15 Diners Along The Pacific Coast Highway To Visit On Your Next Road Trip
The Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) is arguably one of the most scenic stretches of road in the country. The route takes drivers past an abundance of beautiful beach towns, state and national parks, extraordinary coves, and the famously tall Redwoods of Big Sur along the way.
Cruising down a road this lengthy works up an appetite. Fortunately, there are plenty of amazing diners to visit along the way. While some diners sit directly along the PCH, others are only a short diversion away and promise menus packed with comforting, all-American fare. There are certainly fancier restaurants en route, but if you're in the mood for laid-back, casual spots — the PCH's diners, for instance, give Route 66 diners a run for their money — where the food is fresh and the service is friendly and quick, these are the spots to enjoy before getting back on the road and enjoying those ocean views.
Toasties Cafe
Located in Pacific Grove, Toasties Cafe focuses on sandwiches and breakfast dishes in a restaurant with a charming blue-and-white exterior and indoor murals. Some unconventional (but wonderful) items include the grilled calamari steak burger on a wheat roll with tartar sauce. You may also want to try the burger with melted blue cheese and grilled onions.
There's a Santa Fe chicken sandwich where the breast is seasoned with spices and topped with green chiles and pepper jack cheese. The mother of sandwiches here, however, is the grilled 8-ounce steak on a French roll. Toasties also serves a Philly cheesesteak and a California cheesesteak. The latter sets itself apart from its Philly counterpart by using sautéed onions, red peppers, pepper jack cheese, and guacamole.
If you happen to roll up in the early hours of the day, you're in for a treat. Customers speak highly of Toasties Cafe's breakfast, with highlights including the calamari and eggs.
toasties-cafe.restaurants-world.com
(831) 373-7543
702 Lighthouse Ave, Pacific Grove, CA 93950
Dad's Luncheonette
Dad's Luncheonette is like a dream roadside diner. The kitchen is located within a historic train caboose, and guests are served on an adjoining patio. This diner is helmed by Scott Clark, the eponymous "dad" who left the world of fine dining — during which time he was a multi-Michelin starred chef de cuisine — after becoming a father.
Beyond spending more time with his child, the luncheonette was an opportunity to return to the spontaneous excitement of cooking. Clark could not have picked a more charming spot than his little corner on Half Moon Bay. The menu here is focused, made with locally sourced ingredients, and comes with a California twist. The hamburger sandwich, for example, is made with a grass-fed beef patty, melted cheese, red onion pickles, red oak lettuce, all served on grilled white bread with Dad's special sauce, while organic potatoes are sliced by hand every day to make the house potato chips. Be sure to also ask about the soup and sweet of the week.
(650) 560-9832
225 Cabrillo Highway South, Half Moon Bay, CA 94019
Splash Cafe
Located on Pismo Beach, Splash Cafe is famous for its clam chowder served in a bread bowl. For toppings, add green onion, cheese, bacon, and even more clams or seafood. But there's a lot more here than the chowder bowl. This laid-back joint serves cheeseburgers, corn and chili dogs, fried fish tacos with wild-caught Alaskan cod, and lobster roll sandwiches.
Breakfast time is just exciting with dishes such as a bacon and egg breakfast burrito and Splash Cafe's Morning Munchie Bowl, which comes with crispy and cheesy tater tots, eggs, bacon, veggies, and both aioli and chimichurri sauce.
Splash Cafe opened near the Pismo Beach Pier back in 1989 and has become a local landmark, regularly winning big at the city's annual clam festival. The cafe now serves more than 40,000 gallons of clam chowder annually. If you're not driving down the Pacific Coast, you can still get a hold of the clam chowder and bread bowl, as Splash Cafe ships a kit nationwide.
(805) 773-4653
197 Pomeroy Ave, Pismo Beach, CA 93449
Fat Cats Cafe
This Avila Beach diner serves seafood that would make any cat envy with hunger. The charbroiled ahi tuna is drizzled with soy sauce and served with pineapple. You could also go for the bacon-wrapped, salmon-stuffed shrimp, or its sanddab fish, which is breaded and grilled in garlic butter.
