Don't expect to find a complete list here of every hoity toity spot along the California Coast. In fact, none of these places would qualify as hoity toity, so if that's your bag, look elsewhere. But if you like a place where you can go for great, reasonably-priced food without worrying about shaving or wearing fancy clothes, these places are for you.
The impetus for creating this page was my experience after moving from Austin, Texas to the San Francisco Bay Area. My wife and I had lived in Austin for several years, so we knew of every great place to eat, especially breakfast places. In the Bay Area, things were different. Even though I had grown up out here, I had no clue about dining establishmentst, and so began the process of discovering the places we liked, a process which is still going on. This page reflects the fruits of our search.
Alameda
Stinson Beach
The Parkside Cafe. Very good breakfasts, and excellent fresh fish for dinner. Parking is hard to find on the street, but readily available in the parking lot for the beach. Just enter the national park administered beach and pick a spot away from the beach, which is right next to the cafe. There is a walkway crossing a small stream from the parking lot to the cafe. Since the beach parking lot closes in the evening, you will need to park on the street for dinner.
The Parkside Cafe Website
Mendocino
Patterson's Pub. My wife and I discovered this place on our first visit to Mendocino. It was early evening in December, dark, hailing, the power was out in a lot of places after a big storm, and everything was closed. Everything, that is, except Patterson's Pub. It was a warm, cozy oasis, assuming your idea of an oasis is a friendly, neighborhood bar. The dinner specials are amazing, and include a meat entre, very tasty green vegetables, and potatoes, all for around ten dollars, with large portions. This place fills up, and they do run out of the more popular specials, so get there early. This is where the Mendocino locals go, and for good reason. Sure, there are gourmet places all over the village of Mendocino, but Patterson's is a fraction of the cost, has food that rivals that of the more expensive places, and you can hear all the local gossip. If you visit Mendocino, GO THERE. NOTE: children under 21 years of age are not allowed.
Patterson's Pub Website
San Francisco
Occidental
Negri's Original Italian Restaurant. 3700 Bohemian Highway, Occidental, California, 95465. Where is Occidental, you ask? It's on the Bohemian Highway. Where is the Bohemian Highway? It connects Freestone to Monte Rio. Still no help? In other words, Sonoma County, west of Santa Rosa, near the Russian River. Occidental used to be a stop for the train running from Eureka to San Francisco. The train is long gone, but the over one-hundred-year-old family-style Italian restaurant remains. If you order the "old world" dinner available with several entrees, you get massive amounts of food. First minestrone soup. Then salad. Then antipasta. Then ravioli. By this time, most people are already full, but that's when the main course arrives, which itself comes with sides. There is also sour dough bread, of course, to go with all this. These huge dinners only cost about $17.00 (sometimes less, depending on what you get). A great place for families and large groups. Plan the trip to Negri's to include a visit to some of the local wineries.
Negri's Website
All Over California (and beyond)
In-N-Out Burger. You have not lived until you've had a Double Double (double meat, double cheese). In-N-Out is what McDonalds maybe once was, but definitely ceased to be years ago. The french fries do not have gluten or dairy products added to them. Just potatoes fried in vegetable oil. They are made fresh each day: just look behind the counter at any In-N-Out and you will see a recently-hired employee putting whole potatoes in an old-fashioned hand slicer. The employees at EVERY store are always totally on the ball, polite and hustling. In-N-Out used to be only in the Los Angeles area, but now they're all over California, Nevada and Arizona. So make it a part of any trip to California. You will become a convert. Buy a shirt and wear it proudly back home. People will approach you, probably drooling, to talk about their favorite burger joint on the planet.
In-n-Out Burger Website
Cool Spots Outside California:
Casino el Camino. A goth-decor bar with 3/4 pound angus beef burgers, on 6th Street in Austin, Texas. A favorite of Austin's service industry employees.
The Salt Lick. The best barbecue on the planet happens to be located a few miles outside of Austin, in Driftwood, Texas.
Super Chief Coffee Bar. If you find yourself in Las Vegas, New Mexico, and need a cup of coffee, this is where you go. As more than a few locals have been known to say in response to ignorant tourists looking for a Starbucks, "We don't have Starbuck's here. We have Super Chief."