Alice's Restaurant

Situated at the crest of the Santa Cruz Mountains where CA-35 and CA-84 meet, the building has been a gathering point for far longer than most riders realize. The official site notes it was originally constructed in the early 1900s as a general store, served the area through the 1950s, and took its current name in the 1960s when Alice Taylor bought and renamed it. That corner has never really slowed down.

The food is straightforward American diner fare made from scratch — burgers, scrambles, homemade pie, local microbrews on tap — and the menu runs from breakfast through dinner. On weekends the parking lot fills with bikes representing every make and style, and the crowd is genuinely mixed: no single tribe dominates. Seating spills outdoors under the redwoods, which helps absorb the volume, though waits are common on busy weekend mornings. The mountain air at that elevation runs cool even in summer, so plan your layers accordingly on the ride up or down.