In the mood for more traditional diner fare? Most breakfast items are served all day, including house-made cinnamon rolls and French toast made with thick Texas toast dipped in the likes of vanilla, cinnamon, and brown sugar. The banana granola and coconut pancakes — which feature on the early bird breakfast menu that is only served until noon — are another top choice for an innovative twist on a classic diner pancake.
The menu here is a bit on the pricier end for a diner, but its dishes are well-prepared with quality ingredients. Just in case you're wondering, its name comes from a stray black-and-yellow cat that adopted the cafe as a home.
(805) 595-2204
3920 Avila Beach Dr, Avila Beach, CA 93424
Busy Bee Cafe
With red vinyl booths and its own jukebox, Busy Bee Cafe is as retro as any diner can get. Its checkered black-and-white tiles, red-and-white striped awning, and neon signage only add to the time-warp vibe.
The milkshakes are equally old-fashioned, in the best way possible. Here you can order an egg cream (a mixture of chocolate, milk, and soda, with neither eggs nor cream), lime phosphate (known for its tart and tongue-tingling taste), or a black cow shake (a blended root beer float with vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup).
If you're looking for more than just sweet drinks, Busy Bee serves oversized omelets, available in varieties such as seafood, Polish sausage, and classic ham and cheese. Its pancakes include a Hawaiian-inspired version with fresh pineapple, bananas, nuts, whipped cream, and coconut. There's also a long list of burgers, sandwiches, and salads.
(805) 643-4864
478 E. Main St., Ventura, CA 93001
Woody's Diner
Founded in Southern California's Huntington Beach in 1987, Woody's serves classic diner food in a nostalgic 1950s-inspired, surf-themed environment. Today, you can find seven locations dotted along the coastline.
Burgers range from the straightforward Woody's cheeseburger to the Big Cruiser, which stacks two patties, two slices of cheese, bacon, and fried onion strings in between a sliced brioche bun. All burgers come with the side option of regular or beer-battered fries, onion rings, cottage cheese, coleslaw, or fresh fruit. You can choose from a variety of hot sauces to add to the burger, too.
Woody's breakfast menu is extensive, including everything from omelets and breakfast burritos to sweeter dishes such as pancakes, waffles, and French toast. Woody's dinner menu is also equally worth a try, offering the likes of steak, pot roast, spaghetti, and salmon after 4 p.m.
Multiple locations
Pacific Diner
This San Pedro diner serves classic comfort food in generous portions. Order the biscuits with gravy, and you'll see what we mean. The biscuits are large, topped with a heavy serving of gravy sauce. Omelets come in multiple varieties, spanning everything from asparagus to crab and avocado.
Pacific Diner's creatively laid-out menu — which looks more like a cross between a newspaper and a comic book — makes it fun to choose what you want. For example, the John Wayne special (which consists of two eggs any style with a cheese and Spanish sauce tortilla, plus four sausage links with potatoes) leads with a drawing of Wayne, encouraging you to order a dish that will "put some real lead in your pencil" (via Pacific Diner).
The fresh fruit waffles here are also top-notch, such as the strawberry or blueberry. Beyond its great food, Pacific Diner is committed to sustainability with reusable wares and compostable containers.
pacific-diner.restaurants-world.com
(310) 831-5334
3821 S Pacific Ave, San Pedro, CA 90731
Santa Cruz Diner
Santa Cruz Diner is in, well, Santa Cruz, where it offers a large all-day breakfast menu featuring classic American fare as well as international specials. Omelets made with cage-free eggs are served with hash browns and accompanied by your choice of pancakes or waffles. You can also go for a French crepe with mascarpone cream and strawberries, or take the savory route with a crepe topped with the likes of chicken, cheddar, bell pepper, mushrooms, onion, and spinach.
The diner also has a daily special menu. On Tuesdays, for instance, it makes homestyle meatloaf with mashed potatoes and fresh vegetables. Meanwhile, on Thursdays, you can look forward to paella — the famous Spanish rice dish, stacked with a ton of protein and vegetables thanks to the use of linguiça (a Portuguese pork sausage), shrimp, mussels, chicken, and white fish cooked alongside bell pepper, tomato, and onion.
