Maritime Cafe is the reason to stop in Elk even if you aren’t staying at the Harbor House. Rodney Workman and Alexa Newman – alumni of Chez Panisse, Camino, State Bird Provisions, and Pizzaiolo – took over the old Queenie’s Roadhouse in August 2024 and turned it into a small, warm room with a fireplace, picnic tables out front, and a menu that changes every week.
Elk is a town of about 200 people on a bluff over Greenwood Cove, and for years its dining choices were the tasting menu at the Harbor House or a sandwich from the Elk Store. Maritime Cafe fills the space between. The cooking is the Bay Area school at its most relaxed: a few shared plates, a soup, a sandwich, a vegetable the farm had too much of, and a piece of fish from the harbor up the road. Dishes that have made the rounds in print include an eggplant and tomato soup, black cod on toast, and an albacore sandwich, but none of them may be on the menu the week you visit, which is the point.
Lunch on a Saturday or Sunday, followed by the trail down to Greenwood State Beach across the highway, is one of the best half-days on the south coast. Dinner runs Thursday through Saturday and is casual – no tasting menu, no dress code, a short list of wine and beer. The cafe closes occasionally for private events, so check the website before you drive down.
Great for Romance, the Family
6061 Highway 1, Elk, CA 95432
(707) 918-4886
maritimecafeelk.com
Dinner: Thu – Fri, 5pm – 8pm
Sat: Lunch 11am – 3pm, Dinner 5pm – 8pm
Sun: Lunch 11am – 3pm