There’s a really good chance you have a pre-existing condition toward Huntington Beach. It’s polarizing and in your face and shamelessly stakes claim to the “Surf City USA” moniker and has and will fight you for it should you try to take it…no matter how good your town’s waves are.

At times HB can look downright gross and offensive. Its horizon line is dotted with oil rigs, the conservatives duke it out and wave flags at the libs on Main Street with an enthusiasm rarely seen outside of primetime cable TV — all 10 feet away from a guy who will put a nail through his nose for 20 bucks and an 80 year old woman from Milwaukee drinking a Mai Tai at Duke’s and calling it an authentic Hawaiian experience. It’s an American cornucopia of culture chaos, but if you look close, it can be awesome. I swear.

Huntington has a surf scene that’s somehow known for having plentiful amounts of both grumpy locals and total kooks. It’s landscape is drab and oily and the high school’s mascot is the “Oilers.” Surf Journalist (still uncertain of this term) Ben Marcus wrote, “Huntington is a gray, sprawling wasteland built on an oil field built on a swamp." And that much is probably true, (I think it actually is) but it doesn't mean you can’t have a good time and that there isn’t a rich history of surf, skate and music culture. Read Tapping the Source by Kem Nunn if you want to dive into the underbelly of surfing here too, it’s awesome — the book inspired the film Point Break and the dead president bank robbers. As usual, book is better than the movie (and I’m in the camp that thinks Point Break kinda holds up). Read it.

The local city council hasn’t made it easy to remember those earlier days thanks to its love of pink and beige stucco and mall-fucking itself, but spend enough time in HB you can sense that there actually is/was an incredible music scene. There was a nationally known music venue called The Golden Bear that had everyone from the Ramones to Jimi Hendrix play. The Golden Bear was demolished in 1985 but there’s still plenty of guys around who will tell you all about it. The scene here also saw tons of punk, reggae and hardcore bands you’d know come up (Dirty Heads, The Offspring, The Vandals, Guttermouth and Avenged Sevenfold are all HB bands).

HB also had a sick 90s skate scene. All centered around the HB High skate park and Baker’s Warner Ave apartments. Arto Saari and Geoff Rowley came to HB straight off the jet from Europe and Ed Templeton himself has almost single handedly kept Huntington from selling out completely.

And of course HB has a damn fine surf history with far too many characters to count, but names like David Nuuhiwa, Corky Carroll, Herbie Fletcher, Bud Llamas, Janice Aragon, Kim Hamrock, Joey Hawkins, Jay Larson, Jeff Deffenbaugh, Rockin’ Fig, Timmy Reyes and Timmy and Ryan Turner have all shot the pier and called HB home at some point — along with today’s heroes like Kanoa Igarashi, Brett Simpson and Courtney Conlogue who keep HB known for world-class surfing.

Despite this rich history, it’s also pretty well known that without a little guidance, HB can be a pretty frightening place. But with this pulled up on your phone — put together with the help of several locals — you can and will have a good, authentic experience that may well see you saying: I like surfing in HB. —Travis

We polled some of HB’s finest to make sure this list is complete. This should keep you fed, surfing, buzzed and healthy all at once.

Brett Simpson: Back to back US Open of Surfing champ, World Tour surfer, local ambassador, USA surfing coach and well-liked bro-brah around town.

Sara Taylor: Local pro surfer and connoisseur of keeping HB 90s. Loves Micheladas.

Ted Navarro: Huntington’s most barrelled regular foot and earliest riser. Northside of the pier for lifer.

Luke Guinaldo: Aspiring pro surfer and teenage heartthrob on Tik-Tok.

Bill Web: The list’s “core lord.” Billy Tends the bar at Ola Mexican grill and shreds northside on the reg and has for decades.

Me (Travis Ferre): I grew up here, north HB zone, usually stay at the Cliffs, Marios and the public library when in town.

Brandon Guilmette: The Josh Kerr of HB (according to Dane Reynolds).

This is really what The Cliffs used to look like…Circa 1940.

FOOD

Marios Mexican Food and Cantina: 18603 Main Street: Now consider this a bit of insider trading: I don’t tell everyone about Marios. It’s a special place. A place where both clandestine meetings and large celebrations can go down. It’s on Main Street in HB, but hidden in a secret shopping center way away from the chaos. Sit in the bar area, order the house margarita, rocks and salt, and try to eat less than 4 baskets of chips. On any given day you will see any number of the Turner Brothers (Timmy and Ryan), Andy Verdone, Archy from the cliffs, Jeff “Doc” Lausch and just about every other local HB legend. Always sitting in the bar area. If you visit, be nice, I’ll be watching.—Travis

Bear Flag Fish Co.: Located in Pacific City across from the pier (there’s two in Newport as well), Bear Flag was started in 2007 by fisherman and chef Thomas Carson. They do seafood the right way: local, sustainable and with rods and reel, etc. They also set a nice vibe and make mean drinks. I like the smoked albacore but the poke is famous.