(831) 426-7151
909 Ocean Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Linn's Restaurant
Linn's Restaurant's origins lie in a farm run by John and Renee Linn on California's Central Coast back in 1977. The couple had a popular fruit and produce stand where they sold the olallieberry, a cross between a blackberry and a raspberry that was relatively unheard of at the time. Renee's olallieberry pie was a hit and ultimately served as one of the reasons why the couple opened Linn's Restaurant in Cambria's East Village in 1989.
Today, the eatery's signature items include the flaky, hand-rolled, deep-dish 13-ounce pot pies. Each pie comes stuffed with seasonal vegetables and Yukon gold mashed potatoes. The braised beef tenderloin stroganoff and its grass-fed burgers are other popular choices. And, of course, the olallieberry pie is still served at Linn's (and is also available in a gluten-free variety), alongside plenty of other sweet treats. You'll also find classics such as a lemon meringue pie lingering in the bakery case.
(805) 927-0371
2277 Main St, Cambria, CA 93428
Winston's - A Brunch Place
Winston's — A Brunch Place is, as the name suggests, the perfect spot to secure a hearty brunch before you hit the road. Located in Pacific Grove on the Monterey Bay, Winston's makes some mouthwatering pancakes, such as the generously topped lemon ricotta. Equally delicious is the French toast, which is served with a raspberry sauce. Winston's also stays on top of hot culinary trends, as proven by the presence of a Dubai chocolate-inspired French toast, topped with chocolate, pistachio cream (aka the green stuff inside Dubai chocolate), and shredded phyllo.
While it may be a California restaurant, Winston's serves a stellar take on the Southern classic that is chicken and waffles. This has earned rave reviews from customers who praise its juicy, well-seasoned chicken in particular. There are also plenty of desserts to boost your energy levels before continuing your drive, as well as non-breakfast options, such as chicken sandwiches, smash burgers, and chicken pot pie.
(831) 324-4162
602 Lighthouse Ave, Pacific Grove, CA 93950
Rudford's Restaurant
Technically speaking, the Pacific Coast Highway starts in Dana Point, Orange County, which is where California State Route 1 begins. However, the exact definition of the route can differ, with some using the term to refer to the entire route from San Diego up to the northern border. Rudford's Restaurant sits near the end of the line, around 20 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. Founded in 1949, it looks like something straight out of a movie set, with colorful booths and bar seating. It's also open around the clock, 365 days a year, a quality that's in short supply at diners nowadays.
You're spoiled for choice when it comes to diner classics. The Rudford's menu is large, but helpfully divided into sections, such as Hot Off the Griddle for its impressive array of pancakes, waffles, and French toast (which isn't actually French, by the way). You can also order Mexican-inspired classics, such as huevos rancheros with beans and tortillas, and specialty burgers like the quirkily-named June Gloom, which contains jalapeño, cream cheese, and bacon. Rudford's also serves a rotation of daily specials, from the Monday pot roast to the Sunday roast turkey.
Like any true diner, Rudford's serves milkshakes. The JFK Bacon Caramel Shake is, as you probably expect, named after the late president, whose motorcade drove by the restaurant just a few months before his assassination. Rudford's also has a vegetarian menu and a dog menu for your pup, containing grilled beef and chicken. This truly is an establishment for everyone.
(619) 282-8423
2900 El Cajon Blvd, San Diego, CA 92104
The 101 Cafe
The family-owned 101 Cafe was opened back in 1928 and hosted only 20 seats until its expansion in the 1930s. Over the decades, the 101 Cafe has experienced a lot of change, both at the diner and in its home of Oceanside. A Marine Corps base was built nearby during World War II, with some of the workmen responsible for constructing the base housed at what became the 101 Cafe and Drive-In and Trailer Park. 101 Cafe was later renamed Jimmy's, then Randy's Coffee Shop, until the original name was brought back in the mid-1990s.
