago!

Sourcing out fresh and seasonal ingredients is not only part of their job but also a passion at Pasta Moon, where our local Farmers and Ranchers inspire them on a regular basis!

Website: pastamoon.com
Phone: (650) 726-5125
Reservations: Reserve

Perched on Montara Beach overlooking the Pacific Ocean, La Costanera is a contemporary Peruvian restaurant serving coastal cuisine of Latin America.

Experience the culinary richness of Peru at La Costanera, a modern Peruvian fusion restaurant opened its doors October 2, 2009. The scenic California coast in Montara, overlooks the Pacific, just a short, beautiful 8 mile drive from The Nantucket WHale Inn in Half Moon Bay . The space is grand, with floor to ceiling windows, three stories, and 10,000 square feet of oceanfront space, beach views and sea breezes. Every dinner is guaranteed an ocean view.

They also offer a full bar, domestic and imported Peruvian beers and a hand selected wine list. Come try our Pisco Sour – a classic Peruvian cocktail – and experience all that La Costanera has to offer...

Website:lacostanerarestaurant.com
Phone: (650) 728-1600
Reservations: Reserve

Boasting exceptional seafood dishes and a comfortable California-inspired design, the cuisine in Navio combines the subtle flavors of the sea with fresh textures and light savory accompaniments. The chef highlights approachable flavors that reference the best of coastal dining from all around the world.

Navio is located in The Ritz Carlton. Enjoy a drink outside before enjoying a wonderful culinary experience.

Website: ritzcarlton.com
Phone: (650) 712-7000
Reservations: Reserve

Mezzaluna Italian Restaurant was opened in the Summer of 1993 by three friends, Roberto, Giovanni and Jose. All three had many years of experience working in restaurants in all parts of the world. They decided to join forces to create an eating environment which would provide the highest quality of meat, fish, produce and pasta, prepared with Contemporary Southern Italian flair. In addition, the wine list focuses on local California and Italian varieties, as well as a full service bar.

Mezzaluna Restaurant is located in the historic Princeton Landing building (which was built in 1908). The harbor town of Princeton By The Sea is located 20 miles south of San Francisco. In this scenic area of Half Moon Bay, which overlooks the Pacific Ocean, you can experience breathtaking coastal views and marvel at the giant waves of Mavericks surf spot.

Website:mezzalunabythesea.com
Phone: (650) 728-8108
Reservations: Reserve

Located 15 minutes from The Nantucket Whale Inn, Filoli is an historic site of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and one of the finest remaining country estates of the early 20th century. Whether enjoying its beauty or pursuing its educational opportunities, we invite you to explore this cherished community resource.

Designed between 1915 – 1917 and set against the dramatic backdrop of the northern Santa Cruz Mountains in Woodside, California, Filoli is an excellent example of the Golden Age of American garden design and country house architecture.

Opened to the public in 1976 as a site of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Filoli features a 54,000 sq. ft. home and a 16–acre English Renaissance Garden. In addition, Filoli’s property includes a 6.8 acre Gentlemen’s Heritage Orchard and a trail system that transverses five different ecosystems for docent–guided nature hikes and visits to the Sally MacBride Nature Center. Filoli is recognized as one of the finest remaining country estates of the early 20th century and is a cherished resource for the community valuing education, volunteerism and diversity.

This rocky seashore hosts a living community of marine life that is of great interest to visitor and naturalist alike. A variety of seaweed, crabs, sponges, seastars, mollusks, and fish make their homes in the inter-tidal; that area between low and high tide. The Reserve is set aside to protect this complex but fragile community for us and future generations. The Reserve is popular with school and community groups for its educational value.

The shoreline and bluffs of the Reserve were first visited and settled by Native Americans, as evidenced by the four remaining cultural resource sites, one of which has been dated at about 5,800 years. In the mid-18th Century, Portola and his expedition were fed by Native Americans near Pillar Point. The landscaping at the Smith-Dolger home site, dating back to the early 1900s, remains as the only documented historical site within the Reserve.

