Where to Dine Out on Easter and Passover

April 12, 2022 – Local chefs are already prepping to make sure you and your family have an unforgettable brunch or dinner for Easter and Passover this weekend.

We are so fortunate around the Monterey Bay that there are so many special restaurants to choose from. Here are our top picks! Click on the name of the restaurant for more details.

CARMEL

At Bernardus Lodge, chef Christian Ojeda offers a lavish Easter buffet at Lucia Restaurant from 11am to 3pm. ($145/adults, $55/children) It includes brioche French toast, peppercorn crusted beef tenderloin, lamb shoulder, salmon and a seafood display.

Grasings in Carmel-by-the-Sea offers a two-course brunch ($46.50/adults, $25.50/children) from 10:30am to 3pm, with lots of delicious choices including seafood chowder, asparagus salad, traditional eggs benedict and roast leg of lamb.

At Pacific’s Edge at Hyatt Carmel Highlands chef Josh Kinzer offers a special Easter brunch buffet ($85/adults, $35/children) from 10am to 3pm, along with the restaurant’s spectacular views of the coast. 

Quail Lodge’s Covey Grill is planning a family-oriented Easter experience with egg decorating, an Easter egg hunt and a visit from the Easter Bunny. Brunch will be served lakeside from 11am to 3pm ($60/adults, $30/children) and includes a two-course prix-fixe menu plus dessert buffet with complimentary seasonal fruit and breakfast pastries for the table. 

Rio Grill chef Luis Osorio is making special a la carte entrées for Easter brunch, such as rock shrimp bennies with chorizo Hollandaise, pork carnitas omelets, huevos rancheros and bacon avocado toast. 

MONTEREY

At Estéban chef Mario Garcia offers a farm fresh Spanish spin on brunch classics from 10am to 2pm, for example, eggs benedict with patatas bravas and crab cakes with piquillo pepper aioli, served with bottomless mimosas. A special Easter dinner menu is also available from 4:30 to 8:30pm.

Portola Hotel has an extravagant Easter buffet planned from 10am to 2pm, ($89.95/adults, $74.95/seniors, $45.95/children) which features seafood displays, eggs benedict, carving stations and a selection of desserts—including Coke Farms strawberry shortcake. 

Tarpy’s Roadhouse offers its own tasty Easter brunch specials—such as goat cheese-bacon frittata, blueberry cobbler French toast and smoked salmon toast—in addition to its regular menu.

The Sardine Factory on Cannery Row is offering a special 3-course prix-fixe Easter menu from noon to 8pm ($75) with choice of entrées, including king salmon, leg of lamb and beef tenderloin, with some limited a la carte and children’s menu items available.

PACIFIC GROVE

You can enjoy local, organic Easter lunch or dinner specials at Wild Fish, where chef Elsah Payne offers wild mushroom tartlets, smoked sablefish benedicts, crispy skin canary rockfish with smoked onion honey glaze and for dessert a hazelnut pavlova with lime curd, blackberries and blueberries.

SANTA CRUZ

Chocolate is open for dinner on Easter Sunday beginning at 4pm and offers a popular selection of chocolate mousse truffles in various flavors to take home, that would make you everyone’s favorite Easter bunny. 

On the Westside, Vim Dining and Desserts wants to treat you to a special 4-course prix-fixe Easter brunch ($75) from 10am to 2pm that includes seasonal dishes like spring pea soup and samosa frittata, as well as braised lamb with pomegranate molasses glaze. 

CAPITOLA

Shadowbrook is a coveted spot for Easter brunch and full holiday dinners. In addition to the regular menu, it offers spinach & Gruyere quiche, ginger-scented ham and roast leg of lamb, and for dessert—Easter carrot cake with pineapple marmalade.

SOQUEL

Easter brunch is available on both Saturday and Sunday at Vino Cruz from 11am to 3pm. In addition to the regular brunch menu there will be strawberries and cream Belgian waffles, build-your-own omelets and blood orange mimosas.

HALF MOON BAY

Finally for a taste of over-the-top luxury, head up the coast to the The Ritz Carlton in Half Moon Bay. Its Easter Brunch at Navio Restaurant on Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 3pm ($249) is a unique meal overlooking the Pacific, offering tasting portions of some two dozen lavish dishes that can be ordered in any quantity during the two-hour experience. The Sunday brunch includes a visit from the Easter Bunny.