Whale Watchers Cafe

Very tasty food. Vegetarian choices were good too. Vantage point overlooking the bay. Need more staff though. There were just 2 people taking orders, cleaning up and billing. It was pretty busy and while they were doing their best , one could tell that they were rather stressed.

Shocked to see this rated so low - so had to share our experience. A bit pricey but the food was delicious and the views were fantastic. Great place to stop for a break. The guy who helped us was super friendly and gave our 3 year old daughter a piece of delicious cake on the house - which we were happy to help her eat. We will definitely stop here again anytime we are driving through Big Sur.

Hi! Highly recommend for the views and the atmosphere. The man who owns the property is extremely sweet and polite. Unfortunately, business was slow due to the PCH being closed. The gas is expensive, but one of the only few in the deep of Big Sur, which is understandable. Stop in and get some beer and enjoy the view!!

Very good experience. I stopped by for lunch while driving in the Big Sur area and got a nice portion of shrimps. Fresh, tasty and the price was pretty reasonable.

My experience here was fantastic. My mom and I stopped for lunch while exploring the Big Sur area. We got the fish and chips with iced tea and it hit the spot. Very fresh, tasty, and reasonably priced for the portion size and location of the restaurant. We had unobstructed views of the ocean from the dining area and the service was great. Would definitely recommend stopping here!

Very polite staff. I ordered a salmon and onion omelet. It was wonderful! The view of the ocean is blocked quite a bit by the decorations, but still a nice place for a meal. Outdoor seating is available.

Great place to stop to refuel on your way along highway 1. Coffee was hot and strong, and the steak and eggs was wholesome and tasty. Would definitely stop at the cafe for lunch or dinner on a future trip. Service was also good.

Jaime Ramos

Very good experience. I stopped by for lunch while driving in the Big Sur area and got a nice portion of shrimps. Fresh, tasty and the price was pretty reasonable.

Ariel Callis

My experience here was fantastic. My mom and I stopped for lunch while exploring the Big Sur area. We got the fish and chips with iced tea and it hit the spot. Very fresh, tasty, and reasonably priced for the portion size and location of the restaurant. We had unobstructed views of the ocean from the dining area and the service was great. Would definitely recommend stopping here!

Karethra Bex

Very polite staff. I ordered a salmon and onion omelet. It was wonderful! The view of the ocean is blocked quite a bit by the decorations, but still a nice place for a meal. Outdoor seating is available.

Ben Matthews

Great place to stop to refuel on your way along highway 1. Coffee was hot and strong, and the steak and eggs was wholesome and tasty. Would definitely stop at the cafe for lunch or dinner on a future trip. Service was also good.

Clam chowder is a must full of clams. Prices are fair views are outstanding.

+1

Small roadside diner along a remote stretch of California Highway 1. Prices are a more than in the city but understandable given the relative remoteness. Fantastic views and friendly service.

Pricy. Food was good. Fries need seasoning. Gratuity of 18% was added automatically to the check for a party of 3. Beware when you sign your check. Otherwise a good stop to grab lunch

The food was good and big portion. The price was a little high paying $30 Dlls for huevos rancheros. It is next to the beach with a beautiful view and great service.

Pretty good. Went here with my cousin and mother to eat and turn around after an hours drive up the coast. Sandwiches all looked and tasted wonderful, food came out quick, and the service was great. Steak was a little overcooked but was still good. Good place to get a quick bite to eat before continuing up the coast.

We had the seafood platter and the bbq platter and it was amazing. Not sure why everyone says the food is bad as our meal was absolutely delicious. The only thing I will say are the prices are a bit outrageous. Otherwise, we had a great meal from here and the staff were friendly.

It's a fun and moderately informal dining experience with the benefit of an incomparable location that can drive its prices up. But with the high prices comes a high quality dining experience that adds a colorful nuance to trip for a memorable meal. And never skip the dessert menu! As part of the strange character of the place the dessert cafe branches off the back and functions as part of the cafe in what's an almost confusing layout. But the restaurant makes it work in its own way that's unlike any other dining experience you'll see in California.

