Last week, I wrote about the Kimpton Shorebreak, the hotel we stayed at as part of a press trip with Visit Huntington Beach. Now I’ll mention some of the things I did and places I dined at in this seaside town. Not many people may think about Huntington as a home base for an Orange County vacation, especially if they’re headed to Disneyland and California Adventure or Knott’s Berry Farm. But if you’ve got your transportation, why not stay close to the beach instead of blocks of endless hotels and motels?
I didn’t know much about what Huntington Beach had to offer in terms of activities and restaurants. Still, I am glad my group and I had the opportunity to experience this introduction. I especially appreciated the food at three different restaurants, all within walking distance from the hotel. That was also true for the museum and bike rental place I’ll mention. The only venue requiring a drive was to the marina, where we took a boat ride around some multi-million-dollar homes.
When I lived in the Los Angeles area over thirty years ago, I only visited Huntington to go out to dinner with friends. This trip allowed me to see that there was much more than just those restaurants and the beach.
Duke’s Huntington Beach
Part of a six-restaurant chain with three in Hawaii and three in California, Duke’s Huntington Beach is right on the seashore and adjacent to the Pier. There’s a relaxed vibe to the place, with a “barefoot bar” for anyone just coming from the sand and not wearing shoes. But the excellent food is the main attraction, with seafood entrees and starters being a top choice. We especially loved options in the latter: poke tacos, crab wontons and coconut shrimp. Not surprisingly, the best cocktail to choose is a mai tai, brimming with two kinds of rum and fruit juices.
International Surfing Museum
While this place is compact and tucked away on a quiet downtown street, it houses an impressive collection of surfing memorabilia. Australian Peter “PT” Townend, who won the first professional surfing championships, guided us and provided fascinating stories about the displays. The current exhibits center on Duke Kahanamoku (the same man who inspired the namesake restaurant). He is considered the grandfather of modern surfing and a pioneer in the sport's evolution as an Olympic event, which debuted at the 2020 Tokyo Games. However, the most prominent feature of the museum is the giant surfboard, which measures 42 feet in length and broke a Guinness World Record when 66 people rode it in 2015. It hangs over their parking lot.
Jolie
With its second-floor location above Pacific Coast Highway and the beach, Jolie takes advantage of its open-air patio, where a third of the seating is. But no matter where patrons are here, they will enjoy fresh takes on California cuisine, which places a healthy emphasis on seafood and seasonal ingredients. We sampled what was likely the best of their starters, entrees and desserts. I loved the spicy tuna crispy rice stack, which was essentially a poke bowl in tower form. I also enjoyed the grilled salmon sandwich with arugula, pesto aioli and red onions, as well as the pistachio chocolate tiramisu.
EV Rideables
You truly can’t visit Southern California without taking a walk, run, roller skate, scooter, or bike ride along a shoreside path. That’s what we did after our filling lunch at Jolie, and it was just the needed activity to burn off such a meal. We rented electric bikes at this downtown business. The bikes might be a little intimidating at first, but once you can control the gears, it’s easy and fun to operate. We went along the Huntington Beach Trail for about five miles northward before heading back to the shop.
Prince Charters
While I’m never under the illusion that I’ll live in a multi-million-dollar dwelling on the water (short of being a lottery winner), it’s still enjoyable to view homes like this. Through this small boat charter, we did precisely that in the Huntington Harbour while sipping wine and seeing a few seals poke their heads through the surface. Prince will host private parties on different-sized boats and even take guests out to Catalina Island on their larger vessels.
Primecut Taqueria
In contrast to Jolie and Duke’s, this open-air, compact eatery that’s directly across the street from the Kimpton Shorebreak is the kind of super-casual place I would frequent. Creating authentic charcoal-grilled street tacos with a choice of either prime or premium protein, they are made with just onion, cilantro, salsa and lime to accompany them. There are also burritos, quesadillas, tortas, nachos and Mexican pizza if you’re not in a taco kind of mood.
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Also, I'd love to give a shoutout to Feedspot, which named my blog as one of the Top 40 Wellness Travel Blogs. I'm truly honored to receive this recognition! Here's a list of the other blogs in this category.