The shoreline and reefs within the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve have been of interest for many years to marine biologists, preservationists and collectors. At least since 1908, when the Ocean Shore Railroad was extended into the area, Moss Beach had been used extensively as a resort and by people gathering food from the reef. It has long been known to biologists and teachers as one of the best places for collecting inter-tidal invertebrates. As early as 1911, Dr. S. F. Light brought his zoology classes from the University of California. Due to its popularity, the resource was being depleted, and in the 1960s, San Mateo County proposed that the State of California acquire the area as a state reserve.

The Ecological Reserve is a State of California designation authorized by the Marine Resources Protection Act of 1990 (California Fish and Game Code, Article 4, Section 1580-1584). Ecological reserves are intended to protect natural areas and use can be restricted to scientific research relating to the management and enhancement of marine resources. Except as authorized in conjunction with scientific research approved by the California Department of Fish and Game and the San Mateo County Department of Parks, no disturbance or taking of marine life, archaeological resources or geological formations is allowed, and no fishing or collecting is permitted. Public entry into an ecological reserve may be restricted to protect resources.

Pillar Point Marsh was dammed by farmers in the earlier part of the century, in order to prevent salt water from moving into upland farming areas, and to provide a means by which farm equipment could cross the marsh for access to the slopes above the marsh for farming. In the late 1920s, the US Air Force built West Point Avenue as an access road across the dam to reach the military installation on the bluff above Pillar Point. The Army Corps of Engineers constructed the breakwater around Pillar Point Harbor in 1962, to create a safe refuge for small vessels.

A Working Farmstead Dairy

Harley Farms is a restored 1910 dairy farm, with 200 alpine goats on nine acres of pasture in Pescadero, California. The farm grew from six pet goats to today's herd, with their delicious, critically-acclaimed cheese. In 2011 we bought neighboring fields, a historic barn, and a hidden orchard and overgrown garden which we are restoring gently.

The Harley Farms chevre, fromage blanc, ricotta and feta cheeses have been consistent winners at the American Cheese Society awards, and hold two international World Cheese Show medals.

Harley Farms is open year-round for farm and dairy tours, retreats, and events in our atmospheric hayloft. Tour visitors see a working farm, and watch the milk move from goat to dairy, from curd to cheese. We are open Thursday through Monday from 10am to 5pm most of the year. Our winter hours are Friday to Sunday 11am to 4pm, until kidding season begins in late February.

Visitors may stroll into the farm to see goats and llamas in paddocks and pastures. In the spring, there are often lively babies in Tony's Pen and in the picnic field corral. Don't miss the hayloft with our magnificent fir table and carved chairs, where we host parties and farm dinners. The Cheese Shop at the dairy, open from 10 to 5, features our award-winning ricotta, feta, chevre and fromage blanc cheeses, plus a luxurious range of goat milk lotions and soaps, jellies and honey. Make a picnic basket and relax at our tables.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium is a public aquarium located in Monterey, California, United States. The aquarium was founded in 1984 and is located on the site of a former sardine cannery on Cannery Row.

Explore the towering Coastal Redwoods, beautiful ferns and wildflowers and incredible views overlooking Half Moon Bay in the Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve. Coast redwoods are the tallest trees in the world, growing up to 380 feet tall (38 stories). The park has an extensive system of well-maintained trails and fire roads. Mountain biking and horseback riding are allowed on most trails. With over 24-miles of trails, there’s a lot to explore in this park.

Poplar Beach is a beach located in and operated by the city of Half Moon Bay, California. It lies at the end of Poplar Street west of State Route 1. Located roughly a half mile south of Half Moon Bay State Beach.

Quarry Park on the Half Moon Bay Coastside is a lovely 517 acre park managed by San Mateo County. It has a series of multi-use trails that are friendly for kids, dogs, bikes and hikers.

Mavericks is probably best known for it’s huge winter waves and the big wave competition that was held there for many years. But it’s also a very popular dog-friendly and kid-friendly beach.

The Pillar Point trail itself is a nice, easy hike with a good mid-distance and killer ocean views. The hike offers lovely views of Ross Cove beach and the Pillar Point harbor.

Coastside’s premier world fusion restaurant. Taste how old-world secrets, rare heirloom spices, farm fresh ingredients. Jettywave is also a Bay Area distillery experience that bottles the modern Northern California coastal life.

Website:www.jettywave.com
Phone: (650) 291-8835
Reservations: Walk In