Must-see restaurants in California

  • Mister Jiu's

    North Beach & Chinatown

    Success has been celebrated in this historic Chinatown banquet hall since the 1880s – but today, scoring a table at Mister Jiu's is reason enough for…

  • Rich Table

    The Haight & Hayes Valley

    Impossible cravings begin at Rich Table, where mind-bending dishes like porcini doughnuts, sardine chips, and burrata (mozzarella and cream) funnel cake…

  • SingleThread Farm-Restaurant-Inn

    Healdsburg

    The most ambitious project in Northern California is SingleThread, a world-class restaurant and, secondarily, an inn, where omotenashi (warm hospitality…

  • Swan Oyster Depot

    San Francisco

    Superior flavor without the superior attitude of typical seafood restaurants. Justifiably famous since 1912 for signature oysters and crab salads, there's…

  • Atelier Crenn

    The Marina, Fisherman’s Wharf & the Piers

    The menu arrives in the form of a poem and then come the signature white chocolate spheres filled with a burst of apple cider. If this seems an unlikely…

  • Al's Place

    The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill

    The Golden State dazzles on Al's plates, featuring homegrown heirloom ingredients, pristine Pacific seafood and grass-fed meat. Painstaking preparation…

  • Taqueria El Paisa@.com

    Oakland

    Yes that is the name of this place, and no, we don't know how to say it out loud (a lot of locals just call it 'El Paisa'). Honestly, we would call this…

  • Larrupin Cafe

    North Coast & Redwoods

    Everybody loves Larrupin, where Moroccan rugs, chocolate-brown walls, gravity-defying floral arrangements and deep-burgundy Oriental carpets create a…

  • Kaiyo

    The Marina, Fisherman’s Wharf & the Piers

    For a deliciously deep dive into the cuisine of the Japanese-Peruvian diaspora, head to Cow Hollow's most playful and inventive new restaurant, where the…

  • Acquerello

    San Francisco

    A converted chapel is a fitting location for feasts that turn Italian culinary purists into true believers in Cal-Italian cuisine. Chef Suzette Gresham's…

  • Noosh

    Japantown, Fillmore & Pacific Heights

    Follow the spice route into the future with Istanbul-inspired, San Francisco-invented sensations: satiny lamb belly with smoked yoghurt, nutty confit…

  • Arsicault Bakery

    San Francisco

    Armando Lacayo left his job in finance because he, like his Parisian grandparents before him, was obsessed with making croissants. After perfecting his…

  • In Situ

    Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa

    The landmark gallery of modern cuisine attached to SFMOMA also showcases avant-garde masterpieces – but these ones you'll lick clean. Chef Corey Lee…

  • Frances

    San Francisco

    Rebel chef-owner Melissa Perello earned a Michelin star for fine dining, then ditched downtown to start this market-inspired neighborhood bistro. Daily…

  • Sasa

    Japantown, Fillmore & Pacific Heights

    Like an unexpected first-class upgrade, Sasa delights with exceptional attention to detail. Here katsu is made with kurobuta pork, silken organic…

  • 1760

    San Francisco

    Every night is a culinary throw-down at 1760: chef Carl Foronda must find the right techniques and culinary inspirations to highlight today's star…

  • Restaurant at Meadowood

    Napa Valley

    If you couldn’t score reservations at French Laundry, fear not: Meadowood – the valley’s only other three-Michelin-star restaurant – has a slightly more…

  • Benu

    Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa

    SF has pioneered Asian fusion cuisine for 150 years, but the pan-Pacific innovation chef-owner Corey Lee brings to the plate is gasp-inducing: foie-gras…

  • Californios

    The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill

    Parades – from Carnaval to Día de los Muertos – are a Mission specialty, and the parade of Latin-inspired flavors nightly at Californios does justice to…

  • Golden Boy

    North Beach & Chinatown

    'If you don't see it don't ask 4 it' reads the menu – Golden Boy has kept punks in line since 1978, serving Genovese focaccia-crust pizza that's chewy,…

