Gowan’s Oak Tree

Amazing fruit and apple juice. If you want either of those things, stop by on your way through.

We’ve seen this Apple stand every time we go to the Mendocino coast but this was our first time to stop. Being it was a Monday and in mid October it wasn’t busy at all, which is great.
We were on a mission for apples and apple juice. Even though it is approaching the end of the apple season they still had a large variety of apples and juices to choose from.
The woman that helped us was very friendly and cheery and obviously loves what she does. She explained the harvesting process and how they make their juices!
We ended up with a very large bag of apples for $ 8.00 and a half gallon of juice for $ 6.00. The apples are crisp and delicious and the juice is very good, some of the best I’ve ever tasted!
There is plenty of parking and there are public restrooms available (which are clean).
This will definitely be a place we stop by on future trips to the coast.

Great fruit stand for a quick break. Seemed to have a few varieties of apples to choose from, the cider is delicious, and the frozen cider pop a perfect treat on a hot day. And open on Labor Day!

Best apple cider I’ve ever had and great staff. I also recommend their apple pies as well.

You can’t make a trip up 128 without stopping here. Please, just do yourself a favor and stop for a half gallon of cider. Even if you don’t like apples or apple juice, the raw cider will change your mind. We made the mistake of buying our cider at the Philo Apple Farm just up the street the first time we came up, and after tasting the stuff from Gowan’s, there’s just no comparison. To be fair, Philo Apple Farm pasteurizes theirs because they sell it at farmer’s markets and such, but the taste is altered significantly once heated, and lacks the crisp freshness of raw cider.
Keep in mind that they also sell it frozen, and it travels remarkably well. We bought a frozen gallon, and it made the trip back home to San Carlos in July 4^th traffic, and still had a frozen block of ice in it after 2 days of thawing in the fridge. Their frozen pies are good as well, although they use a shortening crust instead of lard + butter, which makes for a harder, less flaky product.
The cider isn’t cheap at around $ 5.75 for a half gallon, and $ 10.50 ($ 10.75, maybe? — can’t remember, exactly), but it’s the highest quality stuff you can buy, and if you’ve ever tried to make your own juice, you’ll know that it takes an awful lot of apples. To me, it’s a special treat that we get a few times a year, and it’s totally worth it.
Bathrooms are relatively clean, and they have a real toilet and sink, so you’re not squatting over a vat of mysterious, smelly blue liquid.
I’ve read other reviews about surly service, but we’ve only ever been greeted by the most pleasant, sweet people.
This place is a mandatory stop for us on our way to Mendocino or Ft. Bragg, and as long as they’re making cider, we’ll continue to buy it.

Here with my dear Lea to buy all sorts of fruits — blackberries for her pie, plums and peaches to enjoy, and some salad greens and tomatoes. The cold apple cider, fresh pressed, was sublime, and just the thing on a hot day.

I rate this place 5 stars because of the food. We stopped here for the first time in March, after never stopping for the last 12 years coming up to the North Coast. After a delightful chat with who I assume is the owner, i walked away with dried apples (yum) and the BEST strawberry jam I have had since I was a kid. Just like Grandma used to make. Not too much sugar, just the right amount of it. I could actually taste the fruit, it wasn’t sickly sweet and I enjoyed it on my toasted waffle just now. Thanks for bringing up great memories of my Grandma. :)
As far as service, like I said, this was our first time here. I assume the older man waiting on us was the owner, I’m not sure why. He gave us a taste of an apple, which was yummy. We chatted about gardens, acreage and how often we come up that way. He was so nice and polite! I guess we will see how our trip in a few months serves us and we will rate it again. And if you want good jam…

I love this place so much!!! I can’t go on a trip up north without stopping at Gowan’s Oak Tree. I stopped here two days ago and the lady working the stand was friendly and cheerful. I love their dried apples and their cider, and have memories of the dried fruit and fresh fruit from this stand since I was a little girl. My father used to buy boxes of apples to bake his holiday pies with. SOOO Yummy!
This last visit I also tried their dried persimmons and they were amazing.
When I was growing up, you could even stop here when the stand was closed and they would have a few things out for sale with a box to put your money in. I’m not sure if they still do that, but it made me feel good when I saw that. They also have a public restroom on site, which is very valuable on the long drive to/​from wherever you’re going since nothing is near by.
Oh, they also have picnic benches (if I remember right) and a water faucet to water your pets or wash your hands. I can’t remember if they have a drinking fountain but I bet they do.

This place has been part of our lives for 20+ years, every time we go Hiway 128 to the North Coast. If it were just based on the produce, it would be a 5. The apple cider is truly wonderful, as are the pies and walnuts. The stone fruit can be a little hit-​or-​miss. There is a little clean bathroom free for anyone to use (not in the store) and a very cute little picnic area.
But the drawback is really the staff. The word that comes to mind is «resentful». As we continue our drive, we have a game in that we try to guess how they could remain in a job they find so distasteful (our current fav is that they are family, and this is their ‘chore’). I could detail the ways in which they exude hostility, but others have already done that.
There is a twinkle of good news, though. On our last trip (Nov 7 & 9 ’14) there was a noticeable change, at least with the young lady waiting on us. She actually met our eyes as we approached, answered our questions, and as we left wished us a ‘pleasant rest of your trip’. Wow! We actually felt welcome. Gowans, whoever she is, keep her and have her train the rest of the staff!

