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Giant Artichoke Restaurant
Category: Restaurants American (Traditional) American (Traditional) [Edit]
11261 Merritt StCastroville, CA 95012
(831) 633-3501
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 7 am - 9 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Dive-y, Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
70 reviews for Giant Artichoke Restaurant
Review Highlights
"French fried artichoke hearts."
(in 22 reviews)
"...have made this a regular stop on our way to Monterey/Carmel."
(in 4 reviews)
"...mayo with lemon, spicy tomatillo salsa, and ranch dressing."
(in 7 reviews)
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70 reviews in English
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Review from Gatsby's G.
Lemoore, CA
12/11/2011
This is a tourist *must*. In fact, my hubby and I, who adore artichokes, always stop here on the way to Monterey.
Try out the artichoke platter! But there all kinds of omelets, breakfast scrambles, and other meals starring the tasty artichoke.
You cannot miss this place-- it's got a giant green artichoke in the parking lot. Bring a hungry tummy and get ready to smile. :)
xoxo -
Review from Catriona C.
11/10/2011
We stopped off in Castroville for food as I wasn't sure how close the next town would be (around 2 mins... duh) and to my joy it was the Artichoke Capital. I do love me some artichoke.
After driving up and down the main street in search of breakfast goodness, we ended up at the Giant Artichoke restaurant, with a shop and a giant concrete artichoke outside, you can't really get much more touristy than that.
'Try our fried artichokes!' Sure. I'll do that. Note to self - don't believe the hype. Artichoke has a light flavour, that dies a small death when drowned in batter and fried mercilessly. I also had the veggie scramble, which on paper, read as having spinach, onion etc and came out as artichoke artichoke artichoke. When you combine egg and artichoke, what you get is grey egg. Badly seasoned and semi raw country potatoes made for an unpleasant meal. The boys meal looked equally sad.
Never mind though, this place looks like it thrives on tourists - and tourists definitely get the poor end of the stick when it comes to cuisine on tours. Not worth it if you are driving through - save your belly for Monterey. -
Review from Katie S.
Washington, DC
11/2/2011 1 Check-in Here
It's a GIANT CEMENT ARTICHOKE. What, you want Shakespeare here or something?
Get the Artichoke platter (or whatever it's called now). So much green goodness on your plate, you'll think you died and went to Oz. Make sure to take a picture outside, just in case you never come back (which you'll certainly want to after eating artichoke bread and deep fried artichoke and...
GET IN THE CAR WE'RE GOING! -
Review from Laurel H.
Felton, CA
2/8/2012
Love the kitsch, but the food was so-so. The fried artichokes weren't nearly as good as I had had from the to-go counter a few years ago. We had an artichoke sampler, and the steamed artichoke was the best part. The artichoke rolls were too greasy. Cream of artichoke soup was good as a dip, but a little too creamy for my tastes. It's a great photo pit stop for sure!
-
Review from Lynne D.
1/21/2012
WheneveSr I am in the vicinity of Castroville/Watsonville, I make sure that I have had fried arthichokes here one at least one occasion, to help support the economy... Nothing changes, same counter, same vinyl seating, same menu, same items. No surprises.
Waitstaff are pleasant and usually know you're there to try their fried artichokes. Full order (20 pcs) is around $9 and 1/2 order (10) is around $5. Served with ranch, or you can do like we did and squeeze fresh lemon all over them and enjoy! Support the locals, stop and get an order to share, pick up a few items in thei grocery store and head on out to the airport! -
Review from Nicole D.
Monterey, CA
9/13/2011 4 photos
Stopped at the Giant Artichoke en route to San Jose. I was having some heavy nostalgia for some deep-fried artichokes from my childhood pitstops at the Giant Artichoke with my family.
Definitely cafe-style restaurant. Place could use some refurbishments and some serious TLC. Outside patio was in pretty bad shape and had dead plants everywhere. The service could use a little pick me up, a little on the bland side.
This place has the potential to be a big tourist attraction (hey it's the artichoke capital of the world, right?), a place you'd find featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives but something is lacking. And it's certainly not the food!
The deep fried artichoke hearts were good, not as good as I remembered, but really hit the spot and evoked pleasant memories of years past. I really enjoyed the cream of artichoke soup. Youza! Lots of artichokes, supreme flavors and super rich and creamy.
