Restaurant in Half Moon Bay, United States
Ocean views, tasting menu, book early.
Navio is the fine-dining restaurant at The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay, perched on a Pacific-facing bluff about 45 minutes from San Francisco. Chef Xisco Simón's ocean-to-table tasting menu holds a Michelin Plate (2024, 2025), and sommelier Marco Mendoza oversees one of Northern California's deeper hotel wine lists. Weekend brunch sells out regularly — book well ahead.
If you have already visited Navio once, you already know the view does most of the work. The real question on a return visit — or a first — is whether the kitchen and service hold up well enough to justify $$$$ pricing on its own merits, independent of the Pacific backdrop. The short answer: yes, with conditions. Chef Xisco Simón's ocean-to-table tasting menu is the format to book, the wine program is genuinely deep for a hotel restaurant, and Ritz-Carlton service at this property earns its keep. But weekend brunch sells out fast, dinner runs Wednesday through Saturday only, and the dress code is business casual or above. Plan accordingly.
Navio sits on the third floor of The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay, a resort perched on a coastal bluff roughly 45 minutes south of San Francisco (traffic permitting). Walk through the hotel foyer, turn right, pass through the Conservatory, and you arrive at a dining room designed to frame the ocean. The visual payoff is immediate: floor-to-ceiling windows face the Pacific, and the room's nautical design cues , clean lines, blues and greys , reinforce rather than overstate the setting. For a first-timer, the room itself is the orientation. Sit down, look out, and get your bearings before the menus arrive.
The kitchen runs two dinner formats: a seven-course tasting menu and a three-course seasonal prix fixe. If this is your first visit and seafood is your preference, the tasting menu is the correct choice. Simón's approach is emphatically ocean-to-table, leaning on the freshest local seafood and shellfish available, with California's farm-to-table ethos applied to what comes out of the water rather than the soil. There is also a dedicated vegetarian tasting menu , aquaponic farm leaves, heirloom tomato, compressed stone fruits, watercress risotto with seasonal truffles , which is more considered than the token vegetarian option at most hotel fine-dining rooms. If you are dining with someone who does not eat fish, that is worth knowing before you book.
Navio's Saturday and Sunday brunch (seatings from 11 a.m. to 1:45 p.m.) operates as an unlimited two-hour à la carte small plates experience featuring Dungeness crab Benedict, caviar tastings, wagyu beef sliders, and chocolate chip pancakes. It draws heavily from the Peninsula and San Francisco, and it regularly sells out. For a first visit, brunch is the more accessible format , lower commitment than a seven-course dinner, and the daylight view of the coast is arguably better than what you get at dinner. That said, if you are here for the full fine-dining experience, dinner is the more serious meal.
Timing matters year-round on this stretch of coast. Half Moon Bay's coastal microclimate means clear mornings can turn grey by early afternoon, so a brunch reservation on the earlier side (11 a.m.) tends to catch better light. For dinner, the sunset timing in summer stretches later into the evening, which can be a significant factor when you are sitting at a window table facing the ocean.
The PEA-R-05 question , does service justify the price point , is worth answering directly. At a Ritz-Carlton property, the service framework is institutional: trained, consistent, and attentive without being overbearing. At Navio specifically, sommelier Marco Mendoza oversees a wine list that runs to 1,660 selections and 13,000 bottles in inventory, with strengths in California, France, Burgundy, Champagne, and Italy. Wine pricing sits at $$$, meaning many bottles on the list exceed $100, and the corkage fee for outside bottles is $75. This is not the list you come to for value; it is the list you come to because you want proper depth and genuine guidance. If wine is central to your evening, Mendoza's program is one of the stronger hotel wine operations in Northern California.
General Manager Brian Browne runs a property that delivers the polish you expect from the Ritz-Carlton brand. For first-timers uncertain about what $$$$ gets them at Navio relative to comparable Northern California fine dining: you are getting a more consistent service experience than you would at a chef-owned independent, at the cost of some of the creative risk-taking that makes places like Single Thread Farm in Healdsburg or Lazy Bear in San Francisco feel more distinctive. If you want the tasting menu format with a coastal setting and reliable execution, Navio delivers. If you want a chef making genuinely adventurous moves at the tasting menu format, look toward those alternatives instead. For context on how Navio's ocean-to-table focus sits relative to the broader seafood fine-dining category, Le Bernardin in New York City and Providence in Los Angeles set the benchmark at the highest level.
Reservations: Book as far in advance as possible , weekend brunch in particular sells out regularly and the inspector notes advance reservations are strongly recommended. This is a hard booking, especially for Saturday and Sunday seatings. Hours: Dinner Wednesday through Saturday; brunch Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. Dress: Business casual or cocktail attire required. Budget: Cuisine pricing $$$+ (two courses excluding drinks and tip); wine list skews $100+ per bottle, corkage $75. Getting there: Approximately 45 minutes south of San Francisco or San Jose by car, depending on traffic. No public transit option to speak of for this location. Google rating: 4.3 from 301 reviews. Awards: Michelin Plate 2024 and 2025.
See the comparison section below for how Navio stacks up against La Costanera, Pasta Moon, and Dad's Luncheonette in Half Moon Bay.
