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RATINGS
Food
Service
Value
Atmosphere

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PRICE RANGE
€68 - €150
CUISINES
American
Special Diets
Vegetarian Friendly, Vegan Options, Gluten Free Options
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MICHELIN Guide's Point of View

Poised on the brink of a rocky seaside bluff in Big Sur, the vantage point here gives unbeatable sweeping views of the Pacific coast, thanks to a panop...
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All reviews wagyu burger tasting menu salad the post ranch inn floor to ceiling windows hotel guests the pacific ocean special occasion watch the sunset amazing views sommelier courses property drive hostess patio coastline
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Reviewed June 25, 2023

A truly special place. Food great. Staff great. Setting and view - without rival. We had the table in the corner, two floor to ceiling windows met at a right angle and our table-for two tucked in the fold. We looked north and south over...Big Sur, at Sunset. Mother Nature did not disappoint. Expensive, but not crazy. We stayed away from wine and spirits. Who needs alcohol with Mother Nature putting on such a show.More

Date of visit: June 2023
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Reviewed June 9, 2023

We had breakfast, lunch and dinner here. The food was absolutely delectable. It was beautifully plated. Sauces were superb and the dinner was over the top (should be Michelin Star rated). Servers, manager, chefs, hostess and Sommelier were lovely, professional staff. The gardener that grows...many of their vegetables was fun to talk to as well. We visited the garden and were delighted at the variety of great food grown for the restaurant. The ocean view is one of the most stunning since we actually were perched above the ocean.More

Date of visit: March 2023
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed April 18, 2023 via mobile

Fabulous gourmet lunch that bring joy to the heart and soul, with glorious views of the Pacific Ocean and coastline for as far as the eyes can see. World class service given with care, inclusiveness, and hospitality. Memorable for all the right reasons! Shall return...whenever visiting Big Sur. Reservations well ahead of time a must.More

Date of visit: April 2023
Helpful?1  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed March 4, 2023

Post Ranch has created a memorable dining experience by presenting the food with the tasting menu plated for two people.

Date of visit: March 2023
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Reviewed February 21, 2023 via mobile

This was a great surprise,A plus from start to finish.No mistake, this was a wonderful experience....It is a little far from our home in Miami Beach,but if I could, I would come once a week...

Date of visit: February 2023
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Reviewed February 13, 2023 via mobile

Had a romantic dinner. High atop the cliffs over the Pacific. Great fixed menu. Excellent wine selection. Check what time sunset is and make your reservation accordingly.

Date of visit: February 2023
Helpful?1  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed February 2, 2023

We stayed here when it first opened. We had a gorgeous place, I think it was the El Molina ocean view room that was a work of art. We hardly left the property, it was heavenly. The Sierra Mar restaurant has magnificent views and the...food and service was excellent. Through the years we have returned for drinks and dinners at Sierra Mar. The room prices have gotten out of our range. I feel compelled to write this review because for some, there are better choices for special occasion dinners. I've been remiss in getting this warning posted in a timely manner, so in fairness to current employees and management, this experience is from a birthday/anniversary in July of 2022. Firstly, why spend over $400 for dinner for two when, once night falls, all you see is black out the windows. We had drinks on the patio first. It took a while for service. When the bartender came out I asked if he had blue cheese stuffed olives for a martini? He said no, but insisted that he would make some, no matter how much I said it was fine without. It took forever for the drinks to finally make it to the table, and there were not blue cheese stuffed olives. He'd completely forgotten. We got moved into the dining room, to our table, and he came over and asked us to pay the bar tab. I asked if it could be added to our dinner bill. No, I had to pay him separately. It was odd. Then night fell and there was no view, which we've done before without a problem. They used to have a guy with an incredible telescope on the deck and between courses you could go out and look at distant cosmic phenomena. They didn't have that. The menu wasn't inspiring. The portions were miniature. When the main course came, and the dome was lifted off, it was actually comical, how diminutive it was. I think mine was some kind of chicken; in thin slivers that constituted about four or five bites. Even though the waitress knew it was a birthday/anniversary, there was no special anything, and the actual desert was quarter sized. As the evening wore on, we saw our waitress less and less. We could see into the area where the wait staff was and they were all chatting and doing closing work. It took forever to get the bill. Once we got it and put the card down, we waited even longer. I'd say there was a good 30 minutes or more just waiting to pay the bill and leave. It wasn't just the bartender and the waiters and the food. While we were out on the deck pre-meal, there were other tables speaking with a guy whom appeared to be the manager and "sommelier." He seemed really nice. However, I noticed with two tables, after he'd left, they both made disparaging comments about him, as if he'd given them bad information. We just had cocktails so I can't speak to it personally. Overall, with food and bar hitting the $500 mark, I would never return here. For lunch maybe, but I'm not sure you can go to lunch without staying there. If you do go in the evening, know that there is no view unless you're sitting next to the glass and can see through the reflection of the lights inside. Then, what you're paying for, in my opinion, isn't at all worth it. This place has suffered terribly. Perhaps it's the lack of staffing and management labor that can live or commute to Big Sur. Did ownership change? Don't be disappointed here. There are better options.More

Date of visit: July 2022
Helpful?5  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed January 4, 2023

The Sierra Mar is a special place in Big Sur you get amazing food complemened by the view. As the Michelin guide would ask? Is this place worth the drive too and the answer is definitely yes.