This place offers an amazing view as we dined overlooking the marvelous Pacific Ocean. There is ample parking available, and when we arrived, it was peaceful with only a few diners. It's worth noting that the place is expensive, but you're paying for the exceptional location and view.

Honestly you can't complain about this place, it's in a remote region along the PCH.. yes you're going to spend quite a bit by eating here but it's honestly worth it for the views. On this certain day unfortunately the fog wouldn't let you see the ocean but on other days that I have come you usually can see far out the ocean. The staff are great & Kind. Fortunately they don't offer Wi-Fi anymore, so please make sure your card doesn't get blocked out here! Or have some cash just in case. Food is great

Whale watchers cafe was a much needed pit stop along this particular stretch of my roadtrip through California. Although the captain's plate with an assortment of fried fish sounded tasty, the waitress informed me that the calamari was actually frozen. Instead, I opted for the fish a chips and was completely blown away by the flavour. As long as you check your expectations and realize the constraints of opening a business in an extremely remote part of a mountain, you'll certainly have a great time. The views from either the patio or inside are absolutely stunning which makes it all worth it.

About the only place to stop for 30 minutes north of Ragged Point. Cute and scenic. Well stocked store. Restaurant was closed. The elderly lady behind the store counter seems to talk in grunts and gave me the impression she'd rather you not bother coming in. The number of "NO!" signs is hilarious!!

Dr Parthiban Vijayaraghavan

This place offers an amazing view as we dined overlooking the marvelous Pacific Ocean. There is ample parking available, and when we arrived, it was peaceful with only a few diners. It's worth noting that the place is expensive, but you're paying for the exceptional location and view.

Ricky Mesa

Honestly you can't complain about this place, it's in a remote region along the PCH.. yes you're going to spend quite a bit by eating here but it's honestly worth it for the views. On this certain day unfortunately the fog wouldn't let you see the ocean but on other days that I have come you usually can see far out the ocean. The staff are great & Kind. Fortunately they don't offer Wi-Fi anymore, so please make sure your card doesn't get blocked out here! Or have some cash just in case. Food is great

Eric Pinto

Whale watchers cafe was a much needed pit stop along this particular stretch of my roadtrip through California. Although the captain's plate with an assortment of fried fish sounded tasty, the waitress informed me that the calamari was actually frozen. Instead, I opted for the fish a chips and was completely blown away by the flavour. As long as you check your expectations and realize the constraints of opening a business in an extremely remote part of a mountain, you'll certainly have a great time. The views from either the patio or inside are absolutely stunning which makes it all worth it.

Jim Mannoia

About the only place to stop for 30 minutes north of Ragged Point. Cute and scenic. Well stocked store. Restaurant was closed. The elderly lady behind the store counter seems to talk in grunts and gave me the impression she'd rather you not bother coming in. The number of "NO!" signs is hilarious!!

Its great if you need something quick. Steep prices though for ok food. We paid 30$ per person for just main course with tax.

Food is very simple and does the job when you driving for long hours and need to rest. Waiter was a bit pushy with the bill, dropping it of when we didn’t even finish our mains and still wanted dessert. Views are nice and with a good sun set.

+1

Amazing views with not so amazing food. It worked as we were quite hungry but it could have been so much more. I ordered a salad, the dressing was really bad. It was a typical bottled variety. Oh, to think how easy it would be to switch to a better brand... or make some homemade. The shrimp atop the salad were quite soggy as if still swimming in the ocean. They don't need to try harder because they are literally the only place for miles but imagine if they did.

Extraordinarily over priced for the quality you are receiving. $25 is the average price for breakfast. The omelet was pretty flavorless and a disappointment. I think you’d be better off doing the basic eggs and sausage and seasoning it yourself. It’s definitely because this is one of the only food locations around the area. If you find yourself camping and looking for a hot meal you will definitely get that. No wifi.

