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Finish your day at Ontario Beach Park with a true Rochester treat: Abbott's Frozen Custard. You can spot this Rochester institution, opened in 1926, by the line on a hot afternoon. The custards—thicker and creamier than ice cream due to a slow-churning process—are made fresh daily in old-fashioned flavors ranging from chocolate almond to black cherry to butterscotch.
If you prefer the focus of your coffee break to be on the baked goods, pop into Alaska Cake Studio Downtown. From creative cupcakes—their 350 recipes rotate daily—to cookies, croissants, and, of course, cakes, sweet treats delight.
Hugging the park's western border, this 1925 Willis Polk–designed structure houses gorgeous Depression-era murals by Lucien Labaudt of familiar San Francisco scenes, while verses by local poets adorn niches here and there. Stop by the ground-floor Golden Gate Park Visitor Center to see the murals and gift shop, then consider indulging in a microbrew upstairs, ideally at sunset. The restaurant here, renovated in 2021 and with a refreshed menu that includes more seafood, is open for lunch and dinner. The ocean views are spectacular.
In a town dominated by beer, craft ciders offer a refreshing alternative to the typical IPA. True to its name, Bivouac's design incorporates an open front and an interior seemingly held together by ropes—the rear table with suspended bench seating is a favorite of larger parties. Cider aficionados and newcomers alike can sample a wide range of styles through customizable flights, while skeptics can stick to the selection of wine, craft beer, and craft cocktails. When it's time to eat, look for comfort food and shared plates on the eclectic menu. Check out Bivouac's sprawling sister business next door, the Adventure Lodge, with a general store, cider bar, coffee shop, and open seating.
If you need a quick caffeine fix, hit The Daily Grind at the Boerne Grill. It's a relaxed place to read or sip a potent coffee, and the Friday night steak nights at the adjoining Boerne Grill are not to be missed.
Coffee Station is known for its steak fingers and Texas toothpicks—fried jalapeño peppers and onions—as well as its burgers.
In Seligman, you can stop here for a "small soda" and to view the old Coca-Cola and Burma Shave signs. In fact, the whole town is rife with old signs and cars.
Jacob Fussell began a wholesale ice-cream business in Baltimore in 1851, the first in the United States. Today privately owned and operated ice-cream parlors abound along Maryland's Eastern Shore, but Dumser's Dairyland, established in 1939, is the choice for longtime beachgoers; its vast "factory" and parlor are open from noon to midnight in the summertime. In addition to its main South Atlantic Avenue outfit, it also operates branch locations at 49th Street and Coastal and 124th Street and Coastal, as well as three smaller outlets on the boardwalk.
This picnic area, located at the bottom of the canyon at a bend in the river, accommodates large groups. There are tables, a large shaded shelter, and outhouses.
If Jackson is the "City with Soul," Hal and Mal's is the sanctuary where, for decades, people of all ages have congregated to find comfort in the food, solace in the music, and fellowship at the bar. The entire complex, housed in a former train depot, comprises a combination of private and public event spaces—each one with unique traditions, including the headquarters for Jackson's biggest street party of the year: Mal's St. Paddy's Parade. Try the Blue Plate Special for lunch, Monday through Friday.
An institution on the North Fork since 1976, this casual yet lovely restaurant (definitely more than a snack bar) offers beautifully prepared authentic Greek specialties and fresh, local fish such as fluke—and the homemade lemonade is heavenly. The appetizer platter overflows with favorites like spinach pie, souvlaki (kebabs), and tzatziki (a yogurt-cucumber based sauce). Try the saganaki (broiled Greek cheese with lemon), for something different. For dessert, try the hard-to-pronounce but delicious galaktobouriko (custard pie with phyllo pastry). It's open from 7 or 8 am and closes at 9, 9:30, or 10 pm, depending on the day and season.
If you eat outside, you may want to bring bug spray.
When the sun is unforgiving, this overlook offers more shade than most of the other picnic areas. There are tables and bathrooms but no fire grates. This spot also has the park's most reliable cell phone reception.
