We ordered this online since we earned the mug years ago when we ate at the Moonraker. But we have also gone to Nick’s in Pacifica many times.

Distinguishing Characteristics

It is labeled “Nick Gust Enterprise / Nick’s Moonraker, Capt. Charles / Sea Breeze Motel / Pacifica, California” on the bottom. Nick Guston’s father, named Charles, moved to California and opened Nick’s in 1927. He is likely the Captain Charles referenced on the bottom. The Guston family expanded Nick’s and the Sea Breeze Motel by building the Moonraker and the Papagayo Room Mexican restaurant across the street in the 1960s. So, this restaurant was not named after the James Bond movie of the same name, a common misconception. The name Moonraker actually refers to the tiny sail at the top of the mast that seems so high it can scrape the moon.