If there was any question as to whether residents of the San Lorenzo Valley were ready to relax a bit after two years of a deadly pandemic, one need only look to the crowd outside of Felton’s newest eatery, Humble Sea Tavern.
Since opening its doors on Feb. 16, the brewery in the famed Cremer House has served more than 2,000 guests.
Lee DeGraw, head of marketing for Humble Sea Brewing Co., says she’s been blown away by the reception.
“The community has been waiting for us to open with anticipation. The Cremer House was such an SLV staple—it provided great food and a welcoming, cozy environment that the community really missed,” said DeGraw. “I think people are most pleased by the fact that we didn’t really do much in the way of architectural/decorative changes. It was really important to us to preserve the historic charm of the building. We added some saloon doors outside, light fixtures on the wraparound porch and gave the place a good scrub down, but other than that, it’s all the same as before—beautiful, classic and quaint.”
The Cremer House has been a fixture in Felton since 1876. Originally built to cater to redwood loggers in the late 19th century, the building received an official historical designation in 2016 by the Ancient and Honorable Order of E Clampus Vitus, an organization dedicated to the preservation of the American West.
While the building has been used as a boarding house, beauty salon, drug store, hobby shop and an early 1900s Hollywood film set, its most recent iterations were in the restaurant business: Empire Grille in the early 2000s, the eponymous Cremer House in 2014, and, now, Humble Sea Tavern.
With locals clamoring to get a seat at the new restaurant, DeGraw said she wants customers to know that the Tavern is already working to improve the guest experience.
“There’s an online waitlist in the works so guests can book their table and track their wait times (for now it’s first-come, first-seated),” she said. “Our menu isn’t very large, but it’s thoughtfully put together. We have a bit of something for everyone: meat-eaters, vegetarians, and kids. Our plan is to begin adding weekly specials to the menu as well in the coming months.”
Current dining options include a blistered shishito pepper appetizer, Bigfoot Burger, a pear salad and chicken and waffles, with plenty of handles of Humble Sea beers and a full bar.
“We’re not currently offering to-go food, but we do hope to open that up in the near future. We have a retail storefront right next door to the restaurant that is ideal for those looking to pick up four-packs to go and some Humble swag,” said DeGraw.
That Humble Sea swag is a staple for the brand’s Kooks Club members. Club membership runs $350 for the standard annual package and $500 for the Super Kooks package. Given the increasing popularity of the brand, the 2022 Kooks Club membership has already sold out, but the 2023 waitlist is open. Membership offers discounts, perks, early pickup of new releases and access to a private online community.
DeGraw said those members were front and center when the Tavern’s doors opened.
“Night one was wonderful, and we had many locals come through including some of our wonderful Kooks Club members. Everyone was patient, supportive and in a very good mood,” said DeGraw. “We also saw more than a few cars on their way home from work make U-turns in the middle of the street so they could pop in. I really am constantly in awe of the support we’ve received. We live in a magical place.”
For those eager to enjoy the Humble Sea Tavern experience, visit them at 6256 Highway 9 in Felton, or check out their website at humblesea.com.