Great juice and very pleasant location. I met the owner once at the Fair right there in town and he is delightful. But his staff at this stand is the most uncommunicative, unfriendly bunch I have ever seen in retail. No «thank-​yous» ever~ just a look that drifts off and you see their backs and this refers to ALL of them, really. We drive by twice a month and have named the place «THE SULLEN APPLE MONGERS».
I really have to agree with the reviewers Marilyn and JW. These folks are miserable! So ’ I don’t give a d**n ‘
I don’t write this in this tone much!
Dave

I LOVE the apple cider from this place. I stop here every time I’m on my way to Mendocino and will continue to do so. Whenever my boyfriend and I pick up a gallon, it doesn’t last more than 3 days.

The cider pop was delicious, but the people working there couldn’t be more miserable. They made us feel like we were inconveniencing them by wanting to buy something. The fruit that was there was under ripe and over priced. So stick with only the cider in my opinion

Great apple cider. The apple variety is awesome. The staff is friendly and helpful. Can’t wait to go back.

Love love love this place. Excellent apple pies. Staff is very nice. Going to pumpkin patch is a real treat.

Couldn’t believe this place was open even in January, when the outdoor temps were about the same as a refrigerator. We picked up a few fine looking Red Delicious and Fuji apples for $ 1.50 a lb as well as a small cup of cider. Not too shabby for the dead of winter. The dried sweet apples we had were also pretty decent, although the texture was a bit inconsistent (some were chewy, others were crunchy).

I love the location, which is right off Route 128. It’s almost too tempting to pass up. They have ample parking and they make some of the best apple cider I’ve ever had. It was über fresh with pure, clean flavor. They also make a really good sugar-​free apple sauce. both were so delicious I wished I had purchased more food stuffs. I really liked the wide variety of squash, apples, and pears they had to offer. Their prices were good, too. Unfortunately, service was diffident at best, thus the lack of stars.

Writing this is killing me. I wanted to love this place so much!
To start with the positive: the variety and choice of apples at Gowan’s is phenomenal — Gravenstein and Spartan and Northern Spy and Sierra Beauty and Spitzenburg, oh my! As a former northeasterner and an absolute lover of apples, I was in heaven.
That is, until I had to interact with the staff. Wow. Very rarely in my life have I faced such uninterested, unhappy, unresponsive and downright surly people. And I went there twice in the past two days and dealt with two completely different sets of employees!
I guess working in a touristy spot on a main drag can be a drag. And maybe it’s the end of a long season. But darnit people — put a happy face on!

Gowan’s Oak Tree has been here as long as I can remember and I’ve been driving to Mendocino on 128 for about 45 years. Their apple cider and applesauce are wonderful, but I stop for the apples and whatever else is in season. It was here I first discovered Sierra Beauties, fall’s answer to Gravensteins. We stopped by yesterday on the way home from Mendocino. Because the weather has been so weird this year I was surprised to find Gravensteins, much, much better ones that I last found at Monterey Market, which were past the point I like them and ended up in the compost. I buy produce by smell: the more I smell it the sweeter it is. But I like Gravensteins tart and green so they shouldn’t smell at all. These had no smell had just a trace of red. I know they will be good. We bought some corn for dinner and some Yukon Gold potatoes to have on hand. They had yellow wax beans, Blue Lake beans and purple ones, as well as several varieties of squash. They had peaches and other stone fruit but we have plenty at home and didn’t buy any. They had Honeycrisp apples, the only ones Alan and I both like. He likes the sweeter apples like Fujis and I like tart ones. The young woman behind the counter gave us each a taste. It was more tilted toward the sweet than balanced the way I like them, but Alan was pleased so we bought 3. I’ll have my Gravensteins.
They have bathrooms that are small, old, clean and do the trick. They’re up a small step and are not wheelchair accessible.

This is a good rest stop if you’re on your way to Mendocino.
Apple cider– $ 2, naturally sweet and refreshing
Apple cider popsicle– $ 1.50, tasty, but melts quickly and can cause quite a mess
Two apples– $ 0.50, small and overpriced
Their apples were pathetic looking and pathetic tasting. Nothing can compare to the handpicked apples in Massachusetts. I’ve tasted the best and now there’s no turning back. Yes, I’m an apple snob! Can’t wait to go apple picking again in Massachusetts.
Also, I witnessed a customer paying $ 4 for two medium peaches. How can anyone justify charging that much for some peaches?
Overall, try the apple cider and apple cider popsicles, but avoid the overpriced produce.

We wanted to cook dinner, so we made a pit stop here.
Apple pie, apple cider, white corn, and Yukon potatoes. Simply the best.
I haven’t had apple pie like that EVER. It was fresh, definitely home made, and it took an hour to reheat. I actually like Bernie’s apple cider better, but Gowan’s cider is comparable. It was so good. . you must try.
Stock up if you can. . it’s totally worth it.
They accept credit cards. Yay.
HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS FOOD STAND.