Best Restaurants Near Eureka
Humboldt County prides itself on its eclectic dining experiences, and it's true that the range of excellent food is astonishing for such a rural area.
You can find memorable Mexican and Indian takeout, as well as dinners in restaurants elegant enough for a marriage proposal. Taste a range of meals from affordable to celebration-worthy when you eat at one or all of these top-rated restaurants in Eureka.
Best Mexican Restaurant—Year After Year
While Rita’s Margaritas & Mexican Grill was established in an area already steeped in Mexican restaurants, it was met with amazing success from the get-go. Today, it's a local chain with a few locations in Eureka—427 W. Harris Street and 1134 Fifth Street—and one (on the plaza) in nearby college town Arcata. Chain or not, Rita's wins "Best Mexican Restaurant" year after year in the local newspaper's annual reader polls. Try the Chile Colorado enchiladas, or opt for a super burrito with your choice of filling, served alongside rice, beans, cheese, sour cream, guacamole and more.
Fantastic Indian Takeout
Naan of the Above is a takeout joint operating from a mobile kitchen and a yellow tent in Arcata, but it qualifies as a restaurant since it offers outdoor tables with some wind protection as well as the best Indian food in Humboldt County. It won in the "Best Food on Wheels" category in local polls multiple times for its tasty regional Indian dishes and cooked-while-you-wait naans—plain and garlic. The eatery's secrets to success include the use of fresh, local produce and low prices. This is takeout but not fast food, so be prepared to wait. It's open Wednesday through Saturday at 867 Seventh St.
The Sea Grill—Fresh Fish and Famous Salad Bar
You'll find The Sea Grill in Eureka's Old Town, 316 E Street, and it's a top choice for fresh wild-caught and sustainable seafood, including Oregon salmon and Pacific lingcod, as well as beef and chicken dishes. But it's the salad bar—available with every dinner—that has won this place the most fame.
Casual, Upscale and Inventive
Customers love the Brick & Fire Bistro at 1630 F Street for a myriad of reasons: It’s a small, bistro-style restaurant that cooks its fare over a wood-fired oven and serves locally grown food that is incredibly tasty. The small eatery offers customers the choice of some half-dozen entrees—including pulled chicken sandwiches, Kobe beef sliders and house-made pizzas. Try the wild mushroom cobbler and the outstanding tomato mozzarella caprese salad with fresh strawberries and almonds—you'll never want to leave. The prices are moderate.
Marriage Proposal Dining
Larrupin Cafe is about 20 miles north of Eureka in Trinidad (1658 Patricks Point Drive), but it's well worth a drive three times that long. Some say it serves the best food in Northern California. The first thing you notice is the eclectic elegance of the decor, sort of like dining inside a beautiful gypsy wagon. Then there's the menu, offering inspired local food from goat cheeses to steelhead trout. The free appetizer plate pairs crisp sliced apple with cheese and figs. The food itself is fantastic and the ambiance is nicer than anything else in the area.
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