Expressnews
Every road trip is as exciting as it is jam-packed, with time-bound itineraries, planning, exploring, and much more, all being tackled at once. But do not get overwhelmed or ‘hangry’, rather, make the most of your time on the road by turning it into a glorious drive filled with exciting food stops and culinary experiences! The highways and roads of California welcome road trippers with countless roadside eateries that keep you satisfied and in high spirits for your scenic drive.
Taco Everyday
Fish tacos may be the state’s signature dish, but true taco fans cannot pass up an al pastor, beef tongue, or even a cauliflowerversion. Regardless of the filling, folded tortillas packed with deliciousness can be found in every Golden State city and far-flung hamlet.
If you are cruising from Los Angeles to Palm Springs, stop for nopales tacos smothered in cilantro at Rancho Cucamonga’s ‘El Tio Alex’. While beach-hopping in Orange County, pull over for blackened fish tacos served seaside at Laguna Beach’s ‘Lost Pier Cafe’. After wine-tasting in Paso Robles, swing by downtown for short rib and halibut tacos at ‘Fish Gaucho’.
Driving around Santa Barbara, steer into ‘East Beach Tacos’ for ahi poke tacos with wasabi aioli, or pop into ‘Corizón Cocina’ for octopus and shrimp tacos. Meat lovers will prefer ‘Lilly’s Taqueria’, which cooks up authentic beef tongue and cheek tacos.
Burgers for the Win
Burgers are everyone’s pick-me-up food, and California puts its own twist on the timeless burger.
Every Big Sur Road trip should include a stop at ‘Nepenthe’ for their signature serve, the Famous Ambrosiaburger, ground beef on a French roll slathered in a secret sauce, best enjoyed at the restaurant’s lofty coastal perch. In Napa Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area, ‘Gott’s Roadside’ reigns as burger royalty, spiffing up the traditional patty-on-bun with its California burger layered with fried egg, bacon, and arugula.
‘Squeeze Burger’ in Stockton serves Instagram-ready burgers adorned with melted cheese “skirts.” Bakersfield gets burger-creative at ‘Moo Creamery’, where its PB&B features grass-fed beef, bacon jam, peanut butter, and crunchy potato chips. Farther north in Dunsmuir, ‘Yak’s on the 5’ dares your taste buds with a jerky called Melt Your Tongue, which is a crumbless road trip car snack.
More savoury jerky awaits in Lake Tahoe at ‘Truckee’s Jerky Junction’, housed in a red caboose, for thick, cowboy-style beef and Hawaiian-style pork jerky. For a Mojave Desert sojourn, stock up at ‘Alien Fresh Jerky’ in Baker. In addition to tasty dried meats, the shop offers a huge array of bottled hot sauces and weirdly wonderful alien kitsch, right next to the World’s Tallest Thermometer, a popular road trip stop in the area.
Travellers exploring the eastern Sierra via U.S. 395 hit up ‘Mahogany Smoked Meats’ in Bishop, which are jerky masters since 1922. Grab a quarter-pound of peppered elk or teriyaki buffalo jerky, and maybe throw in some spicy wild boar, too. Youcan pick up more supplies at ‘Gus’s Fresh Jerky’, 80 miles south in Olancha.
Sandwich Saga
When cruising north on I-5, stop for lunch at ‘Granzella’s’ in Williams or ‘Olive Pit’ in Corning. Less than 60 miles apart, both long-standing institutions have conquered the olive muffuletta. Stay to experience ‘Olive Pit’s’ olive tasting bar and ‘Granzella’s’mounted polar bears.
North of San Diego in Leucadia, ‘Moto Deli’ knows its way around a Cubano, banh mi, or tuna salad sandwich. A visit to Del Mar cries out for a super-stuffed corned beef reuben at ‘Milton’s’. Highway 1 drivers steering the winding two-lane between San Simeon and Carmel should not bypass the ‘Ragged Point Inn’, where the outdoor snack serves a tasty grilled cheese, in the backdrop of drop-dead Pacific views.
Buttery Fruit Pies
Californians are crazy about pie, and rightfully so. Peaches, plums, cherries, nectarines, and berries are some of the state’s most important agricultural products, and they taste like heaven on a buttery crust.
Pick up a strawberry rhubarb pie at ‘The Fruit Bowl’ in Stockton. Try a slice of Fruit of the Forest, a five-fruit mashup, at ‘Casa de Fruta’ in Hollister. Join the legion of road-trippers who have scored a juicy peach pie at ‘Ikeda’s’ in Auburn, conveniently located enroute to Lake Tahoe. Or head into the Sierra Nevada Mountains on Highway 108 through Sonora, making a side-trip to ‘Cover’s Apple Ranch’ to sample mile-high apple pie.
For a true California speciality, taste an olallieberry pie, made with a deep purple berry that’s a cross between loganberry and youngberry. On Highway 1 in the Central Coast, find the coveted “o-pie” at ‘Linn’s Restaurant’ in Cambria, the historic ‘Duarte’s Tavern’ in Pescadero, and ‘Swanton Berry Farm’ in Davenport.