My tuna melt was great! Very good tuna salad with tomatoes and melted cheese. My mom really liked her artichoke burger and said she would definitely order it again. My dad ordered the chicken wings and fries. Nice zesty wings with lots of zing! To finish, I had the chocolate covered strawberries and some coffee. Delicious!
The food is really quite good. We were all very pleased with our selections and look forward to our next visit. -
Review from Ruby J.
Salinas, CA
12/27/2011
Love love love this place their artichoke soup is delish on a cold day i also like the hot wings although on an off day they are a little to dry
-
Review from David B.
Palmdale, CA
1/22/2012
The nicest people serving mediocre food. Another reviewer described their deep fried artichoke specialty pretty well, so I'm stealing it, "artichoke has a light flavour, that dies a small death when drowned in batter and fried mercilessly". They aren't very good. One other point, it was uncomfortably cold in there. Lucky for them there's tourism. I think.
-
Review from Karen H.
Daly City, CA
9/14/2011
If you are on your way to Monterey, you gotta stop by here for the fried artichokes. They are huge, crispy and just so yummy with ranch dipping sauce. (I only get to go)
This town is like in the middle of no where with nothing around. The staff at this place is bad. The girl at the front looks like she is about to die of boredom. Oh wells, sucks for you. -
Review from vicky t.
7/25/2011 1 Check-in Here
Nothing says summer like fried artichokes..at least where I live.
They also have artichoke cupcakes here for those of you who are into that kind of thing.
They also sell chocolate dipped strawberries for 1.00 each as well as baskets/cartons of regular strawberries.
Tips:
If you are getting the stuff to go stay vigilant on your order.. if there are tons of orders at time sometimes there is a mix up (aka someone else gets yo chokes stash!!)
If you are using the restroom each stall has its own light.. it looks like you are going into a haunted stall but fear not.. the switch is there... -
Review from Tony L.
San Jose, CA
7/18/2011 2 photos
Stopped by the Giant Artichoke today after class on the beach. I think my memory of this place tastes better than the real thing. The cost of lunch is somewhat reasonable but all in all the burger king across the street is a better value.
The deep fried artichoke hearts are FANTASTIC! Order them! That's about it for the theme food though. My companions had "Artichoke Nachos" and the "Artichoke Burger," both ate most of the food, most likely because we were hungry. One friend said " well ill make sure not to order that again" (the "burger")
When cruzing threw Castroville, If you have never been there before, this spot is a must. The service is So, so.. the atmosphere is farm town, the deep fried artichokes are the BOMB! Eat them! -
Review from Isabel H.
Watsonville, CA
8/10/2011
Arrive to that silly giant artichoke starts that heavenly journey to the best dfac ever!
They have really juicy burgers and all you can eat spaghetti :)
BUT I have had some expirence with a hair in my food YUCK recently I havent seen one but still it sticks to you. -
Review from Kelli M.
San Jose, CA
7/18/2011
DEFINITELY get the deep fried artichoke hearts. If you get anything at this place, get the deep fried artichoke hearts. If I had gotten nothing but their deep fried artichoke hearts, I'd be giving this place a 5 star rating.
The artichoke nachos showed promise, but didn't quite deliver. The Italian sausage and artichoke hearts went well together, but the salsa didn't quite match up with the flavors. If the salsa was replaced with ranch dressing or just skipped altogether, it would greatly improve the dish. I may request that change next time to see how it turns out. Will report back! -
Review from Florian V.
Palm Springs, CA
11/2/2011
I love this Unique restaurant when I am in the Monterey area, California.
You cannot miss it with the giant artichoke as logo of this place.
All you eat is with artichokes. appetizers, soups, with artichokes, entrees with artichokes and even desserts with artichokes.
This place is for me, a landmark in California :)
I love it !!! -
Review from Whitney O.
Monterey, CA
9/8/2011 1 Check-in Here
I really wanted to like the Giant Artichoke. I love artichokes and didn't think you could really mess them up, but I was sadly disappointed. The fried artichokes were lacking in flavor/seasoning and I was a bit disappointed that they didn't have anything more exciting to dip them in than ranch dressing. I had a cup of cream of artichoke soup that tasted pretty much like artichokes and sour cream (not the greatest) and then I had a steamed artichoke that was overcooked and a bit mushy to where the heart was barely worth eating. I'm not usually the type to complain much, but this restaurant was just really disappointing all around. Everything seemed to be lacking in seasoning and was quite bland. I think this restaurant definitely has a lot of potential, they just need to bring in some new ideas.
