Winter in Northern California brings so many riches: thirst-quenching rain, snow in the Sierra, whales migrating along the coast, wild mushrooms and, maybe best of all, the start of the local Dungeness crab season.
It used to be around the holidays that Dungeness would begin finding its way to restaurants and kitchen tables. But with the changing climate altering the patterns of the Pacific, lately it’s been well into the new year before the season starts.
If you ask us, It’s worth the wait—and all the more reason for a pilgrimage up the coast for the freshest, most delicious Dungeness around.
From crab shacks in Marin to upscale dining in Mendocino, here are 10 spots to celebrate the season.
Coastal Marin's Best Spots for Dungeness Crab
Rustic seafood stew with Dungeness at Tony's Seafood in Marin
(Courtesy of @tonysseafoodrestaurant)
The Marshall Store
This unassuming roadhouse on Tomales Bay is best known for the bivalves they get straight from their own family farm, Tomales Bay Oyster Company just down the road. But when Dungeness season rolls around, it's the local crab sandwich that steals the show: Mountains of sweet crab meat served on freshly baked bread (made by their sister spot Route One Bakery and Kitchen in Tomales). It's a gorgeous spot to stop on a sunny day but heads up, when the weather is bad they typically close early—or sometimes won’t open at all. // 15479 Hwy 1 (Marshall), themarshallstore.com
Tony’s Seafood
For its first 70 years, Tony’s Seafood was a family-owned West Marin staple. When the crab shack went on the market in 2017, neighbor Hog Island Oyster Co. wasn’t willing to see it disappear for good. They stepped up to refresh the local icon for the next generation. While some things have inevitably changed, the restaurant remains a celebration of local seafood and one of surprisingly few spots along the Northern California coast where you can get an entire Dungeness crab all to yourself (or a half crab—hot or chilled, and with a side of melted butter and lemon, of course). You can also opt to add claws to Tony’s rustic seafood stew, their take on cioppino made with lingcod, shrimp, mussels, clams, and squid. // 18863 Shoreline Hwy (Marshall), hogislandoysters.com
Nick’s Cove
The most storied resto-hotel on Tomales Bay, Nick’s Cove has had almost 100 years to hone its wintertime Dungeness crab offerings. There are claws in the rich cioppino, hunks of meat in the Louis salad, and a whole heap piled high on their Dungeness crab roll, which is made with preserved lemon, chives, tarragon, and aioli. Stop for lunch or dinner on the pier or treat yourself to an overnight stay in one of Nick’s charming waterside cabins where recent updates have nailed the rustic-meets-luxury aesthetic. // 23240 Hwy 1 (Marshall), nickscove.com
Where to Dig Into Dungeness in Coastal Sonoma
Whole crab at Fisherman's Cove in Sonoma
(Courtesy of @fishermanscovebodegabay)
Spud Point Crab Co.
Locals know that the best spot for New England-style clam chowder on the Sonoma Coast is Spud Point Crab Co., a laid-back spot at the harbor in Bodega Bay. But during Dungeness season, chowder is just the start. The family-owned restaurant crams the good stuff into rolls and crab cakes (only available on weekends), and lets the freshly-picked meat stand alone in a crab cocktail. The whole cooked crabs, though, are winter’s crown jewels. Dive in, elbows deep, at their bayside picnic tables or take them home for a feast of your own. // 1910 Westshore Rd. (Bodega Bay), spudpointcrabco.com
Fisherman’s Cove
You can’t go wrong with fresh, local Dungeness crab in sandwich, salad, or cocktail form at Fisherman’s Cove, Bodega Bay’s no-frills restaurant/bait & tackle shop. There’s something this family-owned favorite does, though, that you won’t find anywhere else on the Northern California coast: Dungeness. Crab. Nachos. And they’re not messing around—topping a mountain of housemade tortilla chips with a generous helping of local crab meat, shredded cheese, chorizo bean sauce, and a drizzle of spicy sour cream. It’s a highbrow-lowbrow mashup masterpiece. // 1850 Bay Flat Rd. (Bodega Bay), fishermanscovebodegabay.com
Rivers End Restaurant
Jenner’s River's End Restaurant welcomes Dungeness season from their homebase in one of the loveliest corners of the Sonoma Coast. Crab is a star of their winter celebration dinner, a three course meal for all the senses. Try the Dungeness crab cakes to start—a version that brings together fresh local crab meat with wild mushrooms, panko bread crumbs, and rich white truffle cream sauce—before digging into the land and sea pasta, an indulgent dish of fresh housemade spinach fettuccine, Dungeness crab, and wild mushrooms tossed in creamy almond pesto sauce. Stay the night if you can; the inn is just as romantic as the window-walled restaurant // 11048 Hwy 1 (Jenner), ilovesunsets.com
Coastal Mendocino's Dungeness Crab Spots
Whole crab at Princess Seafood Market & Restaurant in Mendocino
(Courtesy of @princessseafood)
Trillium Cafe
For a somewhat refined take on Dungeness, try the Trillium Cafe in sweet Mendocino village. Start your dinner with the crab cakes served on a bed of preserved lemon and fennel salad, then move on to their seafood bouillabaisse, a saffron-kissed bowl full of local treasures from the sea including fish, clams, and the holy grail of Pacific catch, Dungeness crab. Crab cakes with preserved lemon aioli are also available at lunch time, a meal best enjoyed on their lush garden patio. // 10390 Kasten St. (Mendocino), trilliummendocino.com
Princess Seafood Market & Restaurant
Where the Noyo River meets the sea, a crew of badass ladies are leaving their mark on Northern California seafood. The women of Princess fish for crab, salmon, and sablefish from their commercial vessel; sell their fresh wares (and those caught by other local fishers) in their market; and cook up the goods in their waterside restaurant. In Dungeness season, their specialty is the West Coast crab roll, a sandwich stuffed with 1/4 lb. of sweet meat doused in garlic butter and seasoned with Old Bay. They also do a mean crab sandwich, kimchi crab cakes, and a whole plateful of crab-in-the-shell for the claw-cracking kind. // 32096 North Harbor Dr. (Fort Bragg), princessseafoodmarket.com
KW Saltwater Grill
Versatile Dungeness is just as at home in a roadside crab shack as it is in a restaurant geared towards fine dining. KW Saltwater Grill is a fantastic option for the latter, a higher-end seafood spot with top-notch service in Fort Bragg’s historic downtown. In crab season, they do a special cioppino so full of the local delicacy (and other goodies from the sea) it nearly overflows the bowl. Look for other daily specials that do Dungeness deliciously, like crab bisque and crab ceviche. // 542 N. Main St. (Fort Bragg), kwsaltwatergrill.com
Old Abalone Pub
Inside the historic Westport Hotel in the tiny town of Westport, the easygoing Old Abalone Pub does Dungeness against the backdrop of the moody Mendo sea. Local fishers provide the goods for the restaurant’s multiple Dungeness indulgences, which include shareable crab bruschetta, “ultimate” crab tacos, and an Asian-inspired take on crab cakes so delicious it won them a silver medal at this year’s 24th annual Crab Cake Cook Off. If it’s cioppino you crave, they’ve got that too, a Dungeness-spiked version served with housemade garlic bread. // 38921 N. Hwy 1 (Westport), westporthotel.us