Date of visit: July 2022
Helpful?2  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed December 15, 2022

My wife and I stopped in for lunch on our anniversary. The staff was outstanding across the board. Our waitress was helpful and knowledgeable. We ordered off the Prix Fixe menu and added the cheese board which was exceptional. A great selection of cheese with...fresh fruits and delicious candied nuts. The salad and crudité were also wonderful. For the main course my wife had beef and I had the salmon. While we both found our main courses under seasoned, they were well prepared. Dessert was also exceptional. My wife and I agreed that the whole experience was wonderful. Honestly the views alone were worth the price of admission.More

Date of visit: December 2022
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Reviewed November 19, 2022

While not a guest of the Post Ranch Inn, I booked a reservation at the Sierra Mar for our 30th anniversary. I made a reservation at 5:30, with the plan to arrive early and watch the sunset while enjoying a drink at the bar. Upon...arriving at the gate, the guard informed us that since we were not staying at the hotel, we could not access the restaurant any earlier than 5 minutes before our reservation. A horrible way to start the evening. Needless to say we missed the sunset and spent 30 minutes killing time until we we allowed to enter the sacred halls of Tierra Mar. Upon entering the restaurant at 5:25pm, imagine our surprise when we were the 1st people being seated at a table, but there were people at the bar. Obviously guests of the hotel, not commoners just coming for dinner. Menu is a 4 course prixe fixe that was long on written description, short of taste and memorability. 1st course salad options were rather plain and ordinary, 2nd course, specifically the winter squash option was extremely dry and lacking any taste and the tenderloin option was void of taste. It’s very apparent that more effort is spent on overly elaborate descriptions rather than tasty and memorable food options. If as much effort had been spent on the recipes as the descriptions, perhaps the meal could have at least been memorable. Sadly that was not the case. At these prices, the food better be spectacular and it wasn’t even a average. One piece of advice for Tierra Mar, if you are opening up your reservations to non-hotel guests, you need to treat them as well as the hotel guests. I’ve never been more rudely treated as I was when we were told we couldn’t enter the restaurant any earlier than 5 minutes before our reservation since we weren’t staying at the hotel. We paid the same amount for the underwhelming dinner as the hotel guests, so shouldn’t we be treated in the same manner? We have been to numerous 5 star and Michelin rated restaurants and Tierra Mar isn’t close.More

Date of visit: November 2022
Helpful?6  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed September 6, 2022 via mobile

Amazing food, amazing service! Talk about mouth watering from breakfast, lunch and dinner. Not much is said about the chef but he or she along with all other restaurant personnel should be recognized. Much Tnx to all of you!

Date of visit: September 2022
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Reviewed September 1, 2022

The restaurant is beautiful and the views are breathtaking but the food at $145 per person and $25 drinks were a huge let down!

Date of visit: August 2022
Helpful?1  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed August 14, 2022

My husband and I frequent the Post Ranch Inn at least once a year. We usually dine at the Sierra Mar restaurant for convenience. Having said that, at our last visit, we found the food at the restaurant exceptional. The menu was unique, and the...food was served with care and professionalism. We felt the items were delicious! We could tell that the service was grand and the presentation of the selection of food was exceptional. We could tell that the management has done an outstanding job on improving the dishes.More

Date of visit: March 2022
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Reviewed July 18, 2022

Amazing sunset views, great service. Come to this place if you want to splurge. It's cheaper for Lunch and the views are amazing.

Date of visit: September 2021
Helpful?1  
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Reviewed May 24, 2022 via mobile

We dined at the Sierra Mar during our one-night stay in Big Sur. We were not lodging at the Post-Ranch Inn but decided to splurge for the beautiful views. We dined outdoors on the deck just above the ocean while watching the sunset. Just gorgeous!...There was a fixed price menu for $145 per person for a four-course meal. The food was delicious, the service was superb. We had a 5:45pm reservation which ended up being perfect to watch the sunset. I would say if you’re able to splurge for a night it was well worth it but if you’d rather not, there are plenty of other ways to see beautiful views in this area.More

Date of visit: May 2022
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Questions & Answers
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Sofia C
November 5, 2019|
Answer
Response from Regajohn | Reviewed this property |
On December 15 in Big Sur sunset is at 4:54 PM (according to Google). It gets dark dark about 45 to 90 minutes after sunset. If you want views, lunch is probably a better option
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Swabster
August 16, 2019|
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Response from Rhiz A | Reviewed this property |
Depending on the time of the year. If you are booking it during a US Holiday (3 day weekends), you need to book way in advance. It doesn't hurt if you book way in advance, you can always cancel if you know you cannot make... More
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SIERRA MAR, Big Sur - Menu, Prices & Restaurant Reviews - Tripadvisor

Frequently Asked Questions about Sierra Mar

Sierra Mar is rated accordingly in the following categories by Tripadvisor travelers:
  • Food: 4.5
  • Service: 4.5
  • Value: 3.5
  • Atmosphere: 5