-
Review from Krista C.
12/28/2010
I have some fairly strange memories of this place. Ok, I love roadside attractions just as much as the next full-blooded non-native-born naturalized American, but I don't usually go out of my way to see them more than once. I went here three times. One of my friends from college would insist on veering off the beaten path during 8+ hour road trips to southern California of which we would typically be running behind schedule. And yes, it was all to gawk at the giant concrete artichoke of Castroville.
The food was alright, though probably not much better than what you would be able to prepare at home. I wouldn't suggest venturing far from the strictly artichoke dishes. Most other things on the menu are probably about the same quality as your local Denny's. -
Review from Ruben N.
Salinas, CA
This staple of Castroville is a landmark and a tourist spot. Their specialty is the artichoke, which they prepare in just about any way.
The customer service is good and the place in nice and large.
We recently had breakfast here and had the waffles, pancakes and the eggs benedict. The presentation of each dish was excelent and the waffles/pancakes where great. The eggs benedict where just ok.
Its kind of pricey, maybe alittle more than Dennys. The orange juice is $5 a pop, which I thought was too much.
Don't have the calami steak. I had that some time ago and it was NASTY. -
Review from Jim U.
Castroville, CA is the "Artichoke Center of the World", as their welcoming sign proudly proclaims. Indeed, artichokes are everywhere in the surrounding fields, and all of the restaurants serve several different artichoke dishes. They even have an artichoke festival every year here. We opted for an impromptu pitstop at the Giant Artichoke restaurant, in part because of the ridiculously large artichoke in front of the place (at least 20 feet high), and in part because of their take-away special for fried artichokes.
We sauntered in and quickly opted for a full order of fried artichokes which comes with two separate dipping sauces for less than $10. They smell great, look amazing, and are absolutely delicious! They use a thick, seasoned batter and deep fry the artichoke hearts. It makes for hearty fare, alright, but it is really quite good. The taste of the very fresh artichokes comes through quite well. They were a joy to eat as is. However, adding a little bit of ranch dipping sauce didn't hurt any either. A perfect example of good road food, worthy of a detour for those on longer hauls. Kitschy perhaps, but artichokes really are the lifeblood of this community, and that's not joke. I love this little town and will indeed be back for many more bags of fried artichokes. Heartily recommend.
4.25 stars -
Review from Alyssa A.
San Francisco, CA
My mom and grandmother grew up near here, so whenever we're driving through the area to monterey, we always stop for artichokes. I'm not a huge fan of fried food, so the deep fried artichoke hearts were "meh" by me, but "soooo good" by my family.
What gets me drawn to this place is the tiny market attached to the restaurant. The frost bitten GIANT artichokes were only $1 each. They're known for having a little frost burn around the outer leaves, but once you steam them, it completely disappears! They were the meatiest artichokes I've had in a very long time! The super nice check clerk was a plus. He was very nice and even through in two extra artichokes at no extra cost!
It wasn't that busy because of weather, spring break will bring the crowds through... Stop by if you're in Santa Cruz or Monterey! It's worth the 5 min detour!!! -
Review from Jacqueline C.
Oakland, CA
1/2/2011
I am not sure how I've gone this long without reviewing the Giant Artichoke, since I have been going here since I was a child...and have gone at least 10 times in the last few years!
French fried artichoke hearts....YUM!!!!!!!
I went about 15-20 years without visiting the Giant Artichoke. Then, in 2007, my now husband and I were driving to Monterey and I insisted that we look for the "really big artichoke" in Castroville that I remembered from my childhood, so we can taste the best deep friend artichokes I'd ever had. He thought I was nuts.
Finally, we spotted a very large artichoke. I braced myself, reasoning that they might not be as good as I thought they were when I was a child (sorta like how the Sleeping Beauty Castle seems a lot smaller than it was when I was little).
No bracing necessary! The Giant Artichoke's french fried artichoke hearts were just as delicious as I remembered them oh so many years ago! My husband also fell in love with the artichoke hearts. No trip to Monterey is complete without a quick stop in Castroville (sometimes each way!) for the world famous heart-stopping french fried artichokes. Not once have we been disappointed with the french fried artichoke hearts -- every time they are exactly as we'd hoped!