  • Outstanding in the Field

    San Francisco

    Dinners with guest star chefs like Alice Waters and this Bay Area–based crew pop up in the unlikeliest places – strawberry fields, sea caves, sand bars,…

  • Fishetarian Fish Market

    Coastal Highway 1

    A fish market, deli and great place to eat with reggae as the soundtrack, an outdoor deck near the water and an expansive menu that includes colorful and…

  • French Laundry

    Napa Valley

    The pinnacle of California dining, Thomas Keller’s three-Michelin-star rated French Laundry is epic, a high-wattage culinary experience on par with the…

  • Rose Café

    Venice, Marina Del Rey & Playa del Rey

    This sprawling Venice institution (established 1979) was recently given a major, very welcome makeover. If the new version is less funky (though you'll…

  • Gjusta

    Venice, Marina Del Rey & Playa del Rey

    The folks behind the standard-setting Gjelina have opened this very casual, very gourmet, very Venice bakery, cafe and deli behind a nondescript…

  • Catch LA

    West Hollywood & Mid-City

    An LA-scene extraordinaire. You may well find sidewalk paparazzi stalking celebrity guests and a doorman to check your reservation, but all that's…

  • Farmer weighing produce at outdoor market,Santa Monica,California,USA

    Santa Monica Farmers Markets

    Santa Monica

    You haven’t really experienced Santa Monica until you’ve explored one of its outdoor farmers markets stocked with organic fruits, vegetables, flowers,…

  • Commis

    Oakland

    The East Bay's only Michelin-starred restaurant, the signless and discreet dining room counts a minimalist decor and some coveted counter real estate…

  • Eataly LA

    Beverly Hills, Bel Air, Brentwood & Westwood

    Opened in 2017, LA's branch of this multistory Italian megamarket and restaurant hall is so big that it offers maps at the entrance. Stall after stall…

  • Sora

    Downtown Los Angeles & Boyle Heights

    Meaning 'sky' in Japanese, Sora is a rather fitting name for this conveyor-belt sushi spot 69 stories up. It's hard to decide what's more eye-catching:…

  • Hamasaku

    Beverly Hills, Bel Air, Brentwood & Westwood

    It doesn't get much more LA than this. Upscale and buzzy, Hamasaku combines two local obsessions, sushi and the entertainment industry (one-time super…

  • Otium

    Downtown Los Angeles & Boyle Heights

    In a modernist pavilion beside the Broad is this fun, of-the-moment hot spot helmed by chef Timothy Hollingsworth. Prime ingredients conspire in…

  • Oxbow Public Market

    Napa

    Graze at this gourmet market and plug into the Northern California food scene. Standouts: Hog Island Oyster Co; comfort cooking at celeb-chef Todd…

  • Mercado La Paloma

    Los Angeles

    If you're near Expo Park or USC, it's totally worth the five-minute walk under the freeway to this fabulous food hall. About a dozen restaurant stalls…

  • Kang Ho-Dong Baekjong

    Westlake & Koreatown

    Looks can deceive: this informal, youth-filled spot serves some of LA's best Korean barbecue, proven by constant lines out the door. Grill-yourself meats…

  • Tartine Manufactory

    The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill

    What began as a baking powerhouse has evolved into a veritable smorgasbord of delicious, collaborative, artisanal everything, set within an expansive yet…

  • Yoichi's

    Santa Barbara

    Headline: kaiseki (traditional Japanese multicourse dining) comes to Santa Barbara and wows locals. It might have limited hours, take a chunk out of your…

  • Gracias Madre

    West Hollywood & Mid-City

    Gracias Madre shows just how tasty – and chichi – organic, plant-based Mexican cooking can be. Sit on the gracious patio or in the cozy interior and feel…

  • June Bug Cafe

    Yosemite & the Sierra Nevada

    Guests of all ages and backgrounds convene at this friendly eatery, decorated with adventure equipment. While sharing hiking stories, folks eat delicious,…

  • Connie & Ted's

    West Hollywood & Mid-City

    At this modernized version of a New England seafood shack by acclaimed chef Michael Cimarusti, there are always up to a dozen oyster varieties at the raw…