Older, smaller, and arguably better than its much busier neighbour Sam's, Barbara's Fishtrap is a low wooden shack literally hanging over the water on the pier at Pillar Point Harbor. The room seats maybe forty, the décor is fishing nets and beach photos, and the menu is short: fish and chips, fried clams, calamari, crab cakes, fish tacos.
The fryer is the star. The fish-and-chips is famous in the Bay Area for the lightness of the batter, and the fried calamari rings have a serious local following. Cash only, no reservations, often a 45-minute wait on weekends — but the line moves and the deck has a clear view over the harbour while you wait. A piece of Half Moon Bay that has not changed in decades.