“Bear Flag has notable poke but more importantly my favorite michelada. And that’s a big deal. Great ambiance and other food as well, you can check the surf while having lunch.” —Sara Taylor

Northside Cafe: Clean, locally grown grab ‘n’ go food, the whole crew does a lot for the surf community and local Boardrider clubs. Good food and if you want to throw an event they’ll make it happen.

“Northside Cafe is great grab and go breakfast burritos and amazing coffee. They’re one of HB Boardriders club favorite sponsors. —Bill Webb

Sugar Shack: Michelle Turner’s iconic breakfast spot is one of the reasons HB manages to overshadow whatever bad press it might be getting elsewhere. Going here is a highlight of living and visiting here. Now run by her sons Ryan and Timmy Turner — legends in their own right (ever seen Second Thoughts?). Come here, post up and smile, you’ll hear some stories.

Mother’s Market: There’s two in HB (one on Beach Blvd. and one on PCH in Surfside), one in Costa Mesa and one in Corona Del Mar. It is the go-to for the healthier set. The Beach Blvd. one and the Costa Mesa ones have an in-house restaurant and grocery store. Pull the van into the lot and let the crew stock up on health and hummus and produce and you’re ready to rip all day. The juice bar is the call for getting your fruits and veggies.

““Mother’s Market is the WQS hot spot up Beach Blvd. But don’t forget to tip your server, sometimes the Australians don’t (or so I’m told). Vegan, veggie, juice, smoothies, restaurant, grocery, etc.””

— Sara Taylor

Fiesta Grill: Located next door to Bud Llamas’ 17th Street Board Shop, Fiesta Grill’s Carlos is probably known by name more than any other restaurant owner in town. He remembers everyone and he keeps the chips and salsa coming. Food is always epic.

Duke’s (Huntington Beach): Yes, I’m serious. Among all the chaos happening on Main Street, the easiest thing you can do to escape it is to go to the bar at Duke’s and get fish tacos. No matter how hectic the scene on Main, even mid-US Open, Duke’s has got you for easy food and a good view of the good, bad, ugly and waves. The oasis right beneath your nose.

Jan’s Health Bar (Huntington Beach): Up Main Street a little ways is Jan’s. Recently sold (originally started in the ‘70s and made avocado sandwiches for surfers) but the people who bought it have kept the same sandwich recipes and while expanding, they’re keeping it pretty real. Might as well pay homage to a Huntington staple for years. It’s gotten a little more polished and sterile, but it’s still great food. Get the tuna sandwich and broccoli cheese soup. Surfer special and smoothies are made for surfers.

Harbor House Cafe: This place has been here since 1939 and it never closes. Need a late night coffee or wanna meet up late night to brainstorm anything? This place served our childhoods well and keeps french toast coming at all hours of the night. A rare place that is authentically vintage…meaning it’s not designed to look vintage, it’s actually just been here forever.

BagelMania: Drive through coffee and bagels served by a rad team of locals. Kai Neville swears by this joint and we drove through here every single day on our way to work back in the day. It’s still there and it still goes. And Kai still asks about it.

Sessions West Coast Deli: “I love Sessions for after surf food. Variety of sandwiches and it’s located right between my favorite wave at 9th Street and the Pier.” —Luke Guinaldo

SURFING

Where to actually surf in Surf City.

River Jetties (HB/Newport): The space where Newport and Huntington come together is a stretch of sand safeguarded by a long sand walk to check it. It keeps the crowds down a touch and if you make the trek to check it you may be stoked with what you find.

The Gap (Huntington Beach): Between the pier and the cliffs in Huntington is clean sand a relatively easy to access beach. In the middle of summer, it’s a blessing to find parking and space among clean sand and hoards of humans at the pier and the rampant slobbery dogs at the cliffs.

Northside: Summertime wedge. Sand piles up on south swells and makes a rad bowl and you can take off out the back or seagull around on the inside if you’re a grom. Ted Navarro runs the show at the moment along with a few other heads. We asked @ShreddyHB (Ted) what his one tip would be for surfing here: “Northside. Hight tide, south swell, count me in — Northside, all day every day.”

Southside: Home of the Us Open of Surfing — which happens in August, kind of the only month Southside sucks. The rest of the year the place is usually the most consistent and reliable and when the sand piles up in the winter it can look like a point break. Don’t tell anyone. Any given day Simpo, Sara, every grom from HB High, Kanoa and a myriad of other rippers are here. Crowded but plenty of space if you float around and find your bank.