A local favorite since opening its first spot in 1986, Kaladi Brothers Coffee has espresso, lattes, baked goods, and more at 12 locations around town, most with free Wi-Fi access.
Just blocks from the almost-completed Sprint Center arena, the Power & Light District is a nine-block area featuring restaurants, shopping, theaters and Kansas City Live, an outdoor concert pavilion.
What actually was the city's former power plant is now a retail and dining complex that includes the flagship Phillips Seafood Restaurant, a Hard Rock Cafe and a Barnes & Noble. Next door is the Pier 4 Building, which houses a Chipotle Mexican Grill and Blu Bamboo, a fast-casual Mongolian grill.
There are tables and bathrooms at this overlook.
The frontierish quarters of the Red Dog have housed an infamous Juneau watering hole since 1890. Nearly every conceivable surface in this two-story bar is cluttered with graffiti, business cards, and memorabilia, including a pistol that reputedly belonged to Wyatt Earp, who failed to reclaim the piece after checking it in at the U.S. Marshall's office on June 27, 1900. The saloon's food menu includes halibut, reindeer sausage, potato skins, burgers, and locally brewed beers. A little atmospheric sawdust covers the floor, and musicians pump out ragtime piano tunes when cruise ships are docked.
In South Anchorage, coffee's next wave is brewing. SteamDot Coffee and Espresso Lab treats coffee lovers to quite the coffee-brewing show at its "slow bar." This is not the place to go if you're in the mood for syrup-heavy espresso drinks. SteamDot is all about the flavor of coffee.
There are tables and bathrooms at this overlook.
A densely packed, bustling neighborhood, Oakland's Chinatown, unlike its San Francisco counterpart, makes no concessions to tourists. You won't find baskets of trinkets lining the sidewalk and souvenir displays in the shop windows, but supermarkets such as Yuen Hop Noodle Company and Asian Food Products (824 Webster St.), open since 1931, overflow with delicacies, and the line for sweets, breads, and towering cakes snakes out the door of Napoleon Super Bakery (810 Franklin St.). Don't miss an enlightening tour of The Fortune Cookie Factory (261 12th St.), bubble tea and egg puffs at Shooting Star Cafe (1022 Webster St.), or a walk through the lovely Chinese Garden Park (7th St.).
El Bruno's, a better-than decent Mexican restaurant that's right on the highway at the far north end of town.
Your senses will immediately perk up as you enter this upscale market that has everything to go, from impeccable sushi to decadent gelato. Outside, you can find a terraced garden—the only place to sit—that winds up four levels and ends at the Imperial Tea Court.
Soak up the atmosphere inside this fun-loving eatery at the very end of Santa Monica Pier. The menu's newly updated, but the fajitas still reign as the most popular menu item. Sip oversize margaritas and devour platters of nachos before rejoining the crowds outside.
The restored Victorian storefronts that line the four historic blocks of Oakland's original downtown now contain restaurants, cafés, offices, shops, galleries, and a Friday morning farmer's market. Architectural consistency distinguishes the area from surrounding streets, giving it a distinct neighborhood feel. Old World–inspired Caffè 817 (817 Washington St.) serves poached eggs and polenta, fresh-pressed panini, and bowls of café latte in an artsy atmosphere. Stop in for a deli sandwich at Ratto's International Market (827 Washington St.), an Italian grocery that's been in business for more than a century, or head over to the renovated Swan's Market (538 9th St.), where you can choose from an array of high-caliber multicultural eateries that offer takeout. Pacific Coast Brewing Company (902 Washington St.) pours a mean microbrew, while The Trappist (460 8th St.) wins loyalty for its exhaustive selection of Belgian ales. Various pop-up boutiques and permanent shops throughout the neighborhood are reinvigorating the storefront scene.
When this Berkeley-born coffee chain opened at Vine and Walnut Streets in 1966, the unparalleled dark roast java was roasted in-store and brewed by the cup. Enjoy a splash while viewing a small exhibit in the back room that chronicles the company's evolution.
