Cantina @ San Benito House — Restaurant in Half Moon Bay

I haven’t had this good of an experience at a restaurant in a long while. Celebrating my husband’s birthday I was very concerned that we hadn’t picked a spot in advance. After scanning all the menus along the Main Street my husband chose to come here. I was immediately delighted that there was a huge and well appointed garden and open play space with enclosure for our three kids to play freely with the kids of other patrons.

That would have made my day, but we also really loved the food. I had the Southwest salad with shrimp and I loved every bit of it- the shrimp especially! We shared the elote (corn) and it was truly scrumptious! My husband had to get a second serving of his street tacos. He loved the carnitas and carne asada.

I asked Jordon what the dessert offerings were for our birthday boy and he took care of that right away bringing us the most amazing churros I’ve had in my life! I had asked about chocolate sauce, but I was so wrong; their caramel sauce was absolutely the right fit! The kids had chicken fingers with fries as well as rice and beans. The healthy portion of guacamole with some Pico salsa was a lovely addition too! I enjoyed the cilantro lime margarita and the salt brim seasoning was heavenly. We were super impressed by the service provided by Jordan and also enjoyed the happy banter and social kindness of bartender Ryan.

Now seriously the space and grounds themselves are also on par with the excellent food so you get atmosphere and star quality service and a delicious, fulfilling meal all together. Well done! My husband’s birthday dinner was one we will remember happily forever.

On a side note, I didn’t see a bathroom with a changing table. I asked Jordan and he graciously opened up the « secret » bathroom for baby changing. Nice.

Go here for fun vibes and I’m sure so much more...

With a few dozen trips to HMB under our belt, we had nevertheless not been in town for the holidays, let alone for the Christmas parade . The San Benito, prominent and lovely in town, has been a steady locals bar for decades, but we had never spent the night . Amazingly, despite its excellent location, it does not come up on accommodations web sites. ||We went in and were greeted by the manager of the entire property . We asked to see the remaining available room ..||... San Benito retains the charms of a historic lodging without frills . It’s simplicity is a strong point . We weren’t cramped, the room and bath were cleaner than a lot of more modern facilities. Very comfortable bed ! You do go back most of a century to bathe, as the claw foot tub in our room was set up to as originally intended; you could take a bath or sit in the tub and use the hand- held shower. Simple, effective and conserved a huge amount of water . ||No complaints ! The gardens are beautiful and make for a great wedding and reception venue . The parade was fantastic, small town America . The bar rocked with a hugely talented Irish folk band until around 11:00 and then the town went to sleep . Extra cudos to the manager who runs a tight ship and sees to everyone’s needs all day until closing . We will go back , no question !!||Great value and felt like we had travelled to another quieter, friendlier time and place, yet only 45 minutes from our...

San Benito House was the perfect venue for our wedding reception in Half Moon Bay!

Kai and his team were absolutely amazing. They went above and beyond to make sure that our day was everything we had dreamed of. From the moment we booked the venue, Kai was responsive and helpful. He answered all of our questions and worked with us to create a custom wedding package that fit our budget and needs.

On the day of our wedding, Kai and his team were incredibly organized and professional. They set up everything perfectly and made sure that everything ran smoothly. The food was delicious, the drinks were flowing, and the music was great. Our guests had an amazing time, and we couldn't have been happier.

Here are a few specific things that we loved about San Benito House and Kai and his team:

The venue is absolutely beautiful. The food was delicious. We had a buffet dinner, and everything was cooked to perfection. The drinks were flowing. Kai and his team made sure that our guests never had to wait for a drink. Kai and his team were incredibly organized and professional. They set up everything perfectly and made sure that everything ran smoothly.

Overall, we highly recommend San Benito House and Kai and his team to anyone looking for a wedding venue in Half Moon Bay. They are absolutely amazing and will make sure that your day is everything you dreamed of.

Thank you, Kai and San Benito House, for making our wedding...