Bikes & bites: Three iconic Bay Area bike trails and where to eat along the way

Eat your way along the East Bay, Peninsula and South Bay's top bike routes.

Out biking on the Bay Area’s multi-use trails, it seems like people are just smilier. And what’s not to love? With the wind in your face, you’re zipping for miles on relatively flat, well-paved paths, bopping between towns and taking in scenic vistas galore. It’s enough to make even the most stressed-out locals realize they live in a pretty special place. Especially when you eat as you go.

Refueling options abound on this trio of iconic, protected bike and pedestrian trails that offer car-free views, fresh air and other outdoor delights.

Iron Horse Regional Trail, Pleasanton to Concord

Distance: 26 miles from Pleasanton’s Creekside Park at 5601 W. Las Positas Blvd. to Concord’s Iron Horse Park at 1799 Solano Way.

Spend a day adventuring — and snacking — along the Iron Horse Trail. Built along an abandoned Southern Pacific Railroad right-of-way, this 30-mile, protected multi-use route is among the crown jewels of the East Bay Parks. Most weekends, the trail is packed with visitors out enjoying the flat, paved route on foot or by bike, scooter or rollerblades.

Biking with a friend? Leave a car at each end of the trail to make the return trip a breeze. Biking alone? Start at BART’s Dublin/Pleasanton station, bike to the Pleasant Hill or Concord station then BART back.

Post-trail transportation issues sorted? Then let’s get started.

We fueled up for the ride with a quick detour off the trail to Pleasanton’s Nyonya Cafe. This Malaysian and Singaporean spot offers hearty meals too, but we started off light. Our picks: A sweet or savory roti dish topped with kaya, a coconut jam, or an egg with spicy sauce on the side.

We were intrigued by the menu’s Milo Dinosaur, a popular Singaporean beverage topped with Milo powder — think malted chocolate milk — and, sadly, no actual dinosaurs. It’s not only tasty, it’s a pretty good way to power up for the ride. Turns out chocolate milk is a great endurance recovery drink, according to scientists.

Heading north, the trail was flat and easy to follow until San Ramon. On a recent ride, two short-term trail closures — between Greenbrook Drive and Norris Canyon Road, and between Montevideo Drive and Alcosta Boulevard — led to detours that weren’t well-marked and required creating our own alternate routes, some on busy streets without bike lanes. Those closures are only expected to last just through July 31, however, and will result in a freshly-repaved path, so the temporary inconvenience should be worth it.

Downtown Danville offers a cornucopia of food, drink and snack options for cyclists and strollers alike. Sideboard was calling, and we answered, stopping for their fresh-squeezed lemonade — tart, not too sweet and completely refreshing — and a colorful and satisfying beet, grapefruit and goat cheese salad. We were ready to keep pedaling, but could have easily been convinced to spend more time downtown at Danville Brewing Company, perhaps, or Rakestraw Books.

We continued along the trail through Alamo — Lever Coffee would have made a charming caffeine stop with just a short detour — and on to Walnut Creek with one last pit stop in mind for the hot day: ice cream at Lottie’s Creamery.

The trail continues north past the Pleasant Hill BART stop, if you’re heading homeward now. Or you can continue on: You’ll have to navigate a couple of tricky intersections at Willow Pass Road and Concord Avenue, but after that, it’s smooth sailing to Iron Horse Park.

If you go:

Pleasanton’s Nyonya Cafe is open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday at 5321 Hopyard Road; nyonyacafe.us.

Danville’s Sideboard is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily at 90 Railroad Ave.; sideboard.co.

And Walnut Creek’s Lottie’s Creamery opens at noon daily at 1414 N. Main St.; lottiescreamery.com.

Bay Trail, Burlingame to Belmont

Distance: 12 miles from Burlingame’s Bayside Park at 1125 Airport Blvd. to Redwood City’s  Redwood Shores Library at 399 Marine Parkway.

Efforts to build the Bay Trail started back in 1989 with a vision of creating a 500-mile recreational trail ringing the Bay across 47 cities and 130 parks. So far, about 350 miles have been built, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. One particularly lovely section of the trail runs along the Bay from Burlingame, just south of San Francisco International Airport, to Belmont and the neighboring Redwood Shores lagoons. Here, bay breezes provide respite from the heat found further inland but minus the standard coastal fog, so it’s a perfect destination for a summer afternoon ride.

