Pezzini Farms

I randomly saw Pezzini Farms on Google Maps, so we decided to stop by and see what offerings they had, particularly artichokes as we are in the artichoke country. The fresh artichokes were fairly pricy, but if they were picked more ripe, maybe the flavor would be better than store bought ones. We ended up only purchasing the artichoke focaccia bread (made by Arcangeli's in Pescadero, known for their artichoke breads) for $10. I like that Pezzini Farms had offerings from a lot of local businesses/farms. They are a nice farm store to stop by on your way through Castroville on Hwy 1. The Choke Coach food truck was parked here offering some artichoke dishes, so my wife and I tried their fried artichoke.

Best fried artichokes at the Choke Coach food trucks here. Lumpia, chicken sandwich, cheeseburger and more! Local produce and eclectic products, salt jars, picked vegetables, outstanding organic Watsonville raspberries.

Beautiful, 4th generation artichoke farm and market! It’s a must try! The climate is perfect for growing artichokes. Spring time is harvest time.

Great place for artichokes. Also it's a grocery has tables and artichoke and sandwiches food truck. Has games for kids too.

We order artichokes from this high quality farm every year and have never been disappointed. The artichokes we receive are absolutely beautiful. I am including a picture to this post, I put a lemon next to the artichokes so you can see how huge they are. The artichokes are silky and decadent. We all try to remember to slow down when we eat them but it’s so hard because they are so delicious. One day I’d love to fly out and see this magical artichoke farm.

This is definitely one of our favorite artichoke stands but with so much more to offer. We love snagging oils and baked goods here. The food truck is an absolute bonus with delicious artichoke tacos.

During our road trip, my fiancé was eager to stop for artichokes, and we found the perfect place! The market featured beautiful fields and a spacious area offering a variety of vegetables, beans, pasta, cooking tools, and more. We stocked up on almost everything and even brought home a couple of plants at a fantastic price! The staff was welcoming and helpful with all of our needs. Definitely make the drive for some excellent products!

It's a gem in the midst of the farm land. All you have to do is take the exit from the highway and enjoy local artichoke based yummy food. It's a good truck where you could get fried and steamed artichoke .

Upscale little store selling live plants and food products. Pricing tends to run on the higher side but they definitely have some artisanal items that are hard to find elsewhere. Walked out with a jar of blueberry/elderberry jam, two glass vases of Swiss Yogurt locally made in Monterey, a jar of Artichoke Lemon Pesto and some of their Artichoke Bread. The Artichoke Bread honestly was just pound cake with a couple of artichoke pieces mixed in but tasted pretty good regardless. The yogurt was really good! Absolutely 0 additives + high quality milk that you can taste. Haven't tried the jam or the pesto yet but I'm sure those won't disappoint.

Whenever in the area we always stop by. The gal that is usually there in the morning is extremely friendly! They have a great variety of artichokes and other fruits and veggies. Along with pies, baked goods, just about anything artichoke you can think of and salsas, olives, candy....we even found fresh (frozen) pasta! I took home a cute succulent too! If you stop by when the food truck is open you're in for a treat. They have fried artichokes! You can also buy them frozen inside the store. Stop by, you'll be glad you did!

We were on the road and decided to have lunch at the Choke Coach (food truck) parked at their lot. This fresh "farmer's market" owns the lot and the bathrooms. I think they should expect that folks coming there are travelers and I wish they would be friendlier since we were going to shop there after all. Unfortunately, the middle aged lady lied to my husband about not having the restroom key with her. She also lied to another woman about not having the key because when I went there she then handed me the key and everyone else was lining up in front of empty restroom thinking someone with a key is using the restroom bc the cashier told them. Then I went to purchase fruits and I noticed the price was lower inside than the ones on display outside. I pointed it out and the cashier lady was not happy saying that she just did not have time yet to update the price. She honored the lower price (it's California law), but then she groped the berries I was buying for at least 5 seconds with her hands which I thought so weird, then later only to point out that I took them from outside which I asked are they different? She said, no...so not sure what she was trying to point out. I also bought an Artichoke cupcake amd she charged me 4.99 which I thought pretty steep..not sure if she intentionally marked up the price since she lowered the fruit price for me? Their register is not one you scan, so basically they are just punching whatever price to it. I also asked her for the restroom key as we were still having to drive some more and she said, "again?" Rude, just rude! I was going to come back on our way home to buy artichokes to take home, but I will not do so after the sour experience.

