The expansive menu covers seafood sandwiches, pastas, salads and soups, but it’s Phil’s cioppino that’s garnered the most acclaim. About 15 miles north of Monterey, and just a few minutes’ drive off Highway 1, Phil’s Fish Market in Moss Landing has been slinging fresh oysters, crab, clams and more for 40 years. This popular, mint green seafood shack is an easy road trip stopover because it doesn’t require driving through (or parking in) touristy seaside towns like Monterey and Carmel. Phil’s Fish Market, Moss Landing (Monterey County) If you’re lucky enough to be around for weekend brunch, the specials, like saucy squash blossom chilaquiles, are a delight. Tacos come on the restaurant’s plush handmade corn tortillas, with fillings you won’t find at a typical taco truck: chewy hibiscus flowers draped in tomatillo salsa, beer-battered cactus paddles and salmon rubbed with smoky pepper paste and achiote. Funky decor and Mexican crafts proliferate on the walls, giving the restaurant a totally unique feel. Though its fare is atypical (see: salmon al pastor tacos and strawberry micheladas), the vibe is definitely familial. When you need to refresh your senses after the first leg of the trip or require a pick-me-up in your final stretch, visit this upscale Mexican restaurant in downtown Salinas. All in all, Pretty Good Advice makes for an excellent breakfast or lunch pit stop on your way into or out of the the Bay Area. Try it with an iced coffee flavored with caramely coconut or a tangy strawberry lemonade. The good morning sandwich ($5) has a satisfyingly crisp potato patty and a fried egg it’s as good as any meat-based sandwich. The menu consists of comfort foods like breakfast sandwiches on ciabatta bread and burgers along with filling salads like one made with arugula and strawberries. Pretty Good Advice accomplishes a stellar breakfast at an affordable price point (everything on the menu is under $10), but the kicker is that it’s all vegetarian and vegan. Pretty Good Advice, Soquel (Santa Cruz County) Splash Cafe clam chowder Jess Lander/The Chronicle Remember, it’s not just your car that needs fuel.

A couple of excellent Mexican options, a great choice for Indian food and classic, roadside kitsch are all worth taking a minor detour. But it doesn’t need to be a slog fueled only by In-N-Out Burger. If you really mean business, a trip down I-5 will save you several hours. And if you time things just right, you could treat yourself to a Michelin-starred dinner outside Los Angeles as a reward for taking the long way. For lunch, seafood is the obvious choice on this coastal stretch, though it’s not your only option. In that case, your first stop should be coffee and baked goods in the Santa Cruz area. If you’re leaving from San Francisco and driving down the coast, you might start early and make a long day of it. (You can also split the difference somewhat, taking Highway 101 from San Jose to San Luis Obispo, where it joins Route 1). Whether you choose the more scenic Highway 1, as it’s often called, or try to set a new land speed record on I-5, these are some favorite pit stops on and off the beaten path, listed from north to south. Two roads diverge between San Francisco and Los Angeles, and both are well traveled: California State Route 1, curving its way along the dramatic California coastline, and Interstate 5, a four-lane straightaway through the state’s agricultural heartland. A birria taco at El Grullense Jal #5 crisping on the plancha.

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