The breading is rich and buttery, with some seasoning, and is just thin enough that you can taste a very fresh and distinct artichoke flavor in the large nugget of an artichoke heart within. The artichoke hearts are much tastier than those that we get at our local grocery store.
Sometimes we get them to go and sometimes we eat at the restaurant. The restaurant has other diner, Mexican, and artichoke-containing food. This other food is good enough, but the french fried artichokes hearts cannot be beat! The artichoke hearts come with some sort of mayo-based dipping sauce (or ranch?), but I personally prefer them with a dash of salt! A definite diet buster :)
Stop by the Giant Artichoke for a an order of french fried artichoke hearts on your next road trip that takes you through Castroville -- you'll be in artichoke heart heaven! -
Review from Scott P.
10/12/2010
Unfortunately, Blondie is a mind reader and knew that I did not care for this place, at all... I tried, for her sake, but I could not fake it. The place was empty and when we ordered fried artichoke hearts, they appeared almost instantly. This made me a little suspicious. The fried chokes were okay and the side of ranch helped.
The restroom hadn't been cleaned for days? Plenty of gang style graffiti and no paper towels. Walked out with my hands dripping but mostly clean. I couldn't wait to just pay and go.
Maybe get your fried chokes to go? This is definitely not much of a foodie place. -
Review from Kelly D.
New York, NY
11/7/2011
This place only gets 3 stars because the fried artichokes are ridiculously good. On a trip down the coast with my date, we were looking for a drive in and dive type place that we have never experienced before. Knowing that castroville is the artichoke capital of the world and loving artichokes, I immediately looked for a place to nosh on a fine little piece of artichoke heaven. I unfortunately ignored all of the other yelper reviews and wanted to try the sampler plate $18.
The plate came with fried chokes, choke nachos ( with horrible liquid cheese), Jalapeno Choke dip, and some spring rolls with chokes. I should have just kept it to the fried chokes, because almost everything else on the plate was relatively inedible. However if you want a kick ass fried choke these savory bites of heaven sered with ranch or mayo- Mayo is the best...then save yourself the 12 additional bucks and get the 5 buck order of fried chokes and take them for the road. This place has no ambience and was empty when we were there, the service is less then hospitable as well.
So go get the chokes, just don't be tempted into eating the other novel creations on the menu. -
Review from buttercup r.
Sunnyvale, CA
3/29/2010
Seriously? I would only come back here if I were starving and there was nothing else open.
To everyone who raves about the fried artichoke hearts: they would taste EXACTLY THE SAME no matter what was inside. All you taste is the batter and the sauce, there could be cat poo inside and it would still taste delicious!!!! Saying that something deep fried and dipped in ranch tastes good is NOT a compliment to the restaurant, it's just a fact of life.
So. This place has mediocre diner food, which means it's hard to find a dish that is healthy, if you care about that stuff. We did care, and opted for the veggie burger and a veggie club sandwich. The club was fresh, but it wasn't amazingly tasty. I was first told they were out of veggie patties, then that was later amended to "we found some." I assume they dug deeper into the freezer? It tasted ok, but it's hard to mess up a frozen veggie patty.
Service was ok, polite but no smiles.
The stench in the bathroom was absolutely deadly, like the walls were made in feces and painted over. -
Review from Maryanne R.
Cupertino, CA
8/3/2007 1 photo
The only vegetable my 8-year-old son will eat without an argument is an artichoke - of all things! So when we passed The Giant Artichoke on our way to the National Steinbeck Center yesterday (which is surprisingly fun for kids - review to follow), he begged me to take him there for lunch on the way home.
Aside from the humongous artichoke out front, the place doesn't have an ounce of quaint. You need to stick to Moss Landing if you want some atmosphere with your deep-fried artichokes. Here you will get bad 70's diner, with a dash of Mexican restaurant, a sad salad bar, and dusty silk plants hanging here and there. The place smells kinda septic and the water tastes funny, which makes for funny-tasting soda too. But they do have a lovely gourmet beverage dispenser that "dispenses" cappuccino, if you are so inclined.