I LOVE artichokes, and have been wanting to check this market & food truck out for awhile and we finally found the time to go. We were lucky to get there with only a few other people before a crowd came up. Parking is right next to the market. We got the artichoke tacos, steamed artichoke, veggie lumpia and tri tip sandwich. Tacos were my favorite. Veggie lumpia was a bit odd.. peas, corn, green beans and I think we got a piece of artichoke? I'd skip those next time. We played cornhole, I'll keep the suspense away.. I won lol. Bathrooms are clean, friendly staff, good food.

Great place and an unexpected stop. Being from the East Cost we never saw such beautiful produce.

Pezzini Farms is a family owned artichoke farm and market in Castroville. For over 80 years the Pezzini family has been growing Heirloom Green Globe Artichokes. A large selection of local produce, jarred sauces, pickled vegetables, nuts and Gizdich Farm Pies. Be sure to have lunch from the Choke Coach, the fried artichoke hearts, artichoke tacos and the artichoke Po boy were all delicious. The Artichoke Cupcakes are the perfect dessert. Friendly staff, great place to sit and enjoy an artichoke treat.

I'm really into small produce stands like this one and was craving some artichokes. Pezzini Farms answered that craving. The only reason it's not 5 stars is because the almonds i purchased were stale. I loved that they carried so many local items like ice cream. We unfortunately went at a time the food truck wasn't running but maybe next time we will plan for the food truck.

I love this place - great place to stop on my way from Monterey back to San Jose. I had the artichoke cupcake once and it was really good but they always seem to be out every other time I've gone. They have a good selection of in-season produce including artichokes and a lot of specialty gourmet items. I think it is a fun place to stop for gifts. I have yet to get anything from the food truck but it looks delicious. They do have a good amount of outdoor seating.

Artichoke soup had a great mushroomy flavor and was excellent, 5 stars. The grilled artichoke tacos were very good, but they had mayonaise sauce on them, which was not listed on the menu, 4 stars. The fried artichokes were heavily battered and greasy, 2 stars. All dips have mayonaise in them. (I am allergic to eggs). So there is good stuff here to be had. Service was just ok.

Before coming here, I did not like artichokes. However, I wanted to visit a lot of farms surrounding Monterey so this place was on the list. Driving up, what you see is what you get. There are artichokes in the ground and ready-made artichokes products in the store. Purchased: frozen fried artichokes: $$ but yummy, wish there was a way to also include the dipping sauce they offer when you buy it fresh from their food truck artichoke cupcake: too curious to pass up but it was more gimmicky than anything else, essentially a moist vanilla cupcake with artichokes for $6 the stalk of Brussels sprouts: could not pass up the beautiful large stalk, it was so fun holding it/ prepping it/ eating it, still small and tender, highly recommend it. I was hoping to purchase an artichoke focaccia but it was moldy so I passed it up. Would recommend it as a stop on the way home for some fun groceries but not as a stand-alone activity for the day. I can honestly say I love artichokes because of this farm.

Have you ever tried an artichoke cupcake? Pezzini Farms is an adorable little stop right off the highway with fresh, delicious produce and lots of unique snacks. We were getting hungry and saw a sign off the road; we love artichokes so we decided we had to stop. The grounds are really cute and there was plenty of parking. The staff was very friendly and told us our dog was welcome to come in and shop with us. We ended up getting some artichoke cupcakes, which were very yummy. Think banana bread with cream cheese topping but with artichokes. We also got an amazing stalk of fresh Brussel sprouts and some other snacks to try. Then we tried the food truck in the parking lot, "The Choke Coach" which was just the cherry on top of our stop. I highly recommend stopping by if you are in the area. The fresh brussels made for an amazing dinner that night and we will be stopping by again next time we are in the area.