For more dining, drinking, and things to do in the area: our full Half Moon Bay restaurants guide, hotels guide, bars guide, wineries guide, and experiences guide.
Navio is workable for solo dining but not optimised for it. The room skews toward couples and groups celebrating occasions. At $$$$ pricing with a seven-course tasting menu as the recommended format, solo dining here is a significant spend. That said, the view and service level are consistent regardless of party size. If you are a solo diner in Half Moon Bay on a budget, Dad's Luncheonette is a far more approachable choice.
Book as early as possible, and treat weekend brunch as the harder get. The inspector notes that Saturday and Sunday brunch seatings (11 a.m. to 1:45 p.m.) regularly sell out, drawing visitors from San Francisco and the Peninsula. For dinner, Wednesday and Thursday evenings are likely easier to secure than Friday or Saturday. If you are planning a special occasion on a weekend, booking difficulty is high , do not assume last-minute availability.
La Costanera is the most direct alternative if you want coastal views and a serious meal at $$$ rather than $$$$. Peruvian-inflected seafood with a Pacific-facing terrace makes it a strong substitute for the view-and-seafood combination, at a lower price point. Pasta Moon at $$$ is the right call if you want a relaxed Italian dinner in town without the hotel setting. Dad's Luncheonette is the casual option if you are not looking for a fine-dining format at all.
The venue data does not confirm bar seating at Navio specifically. As a Ritz-Carlton property, the hotel has other food and beverage outlets that may accommodate more informal dining. Check directly with the hotel before assuming bar seating is available as an alternative to a full reservation.
Yes, and it is well-suited to it. The combination of a Ritz-Carlton service framework, a Pacific Ocean bluff setting, a Michelin Plate-recognised kitchen, and a wine list with genuine depth gives you the visual and experiential markers that make an occasion feel properly marked. Dinner on a Friday or Saturday is the standard format for celebrations. If budget is a factor, note that the all-in cost with wine from a $$$ list can move quickly past $300+ for two people.
At $$$$ for cuisine and $$$ for wine, Navio's pricing is in line with what Northern California fine dining at a luxury hotel commands. The Michelin Plate recognition (2024 and 2025) confirms the kitchen is operating at a credible level, and the wine program's 1,660-selection depth is a genuine asset. Whether it is worth it depends on your priorities: if setting and service consistency matter as much as culinary ambition, Navio delivers. If you want the most challenging food at the price point, venues like The French Laundry in Napa or Single Thread Farm in Healdsburg set a higher bar. Within Half Moon Bay itself, nothing else competes at this level.
For a first visit, yes. The seven-course tasting menu is the format that leading showcases Chef Xisco Simón's ocean-to-table approach, and it is more representative of what Navio does well than the three-course prix fixe. The vegetarian tasting menu is also a serious offering, not an afterthought. If you are comparing tasting menu value at this price tier across California, Blue Hill at Stone Barns or Alinea in Chicago set the creative benchmark, but Navio's format is coherent and the setting adds genuine value to the experience.
| Venue | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Navio | $$$$ | — |
| Dad's Luncheonette | — | |
| La Costanera | $$$ | — |
| Pasta Moon | $$$ | — |
How Navio stacks up against the competition.
Navio works for solo diners who are comfortable with formal, service-forward settings at a Ritz-Carlton property. The seven-course tasting menu is the natural format for a solo visit — it gives structure to the meal without needing a group to share dishes. Business casual or cocktail attire is required, so come prepared.
Book as far in advance as possible, especially for weekend brunch — seatings from 11 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays regularly sell out. Navio draws heavily from the San Francisco and Peninsula crowd, so popular dates fill fast. For weekday dinner (Wednesday through Saturday), you have more flexibility, but last-minute availability is not reliable.
La Costanera offers coastal Peruvian cooking with Pacific views at a lower price point than Navio's $$$$. Pasta Moon is the go-to for casual Italian in town if you want to skip the resort formality. Dad's Luncheonette is a counter-service spot with a cult following for simple, locally sourced plates — a strong option if you want to eat well without the tasting menu commitment.
Bar seating is not documented in the available venue data for Navio. The restaurant is the signature dining room at The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay, operating Wednesday through Saturday for dinner and weekend brunch — reservations are the standard entry point. check the venue's official channels to ask about bar or lounge options.
Yes, provided you want the occasion to feel formal and destination-driven. The Pacific bluff setting, Michelin Plate recognition, and seven-course tasting menu with sommelier Marco Mendoza's wine program (1,660 selections, 13,000 bottles) give the meal clear occasion weight. The dress code is business casual or cocktail attire, so guests need to commit to the format.
At $$$$ for cuisine with a Michelin Plate and a wine list priced at $$$ (many bottles over $100, $75 corkage), Navio charges resort-destination rates. The view and the ocean-to-table seafood focus justify the price if you're buying a full experience — setting, service, and food together. If you're primarily there to eat, La Costanera delivers serious food at a lower spend.
Chef Xisco Simón's seven-course menu is the format that makes best use of Navio's kitchen, and a vegetarian version is available. If you want a structured dinner with wine pairings from a 13,000-bottle cellar, it earns its price. The three-course seasonal prix fixe is the lower-commitment alternative if seven courses feels like too much for the setting.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
