12 New Monterey Bay Spots to Look Forward to in 2024

January 9, 2024 – It’s nice to have a little something to look forward to. 

Or in this case, a dozen somethings, starting with three special cases: 

1) While Soif Wine Bar Act Two will not be opening in 2024, it is in the earliest stages of planning (and a ways from city approvals) as it migrates from Walnut Avenue to the one-time Caffe Pergolesi. Alexis Carr and Dede Eckhardt remain the divine wine minds behind what will ultimately flow by the glass, bottle and case, to go with a food menu shaped around pairings. Santa Cruz native Carr remembers doing homework at the iconic Pergolesi as a high-schooler, and has ambitions to honor the historic qualities of the space, and the big verandah in particular. But, she adds, she’d be “shocked” if it opened before 2025. 418 Cedar St., Santa Cruz.

2) A particular independent chef-grocer in Carmel Valley was not beyond threatening to go to my colleagues and publisher to prevent any updates on the 2,000 square foot expansion to his market, because he’s that cautious about any announcements jinxing county approvals. But he does confirm the add-on will involve a bigger salad bar, expanded wine selection, more to-go options, more pastries, more gelato and even a coffee shop-juice bar. It just might not be this year.

3) Some happier—and cheesier—news is bubbling up across Carmel Valley at Lady & Larder. What Edible thought would be a January 2024 debut was instead an early Christmas present. Lady & Larder now throws open its doors 1-5pm Wednesday through Sunday for charcuterie and cheese box pickups and shopping in their small retail wine space, which features all-natural, low-intervention selections from California, plus olive oil and vermouth. Spring will bring patio service. BTW, while the boutique cheese and wine shop from twins Boo and Sarah Simms creates Instagram magic with its gorgeous arrangements, don’t let the eye candy fool you. After growing up in restaurants and spending much of their careers in culinary pursuits, the #Simmstwins understand and execute the most intentional sourcing possible, cultivating the grower, vintner and purveyor relationships needed to do it. 9 Del Fino Place, Suite 101, Carmel Valley.

Now for nine more ’24 openers, in (very) rough expected order of debut:

Cavalletta

One of the year’s most anticipated debuts will finally open—fully—as soon as this month*. (*In what you’ll notice is a theme for this list, uncertainty reigns in general, and here, as its leadership is struggling to land on a vague and/or conservative opening date thanks to what it describes as complications at the county level.) In the meantime, the identity is clear as the Cavalletta team takes advantage of delays to fine tune things. Guests can expect contemporary Italian-California fare like inventive wood-fired pizzas and handmade pasta from a kitchen led by Chef Nick Sherman of Trestles in Capitola. On-site training sessions have been happening for months, featuring memorable dishes like halibut carpaccio, porcini pappardelle, lobster arancini and squash blossoms with marinated ricotta. 9067 Soquel Drive, Aptos.

Pretty Good Advice

Giving downtown Santa Cruz a new quick-serve place to eat, Pretty Good Advice #2 will soon allow customers to bask in its memorably vegetable-centric—and habit-forming—soups, salads and all-day breakfast sandwiches that are a heralded hit at the OG spot. Hopeful ETA is late January. “We’ll be doing the same thing we are in Soquel,” chef-owner Matt McNamara told Edible when the project was announced. “Something for the community where the price point, freshness and seasonality are the focus, very much what I call an honest product.” “People come to Soquel because they know us,” adds GM Page Traeger. “Downtown will involve more people discovering us organically.” (Fun pun unintended.) 1319 Pacific Avenue, Santa Cruz.

Watsonville Public House

WPH earned its occupancy approval last week and reports it will start brewing this month, and hopes to open as soon as late February, pending successful trial brews. The downtown landmark-to-be also pledges to feature a core variety of ales and seasonal brews, and to operate as a nonprofit that 1) emphasizes inclusivity and 2) kicks a portion of proceeds to Pajaro Valley NGOs doing worthy community work. Meanwhile Presbyterian minister Rev. Robbie Olson and friends are giving the 6,700-square-foot former Stevie G’s Meats on Main Street a full makeover as a taproom/beer garden/production brewery. The original plan to partner with food trucks and the neighboring Tamal Factory remains in place, to go with small plates from the tiny kitchen. “We want to have good food,” Olson says, “and so does the city ordinance [requiring food be served with alcohol].” 625 Main St., Watsonville.