This little farm stand just off the highway is such a gem! My husband and I stopped by while driving back to Santa Cruz from Monterey in early October and had the best time looking at the beautiful produce, trying some artichoke tacos, and playing bags/corn hole on the grounds. The produce was absolutely gorgeous and very affordable. The artichoke tacos we split were incredible-juicy and perfectly tender with a tangy and creamy crema on top. The service was great and the staff present was very helpful while also letting you explore freely. We ended up buying a bunch of artichoke-filled treats for family and our dog sitter and they loved them! I also ended up buying one of their oversized sweatshirts and it is thick and sturdy but also so soft and cozy with the coolest intricate artichoke design (see pictures included) and is something I wear/lounge in on a weekly basis. This little lovely open air market is definitely worth your time when driving past Castroville!

They have quite the collection of boutique foods and boutique prices to go with it. We went there to get some fresh artichokes but i will not spend $10 for 4 small artichokes. They wanted $11 for one jar of tomato sauce and charged us over $18 for 6 onions and 5 tomatoes. Are you for real???

This place is honestly a happy place for me. The produce is really fresh and always tasty. They have great other products has well. The assorted salsas are delicious. The frozen artichokes are awesome. I keep them on hand and pull them out and bake them if I need a quick appetizer. They have great articoke ravioli and sauce. And they have a huge assortment of fun gift items. Did I mention Marianne's ice creme? Gizdich Ranch pies? And the best part is the food truck where you can get hot fresh deep fried artichokes and killer tri tip. There is nothing not to like. This place was featured on Martha Stewart's show years ago. I get it. You will too!!

I had a cute and fun time, shopping at Pezzini and walking around the store. I went and took a photo with the crops of artichoke. That was a selfie success haha. I went to Monterey/Carmel with a specific intention to stop and get fresh artichoke. Although the store was cute, everything was overpriced. I wanted to buy but I knew I could get same items for a more reasonable price elsewhere. Even the artichoke, that they had fields of, were $4 each. I thought by going to the farm I could save a couple bucks by going right to the source, but no. I was disappointed....idk what to say...it was cute I guess but "been there done that", type deal for me. The artichoke truck they have outside was a fun idea. I ordered some fried artichoke hearts. Ummm....yes, I found myself wishing there was more flavor in the batter, or seasoned better, in general. It was simply bland and greasy. I don't mean to be rude because the lady running the truck was so kind and I would never want to have her lose business but for the sake of me being a customer, the fried artichoke could use a little more "love" so to speak.

Had to make a little pit stop here and we loved it. It had so much cool merchandise and a variety of food. A bunch of fruit and locally produced honey, candy, jerky, and other snacks. They have artichoke cupcakes which I didn't get to try, but maybe next time. The farm also had a food truck with their famous Deep Fried Artichoke Hearts. I wasn't a fan of their food (don't like artichokes) but the Lemon Dill sauce and deep friedness made it tolerable. Worth a try for $8 if you're down for the experience. Artichoke Cupcakes are only $4 and you can't really go wrong with that. Awesome Family Farm I recommend a visit if you need to make a quick stop!

Stopped by to pick up some frozen artichoke hearts and also ended up with a Gizdich Ranch pie as well! Cute place full of amazing produce, breads, and lots of other local products. The cashier was very sweet as well. I definitely plan on visiting again!

Stop by this spot if you're driving by! We were driving from Monterey to the Bay and saw a sign for the farms. I didn't know that one of Castorvilles most distinctive crops is the artichoke, until we came to this place. This place was very cutely set up! Loved the artichoke dips, salsas and bruschetta cans they had to the actual artichokes and produce. They also had a food truck outside the place that had all things artichoke! What we got was a cup of local carmel Valley coffee and artichoke cupcake. I don't agree with all the reviewers on this page about the cupcake, wasn't anything super enticing or to die for: but was creative and unique that they baked artichoke into the cake portion of the cupcake.