For $7.95 you get a heaping bowl of deep-fried artichoke hearts, that have been recently warmed up, and a side of ranch dressing. I had the artichoke enchiladas that tasted as odd as they sound. What was I thinking? The kid's meal was pretty yucky too - dry chicken fingers and fries that went almost untouched. The service was not as friendly as you would imagine it to be in a small town diner. That's okay, I already have a lot of friends, but how about a smile fella?
I don't plan on returning to The Giant Artichoke because that would mean going out of my way, and trust me folks, this is not a place to go out of your way for.Listed in: Pajaro Dunes
-
Review from Vanessa y.
San Jose, CA
7/6/2010
It feels like a cheesy tourist trap slash diner, but no where else can you beat Fried Artichoke Hearts like this!
Everything artichoke was really good. We did friend and steamed! Both delicious. We also ordered a salad, that had some brown lettuce leaves and just was nothing special to write about.
Stick to ordering what they do best. . . . fried artichoke hearts!
Service was just okay, but the crushed ice and chocolate covered strawberry made up for that! -
Review from Daddy O.
Long Beach, CA
12/4/2008
Solid.
I didn't try a fried artichoke for fear of arti-choking my arteries. Seriously though, the sandwich menu is about damn near impossible to beat. $3 this afternoon got me a "half" sandwich the size of my head including turkey, avocado, cheese, and all the fixins. I can't even imagine how much food a "whole" sandwich is, for $6. If I had known what I was getting myself into, I would have ordered without condiments so I could have had half of my half for lunch tomorrow! Oh well, I guess I just had to eat it in one big sitting.
The produce market portion was reasonably priced, and, imagine that...FRESH. Gotta love fresh fruit stands that don't murder your pocketbook.
One more thing.
The giant artichoke sculpture outside is not only a landmark. It's pretty spectacular. Next time I'll be sure to get a picture with it. -
Review from Jim L.
San Francisco, CA
5/27/2006 2 photos
Classic roadside attraction, crappy restaurant (a two-star diner at best). The enormous plaster artichoke in front of the restaurant pays homage to Castroville, known as "the World Capital of Artichokes". Pretty typical for a town in this area, most of the region's towns pride themselves on being the capital of some bit of produce:
Gilroy is of course, the garlic capital of the world
Morgan Hill - the mushroom Capital of the world
Watsonville - the strawberry capital of the world
Greenfield - the broccoli capital of the world
the Greater Salinas Valley -the Lettuce Capital of the World and "America's Salad Bowl".
The restaurant advertises deep fried artichokes all up and down Highways 1 and 156. If those little teasers don't lure you in, you're a human of impressively brawny will power. Check out the produce stand and gift shop, buy a coffee mug and t-shirt (we did), patronize anything non-dining related because a roadside attraction like this one is a treasured gem on America's old highways, but its food is atrocious (even the deep fried artichokes are not that special). -
Review from Heather C.
Oakland, CA
8/28/2011
Stopped here on the way to Big Sur with a friend and we ordered the deep fried artichoke hearts to share, seeing as that seemed to be the restaurant's specialty. Hey, deep fried artichoke hearts sounds like a good idea, right? Not quite. It was a disappointment to say the very least: they were bland (the deep frying made them lose their artichoke taste) and the mayo and ranch dips in our to-go box were barely half full. I probably ate about five out of the twenty or so before throwing them away. Also, I felt sick a few hours after eating them and that combined with the winding roads of Highway 1 ended in me vomiting out the window of my friend's car. Will not be returning here, ever.
-
Review from Christopher D.
La Jolla, CA
7/26/2010 1 Check-in Here
Restaurant and area: Dusty, Lonely and Dull.
Deep Fried Artichoke: F$ck yes!
3 Stars: Averaging the two. -
Review from Jay T.
Los Angeles, CA
5/1/2011
Got there early before the tour buses. I ordered a sandwich and an order of fried artichokes to go. On the road, I ate some of the artichoke hearts with the side of mayo. They were just as good as I remembered, it's been about 10 years since I last had them. Good things don't change much and these are still as good. They held up pretty good and was able to finish them off once I got home, even better with Ranch dressing.
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Review from Danielle S.
Los Angeles, CA
2/11/2008
All that remains are my fond memories...