The food here is expensive! $40 for a plate of fish chips, $28 for some cheese ravioli, and $7 for a glass of Diet Coke! The food quality is not worth that much, I’ve never seen these kinds of prices even at much nicer restaurants!

Rachel Rose

Extraordinarily over priced for the quality you are receiving. $25 is the average price for breakfast. The omelet was pretty flavorless and a disappointment. I think you’d be better off doing the basic eggs and sausage and seasoning it yourself. It’s definitely because this is one of the only food locations around the area. If you find yourself camping and looking for a hot meal you will definitely get that. No wifi.

Trmy

The food here is expensive! $40 for a plate of fish chips, $28 for some cheese ravioli, and $7 for a glass of Diet Coke! The food quality is not worth that much, I’ve never seen these kinds of prices even at much nicer restaurants!

Great views. But it’s the only place within like 20 miles that has food/gas/firewood/etc… so it comes with its faults as expected. $23 for a burger that was definitely frozen at some point. But it’s a burger on highway 1. The people were really nice, actually, but we walked around for about 10 minutes before we found anyone.

Charles Hegi

Great views. But it’s the only place within like 20 miles that has food/gas/firewood/etc… so it comes with its faults as expected. $23 for a burger that was definitely frozen at some point. But it’s a burger on highway 1. The people were really nice, actually, but we walked around for about 10 minutes before we found anyone.

I'm pretty bummed to have to give this place a 2 star. The view is second to none, but the food and service is poor. One of the staff told another table the all of the white caps out there were wales, when they were clearly just white caps (and hundreds of them by the by). I was pretty put off by the waiter telling the customers a lie.

Stopped by a few days ago while camping up the road. I was super excited at first because the cafe itself was really cute and had a great view of the coast, but it was difficult to find an employee who would acknowledge our existence, to the point that we were firmly convinced it was closed after wandering around for about ten minutes. The food was pricey, $26 for a hamburger that had notes of middle school cafeteria food, but the fries were good. The water glasses were cracked and dirty and a blatant health code violation but everything else, including the restroom, was very clean. It’s worth noting that this is the only blip of human civilization within a reasonable distance on Highway 1, so while I was a bit dubious about the experience, I was grateful for its presence.

The only positive thing I can say is that this place is one of the only places you can quickly drive to if you’re staying in the area and need a quick bite, as there aren’t a lot of food options south of Lucia Lodge off of HWY 1. This place is overpriced, dingy, bathrooms are disgusting and just not impressionable. Tourist trap for sure!

Nice outside area but not a great restaurant experience. The coffee was brown water, the quesadilla was drowning in cheap cheese, and everything was expensive, e.g. a medium size tuna sandwich is 27 dollars. Some restrooms were out of order, some very dirty.

Anke Koelzer

Nice outside area but not a great restaurant experience. The coffee was brown water, the quesadilla was drowning in cheap cheese, and everything was expensive, e.g. a medium size tuna sandwich is 27 dollars. Some restrooms were out of order, some very dirty.

Erica Gonzalez

The only positive thing I can say is that this place is one of the only places you can quickly drive to if you’re staying in the area and need a quick bite, as there aren’t a lot of food options south of Lucia Lodge off of HWY 1. This place is overpriced, dingy, bathrooms are disgusting and just not impressionable. Tourist trap for sure!

Rachel Hegi

Stopped by a few days ago while camping up the road. I was super excited at first because the cafe itself was really cute and had a great view of the coast, but it was difficult to find an employee who would acknowledge our existence, to the point that we were firmly convinced it was closed after wandering around for about ten minutes. The food was pricey, $26 for a hamburger that had notes of middle school cafeteria food, but the fries were good. The water glasses were cracked and dirty and a blatant health code violation but everything else, including the restroom, was very clean. It’s worth noting that this is the only blip of human civilization within a reasonable distance on Highway 1, so while I was a bit dubious about the experience, I was grateful for its presence.