Fun stop for produce and snacks. Super friendly people and a giant chair to sit in. Get some brussel sprouts on the branch for a great price. Love the chocolate covered almonds.

A trip to Pezzini Farms wouldn't be complete without a) getting a snack from the food truck, and b) perusing the stand for some specialty treats! FOOD TRUCK: - We loved the french fried artichokes ($8) with garlic dijon! They sell them frozen at the food stand as well, and I would have loved to pick some of them up if we were on our way home. - Artichoke soup ($5) was meh. Creamy with a hint of artichoke aftertaste. Served with oyster crackers. STAND: So many of their own and locally produced sauces, marinates, dippers, etc, as well as some more well known brands. Some more unique than others, but all sounded delish! I scored and got a Gizdich Olallieberry Pie and artichoke foccacia bread from Pescadero bakery. Side note: There's also a very clean bathroom outside of the building.

This is one of the suggested places in the Artichoke map put out by the area. The farm shop is clean and well organized. The prices a bit higher than the Giant Artichoke down the street, but you are paying for their service as well. There is the Choke Truck next to the shop selling all sorts of artichoke themed food. We tried the taco and thought was pretty good.

If you're looking for a little side stop, this is a place to stop. Can not deny that the sign that pulled us in was the artichoke cupcake. When have you heard of such a thing? (me:never) Lots of parking around the building. Have a huge variety of produce and snacks. Don't forget the cupcake. Tasted like a spiced cake with cream cheese frosting. Lots of cute succulents and gifts too. There is a food truck with tasty artichoke options. Don't forget the larger than life chair you can sit in.

Stayed here with friends. It's beautiful! Artichokes as far as the eye can see, and a store selling every type of artichoke product you can think of. Highly recommend the artichoke focaccia. It's a great meal or accompaniment to a heartier meal, and the artichoke bread is a fun one do try. It was sweet rather than savory, which was unexpected. I sadly chickened out on the cupcake. They also sell pasta sauces, incredibly fresh artichoke, and don't leave without taking a look at their selection of salami and local cheese. Highly recommend the wild boar salami, though I don't think you can go wrong. Definitely pop by here, even if it's just to shop. This one is a detour worth taking.

We've stopped at so many farm stands on the peninsula and most have been sorely disappointing. Decided to give one last chance so happy I did. There's a food truck here with everything artichoke!!! This alone is worth the stop. Their is seating to enjoy your food and the guys were super nice. A warning they get busy! The farm shop has done nice produce and kitcshy Items for souvenirs, gifts or whatever. It's easy return back to main road. So when on Monterey peninsula this is one farm shop worthwhile.

Nothing great here and everything is really over priced. They cater to the buses of tourists that come through there. Locals avoid the place.

Have stopped here a number of times over the years and have had good experiences buying produce and other goods. The choke coach food truck is pretty cool too and they have good food. Stopped by about a week and a half ago to pick up a couple artichokes and there were tons of worm like bugs and like black mold type stuff in the artichoke and we had to toss em in the trash

What a fun place to visit. Their artichokes are delicious. I love their tomato and artichoke pasta sauce-yum! My friend loves the artichoke muffins/cupcakes.

Worth a stop. Right off the highway so easy on and off. Buy your veggies, stock up on crushed garlic and sauces. The best addition is the Italian pasta, flour and jars of sauce. Buy the artichokes, it's the main reason to stop. Such great pies and cakes too.

Made an impromptu stop here. Cute little store with produce and other goodies like jams, pesto, and of course, tons of artichokes. We tried the artichoke cupcake. It was pretty good! Had chunks of artichoke hearts inside (wish there were more). We also ordered lunch from the artichoke food truck on site. Worth a quick stop if you need to stretch your legs and want a quick bite.

