Who, what or which is the best? It’s exceedingly useful to have answers to these questions. When the Check Engine light comes on, when you need a dentist, when you’re looking for a good taqueria or have a tree that needs trimming, you want a recommendation.

We turn to the Weekly’s readers for answers. This year, the readers made nominations in 272 categories and then voted on the finalists. It’s a little game we play every year, presenting the winners in this volume.

As you will see in the following pages, the theme of the writeups this year is “games” – board games, card or dice games, video games, party games, even games we played in the backyard. One of the reasons we write with a theme in mind is to add some fun to the process, both of writing and reading about the Best of Monterey County.

It’s also a fitting theme. In any group of people, there will be disagreements on the best game to play. In any list of the best people, places, shops or restaurants, there will also be some debate – it’s likely each of us will differ on a few of the winners presented in this magazine. But we’re playing dealer’s choice here, and the readers hold the cards.

However, we have one little ace up our sleeves. In the final section – Editors’ Picks – we present just a few of the worthy choices that were perhaps overlooked.🎲

That said, we hope you enjoy the Best of Monterey County readers’ poll for 2025.

Dave Faries, editor

CONTRIBUTORS

PROJECT EDITOR

Dave Faries

WRITERS

Marielle Argueza

Sloan Campi

Erik Chalhoub

Tajha Chappellet-Lanier

Erik Cushman

Caitlin Fillmore

Paul Fried

Celia Jiménez

Linda Maceira

Pam Marino

Agata Popęda

Keely Richter

Katie Rodriguez

Sara Rubin

David Schmalz

Jacqueline Weixel

COPY EDITOR

Laurie Gibson

PHOTOGRAPHER

Daniel Dreifuss