San Francisco
Pastries come with pedigree at Thoroughbread – they're creations of Michelin-starred Michel Suas, founder of the San Francisco Baking Institute. If you're…
Must-see restaurants in Northern California
The Haight & Hayes Valley
Who says sustainable, organic food has to be expensive or French? Grass-fed meats and organic veggies and beans are packed into organic tortillas, all…
The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill
Alluring on the plate and positively obscene on the tongue, Ichi Sushi is a sharp cut above other seafood joints. Chef Tim Archuleta slices silky,…
Coastal Highway 1
Follow the boardwalk lit with fairy lights to this cozy and casual northern Italian restaurant where the bread and pastas are homemade, portions are…
The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill
With more than 100 years under its belt, this wildly popular soda fountain is the Mission's oldest ice-cream parlor and diner. The milkshakes and American…
North Coast & Redwoods
Pies are the mainstays here, ranging from chicken pot pie to Mexican chocolate pecan pie. Savory empanadas also shine and include everything from vegan…
North Coast & Redwoods
Housed in a wonderful early-20th-century mansion, try and grab the table on the front porch if you can. Inside, two cavernous rooms with sage walls, local…
The Haight & Hayes Valley
'Girl' is what the name means – as in, 'Oooh, girl, did you try the wild-nettle pizza?!' Artisan salumi is the star of many Ragazza pizzas, from the…
The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill
On a sunny day the line snakes around the block for San Francisco's most iconic ice-cream shop. Big sellers include organic salted-caramel ice cream with…
Terrapin Creek Cafe & Restaurant
Coastal Highway 1
This upscale restaurant is run by a husband-wife team who espouse the slow-food movement and serve local dishes sourced from the surrounding area. Comfort…
Coastal Highway 1
The cutest patisserie on this stretch of coast is run by Franny and her mother, Barbara (a veteran of Chez Panisse in Berkeley). The fresh berry tarts and…
Napa
Wildly popular Torc plays off the seasons with dynamic combinations of farm-fresh ingredients such as pork belly with satsuma-imo potato and choy raab, or…
Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa
Slurp the bounty of the North Bay with East Bay views at this local, sustainable oyster bar. Get them raw, grilled with chipotle-bourbon butter, or…
North Beach & Chinatown
The terror of top chefs is the classic French soufflé – but since 1979, Chef Jacqueline has been turning out perfectly puffy creations that float across…
Gold Country
A local institution near Hwy 88 that dates back to 1956: there's a takeout window but it's not meant for quick stops. Take a seat on the bottle-green…
Coastal Highway 1
Sit on the veranda or fireside for a romantic dinner of all-organic game, fish or risotto primavera. Chef Alan Kantor makes everything from scratch and…
North Coast & Redwoods
At the tip of the South Harbor pier, this joint is renowned far and wide for its fish and chips: batter-caked golden beauties that deliver on their…
Berkeley
A rustic country-French bistro downtown, La Note serves excellent breakfasts. Wake up to a big bowl of café au lait, paired with brioche pain perdu or…
The Marina, Fisherman’s Wharf & the Piers
Even before A16 won a James Beard Award, it was hard to book, but persevere: the house-made mozzarella burrata, blister-crusted pizzas from the wood…
Napa Valley
Details at celeb-chef Thomas Keller’s French brasserie are so impeccable – zinc bar to white-aproned waiters – you’d swear you were in Paris. Only the…
Coastal Highway 1
A packed hole-in-the-wall that serves the best Mexican on the coast. Chips are homemade, the guacamole is chunky and the dishes, from the fresh fish tacos…
Japantown, Fillmore & Pacific Heights
A casual offshoot of the famous Slanted Door, home cooking gets an upgrade: brunch brings silken scrambled eggs with five-spice pork belly and cinnamony…
Napa
Stalwart Angèle serves reliable provincial-French cooking – French onion soup, Nicoise salads and croques monsieur (gourmet toasted ham-and-cheese…
Excelsior
You didn't just read some cute hipster name for a precocious restaurant – this is a true, old-school, wood-paneled and worn-carpeted social club, a relic…
Gold Country
Huge quantities of delicious mango red curry, steamed mussels and spring rolls in the region's best and most popular Thai restaurant. The rugged red-brick…
Napa Valley
Before the advent of fancy-food stores, this ramshackle market introduced Napa to Italian delicacies: real prosciutto and salami, meaty olives, fresh…
Russian River Area
Special-occasion worthy, Michelin-starred Farmhouse changes its seasonal Euro-Cal menu daily, using locally raised, organic ingredients such as Sonoma…
Oakland
Homestead has an ever-shifting menu of farm to table goodness ranging from grilled ribeye and sweet potatoes to summer squash risotto – honestly, the menu…
Along Highway 101
Shoulder your way through the locals to get Ukiah’s best sushi, noodle bowls and oco (a delicious combo of seaweed, grilled cabbage, egg and noodles). The…
Oakland
This simple spot is famed throughout the East Bay for its carnitas (pork braised in its own fat). Folks will line up for this stuff, which is served in…
The Marina, Fisherman’s Wharf & the Piers
Open since 1929, this classic Italian deli is an ideal spot to assemble picnics for Marina Green. Besides perfect prosciutto and salami, nutty cheeses and…
Coastal Highway 1
In the classic tradition of dockside crab shacks, Spud Point serves salty-sweet crab sandwiches and real clam chowder (that consistently wins local…
Berkeley
When vegan foodies and passionate farm-to-table types dine out together, they often end up here. Inside a salvaged-wood interior punctuated by green vines…
North Coast & Redwoods
Part of the excellent Carter House Inns, romantic, sophisticated 301 serves a contemporary Californian menu, using produce from its organic gardens (tours…
Coastal Highway 1
One of Mendocino’s few fine dinner spots also serves lovely alfresco lunches on its ocean-view deck surrounded by roses. Try the Thai burrito or the …
Along Highway 101
Foodies flock to excellent Patrona for earthy, flavor-packed, seasonal and regional organic cooking in super stylish surrounds. The unfussy menu includes…
Gold Country
House-baked breads and organic meats, with a sophisticated menu and Japanese and Mexican influences in the cooking. The four-course prix fixe for $35 is a…
Sutter Creek Ice Cream Emporium
Gold Country
This sweet shop gets downright enchanting when town icon Stevens Price takes to the 1919 Milton piano and plays ragtime. The former proprietor still stops…
Sacramento & the Central Valley
Five generations of Shuberts have produced delicious homemade ice cream, chocolates and confections for more than 75 years at this beloved pastel-colored…
Calistoga
We like the Spartan ag-chic look of this Michelin-starred resort restaurant. The menu maximizes seasonal produce in elegant dishes, playfully composed,…
