When entering Sierra Mar Restaurant within Post Ranch Inn, your eyes dart to the incredible scene behind the floor-to-ceiling glass walls: jagged cliffs, blue sky and the pristine, endless ocean.
You could spend the entire day gazing at the striking natural surroundings. But the fresh California cuisine deserves your attention. Prix fixe menus change daily and utilize seasonal, organic products. Many of the ingredients come from the lush coastline and the nearby mountains, as well as the restaurant’s chef's garden.
You might find Monterey Bay squid with tomato, coriander, lemon and basil, or black cod with Hakurei turnips, eggplant and shiso on the multicourse dinner menu.
Pair your meal with a pour from the expansive wine cellar. While the list features bottles from Italy, France, Spain and beyond, it leans heavily on California wines.- The sweeping California coastal vistas from this cliffside restaurant make it a must-visit destination.
- Sample the bounty of California’s water and land in the enticing prix fixe menus. Dishes change daily based on what is fresh and in season, which guarantees that every visit will yield a different experience.
- To get closer to the natural beauty outside, opt for a table on the patio.
- Time your dinner so that you can catch the breathtaking sunset from this majestic setting.
- The restaurant has one of the most extensive wine cellars in North America with well-known wine producers and hard-to-find bottles from boutique vineyards.
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Sierra Mar serves a complimentary breakfast buffet with fresh pastries, fruit, smoked salmon, bagels and made-to-order eggs. But it’s for hotel guests only.
It is open to the public for lunch and dinner.
You cannot order à la carte at this Big Sur restaurant; it’s prix fixe menus only.
While there is no official dress code for Sierra Mar Restaurant, it’s advised to wear “California business casual,” that is, more relaxed business-casual attire.
- At lunch, a three-course menu is on offer. While the menu changes frequently, expect a starter like grass-fed beef tartare with new potato, lovage and horseradish; a main course like an heirloom grain bowl with swordfish, avocado and egg; and a dessert like crème fraîche cheesecake with blueberry, miso and meringue.
- Dinnertime brings four courses. Begin with an appetizer like the white sea bass crudo with nectarine, almond and gem marigold, or beer-battered borage with caper rémoulade, Meyer lemon and dulse (an edible seaweed).
- The dinner entrées could include Llano Seco pork with summer beans, Portugal pepper and ground cherry or tagliatelle with spring legumes, morels and hollyhock cheese.
- After dinner, try desserts like strawberry bavarois with green strawberries and lemon verbena, or opt for something savory: a plate of local cheeses, honeycomb, berries and fruit and nut bread.
- The large wine cellar carries more than 15,000 bottles and 3,200 selections.
- The list won Wine Spectator’s Grand Award, which denotes a restaurant with the highest level of wine service.