An ok experience if you are taking this route to Monterey. Decided to get the grilled artichoke from the truck, it was $8.50 for 1 medium sized artichoke split in half. Not sure what the high reviews are all about tbh. I can clean, steam, and grill artichokes at home. Flavor wise it didn't taste any better than regular store or fruit stand artichokes. I also bought a stalk of brussel sprouts and a jar of artichoke bruschetta. My big disappointment was going home and reading the jarred artichoke wasn't from the farm but Peru and from a company called Elko. Pezzini is just a buyer of their goods. In any case the jarred artichoke spread was good but you can also get this from cost plus or world market. If you want fresh farm artichokes you can buy them in a bag for $14-18 for 4-5 medium ones. Not much of a bargain buying from a farm like I thought it'd be.

I was overcharged $20 by a lady here. She would not give me a detailed receipt. I found out a couple days later that the same lady overcharged my friends who stopped here 15 minutes before me. I tried to call and talk to a manager and the lady who overcharged answered the phone and wouldn't let me talk to anyone else. Stay away from this store.

Question: What is the most out of the ordinary good/food item you've seen advertised off of the side of the rode? On highway 101 you see a lot of banners advertising fresh Produce, in season fruit, and other local goods. I usually never stop because I don't want to be stuck in traffic when I'm heading to my destination or getting home, but this was one of those exceptional times. On my way back home I saw a banner with the usual produce goods and something I never expected to see.. "ARTICHOKE CUPCAKES " I've head of carrot cake and Zucchini bread, but never an Artichoke Cupcake and surprisingly they taste really fluffy and delicious, and are topped off with my favorite frosting, Cream Cheese!! Pezzini Farm stand is just off of the highway, and is really nice, majority of the goods they sell are made from produce grown in the area. So far I've tried their Artichoke Bread, some of the burrata and used the artichoke seasoning on actual artichokes and on Shrimp and everything has tasted delicious so far!! I highly recommend stopping by Pezzini's if your in the area!!

Cute place to stop and get some local produce and products. They gave a food truck outside to grab some lunch and restrooms should you need one before continuing your trip down the highway. Lots of artichoke and pickled products not to mention it is right in an artichoke field. Loved it!

Nice variety of food items. It was a nice stop on our way to Aptos, to grab some water and snacks before our hike. Everything was nice and neat. Staff are friendly.

I love this market. They have fresh artichokes and brussel sprouts. Here you will find fresh produce, jarred pasta sauces, dry pastas, Gizdich baked pies, and tons of other stuff. They also have delicious snacks through out the store. Try their garlic roasted pistachios!

Stopped in to buy some artichokes on my way through while heading back home to Reno... paid $15 and some change for 4 artichokes in a bag... opened them up today after keeping them in the fridge for a couple days and every one of them was filled with bugs. There were maggot looking things, black mold from some kind of infestation, tiny eggs all inside. Had to throw them all away. Seriously. Total waste! I thought that somehow buying "local" would be for the benefit of the community... I'm never making that mistake again! Big grocery store is getting my business from now on. At least I can get my money back when their produce is all messed up!

Love stopping here when I'm in the area! I tried their artichoke cupcakes this time and the fried artichokes at the food truck. I like the variety of goods in the store and various artichoke items too.

Amazing produce. Fresh artichokes & garlic ropes. Bought some areole too. Lovely people

A homegrown family that has been planting and doing agriculture on the Monterey Peninsula since I was a child and I'm pretty old now and they've always had top quality produce and the family and the staff are very nice love their artichokes