Catch Caltrain to the Broadway stop (trains only stop there on weekends) or park at Bayside Park in Burlingame. Then head for Gigi’s Cafe, an award-winning mega-sandwich shop stashed away at the rear of an office park. The cafe made Yelp’s top 100 restaurants list last year for its hearty sandwiches, which include some impressive vegetarian options.

Continue onward, savoring the Bay’s signature perfume, a blend of saltwater and licorice-scented wild fennel, as you pedal from park to park. You’ll pass eucalyptus groves at Coyote Point Park, happy pups at the enormous dog enclosure at Seal Point Park and kitesurfers taking lessons at Baywinds Park. Next, you’ll pop beneath the San Mateo Bridge and enjoy a calm levee ride through Belmont before coming upon your finish point: the Redwood Shores library.

If you’ve got room for more snacks, consider a stop along the way at Dumpling Kitchen-Factory, nestled inside a Belmont shopping center (or pick up some of their frozen dumplings to cook at home later). Another option is to make Mistral, a restaurant and bar along the Redwood Shores lagoon, your finish line. You’ll want to change out of your sweaty clothes first — it’s a white tablecloth kind of spot — but their happy hour, which runs 4:30 to 6 p.m., includes $8 cocktails, wines and sangria.

If you go: 

Burlingame’s Gigi’s Cafe is open from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays and 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays at 111 Anza Blvd.; gigiscafeburlingame.com/home.

Foster City’s Dumpling Kitchen – Factory is open from 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. daily (except Tuesdays) at 1459 Beach Park Blvd.; dumplingkitchenca.com.

Redwood City’s Mistral Restaurant and Bar opens at 5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday at 370 Bridge Parkway, Suite 6; mistraldining.com/home.

Los Gatos Creek Trail

Distance: 12 miles out and back from Campbell Park, at the corner of East Campbell and Gilman avenues in Campbell

While the Los Gatos Creek Trail runs all the way from San Jose to the Lexington Reservoir, this 6-mile stretch is entirely paved, making for a smooth ride whether you’re astride a bicycle or pushing a stroller. Before you start though, stop at Best Artisan Empanadas — or BAE for short — for a flaky breakfast empanada filled with potato, cheese and egg and served with chimichurri and a side salad.

Best Artisan Empanadas in Campbell is a great stop for fueling up before hitting the Los Gatos Creek Trail. (Kate Bradshaw/Bay Area News Group)From Creekside Park, the trail is easy to follow and flows seamlessly into Los Gatos Creek County Park. Take a quick detour from there to Mariana Faerron’s Tico Coffee Roasters in Campbell. The Latina-owned coffeehouse serves up fresh brews and seasonal coffee creations —June’s was a banana bread latte.

Sip your coffee at one of the park’s picnic tables before continuing on to Vasona County Park, where you’ll pass by sailors, SUP boarders and paddlers splashing about the lake. (Los Gatos-Saratoga Rec offers various watersport rentals if your FOMO kicks in.) You’ll also pass the rail tracks of the kid-friendly Billy Jones Wildcat railroad and carousel — a fun detour option if you’ve got youngsters in tow.

The next section of trail is well-shaded with lush woods followed by several long bridges offering safe crossings over Highways 9 and 17. The pavement ends at the historic Forbes Mill Annex. Over the years, this building has served as a flour mill, power plant, brewing and bottling company, gas company, PG&E substation, storehouse and youth center.

Now it’s a shuttered museum — and here’s where your ride turns into a choose-your-own adventure. If your bike is equipped for unpaved terrain, keep riding; the trail goes all the way to Lexington Reservoir about a mile and a half further. Or walk a short distance — beneath an underpass and up a short hill — to downtown Los Gatos, where an abundance of food, snack and wine options awaits. On a hot day, a great finishing point is Auzzy the Bear for self-serve frozen yogurt with fun flavors such as coconut ube. They do boba and smoothies too.

Or keep pedaling up the hill toward Testarossa Winery for a bit of wine tasting before beginning your return journey.

If you go: 

Campbell’s Best Artisan Empanadas is open from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays and 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekends at 533 E. Campbell Ave.; bae.cafe.

Campbell’s Tico Coffee Roasters is open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays at 1334G Dell Ave.; ticoroasters.com.

Los Gatos’ Auzzy the Bear opens at 11 a.m. Monday-Thursday and 10 a.m. Friday-Sunday at 33 E. Main St.