I have to admit, as an airplane nerd I’m perhaps a little biased since this spot is at the Half Moon Bay airport it here it goes!Pilot Light is literally in an old terminal building so to the reviews that say it feels like it…. Yeah. But that said, I enjoy the environment. It’s relaxed and bustling at the same time. There’s a good sized outdoor patio with several tables when the weather is good. There’s usually a few operations of general aviation aircraft every hour.The food: I have yet to have anything here that isn’t good. I’ve tried several meals, and the Huevos Rancheros is definitely a fave. Presentation is always pretty, too!There was one review about the plastic glasses being worse for wear, but that problem is solved by nice aluminum glasses. Even the coffee, which is tasty, is served in an aluminum insulated cup!Pilot Light is definitely on my must go list in the area. The service is always friendly!Wheelchair accessibility: Looks like it would be good.
A very unusual location, allowing you to watch and dream as small planes land and take off. I was surprised at the nice but casual decor and the very hospitable welcome as I walked in. The menu is relatively small, but everything is delicious! I had an excellent Shakshouka north African veggie stew with eggs and an Americano coffee spiked with 3 shots of delicious espresso, which I considered appropriate Rocket Fuel for an airport restaurant! This is going to be one of my regular hangouts with family and friends. I highly recommend it.Kid-friendliness: Easy to sit kids. Staff is friendly and very helpful to me and everyone I saw.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Alex Kueneman
A must stop! If the weather is nice the patio facing the airstrip is a lovely place to enjoy your meal.The food is amazing, it was hard to choose what to have. We found buying several things and sharing them was a great way to go. Really hearty portions and very flavorful too.Coffee station is well equipped.Super cozy place, go check it out!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chilaquiles
Elizabeth T-E
Quick service and conveniently close to the highway. I had a yogurt parfait, which was yummy.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
river treckeme
I don't know if it was just what we ordered but the food felt greasy and dirty. After we left me and my mom both had diarrhea ?? not worth 60 bucks and 45 minutes of waiting.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 2
A Hewmun
I drove by this place plenty, today I decided to take the plunge. While I do not regret my decision to check this place out, I won't be doing that again.This place feels more like a waiting area from a small town train station than a Restaurant. While not obvious upon entering, you are invited to go to counter and buy a ticket, I mean food. This place is the opposite of cozy, it was very chilly and very loud.Most dishes are served on plastic plates, and cold drinks come in plastic cups that have seen better days. You will receive a cup and pump your coffee, with very limited condiments. Coffee was tasty.There are plenty of choices on the menu for everyone. Young, old, vegetarian and even kids have a small area reserved for the usual comforts. The food is below average, especially if you dine frequently around Half Moon Bay's breakfast restaurants.There is plenty of parking, and plenty of seating when we were there. Sunday brunch time. Prepare to wait, we ordered waffles, Rancheros, Grilled Cheese and Chilaquiles. We waited about 20 minutes for our buzzer to go off. We paid about $90 for 3 people.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 2
Barbara Kossy
Nice location but the food was so-so. Soggy fries, oily fish sandwich. I'll go back, but just because I live nearby, and I like the outdoor seating near planes.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 4
Taylor Posey
Hidden gem great local sport, breakfast is amazing here. Whenever I'm in half-moon Bay it's a must stop place.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Christian
Fish and chips were dreadful, it’s been a long time since I’ve had food this bad. $21 for 3 tiny bits of pan fried fish and soggy fries. Surely the pilots must eat elsewhere…
The mocha is one of the best mochas I've had. Not too bitter from the espresso shots, but not too sweet either. The shakshuka was zesty and flavorful with a slight kick.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Elizabeth C.
A hidden gem!!! I don't know how I've never paid attention passing by on highway 1 at the half moon bay airport. This restaurant is LEGIT. I can't wait to tell my friends and family that this place is a must visit.The restaurant had a nice, welcoming vibe. The staff were super friendly and chill. I didn't realize there was outdoor patio seating on the back of the building until after our dishes arrived. It was such a nice day out and would've loved to dine outside...oh well next visit!The food...OMG to the deliciousness, presentation and portions. I had the croque monsieur and my fiancé had the smoked salmon benedict. I can't take good pictures so my photos do not do the dishes justice...but check out how much smoked salmon is in the Benedict and ham in the croque monsieur (shock face emoji). My fiancé instantly knew what he was going to order when he saw the amazing benedicts plate on another patrons table. I could barely finish half my dish and took it to-go to eat for dinner. Looking to walk off your huge meal? We went on an easy hike afterwards located just behind/west of the half moon bay airport called the Pillar Point Bluff Trail, 1.7 mile trail.
Reena S.
Great service and amazing food at the same place are hard to come by these days. But Pilot Light does it all and so well. Every single staff member is SO SO SO NICE. They were not only nice to my husband and I but also our kids. The food was excellent. We ordered way too much, and took some food to go and it all kept and we ate it later in the day. We ordered fruit, a side of bacon, the Dutch baby, blackened cod sandwich, vanilla latte, and a side of waffle. 12/10 on all the items. The service made everything that much better. The man who took our order was literally SO NICE. Checked in on us multiple times as well. If you are in the area, definitely come check it out. The inside is cute and clean as well. Also fun fact, this is run and owned by the owners of all spice, which we have been to twice and it's also amazzzinnng. Will be back here for sure!! Thank you for such a wonderful experience!
Dyna M.
Great food - and great service! Tried Pilot Light for the first time last weekend and loved it so much we came back again! The menu has a wide variety of options and everything looks delicious! The staff is very friendly, helpful and polite! On a sunny day it's great to sit out back and watch planes take off and land! We'll be back again soon!