Taco Bell Reef (9th Street): “I think 9th street is the best place to get waves in HB,” says local grom Luke Guinaldo. “I swear it actually gets more swell than the pier even.” Famous grom comp location too. Many memories made surfing heats and powering 50 cent Taco Bell bean and cheese burritos. The Taco Bell is gone but the spot isn’t. Fun sandbars at any given time. Heard a story about Tom Curren over the weekend involving 9th street. Apparently he drifted down there after surfing a heat during one of those big south swells with ripping current. He won his heat, surfed a wave through the pier and floated all the way to 9th Street. He returned to the contest site an hour later, in his jersey and wetsuit eating a Taco Bell burrito.

Cliffs: The “cliff” we speak of is basically an old freeway of concrete and rebar they dumped here for some reason. It looks like a pile of rubble from a former war, sandwiched between an oil refinery and gated communities. Vibes! Sucks in lots of swell from the NW and has a crew thick with locals like Pancho and Archy.

Bolsa Chica: Place a lot of surfers from HB learn to surf. Some old legends like Mark Perry and Corky Carroll still getting it in down there. New Jetty to the south — they built a new inlet into the wetlands that gets fun on the right combo swells. Hip logging and alternative shape crew down there, fun zone to shred. Some towers to the north love a good winter swell. Pretty soft wave generally but if you pick the eyes out of it the place can hold.

Surfside: I have no idea where this spot is or how to get there :)

BARS

Walking into a bar in HB can be like falling into the wrong rabbit hole if you’re not careful. Use the guide below based on your mood and you might be OK.

The Pen: Pool tables, pinball, local drinkers in a drab and random parking lot on the corner of Beach Blvd and Adams. Most reviews on Yelp or whatever say, “Unfriendly, rude, and scary.” That's just, like your opinion, man. Be nice and tread lightly. This place has the exact same personality as HB: drab and kind sad looking, but if you walk through the door a nice time can be had — just don’t act like you own the joint. Approach it like a new lineup for the first time. Spent many hours of my formative drinking years here on the jukebox. There’s also a sneaky gap to skate after a pitcher or two outside known as “The Pen Gap.” Don’t hang your trucks up on it at 1 a.m., it’ll leave a mark. Watch out for literal pool sharks too. Use sparingly.

4 Sons Brewery: Brett Simpson recommended this brewery and craft beer spot on Gothard Street. Run by a family of locals. Mom, dad and yes, you guessed it, their four sons.

Tumbleweeds: Not entirely unlike The Pen, but maybe a bit more of a fun-loving environment. They do karaoke and live music nights. A nice long late night of neighborhood drinking can be had here tucked into a kitschy dive housed in a strip mall — as usual. Once inside though you’ll never know. Order a Budweiser and a shot and immerse yourself.

Perqs: Walking down Main Street it’s hard not to notice Perqs. It’s usually got a lineup of intense looking barroom regulars with a lingering stench of smoke wafting off them, but come on inside and see if you’re cut out for it. Once heard the bouncer laugh Conner Coffin out of the place for how bad his fake ID was, then just let him back in. That may or may not be true, depending whether you’re an authority figure or not.

Aloha Grill: Home of Bud Llamas nights on Wednesday and the infamous Rainbow — an adult slushy in a terribly awesome Tiki Bar setting. Charlie C says, “Aloha Grill is the bar of the moment. Always has been.” Look closely in here and you can actually see remnants of Huntington’s storied past. But don’t look too closely, you might see something you’ll regret too.

Ola’s Mexican Kitchen: According to our local guru Bill Webb, they have a “great looking staff” 🤩 (might be because Bill tends bar here) “and I already told you about the good food and the perfect spot to start before you hit The Bungalow. 😜” Emojis retained to keep the vibe Bill brings.

The Bungalow: During the US Open and most weekend nights this is where people go to be hot. If you’re young and single and mingling, this is your spot in HB.

COFFEE

Java Point: This place kickstarts just about every local in HB’s day. It is the life blood of the Huntington Beach morning. Attached to Huntington Surf and Sport on Main Street, it’s convenient and thanks to all the wax and surfboards from the surf shop it smells like coffee beans and surf wax all day long.

“The point break that breaks every day is Java Point. I get my coffee and bagels here and pace around the boardroom.”—Sara Taylor

Mangiamo Gelato Caffe: Ted Navarro swears by this place. “Coffee, Espresso vibe,” he says. “Acai Bowls too — if you don’t go to Jan’s this is the coffee spot.”

GENERAL

The Huntington Beach Public Library: One of the last bastions of salvation for someone who wants to be somewhere and read in a peaceful place without having to buy something. The HB Library used to show hardcore shows in the 90s too. Now it’s just a really rad building with tons of nooks and crannies to read or work in. Right in the middle of Central Park, if you’re looking to escape all the things that make HB a bit hectic, this is your spot. Stroll the park, cruise in and read for a few hours. You'll leave refreshed.