Harley Farms

Had such a great visit here. Very friendly staff, delicious cheeses (and more) lovely grounds, lovely goats, and they make it so easy for visitors to show themselves around. We will definitely be back!

My first visit to Harley Farm created mixed feelings over the manner in which the goats are kept versus the quality of the product that is produced. I also had some negative feelings towards the manner in which the customers are treated. I got the feeling that some of the personnel actually hold contempt for the customers they serve. When asked about ingredients, organic vs non-​organic or gmo vs non-​gmo I was waved off as though I had no right to ask any questions regarding their products.
The products available in the tasting room were not as fresh as I would have thought they should be for an onsite operation. Some of the cheese selections were dry and apparently had been out for quite sometime. The visit was in the late morning. I don’t believe the samples were fresh from the morning but perhaps leftover from the day before. It was not attractive or appetizing.
My second visit to Harley Farm was to take my grandson out on a day trip to visit the goats and to see if Harley Farms offered his favorite type of goat cheese. Unfortunately, the tasting room was closed, and when I asked if my grandson could, at least see the goats, the lady said, «No!» Now, understand, at this time my grandson was 3 years old. I was not only disappointed and upset at the callousness of this woman’s attitude — I was disappointed enough to never want to visit Harley Farm ever again.
I was disturbed with the number of goats kept on a relatively small area to graze. I also found the pricing to be out of line given the fact their prices are higher than most competitor ‘organic’ choices available.
I have been in the agriculture business for over 35 years and have never seen such brazen attitude for the lack of customer care and service as I have experienced at Harley Farm.

I lived on a farm for a couple years of my life, so this was no spectacle to me to start with, but there were some other parts of it that bothered me a little.
There was no indication of any demonstration of how the goats were milked or how the cheese was actually made. Not sure if they offer tours, because nothing advertised this anywhere.
When we went upstairs to look at the fancy restaurant-​by-​night, I’m not really sure why it would be about $ 150 a person, although the huge table made of a single tree trunk was mighty impressive, but the staff worker turned us off when she offered us cheese as she swiped some with her finger and licked it, then put her finger back on the plate to clear the rest of the contents off when we denied her offer.
I must say, we tried some of their pepper jellies with the cheese and I found one I really liked. I have been enjoying that at home, but if I want to replace, I will probably just get Trader Joe’s version for a cheaper price and more convenient drive.

I love goats, I really do. Apparently mid-​February is baby goat season and so I’ll be coercing one of my car-​possessing friends back here so that I can hold a baby goat. $ 20 for a tour/​cheese tasting– book in advance.

We love Harley Farms! Such a fun place to visit, especially in the spring when the baby goats are being born. Their cheese is amazing & award winning (my favorite is the Monet — delicious hint of fresh herbs & so pretty with a fresh, edible flower adorning the top) & you can sample them in their cute little barn shop. You can tell the goats are loved & well cared for (very important to us — no factory farming here), and they happily graze out in the field. Not to be missed when in Pescadero!

My family unanimously agreed this place was «cute.» We didn’t have much more to say about it, except I did find two things pretty cool about it:
1– They had a couple signs with some fun facts and one was about the llamas they have, which are there to serve as security to the goats. The llamas actually chase away predators… I had no idea llamas were so fierce.
2– They have a funky dining room upstairs from their shop which has a badass table made from a single tree trunk with some neat chairs to complement.
The tasting room was ok, but I got grossed out when I saw an employee take her finger and lick the tasting dish with samples on it, then continued to run her licked finger back over the plate. As she did this, she started talking with her mouth full to my dad, telling him how good the cheese was and asked if he would like to try.
Um, no. Not after you got your goat-​cheese licking germs all over the plate. We all walked away and left while she continued to eat and speak. Say it, don’t spray it! What a turn-​off.

After you get your artichoke bread at Arcangeli, you might as well drive here and look at the hundreds of goats sunning themselves in the yard. Have a sample in the gift shop/​creamery. Walk up to the barn loft and look at where people have dinner. Then go back to looking at the goats. Most will ignore you. Some, like dogs, like their heads to be scratched.
Once in a while there is a commotion near the parking lot because it’s feeding time. Then all the goats will stand up and 25% of them will immediately start peeing and pooping. Then fifteen minutes will pass and no feeding will happen, and then the goats will lay right back down in the filth they just spewed. Then you’ll be happy you have thumbs to tear off chunks of your artichoke bread and to grasp toilet paper so you don’t have to lay in your own filth, but you’ll kind of wish your life was just laying the sun, getting fed a couple times per day, having your teats fondled, and being guarded by three noble llamas who stare down coyotes. Then you get in your Toyota Corolla and you drive far away, because hardly anyone lives in Pescadero.