Sitting in this retro diner, you can order off the breakfast or lunch menu. If you arrive with a big appetite, go for the Highway Treat to enjoy two eggs, four strips of bacon or sausage links (or three vegan patties), country potatoes or hash browns, and a piece of toast. Other options include Mexican-inspired breakfast favorites, such as chorizo scramble or chilaquiles rojos. You can enjoy an early bird discount if you arrive between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m., but its lunch offerings — such as burgers, sandwiches, and salads — are also worth a try.
(760) 722-5220
631 S Coast Hwy, Oceanside, CA 92054
Crystal Cove Shake Shack
The Crystal Cove Shake Shack is not connected to the burger joint Shake Shack and is instead an old-school shack on the beach that has served burgers, fries, and over 20 different flavors of shakes since the 1920s.
California's coastline used to be dotted with food and beverage shacks, many of them famously selling orange juice. Crystal Cove Shake Shack is one original that's still around. Alongside diner classics like a turkey club sandwich or the all-beef hot dog, there are some creative options on the menu. For breakfast, there's the cinnamon roll French toast, where a cinnamon roll is dipped in egg batter and grilled as you would a standard French toast. The burger menu includes turkey and vegan options alongside the hefty Triple Triple Cove Deluxe.
And so we arrive at the famous shakes and malts. Crystal Cove Shake Shack's more novel flavors include banana date, orangesicle, and black cherry, as well as more traditional milkshake flavors such vanilla, chocolate, Oreo, and strawberry. In the mood for a caffeine boost? Crystal Cove Shake Shack also serves an affogato with espresso over soft serve ice cream, plus regular cups of Peet's Coffee.
(949) 464-0100
7703 East Coast Highway, Newport Coast, CA 92657
Sea Shanty
This family-owned establishment has been a local favorite since 1983. Breakfast is served until just before midday, and you have a lot to choose from, including the crab hash and scrambled eggs — where two grilled English muffins are topped with grilled tomato, lump crab, and cheese — and the pancake sandwich, which is filled with egg and your choice of bacon, sausage, or ham.
For lunch, you can opt for the steamed California artichokes served with mayonnaise and melted butter, or a red snapper marinated in lime juice. Or try one of the sandwiches, from a classic grilled cheese to the fancier prime rib sandwich served with au jus. Just be sure to leave room for Sea Shanty's iconic desserts. There are several sweet pie options, including originals like apple and pecan. What sticks out for us is the boysenberry pie, made from the deep maroon-colored berry that is a crossbreed between four different berries. If you're eating with a group, consider ordering the Cow Patty Sunday — a warm chocolate cake topped with vanilla ice cream, fruit, hot fudge, and caramel, designed to feed up to six people.
(805) 995-3272
296 South Ocean Ave, Cayucos, CA 93430
Ocean Diner
Ocean Diner boasts that it serves nostalgic, homemade meals reminiscent of those served by your grandparents. Founded decades ago by Rick Hankus, this 1940s-style diner near Hermosa Beach is decorated with World War II newspapers and other artifacts from the era, including retro toasters and waffle irons.
Specials here include the Mama's Home pork chops with country gravy and multiple kinds of omelets. Breakfast is served all day and includes the likes of homemade granola, freshly-baked jumbo muffins, and what Ocean Diner claims is an original: oatmeal crème brûlée with caramelized brown sugar, served with a side of banana and milk.
Certain menu items are only available after 11 a.m., like the meatloaf and fish tacos. Healthier options are also available, such as grilled salmon and the Body Builder, which combines marinated chicken breast with egg whites, brown rice, and toast. The desserts are all house-made, including classics like Boston cream pie and streusel coffee cake. Speaking of coffee, the caffeine at Ocean Diner isn't the stale brew often served at diners. Its coffee beans are sourced from Indonesia and Central and South America, and Ocean Diner has bags to take home. There's also a kids' menu where meals for those 12 or younger come with a soda, juice, or milk. Fair warning: Ocean Diner is closed on Wednesdays.
(310) 372-3739
959 Aviation Blvd, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254