The menu reads like coastal California’s greatest hits album – artichoke soup, crab sandwiches, and olallieberry pie playing the chart-topping classics you came for. The menu at Duarte’s reads like a greatest hits album of coastal California cuisine, with each dish seemingly simple but executed with the confidence that comes from decades of refinement. In a world of overwrought sandwiches with too many competing ingredients, Duarte’s crab melt is a masterclass in letting quality ingredients speak for themselves. For those who can’t decide between the crab melt and other options, the crab louie salad provides a lighter way to enjoy that sweet, fresh Dungeness crab meat. This humble tavern with its extraordinary crab melt proves that sometimes the best destinations are the ones with the best food.