COAST Big Sur Shutting Down

July 23, 2024 – One of the South Coast’s underrated restaurant gems is going away. 

Employees told EMB next weekend would be the last for COAST Big Sur, as the wider property it shares with a number of other structures is being sold.

COAST was easy to enjoy, thanks to world-class baking from celebrated chef-author-Tartine alum Nick Balla—including everything from memorable cookies to seed-and-oat breads to airy pizza—to match the elevated perch along the Pacific. It will be missed.

The cafe and adjoining gallery belong to an estate that covers more than 40 acres all told, and was listed by Sotheby’s at $21.5 million. 

Late entrepreneur and philanthropist Peter Mullin and his widow Merle Mullin bought part of the plot in the 1990s and gradually added neighboring parcels over the next decade and a half.

Coast represents one of few commercially zoned spots in Big Sur, accented by the art gallery and restaurant occupying iconic curved redwood buildings. 

Balla’s full-time arrival mid-COVID gave a tight-knit community a talented team player, as I reported as part of a 2022 piece called “Chefs of Big Sur: The pandemic brought a new crop of high-caliber chefs to the South Coast’s most fabled restaurants.”

“As [Balla] started making pilgrimages to consult on Coast’s opening, Big Sur imprinted on his taste buds and his heart,” it reads. “Suddenly plans to return to San Francisco—where he ran a number of restaurants, most famously Bar Tartine, and co-wrote a James Beard award-winning book on the techniques and recipes they developed there—weren’t so appetizing.

“‘I got hooked,” he says. ‘Especially during COVID, it was the best place to be. I fell in love.’”

It was a mutual affection situation, as Big Sur Food & Wine’s Elsa Rivera told Edible at the time.  

“He’s quietly a powerhouse in the community,” she said. “He just says ‘yes’ to every collaboration, asking, ‘What can I do? How can I help?’ He’s one of those people who will look at the possibilities rather than the impossibilities.”

Nicole Truszkowski is brokering the sale of Bien Sur, one of a number of singular properties she’s helped sell among 1,000 over the course of her 30-year career—Brad Pitt’s Craftsman-style Carmel Highlands home, which went for $40 million, included.

The Sotheby’s listing highlights the singularity of the spot, noting its 180-degree views and private cobblestone beach. 

“The compound is an artistic masterpiece of natural beauty, architecture, landscape design, [and] outdoor art offering an exceptional living experience…” it reads. “Luxurious outdoor living amenities in a private park setting w[ith] sprawling lawns, soaking tub, bocce ball court, [k]oi ponds, Zen gardens, multiple outdoor view decks, [and] fire pits. For the discerning buyer seeking the extraordinary, Bien Sur awaits.”

Meanwhile eager eaters await word on whether a restaurant will be part of future plans.

Truszkowski and Balla declined comment, directing Edible to Thomas Frank, executive vice president and Northern California regional manager for Whittier Trust, which will decide its fate. 

Multiple calls to Frank went unanswered, though he did text a reply to a request for insight.

“We have no comment,” he messaged.

Balla contributed a recipe for Tahini Goddess Salad to the current summer issue of EMB.