So many selections and there are always a few samples of the cheeses. My favorite treat is the lemon (goat)cheesecake with crushed nut crust infused with honey. Tangy cheesecake with a hint of lemon contrasting with the sweet crunchy crust — absolute heaven. Also, farm fresh eggs, soaps, olive oil and much more. And the goats are right there to admire and thank.

This is my most recommended stop for any friends headed to the San Mateo coast. It is just great to experience a farmstead dairy, where you can see how the goats live (enviably), see the milking parlor and where/​how the cheese is produced, and get to sample the delicious result. The farm shop is charming, there is a lovely picnic area and the staff are welcoming and friendly. And check out the artisan goat milk-​based paint! Really neat colors and love that it’s local and no petrochemicals.

I am so glad that I stumbled across Harley Farms. I came here with my husband for his birthday and we had the pleasure of attending their goat tour + monthly dinner (which is SUPER hard to get into).
The farm itself is very cute. The tour was fun and gave a lot of history about the farm. I LOVED meeting the goats. They are incredibly well socialized and a lot of fun to interact with.
The dinner was fabulous. Very good food and it was hosted in the upper floor of their farmhouse.
Also… the cheese. Oh my goodness, AMAZING. Highly recommend coming here just to give their cheese a try, but I’d really suggest at least doing their goat tours since it was a blast.

Cute, quaint little goat dairy farm located in Pescadero. Based on Unilocal reviews, we visited the farm this weekend. It was fun! The $ 20/​person goat tour is a little pricey, but it’s fun. You get to go into the goat pen and play with the goats. All the goats are pretty affectionate. They’ll get super close to you and start rubbing their face all over your legs. They also seem to enjoy being petted (and massaged!). There are also a few llamas there that you can pet (their neck fur, soooo soft).
Wear comfy closed-​toe shoes, unless you don’t mind getting up close and personal with some «goat nuggets» in the goat pen.
One small disappointment is that we were told at the beginning of the tour that we would be able to «make our own cheese» at the end of the tour. Well, we didn’t exactly make our own cheese. The tour guide had a few of the kids in the tour help place some edible flowers down in a mold. The guide then patted the cheese into the mold. Voila. We «made» cheese.
The tour comes with a few cheese tastings. We tried about three varieties at the end of the tour. Afterwards, we ambled over to the shop where we tried a few more varieties (total, maybe 3 – 4 other types of cheese). We also bought a few rounds! Which were expensive. The «mini» round is $ 5 and is fairly small. We bought a few rounds and ended up spending $ 20. We also bought one of their house-​made chocolate truffles for $ 3 (yes, $ 3 per truffle). Not sure if that was worth the cost, but we wanted to give it a shot!
Definitely a cute place to visit. And delicious cheese to boost!

Come here to get fresh goat cheese. And I mean fresh: the goats are right next door to the store! They have several chevres to choose from, along with other cheesy dips and honeys, and in several sizes.
You don’t get to pet the goats, but it’s fun to watch them.
My roommate drove passed it thinking it was closed. Luckily we decided to check before heading back to PCH. I think it’s worth a visit, especially if you’re having a leisurely day. Don’t forget to bring a cooler!

I do not think it is worth a visit without a tour. You can prebook online.
We were only allowed to visit the store and possibly pet the baby goats if we could reach them.
However, they have plenty of tasty cheese samples and delicious bread.

Everything about Harley Farms is wonderful!
To start… BABY GOATS! They are so adorable and playful and just fun to watch.
The staff was amazing and gave us a plethora of delicious samples to try. The space is adorable and the cheese is amazing. Definitely stop by if you are in the area … or even make the special trip! It is worth it :)

Thankfully the kids are now allowed to play with the kids. I’m talking about the human kids who once upon a time lost their privilege to play with the baby goats in the pen. The experience of hanging out in a goat pen whilst they poop and pee (BTW, when their tail goes up, walk away fast as a strong stream of pee and/​or poop is about to come your way) is very cool until they start to molest you by chewing on your purse handle, your wayward backpack zippers, your rear pant pockets – for awhile there, I thought it was my husband trying to get to 2^nd base, in the midst of the goat farm no less. I mean these goats didn’t even try to buy me dinner first.
But I digress.
Stay close to your guide, steer clear of the upward tail and visit their goat cheese shop for tasty samples and fresh cheeses. Picnic tables are nearby to enjoy your eats.