If you don’t mind eating blend and bad food yet pay a price like it was great, check out this place. Otherwise save yourself the frustration and find some other place. It started with grabbing a sticky and greasy door handle. The kitchen looked old and not very clean and the menu was greasy. We ordered enchiladas, soup and cheese sandwiches for the kids. Absolute the worst thing we are in quite some time. Breakfast at Dannies or lunch at White Castle seems to be like a culinary treat compared to this junk. The soup was clearly straight from a can. The enchiladas were so dull and oxidized that even my son didn’t eat it. Fries were cold, fat and soft. The ham and cheese sandwich was the best of the worst with cheap tasting and looking cheese. Avoid this place like the plaque. $60 wasted.

Do not stop here. $91 (tip already included in the price) for frozen chicken tenders, and a dry stale turkey sandwich + 2 sodas. If you're heading south keep going until you reach Sebastians (30mins) for fresh amazing sandwiches at a reasonable price. The only bonus here is the views out to the sea. That is all.

We ate here on our way along the Big Sur. We were hungry, it was already late and so we didn't really have a choice. If we had known that a few miles later there would be a restaurant at Ragged Point, we would have kept going. The food is extremely overpriced. That a portion of noodles costs as much as meat is just outrageous and either way the food is not worth the prices. The meat was dry. On the way out, you could see 10 pieces of chicken still being fried, these were definitely not ordered again that evening. But well, it's all right for the next day. At least that's how my meat tasted. One star as the waiter was very friendly.

Although the view is really great, I can't recommend the food here. 20 dollars for scrambled eggs with toast and potatoes is really outrageous. The portion sizes don't reflect the price either. What annoyed me even more, however, is that we were charged for a refill of a Diet Coke (which costs $6 anyway). On the menu, however, is extra mentioned that a refill is included! we wanted to reflect the bad service with the tip, but we could not, because this was directly included in the bill. Best to continue directly and save the trouble and disappointment!

Where to start.... well for one thing, $30 for fish and chips is pretty nuts. But on top of that it was the worst, most bland food I've eaten in a long time. Neither my friend or I have ever sent food back at a restaurant but we should have. We had to make a special request just to have salt and pepper at our table to try and give it some seasoning.... Oh and that brings me to the next item, the service. Absolutely horrible. I don't know if the waitress was having a bad day, or just hates her job because she works at and extremely overpriced joint with bad food, I expect the tips aren't rolling in. They didn't from us either. Any request we made (another $8.00 805 beer, or side of ranch) was met with attitude like we were being difficult customers. Meanwhile there were only 4 other people eating there..... She had a cute relationship with a local seagull though, maybe she needs to quit and go work somewhere with animals! Anyways, had diarrhea that night, and all I had to eat was the pesto pasta. How do you mess that up? End of story. Don't go here. Bad food, insane prices, bad service, and an upset stomach. The gas station nearby is just as bad and the gas prices are INSANE ($8.49 / gal) 0 stars all around. EDIT: Oh I forgot.... I never managed to get a refill on my initial glass of water, maybe they don't care because they can't charge $8 for water.

Pricey burger - dry and mediocre. My son ordered $21.00 spaghetti and the waitress asked if he wanted garlic bread. Never pointed out that it was an additional NINE DOLLARS! Ridiculous. We had an older waitress who was not friendly. Someone else brought out food. Waitress never checked back to see if we had what we needed. Never offered refills. Had to ask another waitstaff to get us what we needed. Wish we could have had Cell service to check reviews before we stopped. Overall very expensive lunch and nothing special.

⚠️ DO NOT EAT HERE. 20% AUTOMATIC GRATUITY ADDED FOR PARTY OF 2 ⚠️Rip off & disgusting food thats way overpriced. The potatoes tasted old and microwaved and for basic breakfast food (2 waters, diner coffee, 2 pancakes, scrambled eggs with home fries & eggs benedict with home fries) it cost $72!!!! The service was even good either it was awkwardly quiet inside and was a weird vibe.