Ditto to the other reviews that say this roadtrip mainstay has deteriorated. It's oh so very sad what's happened to one of my favorite California heritage sites. Gone are the velvet paintings and the family business atmosphere. I'm not sure who owns this place anymore, but the employees are surly and have no clue as to the history of the freakin' GIANT ARTICHOKE.
This is now no better than any greasy road stop from here to MO. My heart is broken. -
Review from Daisy T.
5/7/2009
BUST A U!!
*tumbleweed rolls by while crickets cry*
Uhh... is this place even OPEN?? O_o
It was 6PM on a Sunday and there was only ONE table occupied by some elders. This must not be a hopping place for the young kids. =P But me and my boy weren't here for dinner. We were here for one thing and one thing only... DEEP FRIED ARTICHOKE HEARTS.
This place was on the way back from our day in Monterey, so we decided to stop by. My boy said there was nothing else worth getting on the menu. We ordered a large order of deep fried articoke hearts and dived in.
They were... OK. They needed more salt. Surprising, huh? I would think that being deep fried would be enough flavor. They came with two dipping sauces: mayonnaise and ranch. The mayo had an interesting flavor to it that complimented the artichoke hearts. The ranch was surprisingly bland. *pushes ranch aside* But with either sauce, the hearts still needed some salt. At least you can bring home a frozen bag of deep fried artichoke hearts if you wanted and maybe you can spice it up yourself at home.
I think I've had better at the Gilroy Garlic Festival.
This place is only worth going to if you're passing through since it's right off the freeway. But I wouldn't go out of my way for this place. -
Review from Coopdawg C.
Walnut Creek, CA
2/21/2011
I love thistles! So I looked this place up. There are a couple other places that serve fried artichokes, but I ate at one once over by or in Moss Landing and it was terrible. They fired their chokes in the same oil as shrimp or other sea creature, and still leaves me with bad memories 20 years later.
So I Yelped this place, and thought it was a wine and cheese shop that just happened to make chokes. Well, really, it's a family restaurant with a store attached.
We came here on a day ot was raining, and even snowing up in the Santa Cruz Mountains. So the restaurant should be nice and warm, but it was cold. Not terrible, but it could have been warmer.
When you walk in the door, it's evident that a lot of people get chokes to go. I asked if we could eat 'em here, so she directed us to a table and asked if we wanted a whole order or a half.
Just a few minutes later, out comes my root beer and a plate full of golden fried goodness and some dressing, which I think was ranch, but I just liked it and didn't pay a lot of attention to what it was.
The thistles didn't disappoint, though I think it would be cool if they had several different dipping sauces.
They also had some pretty good-looking desserts in the case, but we had to save up for later.
I would probably give this place 3-1/2 stars if I could. -
Review from Natasha L.
Washington, DC
1/4/2011
FRIED ARTICHOKES!! This is THE place to get them. I haven't had anything else at this restaurant so I cannot comment on the other things they serve here, but I am a big fan of their fried artichokes. Eat them hot and fresh out of the fryer and you are in for a treat! What else are you going to eat in the Artichoke Center of the World, I ask? For less than $10 for a bag of 20 fried artichoke hearts, you will be content and feel just a tad better that you are eating something fried that also happens to be a healthy vegetable! Eat more..be happy!
-
Review from Alisa M.
Seattle, WA
2/19/2009
Umm yeah, I totally made my boyfriend flip a U right on Hwy 183 for fried artichokes. Less than an hour after we ate lunch.
Even on full stomachs, the fried artichoke hearts were delicious and well worth the begrudged pit-stop. (Thank goodness or I would never live it down)
Tangy artichoke hearts + well seasoned batter + deep fryer + ranch dressing = happy taste buds - heartburn
Moral of the story? The Giant Artichoke is a Great American Roadside Attraction... and the queasy-stomached should bring Tums on road trips. -
Review from linda l.
Concord, CA
12/2/2008
When I was a child my parents would drive all the way from DC to Castroville for the deep fried artichoke hearts. I'm happy to report that the food is as wonderful now was it was then, but now they give you a cup of ranch dressing instead of an over flowing cup of mayo. I also tried artichoke bread- which tasted suspicioulsy like pumpkin spice bread except it's pea GREEN with whole artichoke hearts in it!
I also tried the cream of artichoke soup which made me say "OMG!" Causing all the other patrons to stare at me. It's all good baby!
