7 Best Restaurants in Julian, North County and Around

When you bring a renowned Cordon Bleu–trained chef to a small pie town in the mountains, you get Jeremy's on the Hill where Julian locals have been counting their culinary blessings since 2007. As the area's most upscale restaurant, this cozy spot has gained a solid reputation thanks to Jeremy's commitment to quality cuisine reflected in the farm-to-table menu. At the young age of 21, he wowed customers-turned-fans with grass-fed bison meatloaf, filet mignon with whipped potatoes, cremini mushrooms with truffle oil, and his signature Brussels sprouts sweetened with pineapple. Although the menu features grilled steak and locally grown pork and veggies, the stars are rack of lamb and some of the best burgers 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.

Sample finger sandwiches, scones topped with whipped cream, and lavish sweets, which are served during afternoon tea inside the Clarence King House, built by Will Bosnell in 1898. Regular sandwiches, soups, salads, and a children's tea are also available. Seatings are at 11:30 am, 1 pm, and 2:30 pm. The attached shop sells soaps, cards, stationary, books, linens, and all things tea.

The elevated Mexican cuisine, margaritas, mariachi, and Talavera pottery may transport you to central Mexico before you dip that first chip into homemade guacamole. Pull up a colorful barstool and watch Julian go by from a wraparound porch where street tacos, enchiladas, and organic carne served in a stone molcajete come out sizzling hot. The spiked horchata with rum is like a milkshake for grown-ups. Note that this small restaurant closes by 8 pm. 

For four generations, recipes have been handed down the line of this Sicilian family who opened their first restaurant in 1920. From Milwaukee to Julian, they set down roots in the quaint pie capital in 1982 and never looked back, creating this casual, red-checked-tablecloth kind of place, where you can dine outside in good weather. The menu is consistently on-point with Sicilian classics like spiedini—stuffed slices of rolled beef on skewers—calzones that are big enough to share, pizzas, and pasta dishes. All sauces, dressings, ravioli, breads, and desserts are made from scratch. There's a small bar (serving beer and wine only) that's popular with locals.

It's worth the wait for breakfast or lunch at this cozy café, where everything is fresh and made to order. The breakfast standout is eggs Benedict, both classic and vegetarian. For lunch you can choose among several classic salads and homemade soups.