A pioneer in Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch and Restaurant Partner program, family-owned Passionfish has served sustainable seafood for nearly two decades. The seasonal menu offers small plates and entrees that are balanced, thoughtful, and fresh. Dishes such as smoked trout ceviche and Dungeness crab salad are offered alongside a considerable 400-item list of local and imported wines offered at close to retail prices.

Züm is the ideal place to get a boatload of sushi — literally, as the casual restaurant decorates actual miniature boats with dozens of pieces of sushi as a serving vessel — and for a cheap bottle of Sapporo or two. Headed here is a worthwhile alternative to Cannery Row tourist traps while not breaking the bank or needing to throw on a tie to enjoy a bit of fried fish by the sea.

Liliana Rodas de Araujo grew up making and selling empanadas in Paraguay, and after a long career in the pastry arts, she opened Cafe Guaraní during her retirement, hoping to introduce the Monterey Peninsula to traditional Paraguayan foods. This cute cafe, full of cheerful folk art, offers a welcoming atmosphere, and serves a wide selection of empanadas including typical versions, like chicken and ham-and-cheese, but also specials, like a pulled pork variety. They all come with house chimichurri sauce, which alone is worth the trip. Sandwiches are served on homemade brioche along with mandioca fries, and the pastry case is full of fancy-looking cakes, guava-filled croissants, and dulce de leche alfajores. Everything tastes great with any of the yerba mate drinks.

Aside from a handful of dive bars, hotel bars, and Fisherman’s Wharf restaurants, the cocktail scene in Monterey isn’t necessarily buzz-worthy. But, thankfully, there is Pearl Hour, an eye-catching turquoise storefront on Lighthouse Avenue, aptly named by proprietress Katie Blandin (of Good Food Award-winning Golden Bear Bitters) after Steinbeck’s poignant quote: “It is the hour of pearl — the interval between day and night when time stops and examines itself...” Here, Blandin mixes inventive cocktails like the Pearlescent with mezcal, gin, bergamot liqueur, dry vermouth, and yarrow. During daylight hours, the bar transforms into a Euro-inspired coffeehouse.

The often ignored strip-mall town of Seaside, in North Monterey County, is having a food and drink revival, and Other Brother Beer Co. is one of the main attractions. This breezy craft beer spot, founded by two brothers who helm a California olive oil company with the same name, offers a diverse variety of fresh brews (not just IPAs) for local pickup and delivery.

Right next to San Carlos beach lies this hidden gem of a restaurant with a kitchen run by Italian chef Maurizio Cutrignelli. He cut his teeth along the Adriatic Sea and it shows as he turns Monterey’s seafood — think fettuccine with clams, shrimp, and mussels — into stunning dishes. Prices here are sensible, too, an ideal option for both those traveling to see the sights and local residents.

This local shop roasts its own beans and provides a buzzy, well-lit place to grab single-origin coffee. The food is worth it, too, with banana-peanut butter toast with honey and cocoa powder and sharp cheddar-stuffed croissant sandwiches as standouts. The name is a reference to tandem bikes, with the two seats in front and back called the “captain” and the “stoker.”

Alvarado Street Brewery is a Northern California favorite, so it’s worth a stop in town to get a sampling of the beers that put it on the map for beer fans. Try the latest offerings or go with the hoppy IPA dubbed You’re Right on Time or an easy-drinking American lager like Alvarado’s Monterey Beer. Meanwhile, for food, visitors can enjoy the newly launched Bar Pie pizza program or dig into a wagyu smash burger should the mood strike.

Husband-and-wife co-owners chef Jonny Black and Monique Black bring years of cooking at Michelin-starred destinations to their hotly anticipated debut restaurant. Opening in October 2022, the restaurant showcases Jonny’s cooking chops in dishes that showcase the abundance of local ingredients including uni-topped spaghetti alla chiatarra and an abalone sausage stuffed chicken wing.

Stumbling upon Stationaery, hidden within the quaint San Carlos Square, is like discovering a secret note written just for you. Except it is no secret, as everyone now knows about the delicious food to be found here. The tiny 34-seat space has outdoor seating too, which helps accommodate the long wait for the popular brunch featuring items like the potato pancake or a lobster roll on an Ad Astra brioche bun.

Edwin’s takes the place of Affina, a longtime Mediterranean restaurant from chef Dexter Salazar. During the pandemic, Salazar was on the brink of retirement with plans to sell the restaurant, when his brothers and nephew stepped in. Now they’ve reopened as Edwin’s, a tribute to the family’s Filipino roots, and Salazar’s father, Edwin. Expect “Shanghai” lumpia rolls, Balinese chicken, and more Filipino flavors sprinkled throughout, with an extensive wine list, to boot.

Chef Fabian Di Paolo took over as executive chef at this downtown Carmel restaurant after a stint in Miami, bringing dinner, breakfast, and happy hour menus with him. Begin your meal with yucca fries and coconut salsa, followed by a hardy bone-in pork Milanese with pecorino-parsley crumbs, and conclude on a sweet note with macerated berries over a ricotta cheesecake.