A Local’s Guide to the Best Places in Half Moon Bay: Beach, Restaurants, and Hotels

With beautiful beaches, a dramatic coastline, and delicious restaurants and bars, Half Moon Bay is one of our favorite places to spend the day or weekend. Half Moon Bay holds a special place in our hearts. It is where we went on our first date and where we spent our 1-night honeymoon.  No matter the season, we love to drive to the coast and enjoy all that HMB has to offer. You won’t find the typical recommendations of Sam’s Chowder House or Barbara’s Fishtrap on our list of favorite restaurants and bars. It isn’t because they aren’t great; it is because Robin’s not a fan of chowder or shellfish. It feels criminal to even admit that. 

Here are some of our favorite spots in the area.

Beach

Let’s start with our go-to beach: Montara State Beach. When accessing Montara, you can park in the small parking lot and head down the stairs in front of the restaurant. You’ll be greeted with this amazing view (see photo above). We love how the beach is nestled in the cliffs. Since the water is always cold, we don’t swim in the Pacific at any of HMB’s beaches. It doesn’t mean you can’t, but be careful of the tides and the cold. Montara is a great spot to picnic on the beach and take in the beautiful Northern California coast. 

Hotel

Our favorite place to stay is the Half Moon Bay Ritz Carlton. Since the rooms are pricey, we save our Marriott Bonvoy points to use on a night here. You can find great point deals, and with our Marriott status, we almost always get a complimentary upgrade. This hotel is a worthwhile splurge if you’ve been saving your points. If you’re just in the area for a day and you feel like having a pricey drink, we recommend sitting on the patio by a firepit at sunset and enjoying a cocktail as the sun sets over the Pacific. We love listening to the bagpiper who circles the grounds playing music while the sun sets. Read more about our recommendations for the Ritz here.

If an expensive cocktail at the Ritz is out of budget for sunset, you can head to Moss Beach Distillery. They have a patio on the bluff, which is a perfect spot to catch the sunset. It used to be open seating and first come first serve, but we recently heard that they changed the space to a dining space and require reservations.

Restaurants and bars

Our go-to lunch spot is Half Moon Bay Brewing Company. We love to sit outside on a sunny day and enjoy a nice lunch. For dog parents, the patio is dog friendly.

We recently discovered a newer spot in HMB that we really enjoyed. Jettywave Distillery is a short walk from Half Moon Bay Brewing Company and has a nice outdoor space to drink, eat, and socialize. You can do a tasting of their liquor or order a cocktail from the bar. There’s also a place to order food from a local restaurant.

Also near Half Moon Bay Brewery is Hop Dogma Brewing Co. This is another great spot for good local beers.  

Another fun spot for a casual drink and meal is Cameron’s Pub. This English pub has a lot of character, and even a double-decker smoking bus, for those interested. 

If you’re looking to purchase fresh fish, check out Half Moon Bay Fish Market. We often stop here on the way home to purchase fresh fish. I love getting sushi-grade ahi tuna to make poke. 

There are so many more spots that we haven’t visited but want to; we tend to stick to our favorites. As we venture to new places, we’ll be sure to update this post.