Calif. chefs are flocking to this foggy seaside town north of SF |
Last year, the coastal enclave of Elk in Mendocino County was lauded as “America’s Best Small Food and Wine Town” by Travel Leisure magazine, which, among other things, highlighted Harbor House Inn’s two-Michelin-starred restaurant. During my past few trips to the area, I’ve found myself increasingly intrigued by another teeny town, 20 miles south of Elk: Point Arena, population 831.
In October, my husband and I hit the road, bound for Point Arena — a three-hour drive from San Francisco. We had previously hung out at the local pier, where Point Arena Pizza is a draw. This time around, our food itinerary focused on the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it downtown. Spanning just a quarter mile or so — Highway 1 becomes Main Street here — it dates to the 1860s and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
In 1927, a fire devastated the commercial district. Hence, many buildings were constructed the following year, including the Arena Theater, which was restored to its original Art Deco style in the 1990s. Less architecturally compelling yet still eye-catching: Artist Nicole Ponsler’s vivid mural of hummingbirds and flowers covers the boxy structure that contains new cannabis dispensary the Goldenhour Collective.
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A pedestrian crosses Main Street in Point Arena, Calif., on Dec. 20, 2025.
Franny’s Cup & Saucer and Little Green Bean Roastery line Main Street in Point Arena, Calif., on Dec. 20, 2025.
Nicole Ponsler’s mural of hummingbirds and flowers on the side of the Goldenhour Collective cannabis dispensary in Point Arena, Calif., on Dec. 20, 2025.
Two doors away, guests at Izakaya Gama are greeted by noren curtains with the restaurant and sake bar’s toad logo (“gama” is Japanese for toad). Inside, its cypress-clad dining room and bar seat 28.
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Proprietors David and Elyse Hopps met while apprenticing at a sushi restaurant in Salt Lake City. The husband and wife moved to Mendocino County in 2018 to help open Harbor House. He was the sous chef; she the pastry chef.
David previously worked with Harbor House executive chef Matthew Kammerer at Michelin-starred Saison in San Francisco. Elyse honed her pastry skills at Craftsman and Wolves, and then the now-defunct Mission District restaurant Range. A couple of years after landing in Mendocino, the Hoppses were ready to take an entrepreneurial leap.
The exterior of Izakaya Gama in Point Arena, Calif., on Dec. 19, 2025.
Owners and chefs David and Elyse Hopps at their restaurant Izakaya Gama in Point Arena, Calif., on Dec. 19, 2025.
“I’ve always wanted my own place and to do something a little more casual,” David explained. “My philosophy from the beginning was: I don’t really want to have a place that only rich people can eat or people have to save up for a long time. As much as I enjoy those dining experiences and think they’re special and important for this industry, they can be very unattainable and feel stuffy.”
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In 2020, a friend told them about a vacancy in Point Arena, which Elyse described as “a cool community amongst all of this beautiful nature.” The duo ran a to-go pop-up with Japanese fare for a year and a half, until Gama debuted in March 2022.
Today, David helms the kitchen, while Elyse oversees the front-of-house and beverage program. (In May, she released a........