Hook & Line

Hook & Line gives the former Soif space a promising new seafood-centric spot buoyed by a fresh look, a more integrated bar area, more seats and a 15-seat parklet. The bar will emphasize a few craft cocktails, and will home in on smaller artisanal producers over mainstream brands. Partners Lejla Borovac and chef Santos Majano just took possession of the space, and she’s eyeing an early March debut. “We’re giving the space a facelift,” she says. “The goal is a fun, exciting new place to dine in Santa Cruz with a focus on sustainability.”

Majano is at work evolving his menu but clues from an early sampling sound seductive, marinated scallops, hot-smoked trout, seafood stew and slow-cooked whole red snapper among the eyecatchers. 105 Walnut Avenue, Santa Cruz.

Hops and Fog Brewing Company

The homespun craft brewery and taproom is slotted to hit Lighthouse Avenue in downtown Pacific Grove as soon as May, and it’s tabbing itself as the city’s first brewpub operation of its kind. The food menu is under development with a certain home brewing super chef in the mix (Brandon Miller), construction is happening in earnest, and featured beers-to-be include Good Old Haze Northeast IPA, Limoncello light ale and the award-winning Saucy Otter nut brown. Brewer/partner Mike Durrant highlights a number of things that have him amped, including the size of the building (“We’re sizing ourselves for the town”) and small-batch process (“We’re not trying to be a big production brewing”). “The fun part of being a small brewery is we can take chances because any losses are minimized,” he says. “We want to take people on a trip around the world and see what works, stay versatile and play around, take people on journeys not just offer a choice…We’re really excited to build something for our town.” 511 Lighthouse Avenue, Pacific Grove.

Mainlanders Tropical Cocktail Lounge

The new upstairs bar at expansive Heirloom Salinas in Oldtown—which has a bar of its own, and concert space, downstairs to pair with superior deep dish pizza—will immediately become one of the better tiki drink destinations in the region. General manager and beverage director Alex Mouzouris already has a fly cocktail program in place built on homemade ingredients, which bodes well for the tiki possibilities, which helped inspire him to come on board in the first place. “He’s coming up with these recipes that are unique, delicious and grab the attention of the guest,” co-owner Michael Foley says. “And they deliver on the expectation.” Speaking of, optimistic ETA: late summer (with fall as a little safer expectation management). 344 Main Street, Saliinas.

Whale City Bakery Aptos

New(ish) owner of the Davenport landmark Jimmy Armas is adding a second location similarly strong on sturdy rib-sticking breakfasts, burgers, fish ’n’ chips and, yes, delish baked goods. Armas wasn’t available by deadline, and no open date is listed at whalecityaptos.com, but there does appear a heavyweight menu of salmon omelets, crabcake Benedicts, North Coast chicken sandwiches and all the croissants, breads, cookies and house specialties (namely bear claws, cinnamon twists and apple turnovers). 7941 Soquel Drive, Aptos.

The Alley Oop Cocktail Lounge

Here comes a designer drink-inspired outpost with a small-plate-focused kitchen and event space complete with a stage. Max Turigliatto, who also owns Mission West Bar, is heading the endeavor in the former Poet and Patriot space of Cedar Square. “More than just another bar,” Turigliatto told Edible last summer, “Alley Oop’s guests will experience the casually sophisticated air of jazz, blues and cocktails in a distinctively Santa Cruz atmosphere that redefines the meaning of ‘dinner and a show.’” The ETA, meanwhile, is uncertain and Turigliatto is intentionally noncommittal, given municipal red tape (though he finally has his building permit in place): 2024. 320 Cedar St., Santa Cruz.

Mirth Kitchen

This time last year Mirth owner operator Annie Hobbs was clear about her intentions. “We didn’t want Mirth to be an afterthought to our [A Taste of Elegance] catering. Which is why we haven’t been in a big hurry. We want to come out with a bang.” That ongoing patience means Mirth makes our new openings list for the second year in a row.  They have started doing regular events on Center Street—like December’s holiday snack-and-shop “community hang,” but a full opening still feels a ways off. “I have no opening date,” she says. “We’re on the third contractor. That’s why we’re doing pop-ups. We’ll continue doing pop-ups until the building is complete.” First pop-up of the year will be Feb. 9; more at Mirth Kitchen’s Instagram. 13750 Center St., Carmel Valley.