Ideal Bar and Grill Santa Cruz

Fifty-plus years watching boats come and go from the same Santa Cruz Harbor deck, the Crow’s Nest pairs fresh local seafood with the kind of view that made this spot a landmark before landmark status was even a thing.

A Prohibition-era speakeasy where rum-runners once landed whiskey under cover of fog, Moss Beach Distillery comes with a resident ghost, the Blue Lady, and a cocktail named in her honor. Order it and decide for yourself whether she is still hanging around the cliffs.

The clam chowder in a sourdough bowl at Splash Cafe has been pulling PCH road-trippers off the highway for decades, and it is every bit as good as the reputation suggests.