Splash Cafe Pismo Beach

Old Custom House has earned its spot on the Pismo pier through decades of just being consistently good, fresh Pacific seafood and California wine with the kind of unpretentious Central Coast character that never goes out of style.

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.

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.