$25 BLT, $32 burger, and $10 forced gratuity. That's ridiculous. 20 mins further driving to the south, you would get much better choices.

We ordered the halibut which was bland and not worth $45. The latte was more foam than coffee and milk, and inconsistent with the two cups we ordered. When I asked if they could add more coffee to the one that was mainly foam, the answer was no. $8 for a glass of foam with a drip of latte in it. Times two. On top of it, they have an "automatic gratuity" of $12.60 to guarantee themselves a tip for bad service and sub-par food. I recommend you skip this eatery and snack until you get to the next. A waste of $88. Two weeks, five cities, this was the biggest disappointment in terms of F&B.

One of the worst meals we had on the trip, we were a group of five, all dishes were heated by microwave, the lasagna was served half frozen, daily soup was watery and tasteless, the chewy salmon obviously just been defrosted. They charge a fixed 18% service fee to the ordinary overpriced menu

Longfei Fan

$25 BLT, $32 burger, and $10 forced gratuity. That's ridiculous. 20 mins further driving to the south, you would get much better choices.

Amber

⚠️ DO NOT EAT HERE. 20% AUTOMATIC GRATUITY ADDED FOR PARTY OF 2 ⚠️Rip off & disgusting food thats way overpriced. The potatoes tasted old and microwaved and for basic breakfast food (2 waters, diner coffee, 2 pancakes, scrambled eggs with home fries & eggs benedict with home fries) it cost $72!!!! The service was even good either it was awkwardly quiet inside and was a weird vibe.

T

We ordered the halibut which was bland and not worth $45. The latte was more foam than coffee and milk, and inconsistent with the two cups we ordered. When I asked if they could add more coffee to the one that was mainly foam, the answer was no. $8 for a glass of foam with a drip of latte in it. Times two. On top of it, they have an "automatic gratuity" of $12.60 to guarantee themselves a tip for bad service and sub-par food. I recommend you skip this eatery and snack until you get to the next. A waste of $88. Two weeks, five cities, this was the biggest disappointment in terms of F&B.

Elad Peled

One of the worst meals we had on the trip, we were a group of five, all dishes were heated by microwave, the lasagna was served half frozen, daily soup was watery and tasteless, the chewy salmon obviously just been defrosted. They charge a fixed 18% service fee to the ordinary overpriced menu

Rick Breunesse

If you don’t mind eating blend and bad food yet pay a price like it was great, check out this place. Otherwise save yourself the frustration and find some other place. It started with grabbing a sticky and greasy door handle. The kitchen looked old and not very clean and the menu was greasy. We ordered enchiladas, soup and cheese sandwiches for the kids. Absolute the worst thing we are in quite some time. Breakfast at Dannies or lunch at White Castle seems to be like a culinary treat compared to this junk. The soup was clearly straight from a can. The enchiladas were so dull and oxidized that even my son didn’t eat it. Fries were cold, fat and soft. The ham and cheese sandwich was the best of the worst with cheap tasting and looking cheese. Avoid this place like the plaque. $60 wasted.

Wish I had service to read the other reviews before wasting time and money at this lame excuse for a restaurant. Outrageously priced frozen food. They also REFUSE to let anyone use the WiFi knowing that no one has service out here (it’s clear now that they don’t want people reading these reviews lol). Place has gotta be a front. Also saw an open case of natty ice next to the fryer. At least the cook was having a good time. TOURIST TRAP AVOID AT ALL COSTS. We were duped!

High prices for awful food. Fries taste like seafood. Warm canned soda. Waitress never came back after we got our food.

Alex

Wish I had service to read the other reviews before wasting time and money at this lame excuse for a restaurant. Outrageously priced frozen food. They also REFUSE to let anyone use the WiFi knowing that no one has service out here (it’s clear now that they don’t want people reading these reviews lol). Place has gotta be a front. Also saw an open case of natty ice next to the fryer. At least the cook was having a good time. TOURIST TRAP AVOID AT ALL COSTS. We were duped!