FORT BRAGG, CA – The HarborView Bistro & Bar, located within the Noyo Harbor Inn, has been officially recognized as a Blue Zones-designated attraction. This honor reflects the restaurant’s commitment to healthful cuisine and an active, restorative lifestyle, aligning with the principles of Blue Zones, a national organization dedicated to transforming communities through lessons learned from the world’s longest-lived and happiest cultures.
Scott Schneider, general manager of Noyo Harbor Inn, expressed pride in the achievement. “We are focused on doing everything we can to put forward healthy offerings in the quality of our cuisine as well as in the active, restorative lifestyle that our inn promotes,” said Schneider. “We are honored to be included in the Blue Zones family.”
The Blue Zones Project Mendocino County, led by Michelle Hutchins, evaluated the HarborView Bistro & Bar, ensuring it met their rigorous health criteria. “I’m happy to report that Noyo Harbor Inn’s HarborView Bistro & Bar met or surpassed the Blue Zones healthy guidelines and scored high,” Hutchins stated.
Key factors in the restaurant’s recognition include its use of plant-based proteins, whole grains, olive oil, nut butter, and goat or sheep milk. The menu also features locally-sourced vegetables such as broccoli, asparagus, yams, kale, and carrots. The chef’s involvement in the on-site garden was a notable highlight, with many ingredients being harvested just steps away from the kitchen.
Additional attributes that impressed the Blue Zones team were the restaurant’s presentation standards, including serving no bread or chips before meals, offering condiments on the side, using smaller, artistically designed plateware, and training staff to recommend vegetables and side salads. The availability of a water pitcher, space for bicycles, and pet-friendly outdoor dining further contributed to their high score.
Community involvement also played a role in the designation. The HarborView Bistro & Bar actively supports the Noyo Center for Marine Science by offering customers the option to donate $1 through their restaurant bill.
Blue Zones, founded by Dan Buettner, focuses on promoting better, longer lives through research, products, programs, and resources. Buettner’s work has identified the world’s healthiest, longest-living populations in regions known as Blue Zones, including Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Nicoya, Costa Rica; Ikaria, Greece; and Loma Linda, California.
Michelle Hutchins praised the momentum in Fort Bragg towards healthier living. “I enjoy meeting employers such as the Noyo Harbor Inn who want their work sites and products to be the best they can be for customers and patrons. Fort Bragg has a lot of exciting momentum in this sense,” she said.
The HarborView Bistro & Bar, popular for its California coastal cuisine and organic entrées, is open daily at 9 a.m., except for Tuesdays. Breakfast and lunch are served until 2 p.m.; happy hour is from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.; and dinner is from 5 p.m. to close. Chef Jason Johnson, a Fort Bragg native, emphasizes fresh seafood from the Mendocino Coast, making it a focal point of the restaurant’s menu.
