Menlo Park's Fish Market Closed Before Crab Season. The Bigger Gap Comes in January.

Where does a Menlo Park household buy Dungeness crab for Christmas Eve this year? For 98 years, much of the city would have said Cook's. Its fish market and restaurant at 751 El Camino Real closed on Wednesday, Oct. 28. Two days later, the state pushed the commercial crab season back far enough that local Dungeness was unlikely to reach anyone's holiday table anyway.

The two events landed in the same week, but they affect different months. The state's delay explains why local crab is missing this December. The closure will matter in January, when California crab may finally come off the boats and Menlo Park will have no dedicated fish market to sell it.

A 3 a.m. Text After 98 Years

Cook's employees got the news by text in the early morning of Oct. 29. The Almanac reported that the message read, in part, "We are sad to inform you that after 98 years, we have closed all Cook's Seafood locations Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026," and it asked staff not to drive in the next day because the building was closed. The closure also covered a Pleasanton location that had opened only the year before. SFGate reported that the notice pointed to a difficult year for restaurants and did not give a more specific reason.

The business ran under a short line of owners. According to The Almanac, Bill Cook founded it in Menlo Park in 1928. He sold it to Robert Rahe in the 1940s. In 1963, Rahe's wife sold it to Roy Crumrine, who had worked there since 1955, and his son was the owner at the time of the closure. A counter clerk who had worked at Cook's since 1972 told the paper he was surprised by the timing. He said summer is usually the slowest season for fish and that the store was about to enter its most profitable stretch.

Cook's was both a market and a restaurant. The counter sold swordfish, mahi mahi, orange roughy, Dungeness crab, and live or cooked lobster. The dining side served fish and chips, sand dabs with steak-cut fries, petrale sole sandwiches, crab Louie, clam chowder and cioppino. Menlo Park resident Linda Hubbard described the loss to The Almanac:

"My very frugal mother only bought seafood from Cook's when I was growing up in Menlo Park. And I've followed in her footsteps. Always the best — it will be missed."

Cook's was the second long-running Menlo Park food business to close this fall. Lutticken's Deli, at 3535 Alameda de las Pulgas, closed Sept. 30 after 45 years.

The State's Decision Came Two Days Later

On Oct. 30, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced that the commercial Dungeness crab fishery would be delayed from the Oregon border to Point Conception until at least Jan. 1, 2027. That range includes the San Mateo County coast. The department said the delay was required because of the number of humpback whale entanglements in 2026, and that it also gives whales time to migrate out of California waters before commercial boats set gear.

That date is a minimum. The commercial season normally starts Nov. 15, the Mercury News noted. The San Francisco Chronicle's headline put it plainly: "California says no Dungeness crab for Thanksgiving or Christmas."

Here are the dates that set this season, in order:

1. Oct. 28: Cook's Seafood closes its Menlo Park and Pleasanton locations.
2. Oct. 30: CDFW delays the commercial crab season to at least Jan. 1, 2027.
3. Nov. 7: The recreational season's scheduled opening date, with crab traps prohibited.
4. Nov. 15: The usual commercial opener, which won't happen this year.
5. Mid-December: CDFW's next expected risk assessment, which will inform a possible commercial opening and the lifting of trap restrictions around the new year.

The Chronicle reported that Dungeness crab caught elsewhere may still reach California buyers. The season has opened in parts of Washington, and Oregon was preparing tests to set its own opening date. So any Dungeness on a Menlo Park table this November or December will most likely be crab from out of state.

Why the Closure Shows Up in January

For a delayed season, this sequence has happened before, and the Chronicle's "yet again" framing reflects that. In past years, Menlo Park could wait it out and buy local crab once the boats were cleared. If CDFW clears the commercial fleet after its December review, January will be when California crab lands. That will be the first local crab season since 1928 without Cook's on El Camino Real.

Cook's handled the whole range of seafood shopping. It sold whole and cooked crab over the counter, and its restaurant served cioppino and crab Louie for people who didn't want to cook. The places still open each cover part of that range. Knowing which one fits which errand is the practical change for this winter.

Where the Seafood Counter Moved

Draeger's is the closest match to the old Cook's counter, about a block from Fremont Park. The store's department page says its Meat, Poultry and Seafood departments cut products to order and that fresh fish arrives daily. It also lists live lobster, freshly cooked crab and Ossetra gold caviar. Cooked crab at this counter during the delay will have come from outside California, so call the counter for this week's supply before you plan a menu around it.

The Sunday farmers' market in the Chestnut Street lot runs every week of the year. Downtown Menlo's market listing includes fresh fish among its offerings. It works for the regular weeknight fillet, though less so for a crab feast.

Pillar Point Harbor is about a half-hour drive over the hill, and it's the most direct link to the local fleet. The San Mateo County Harbor District's fish page advertises fresh fish sold directly by local fishermen, and it asks buyers to call the Fish Line at 726-8724 for availability. The district's off-the-boat permit covers direct sales of fish and crab to the public. Local crab sales at the dock depend on commercial boats being allowed to fish, so they're tied to the same January-or-later date. The harbor office is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, but those are office hours, not fish-sale hours.

Catching Your Own, Under This Year's Rules

For Menlo Park residents who fish, the recreational season was scheduled to open Nov. 7 under limits that change how crabbing works this year. CDFW prohibits recreational crab traps from the Oregon border to Point Conception until at least Jan. 1, 2027. Hoop nets and crab snares are still allowed, and every hoop net must be serviced every two hours. The department has also issued a fleet advisory asking crabbers to avoid setting gear where whales are present. A separate domoic acid closure applies to waters off southern Humboldt and northern Mendocino counties, far north of the San Mateo coast. CDFW's Whale Safe Fisheries page posts updates as the risk assessments change. This is a summary of what the state has announced and isn't legal advice. Confirm current rules with CDFW before you go out.

The Downtown Calendar Runs Through December

Menlo Park's free Light Up the Season event is Friday, Dec. 4, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Fremont Park, at Santa Cruz Avenue and University Drive. It goes on rain or shine. This year the event kicks off the city's centennial celebration. The city will light its oak tree and give the usual pine tree a break, and it is encouraging attendees to shop and dine at downtown businesses. Draeger's is a short walk from the park, so the seafood stop can fit into that evening. CDFW expects its next crab review a few weeks after the event, in mid-December.

The 751 El Camino Real storefront where Cook's operated is now dark, and its next tenant will be part of the corridor's story in the centennial year. If you own property near El Camino Real and want to know how changes like this affect what your home is worth, Wendy Kandasamy offers a complimentary market consultation and home valuation based on the blocks around your address.