Tasty rest stops between Santa Cruz and South Lake Tahoe?

October 12, 2015 5:24 PM

My husband and I are heading up to Lake Tahoe (South Lake to be specific) on Wednesday, coming back on Saturday, and we're looking for stuff to eat and see along the way.

We are driving from Santa Cruz and aren't in any specific hurry to get there or come back - we can take our time and take nearly any route.

Are there any great places to stop and get tasty meals, snacks, treats that we should try to hit? Is there anything really really great to eat around Lake Tahoe we should hit while we're there? We have absolutely no agenda for the trip, just want to get out of town.

posted by marylynn to Travel & Transportation around California (9 answers total)

A friend of a friend owns Market Tavern in Stockton, if you pass through there. I haven't eaten there personally, but I've eaten his food elsewhere, and he's an excellent cook. Our mutual friend has eaten there, and has nothing but glowing things to say.
posted by mollymayhem at 8:03 PM on October 12, 2015 [1 favorite]

Murder Burger in Davis is a classic, if you're in to that sort of thing
posted by Maxwell's demon at 8:39 PM on October 12, 2015

Best answer: Placerville's little downtown is about a block and a half of fun, with a couple of eateries. Gold rush nostalgia and so on. About ten miles up Hwy 50 is "Apple Hill" which isn't so much of a place as a realm of rolling country roads off the Hwy where you'll find fruit stands selling apples, apple pie, et cetera. It's the high season in Apple Hill right now, so everything is open, and there's lots there. Also, there are a couple of wineries in the area, or so I've been told, and a brewery, which I've visited, and it was a nice flight. But it's been awhile (Google it?).

Higher up 50... We go to Strawberry for ice cream in the summer (family has a cabin near Kyburz), but there really isn't much between Apple Hill and Tahoe.

Driving from Santa Cruz? I think I'd find the most direct route from the coast to 49, then go north to Placerville and 50. You'll find a ton of cute little things that way, and it's a way more pleasant drive than rolling up through the East Bay and whatever and on through Davis along the 80.

It'll be a great drive, regardless.
posted by notyou at 9:10 PM on October 12, 2015

A little out of your way, but at some point I'd recommend visiting Harris Ranch.

Several great options near Davis and Sacramento, but one of my favorites is Fat's.
posted by estelahe at 10:00 PM on October 12, 2015

Best answer: Seconding the recommendation to stop by Apple Hill near Placerville. It is apple season right now so if you're going to do this, I'd think about doing it on a weekday on the way out, rather than on the way back, I'd say. (Apple Hill is a fall tradition in the area and so it can be quite busy on the weekends in the fall.)

My personal go-tos are Boa Vista and Rainbow Orchards, but there are plenty of fun roadside apple stands in the area. I like to pick up some apples, maybe a pie, and definitely a big box of apple donuts. Lots of places in the Apple Hill area make delicious glazed, powdered, or sugar-rolled donuts. You can also get many kinds of cider around there too.

In Davis, Ikeda's is also a fun quick stop for a few minutes if you're driving through. It's a couple of roadside joints that were started by a Japanese American family after World War II. The original location is in Auburn, which is on the way from Sacramento to the north end of Lake Tahoe and Reno, but the Davis location is good too. Alas, the Davis location doesn't have burgers and fries, but they do have lots of snacks you can pick up, and plenty of produce and pies.

(The Auburn Ikeda's location is definitely better just given that it's a much larger location, and you get the full roadside stand experience with with the attached burger stand area. Plus, in Auburn, there is another small roadside stand across the freeway called Machado's that makes incredible pies too. Some say that the Machado's pies are even better than Ikeda's... it's a big debate for anyone who regularly travels to Tahoe, whether you're an Ikeda's or a Machado's family. There are no losers in this debate.)

If you decide to veer south through Stockton, and head up to Placerville near Amador City, Sutter Creek, and Jackson, I'd recommend a few places in that area. Andrae's is a little bakery in Amador City that makes great cookies and other treats. In Sutter Creek there's a good pizza place called Pizza Plus with California beers on draft. There are lots of other fun little nooks and crannies to explore in each of those small gold rush towns.

Throughout the Sacramento area there are some good foodie grocery stores if you want to pick up supplies. Corti Brothers is a cool old world-leaning supermarket, with an eclectic booze and beer selection and some good fresh deli food. Nugget is a great local supermarket chain with locations in Davis and throughout Sacramento... it's kind of like Whole Foods, but a little bit more local-focused, and a little bit more artsy in some ways. Plenty of good produce and snacks to be had, and they bake great bread.

Enjoy your trip. The stretch between Sacramento and Tahoe is an especially nice drive!
posted by Old Man McKay at 10:15 PM on October 12, 2015 [3 favorites]

Cafe Colucci (Ethiopian food) in Oakland if you're hungry about 1.25 hrs into the drive!
posted by phreckles at 10:59 PM on October 12, 2015

Best answer: I have heard that the apples are mostly gone at Apple Hill already, but there are pumpkin patch type attractions still. It does not have many restaurants and a lot of the farms won't have their food stands open on weekdays, so I would maybe call ahead to scout it out.

Once you hit the freeway that goes through downtown/midtown Sacramento you will be near a lot of good restaurants. Harry's Cafe is right on 16th Street -- it's a very casual little Vietnamese-Chinese place that has great food, and it's easy to get back on the freeway. Tower Cafe is also right off the freeway and it's a nice spot.
posted by xeney at 11:04 PM on October 12, 2015

We just passed through Markleeville and got coffee at Ali's Cafe. The food smelled good and the town was pretty neat to walk through. A bunch of bikers routinely rude there from Sacramento for brunch. About 40 minutes or so from South Lake Tahoe.
posted by kendrak at 11:35 PM on October 12, 2015

Ermagerd Hog Wild Bar-b-que in Placerville. The brisket and spare ribs are unreal. The 3 meat platter is the best deal price-wise and they are generous. All the sides are great, and the homemade biscuits with their honey butter... so effing good. It's right off 50 and don't go too late because they do sell out sometimes at the end of the day. They have homemade pie too which looks delicious, but I've never had enough room leftover to try it.

Nthing Auburn's Ikeda's. Sampling all the salsas is fun and their freeze dried corn is a fun snack.

Marianne's is worth a stop leaving Santa Cruz for their obscene number of ice cream flavors.
posted by blueberrypuffin at 11:52 PM on October 12, 2015