I have to admit, as an airplane nerd I’m perhaps a little biased since this spot is at the Half Moon Bay airport it here it goes!Pilot Light is literally in an old terminal building so to the reviews that say it feels like it…. Yeah. But that said, I enjoy the environment. It’s relaxed and bustling at the same time. There’s a good sized outdoor patio with several tables when the weather is good. There’s usually a few operations of general aviation aircraft every hour.The food: I have yet to have anything here that isn’t good. I’ve tried several meals, and the Huevos Rancheros is definitely a fave. Presentation is always pretty, too!There was one review about the plastic glasses being worse for wear, but that problem is solved by nice aluminum glasses. Even the coffee, which is tasty, is served in an aluminum insulated cup!Pilot Light is definitely on my must go list in the area. The service is always friendly!Wheelchair accessibility: Looks like it would be good.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Huevos Rancheros, Breakfast Burrito, Chilaquiles
A very unusual location, allowing you to watch and dream as small planes land and take off. I was surprised at the nice but casual decor and the very hospitable welcome as I walked in. The menu is relatively small, but everything is delicious! I had an excellent Shakshouka north African veggie stew with eggs and an Americano coffee spiked with 3 shots of delicious espresso, which I considered appropriate Rocket Fuel for an airport restaurant! This is going to be one of my regular hangouts with family and friends. I highly recommend it.Kid-friendliness: Easy to sit kids. Staff is friendly and very helpful to me and everyone I saw.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
A must stop! If the weather is nice the patio facing the airstrip is a lovely place to enjoy your meal.The food is amazing, it was hard to choose what to have. We found buying several things and sharing them was a great way to go. Really hearty portions and very flavorful too.Coffee station is well equipped.Super cozy place, go check it out!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chilaquiles
Quick service and conveniently close to the highway. I had a yogurt parfait, which was yummy.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I don't know if it was just what we ordered but the food felt greasy and dirty. After we left me and my mom both had diarrhea ?? not worth 60 bucks and 45 minutes of waiting.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 2
I drove by this place plenty, today I decided to take the plunge. While I do not regret my decision to check this place out, I won't be doing that again.This place feels more like a waiting area from a small town train station than a Restaurant. While not obvious upon entering, you are invited to go to counter and buy a ticket, I mean food. This place is the opposite of cozy, it was very chilly and very loud.Most dishes are served on plastic plates, and cold drinks come in plastic cups that have seen better days. You will receive a cup and pump your coffee, with very limited condiments. Coffee was tasty.There are plenty of choices on the menu for everyone. Young, old, vegetarian and even kids have a small area reserved for the usual comforts. The food is below average, especially if you dine frequently around Half Moon Bay's breakfast restaurants.There is plenty of parking, and plenty of seating when we were there. Sunday brunch time. Prepare to wait, we ordered waffles, Rancheros, Grilled Cheese and Chilaquiles. We waited about 20 minutes for our buzzer to go off. We paid about $90 for 3 people.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 2
Nice location but the food was so-so. Soggy fries, oily fish sandwich. I'll go back, but just because I live nearby, and I like the outdoor seating near planes.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 4
Hidden gem great local sport, breakfast is amazing here. Whenever I'm in half-moon Bay it's a must stop place.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Fish and chips were dreadful, it’s been a long time since I’ve had food this bad. $21 for 3 tiny bits of pan fried fish and soggy fries. Surely the pilots must eat elsewhere…
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 3
It's ok elevated diner fare.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
We love this spot. Staff and food are awesome.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The mocha is one of the best mochas I've had. Not too bitter from the espresso shots, but not too sweet either. The shakshuka was zesty and flavorful with a slight kick.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
A hidden gem!!! I don't know how I've never paid attention passing by on highway 1 at the half moon bay airport. This restaurant is LEGIT. I can't wait to tell my friends and family that this place is a must visit.The restaurant had a nice, welcoming vibe. The staff were super friendly and chill. I didn't realize there was outdoor patio seating on the back of the building until after our dishes arrived. It was such a nice day out and would've loved to dine outside...oh well next visit!The food...OMG to the deliciousness, presentation and portions. I had the croque monsieur and my fiancé had the smoked salmon benedict. I can't take good pictures so my photos do not do the dishes justice...but check out how much smoked salmon is in the Benedict and ham in the croque monsieur (shock face emoji). My fiancé instantly knew what he was going to order when he saw the amazing benedicts plate on another patrons table. I could barely finish half my dish and took it to-go to eat for dinner. Looking to walk off your huge meal? We went on an easy hike afterwards located just behind/west of the half moon bay airport called the Pillar Point Bluff Trail, 1.7 mile trail.
Great service and amazing food at the same place are hard to come by these days. But Pilot Light does it all and so well. Every single staff member is SO SO SO NICE. They were not only nice to my husband and I but also our kids. The food was excellent. We ordered way too much, and took some food to go and it all kept and we ate it later in the day. We ordered fruit, a side of bacon, the Dutch baby, blackened cod sandwich, vanilla latte, and a side of waffle. 12/10 on all the items. The service made everything that much better. The man who took our order was literally SO NICE. Checked in on us multiple times as well. If you are in the area, definitely come check it out. The inside is cute and clean as well. Also fun fact, this is run and owned by the owners of all spice, which we have been to twice and it's also amazzzinnng. Will be back here for sure!! Thank you for such a wonderful experience!
Great food - and great service! Tried Pilot Light for the first time last weekend and loved it so much we came back again! The menu has a wide variety of options and everything looks delicious! The staff is very friendly, helpful and polite! On a sunny day it's great to sit out back and watch planes take off and land! We'll be back again soon!