Did you hear about the two hour wait for Goatchella in San Francisco? We like the countryside so we drove an hour south to Pescadero and Harley Farms did not disappoint. Lots and lots of goats, and a llama, and a friendly donkey. Cheese were tasty — I tried the lemon goat cheesecake, pretty good!
The gardens are lovely and the tour would have been good if we made it on time (we ran into two traffic-​stoppers on the way to Pescadero from Berkeley and had to turn around twice and try an alternate route.)

My friend asked me to come to Harley Farms, and I had never heard of this place! We signed up for an adult tour for $ 20 on a Sunday afternoon. The weather was gorgeous, and so green after the rain we got. I wish I remember our tour guide’s name but she was so knowledgable, fun, and friendly. She gave us the history of Harley Farms and walked us through allowing us to meet the goats and llamas.
Goats graze you sniffing you thinking that you have food. Ruby the llama was super friendly too. Love how they protect the goats from the coyotes which we saw one earlier in the tour. Then on to meeting the 3 – 4 day old goats, they’re so cute and bigger than you expect!
Lastly, we learned how they make the goat cheese and got to sample their goat cheese. So delicious! A lot of my friends are not fans of goat cheese, but since its so fresh, you don’t get the tarty taste like other goat cheese (which I don’t mind!). On to the goat cheese shop, it’s a little heaven! The cheese is not on the cheap side, but luckily they have these little rounds that are about $ 5. Logs run from $ 10+. The chive log is a favorite, and I got to choose ones like sun dried tomato and apricot with walnuts. Their cheesecake is delicious too! Best part, you can freeze them and they’re just as good after defrosting!
Highly recommend for adults and children!

Randomly stumbled upon the Harley Farm tours and any chance to be close to animals, I’m there! I booked the tours online for $ 20 each and I enjoyed the tour very much. You learn about the history of the farm and about their world famous cheese, but the best part: getting up close and personal to the goats, kids and guard llamas! When I went (end of February), there were already over 100 new baby goats and during the tour, I was able to hold one for a little bit. At the end of the tour, we learned about their cheese making and sampled fresh goat cheese. I think that’s about as farm to fork as it gets! They give you some bread and samplings of their cheese, and you can sample pretty much everything in their little shop.
TIPS:
— you’re on a farm, so remember to wear appropriate shoes! aka you will get a little muddy/​step in poo
— Be weary of your drawstrings and dangling things; the goats nibble on anything! I think someone lost a zipper off their jacket on our tour…
— I stuck my fingers out a few times and the goats are so curious, they come sucking on it thinking it’s food! but no worries, it doesn’t hurt :)
Enjoy!

5 stars because this is one of the coolest attractions in Pescadero! Such a precious, quaint town, we walked from the main road and veered right at the stop sign all the way to Harley Farms to see the main attraction: goats and their kids!
These farms are awesome because they provide education to groups, take care of the goats and their kids, we even saw a llama, and they have a store that sells fresh goat cheese, spreads, chocolate (with goat milk), and other bath and beauty products from the goats.
Additionally, on the upstairs of the farm, they have a dinner dining area! I wasn’t sure about the price, but I heard it was around $ 150 each (without wine?). The baby goat count was at 132 when we were there. A nice walk from the main town, but most people drove.
Lastly, I appreciated that they had samples available of each of their prominent cheeses too. We just had to buy some!

This has to be one of the cutest places I’ve seen and so close to the city! My friend has been here before and when she told me it was a goat farm I have to admit the city girl in me came out and I was thinking «WHY would I want to go there?» I’m really glad I did.
We didn’t do the tour, so we just looked around and looked at the goats, llamas and donkey. I would like to come back in the spring when there are baby goats. I’m not sure I’m into feeding them, bad memories of the petting zoo at the SF Zoo.
The store is awesome! It’s small but it has so much to look at AND they had samples! First off, I don’t like cheese and I especially don’t like goat cheese BUT Harley Farms has totally changed my mind and I’m eating my words. The pumpkin spice spread was amazing, I could have eaten all the samples by myself and the cheesecake was to die for. Unfortunately I wasn’t going home right away so I couldn’t take one with me. I will be back in the Spring for more goodies and hopefully to see the baby goats.