Food and Wine

Wine Country Map (PDF format)

From its five-star restaurants to its award-winning wines, Monterey County is a gourmet food lover’s paradise. With the seafood bounty of the Monterey Bay, a cornucopia of fresh fruits and vegetables from the Salinas Valley, and the fine wines produced throughout the region, local chefs can create a meal you won’t soon forget.

You might celebrate your anniversary with a romantic dinner for two in one of our charm-filled restaurants in Carmel, or bring the whole family to Monterey’s Fisherman’s Wharf for casual dining with a waterside view. An eclectic mix of ethnic cuisine is also available for the adventurous visitor. Try one of our many Thai or Pacific Rim restaurants, or Mexican taquerias. (Of course, if it’s a good old-fashioned hamburger you crave, you can get that, too.) And don’t forget to save room for dessert!

No visit to Monterey County would be complete without a trip to one of our many award-winning wineries. Chateau Julien Wine Estate, Paraiso Springs Vineyards, Chalone Vineyard, Smith & Hook Winery — Hahn Estates and Galante Vineyards are just a few of the wine labels you might recognize. With a whopping 40 tasting rooms to choose from, we guarantee you will be back again and again. Cheers!

Seen from the air, Monterey County seems a patchwork of sprightly greens and rich browns: thousands of intensively farmed acres. Few nights here see frost, except on the hillsides where cattle graze; even the hot, sunny inland valley is often tempered with fog on summer days. This moderate year-round climate allows our farmers to grow virtually any crop successfully, with tender lettuce, luscious strawberries and the prickly artichoke our best-known produce.