On your way out of the Monterey peninsula in the heart of artichoke country, there is this little warehouse store right off the freeway that serves as a beacon of light that provides some of the freshest produce and artichoke-based treats that one can hope for since one is in the heart of artichoke country. Pezzini Farms is located directly off of Highway 1 off off of the Nashua Road exit either entering or leaving the Monterey Peninsula and is super accessible thanks to the abundance of parking out front and the open-air entrance of their store so shopping in California's central coast heat can be a breeze. While I was taking a fun trip out to the Monterey area and as I began my drive back home to the Bay Area, I knew that a drive through artichoke country in Castroville was soon approaching and I wanted to see if I could buy some freshly picked artichokes to take home and what should appear on my trusty Yelp app but Pezzini Farms. I wasn't sure what to expect but as I approached their store, I was surprised how inviting everything seemed to be. They had all the things one would expect out of a farmer's market stand, fresh veggies and fruit, prepared meals and even home decor essentials such as soaps and candles. What immediately stood out that they were offering fresh Brussels Sprouts that were still attached to their branches and so I knew I had to make this as my first purchase. Since we are in artichoke country, they had every artichoke that was in season known to mankind from small to extra large to dark green to a lighter green, every artichoke that top chefs and amateurs like myself like to prepare and eat were sold here. I knew I had to purchase the largest ones I saw to see just how sweet they were and although they were more on the expensive side in terms of cost, I knew they would fulfill their destiny on the sweet odometer. Pezzini Farms will be a new ritualistic stop for me whenever I head to visit the Monterey Peninsula. I had so much fun walking around and discovering new things to buy and consider buying, even though I didn't need them. They even had pre-made deep fried artichoke heart served in a plastic bag for you to take home and prepare on your own. They had a ton of spices, sauces and dips to purchase as I even purchased a Basil Pesto Aioli made in a jar from Stonewall Kitchen because it sounded simply amazing. Some may call Pezzini Farms a tourist trap, I just call it a simple place to make some last minute artichoke purchases that simply need to be made. And if this place sells artichoke cupcakes and has a clean well-lit bathroom then, I am proud to be a visitor to the artichoke capital of the world, Castroville, California and if Pezzini Farms greets me every time I visit, then I am happy to be here.

I saw a sign for fresh bake artichoke cupcakes on the highway. I had to get one! The market is not far from the exit and I suggest anyone to stop by if in the area. This is a Beautiful Market! I had refrain myself from buying way too much. Btw the artichoke cupcake was delicious but I'm not a fan of sweet frosting so I didn't that part.

The permanent food truck serves very good tacos etc. we stop there on the way to from Monterey.

I bought two giant artichokes. They were delicious. I bought frozen fried artichoke hearts. That turned out really yummy as well. There's a lot a specialty items here. Different spaghetti sauces. Even lotions and creams. The produce selection was very fresh. They even had pie's from the Gizdich ranch. I'd like to go back and get some salsa and more produce. The location is easy on and off with parking .

Saw a sign by the highway that said "Artichoke Cupcakes" so I had to make a quick detour here. Didn't see the cupcakes at first, but they are by the cash registers in cake stands. The cupcakes are $4.99 each. Credit card minimum is $5, but the employee was sweet and allowed me to use my credit card and gave me back a penny. Cupcake was yummy- tastes like zucchini bread with chunks of artichoke inside. Wish it had more of the artichoke chunks and icing to give it more moisture. Restrooms require a key which you will need to ask an employee for.

We stopped by here on our way back from Monterey mainly to try out the artichoke fries. It's a nice little farm. The food truck has a variety of items on the menu. The artichoke fries is a must if you've never tried before. The farm stand itself is quite good. In addition to the fruits and produce there's lots of different kinds of jellies, sauces, artichoke bread and cupcakes as well. Plenty of parking and the location itself is quite close to the freeway without requiring a long detour to check out the farm.

Beautiful road side stand/market. Variety of items from the area. Fresh produce. Fun activities to keep the kids busy while shopping. Very nice employee. Convinced us to buy an artichoke cupcake that was delicious.

This place completely changed my view on artichoke!! How they made such a vegetable SO good is beyond me. I highly recommend the fried artichoke and grilled artichoke.

Stopped in for artichokes and local honey. Lovely selection. Great spot for picking up local gifts or a pit stop for a snack. Everything was fresh and the place was clean. The service was great. There are benches in the event you want to eat your goodies there. They also had a nice selection of locally baked breads and pastries.

Just off Highway 1 at the Nashua Road exit sits Pezzini's. We saw it from the highway and exited to check-it-out. Castroville is the Artichoke Capital, and this farm stand is all about artichoke everything since 1929. While they have locally grown produce and a variety of other products, the artichoke is the star. There is also a food truck that sells fried artichokes, among other things. Very pleasant workers.