Moss Beach Distillery
Peering through thick fog, overlooking the Pacific Ocean from a rocky perch sits the Moss Beach Distillery. A historical building that became an institution within Northern California during prohibition, the Moss Beach Distillery has stood proudly since 1927.
Located in the sleepy town of Moss Beach just outside of Half Moon Bay and a short drive from San Francisco, the Moss Beach Distillery is a popular ocean side restaurant today. Towards the beginning of its life it served as a well attended speak easy known as Frank’s Roadhouse. The establishment was the perfect location for such a business, sitting on cliffs which overlook the beach where shipments of illicit alcohol would arrive for distribution to San Francisco.
The 1930s allowed the Moss Beach Distillery to gain an important clientele of figures including powerful politicians, film stars and one mysterious guest who refused to leave even after death.
Moss Beach Distillery’s Ghost Story
The Moss Beach Distillery is well known as a great place to eat and drink with a view, yet it is also known for its resident ghost. A beautiful young woman known to most as ‘The Blue Lady,’ has haunted the establishment since her tragic death.
Her story starts in the 1930s when she frequented the Moss Beach Distillery. It was there she fell in love with the club’s resident piano player. The two enjoyed each others company, spending nights together at the club’s hotel and the nearby beach. Unfortunately their romance was not that of a perfect fairytale – the woman was married to another man. The most frequently recounted end to this story states that the woman’s husband attacked the couple one night as they walked along the sandy beach beneath the Moss Beach Distillery. The woman was stabbed to death, her lover sustained non-fatal injuries and the husband was never seen again.
Other versions of the story tell how the woman died nearby in a car accident and others describe a fight breaking out within the Moss Beach Distillery, that lead to the couple being murdered on the beach nearby. Another story speaks of a love triangle between the piano player and yet another woman leading the Blue Lade to commit suicide by jumping from the nearby cliffs.
What ever back story is correct does not change the beliefs of many that the Moss Beach Distillery is haunted by the Blue Lady. Staff and guests have described many instances of unexplainable interactions with what is thought to be the spirit of this murdered woman, still pining for the lover she was torn from so abruptly.
Over the course of many years countless individuals, including many children, have claimed to see the ghostly apparition of a woman in a flowing blue dress, sometimes torn and bloodied and other times clean and proper. This ghost has been reported all throughout the Moss Beach Distillery, as well as the bluff extending over the ocean in front of the restaurant and the nearby beach. The Blue Lady has gradually found other methods of making her presence known to patrons and staff of the Moss Beach Distillery. These include sensations that something is close by and hearing a disembodied voice, which has called out to staff members by name. The interactions have even been of a physical nature with some reports of being touched and tapped by an unseen force existing. This has grown to manifest into frequent poltergeist behavior. Chairs, check books, wine glasses and doors have all been mysteriously moved right in front of the eyes of witnesses.
It is quite obvious that the Moss Beach Distillery is a magnet for paranormal activity. This is all without mentioning the many random phone calls the establishment receives with no one on the other end, the documented strange light anomalies and the tales of female diners who have reported single lost earrings only for staff to find them in a pile days later.
Visiting The Haunted Moss Beach Distillery
The Moss Beach Distillery is a hidden gem for foodies and anyone with an appreciation for a good cocktail. Just outside San Francisco, one can remove themselves from the hustle and bustle of city life and spend a quiet moment overlooking the Pacific Ocean and its beautiful coastline. The Moss Beach Distillery is one of my favorite spots in Northern California and it’s not hard to understand why it has a resident ghost attached and refusing to leave. I recommend trying the Blue Lady cocktail and then taking the trail and stairs to the beach below.
If you enjoyed this read and are interested in checking out other Northern California haunts along the coast, check out these haunted lighthouses.
Thanks for reading!
xoxo
Posted by Jay on January 10, 2023
I had a strange experience here. My wife and I have lived in the bay area our entire lives and love finding little gems. We would often drive past signs for the Distillery on Hwy1 making our way to eateries/restaurants or any number of beaches. For years we would tell ourselves, “we need to go check that place out.”
One lazy and gorgeous summer day, we decided to make the MB Distillery a destination. The drive down Hwy1 after Pacifica was business as usual – scenic and gorgeous. We were giddy with excitement as we approached the big sign off the highway and made that right turn into a quaint road with, at first, a typical coastal suburban feel until a noticeable village feel becomes apparent. We thought it had a romantic appeal and thought, “this could be a nice little place to live – to be both close and far enough away from modernity.”
Upon pulling into the parking lot, the views are stupendous. We took a moment to catch our breath before walking into the entryway. The place was busy but far from the usual hectic crowds in the city. We immediately sat at the bar and ordered some beers while chatting with the bartender. She recommended I take my drinks downstairs and enjoy the outside patio where you can soak up the sun and have food and drink delivered to you on comfy chairs.
We walked downstairs and noticed it was a run down section with a few tables. To the right were the bathrooms and what looked to be a perfectly fine kitchen area which was not in use. To the left were the doors to the patio. The patio had approximately 9 people fully enjoying their time in the sun. We found 2 chairs and started to enjoy the experience like everyone else. When we finally got acclimated, I asked my wife, “Isn’t it weird that the servers take orders down here in the patio but the restaurant doesn’t utilize their downstairs kitchen?” Servers would have to climb the stairs and bring down food/drinks.
I didn’t think much else about it. However, nature called….time to use the bathroom. I walked back into the downstairs area and through the hallway to the bathroom. As I was “handling my business” as they say, I felt a breath on my neck. I dismissed it as maybe a slip of air and just kept staring straight at the wall. Suddenly, I got this creepy feeling like I’m being watched so I turned my head left at the entry way but no one was there. I turned my head back again to stare at the wall but this time….someone tapped my shoulder! (2 taps) I turned my head left and right – nothing, no one. I zipped up and searched the bathroom – nothing, no one. Suddenly, I heard a faint voice and footsteps – couldn’t make out what was said. I quickly moved into the hallway and looked left and right.
At this point, I resolved that there must be a worker/staff member down here in this kitchen area. I continued into the kitchen area only to find that it seemed to be used as a storage area for extra furniture. I politely but firmly shouted, “hello? Is anyone here?” No response. I did this 3 more times at various parts of the space. No response. I quickly went back to the bathroom, washed my hands, and decided I am freaking myself out of proportion.
Maybe I’m a bonehead but I didn’t bother to even consider that it was a paranormal experience. I never really took much stock in such things. I decided on a whim to look up the MB Distillery only to have the shivers crawling up my spine repeatedly – one story after another….and here I am now a believer.
Posted by Amy on February 12, 2023
Wow, that’s interesting. You know, I think we’re so conditioned to assume any noise or happening is caused by something explainable, that we sometimes overlook actual unexplained things that happen around us. Thanks for sharing.