My only mild complaint is that they charged me $1 for a post card which is partically a sales pitch for the restaurant. Come on guys- I'm sold already! :) -
Review from F. P.
San Francisco, CA
6/20/2010
You come here for one reason and one reason only. Artichokes. I had no idea that Castroville was the artichoke center of the world but as soon as you pull up into this restaurant, there's no doubt which veggie is king in this town (huge artichoke sculpture and kitchy decor inside).
Just went straight for the artichoke platter. It comes with fried artichokes with several options for dips (butter, tartar sauce, mayo), which were pretty good (but hey, aren't all fried veggies good?). There was also a side of artichoke bread, which tasted similar to zucchini bread but had a little sweetness to it. And finally, we got this HUGE artichoke that we worked our way through to the yummy heart.
True, afterwards, you don't think you can ever eat another 'choke but it was worth having a meal just once where the artichoke was front and center.
Definitely out of the way, so if 'chokes aren't your thing, probably not worth the detour. -
Review from Ann L.
6/6/2006 7 photos
Four of us went to the Giant Artichoke Restaurant in Castroville for dinner. This place serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner and you can get all at dinner.
We checked out the little produce area and didn't find anything to buy. In another room you can buy wines and deli sandwiches and deep fried artichoke hearts.
We went to the restaurant for dinner where we ordered:
steamed artichoke $6-it was a pretty good size, 4 of us shared it.
deep fried artichoke hearts-I didn't try it, but others really enjoyed it. Comes with some dipping sauce.
P. got Castroville pork chop-2 thin pieces of pork chop, some vegetables, and she picked salad (which was help yourself to the salad bar) Looked fine-didn't try it.
A. and I got Castroville chicken-it was pretty tasty since they put creamy artichoke sauce over the thin chicken breasts, side of veggies, and choice of baked potato, mashed potato, or rice. Soup or salad-we got the soup which was a broth-like soup with lots of artichoke hearts in it. And garlic bread-which didn't have any garlic taste, more like buttered toast. Decent dish. $9.99
B. got menudo-it looked ok, but he didn't finish it and didn't take leftover home.
More a tourist stop, like a Denny's-maybe just get the deep fried artichokes and take your pics w/ the giant artichoke and go. Not many diners when we were there-not a good sign.
Giant Artichoke Restaurant
11261 Merritt St (Off Hwy 183 from Hwy 156)
Castroville, CA 95012
831-633-3501 -
Review from Claire W.
Newton, MA
9/6/2009
We were hungry, and passing Castroville, so turned off Route 1 and were greeted by the Giant Artichoke.
Everything we had was good. I had the salad bar, and tried a few different salads with artichokes. Three of us shared an Artichoke Appetizer Plate with a giant steamed artichoke, french fried artichokes and artichoke bread (a less sweet quick bread). All great - my husband and son loved the artichoke bread. We also tried artichoke soup (chicken stock base, with artichokes) and my son had Castroville Chicken (huge portion smothered in a sauce with mushrooms and artichokes). There was a kid's menu, and the 9 year old was able to order his standard cheese pizza. My husband had a patty melt which was good too - we had a lot of food since we were on a tasting spree.
Great meal, friendly and attentive service. We would definitely go back. We also loved trying artichokes in so many different dishes. -
Review from Jennifer L.
Cupertino, CA
8/30/2009
My husband has been raving about this place for a while, so when it was time to turn back up the coast and head home, we stopped here for a bite to eat.
We ordered deep-fried artichokes. So.damn.good. They gave you a variety of sauces to dip these little nuggets of heaven into: mayo with lemon, spicy tomatillo salsa, and ranch dressing. Delicious, decadent and divine.
The salad bar was pretty good too. Yes, they had your standard salad bar fare, but they also had some surprises: marinated artichokes, artichoke spinach dip and cole slaw. You could get the salad bar for just $0.99 with a purchase of a meal, so this was a real good deal.
Now the rest of the food was just so-so. I wasn't feeling like much so I got a grilled cheese sandwich. It was just fine. My husband didn't even touch his hamburger, he was so filled up on salad and artichoke hearts. The same goes for my son and his plate of spaghetti.
In the future, I probably skip the meal and just eat artichokes. For about $10, you can get a platter of fried artichoke hearts, a steamed artichoke and artichoke bread. I think that's what we'll order the next time we return.
