California Central Coast Food Guide: Tri-Tip to Chowder

A California Central Coast food guide follows the coast and the hills behind it from Santa Barbara to San Luis Obispo and Paso Robles. The region is best known for Santa Maria-style barbecue, a tri-tip rubbed with salt, pepper and garlic and grilled over red oak, and for a wine country where lunch is part of the day.

It is an easy drive from Los Angeles or San Francisco, and a long weekend covers a lot.

California Central Coast food guide: what defines the food scene?

The Central Coast has farmland, fishing towns and wine valleys within a short drive of each other. The food reflects that: grilled beef from ranch country, fresh produce from the valleys, seafood from the harbors and wine from dozens of vineyards. Cooking tends to be relaxed and outdoors, with patios, picnic tables and fire pits.

Weather helps. Mornings can be foggy and afternoons warm and clear, so pack layers.

What is Santa Maria tri-tip?

Santa Maria-style barbecue is a regional tradition built on tri-tip, a triangular cut of beef, rubbed with salt, pepper and garlic and grilled over red oak. It is sliced thin and served with pinquito beans (a small local bean), salsa, a green salad, macaroni salad and grilled garlic bread. The style comes from ranching families who held cookouts for their workers.

Accounts differ on when tri-tip became the standard cut, but the oak fire and the side dishes are constant.

Where can you eat Santa Maria tri-tip?

Family-run restaurants that cook over an indoor red oak pit, long-running steakhouses and village taverns around Casmalia, Nipomo and Old Town Orcutt all serve the classic plate.

Weekend nights draw crowds. Go early or on a weekday, and ask whether the restaurant takes reservations.

Santa Barbara restaurants: harbor and downtown

Santa Barbara has a mix of seafood near the harbor, Mexican restaurants in the neighborhoods and a busy downtown around State Street. The harbor is a good place for a casual lunch of fish and chips, crab or sea urchin, depending on the season. Farmers markets run on several days of the week.

Parking near the beach is hard in summer. Use the shuttle or walk from a downtown garage.

San Luis Obispo food: a college town with a market

San Luis Obispo, known as SLO, is a college town with a walkable downtown, a mission and a weekly farmers market that is a local institution. The town's cafes, bakeries and breweries make it a good base for a weekend. Nearby coastal towns, such as Pismo Beach and Morro Bay, are known for clam chowder and seafood.

Eat chowder in a bread bowl at least once. It is a Central Coast habit.

Paso Robles dining: wine country lunches

Paso Robles is a wine region with many wineries, many with picnic areas and food. The downtown square has restaurants and bars, and the surrounding hills have tasting rooms with kitchens. Lunch among the vines is a highlight, so plan a designated driver or hire a driver.

Book tastings and meals in advance on weekends, especially in harvest season. Spring and fall are the best seasons for the weather.

What produce and farm stands are on the Central Coast?

The valleys behind the coast grow strawberries, avocados, citrus, vegetables and wine grapes. Roadside stands sell fruit in baskets and jars of honey, and farmers markets run most days of the week in the larger towns. Strawberries and avocados are available almost all year, and citrus is at its best in winter and early spring.

Buy what looks best that day and ask the seller how to eat it. A basket of strawberries and a bag of avocados make a picnic for the beach.

Where can you find casual seafood on the coast?

Harbor towns such as Morro Bay and Pismo Beach sell fish and chips, clam chowder and grilled fish tacos from waterfront stands and casual restaurants. Some places sell fresh fish from the boat by the pound. Ask about local catches such as rockfish, halibut and Dungeness crab in season.

Bring a layer for an outdoor meal. Ocean breezes can be cold even on a sunny day.

How should you plan the drive?

Highway 101 and the coastal Highway 1 are the main routes. Highway 1 is slower and more scenic, and sections can close after storms. Allow a day for each area: Santa Barbara, the Santa Maria and San Luis Obispo area, and Paso Robles. A good plan is to sleep in one base for two nights, so the tri-tip dinner and the wine country lunch do not need a hotel check-in in between. Pack a cooler for olive oil, cheese and strawberries from roadside stands, and keep an empty seat in the car for them.

For more California, read the Los Angeles ramen guide, and for the foods of the north see the Pacific Northwest food guide. All cities are on the US guides page.

Tri-tip, chowder and a wine country lunch make a good weekend. Get the Mosey app, rate each dish you eat along Highway 1, and keep a Central Coast list for the return trip.