Magnificent Morro Bay, California: Friendly Locals, Fine Food + Sensational Scenery

MORRO BAY, CALIFORNIA – We were due to hit the road and drive to the San Francisco Bay Area from this lovely oceanfront town on the Central Coast. My wife was dying for an acai bowl, and we both wanted a good cup of coffee to fuel us up for the drive north.

I did a little research on my iPhone and settled on a place on the main shopping street in Morro Bay called High Tide Deli and Cafe. A few minutes later we pulled into the parking lot. I loved the place the minute I got out of the car. Near the front entrance was a bench fashioned out of colorful, old skateboards, and behind that were a series of metal tables and chairs and a pretty garden with stunning, shiny succulents and small, brilliant red flowers.

I turned into the shop, which is housed in a tidy, one-story building, and spotted ball caps, t-shirts and inexpensive jewelry for sale in a place that felt like a casual surf shop. A polite young man behind the counter took our order for acai bowls and two coffee lattes. I noticed a sign by the register saying to be patient, as my order might take some time.

We weren’t in a rush, so we repaired to the patio to enjoy the morning sun on a warm day in late March.

We noticed a couple around our age wiping down the tables and chairs and struck up a conversation. I thought maybe they were employees, but they told me they’re residents of nearby San Luis Obispo who love to garden, so they drive a few minutes into town a couple days a week and do clean-up jobs voluntarily.

The woman (I stupidly forgot to ask their names) told me she worked 50-plus years as a physical therapist. Her husband said he had been a trucker for 30 years.

I ask them about Morro Bay, a town I had driven past dozens of times in the years I lived in California and when I was visiting, but a place I had never stopped.

“It’s a great vacation spot but it’s not all hoity-toity,” the woman told me.

As we chat about the beach and the general feel of the place, she told me I should check out a shop across the street called “Morro Made,” where they sell goods made by local artists.

“Let me go see when they open,” she said, then suddenly breaks into a near-sprint to cross the road. 

A minute later she returned, a disappointed look on her face. “They don’t open for another hour or so.”

After a brief chat, they trundled off to their next appointment. I didn’t want to bother them by asking for a photo, but I think I’ll remember their cheery demeanor and the farewell honk of their car horn for quite some time.

At the risk of turning a chance encounter at a coffee shop and a visit of maybe 20 hours into a broad statement about an entire city, I’m going to say that Morro Bay seems like my kind of place. There’s a beautiful, wide beach, a pretty harbor dotted with what looked like modest, working-class boats, and a nice but definitely not hoity-toity downtown. It’s probably too popular to be called sleepy, but it’s not a town that would ever be compared to Carmel-by-the-Sea or La Jolla.

There’s also Morro Rock, a towering (581 feet or 177 meters) slab of 23-million-year-old volcanic history that juts out of the Pacific. The rock looks like a stoic sentinel guarding the shore, and can be seen for miles. It looks like an island but is connected to the shore by a narrow causeway. El Morro means “crown-shaped rock” in Spanish, and was named by Spanish explorer Juan Cabrillo when he sailed the coast of California in 1542.

It’s a sturdy, handsome place with a series of casual to moderately priced seafood places along the water. We didn’t know which one to pick, but settled on a place called The Galley Seafood Grill and Bar, which sits on a dock perched at the edge of the water. We got there on a Thursday night around 6 p.m. and got the last available table, with a good view of the harbor and Morro Rock. We could hear a pack of noisy sea lions barking in the distance, which added to the ambience.

It’s a simply decorated but nice place that seemed to be filled with regulars and locals, which gave it a bit of a California beach version of Cheers.

I had a very good old-fashioned from the bar, with a generous, small-town pour, and my wife had a nice glass of California wine. Most wines by the glass run about $12 or $13, and most bottles I saw (many from nearby Paso Robles) were in the $40 to $45 range.

We had an excellent Mexican salad with lettuce, corn, tomatoes, black beans and crunchy tortilla strips with a zingy lime dressing and a nice piece of salmon with mango salsa. My blackened redfish didn’t taste straight-off-the-boat fresh, but it was quite good and came with garlic mashed potatoes and perfectly cooked veggies.

Even better than the food and drinks was our friendly waitress, Mackenzie. I asked if I could get some crèam to take back to our hotel for my morning coffee, and she gave me enough for a week.

They don’t take reservations, so arrive early if you want to see the sunset.

We didn’t have a lot of time, but I managed a few minutes walking the beach and admiring Morro Rock, as well as stooping to pick up pretty sand dollar shells with lovely, flower-like markings.

We spent the night at the Inn at Morro Bay, a quiet, pretty spot at the south end of town, just inside Morro Bay State Park and across from Morro Bay Golf Course, a hillside course that looks quite enticing.

Our ground-floor room didn’t have a view, but if I stepped up onto a patio a few steps from our sliding glass door I had a fine view of the harbor and Morro Rock.

The room wasn’t fancy, but it had some nice nautical décor and a coffee maker, as well as a refrigerator, fireplace and a small patio with two chairs. The inn is a low-rise affair with lovely landscaping. There’s plenty of free parking, and free Wi-Fi. They also have bikes for rent, which would be a great way to explore the town.

Morro Bay is on Highway One, about 15 minutes from San Luis Obispo, a fine city that’s almost exactly halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles. It’s only 35 minutes from fabulous Hearst Castle and 40 minutes from Paso Robles, which has some of California’s best wineries. I recommend Opolo Vineyards, which has terrific wine and a great patio with excellent pizza. The Sensorio light show in Paso Robles features more than a hundred thousand tiny LED lights and is a magical sight.

We didn’t have time to stop on our latest visit, but Cayucos is a fine coastal town just a few minutes north of Morro Bay. A little further north is Cambria, another delightful beach town we enjoyed last fall and a fine place to stay if you want to explore the south end of Big Sur.

A bit to the south of Morro Bay is beautiful Avila Beach and the town of Pismo Beach, which was recent named Best Coastal Small Town in the USA in the USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards.

If you haven’t check out California’s Central Coast, you’re missing one of the best parts of the state.

MORE INFORMATION

Visit Morro Bay: https://www.morrobay.org/

Visit California: https://www.visitcalifornia.com/