2 Best Restaurants in Julian, North County and Around

In 1984, “Mom” (aka Anita Nichols) opened her first pie shop in the old Julian Café building. People lined the streets for a slice of the guilty pleasure, known for its buttery crust, not-too-sweet filling with local apples, and commitment to quality. Two bakeries later—plus training at Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Institute—the integrity of Mom’s pies remains the same. And although apple is the moneymaker, you can’t go wrong with peach, bumbleberry, or pecan pies, or other sweet treats like chocolate chip cookies and apple dumplings. For something savory, there are empanadas, sandwiches, and chicken potpies. When the wait is too long at the Main Street location, head five minutes outside of town to Mom's Wynola on Highway 78, or better yet, call in your order and they will ship a pie right to your door.

This bakery tucked down a narrow alley proves there’s no such thing as too many pie shops in Julian. After mastering the apple-to-crust ratio, they took on lunch specials by offering a soup–sandwich–pie combo for $17. Wraps, salads, and other wholesome goodies are also available. Apple crumb is the biggest seller, but few can pass up their lemon tarts, molasses cookies, and apple strudels.