San Diego
Waypoint's comfort-food menu is designed to pair with craft beer. The focus is squarely on burgers and sandwiches, including a wicked tri-tip with whiskey…
Must-see restaurants in California
Orange County
This chain of counter-service shops specializes in Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches served on fresh French baguettes - the popular 'No. 11' comes with ham,…
Malibu & Pacific Palisades
At Malibu’s favorite lunch counter you can order fresh daily soups such as curry tomato lentil and Louisiana gumbo, salads that echo Greece, Italy, Cape…
Sequoia National Park
Bay Area transplants started with the Ol' Buckaroo food truck next door before opening this permanent, contemporary restaurant serving modern American…
San Fernando Valley
This dinner-only, small-plates restaurant is a foodie favorite and a local restaurant that draws people from all over. Chefs get inventive with dishes…
Long Beach & San Pedro
James Republic does farm-to-table New American cooking, though some dishes have an Asian twist. It serves cheese and charcuterie boards, grill cauliflower…
Santa Barbara
Start with a cocktail (martinis are a specialty) and take your time choosing from the inventive dishes on this Californian-cuisine-meets-French-bistro…
North Beach & Chinatown
Join early risers for double shots of espresso and crostata (jam tart), or wander in at night between bars and Beach Blanket Babylon for torta di mandorla…
Beverly Hills, Bel Air, Brentwood & Westwood
Why should ramen lovers have all the fun? If the lines out the door here are any indication, udon (thick wheat noodles) are next. At the Sawtelle…
The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill
Wrapping your head around chef Sara Spearin's freak flavors may take a hot minute – but your taste buds immediately grasp the appeal of raspberry-black…
The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill
Owner/chef Tommy Halvorson took the helm of this lofty, converted tin-can factory in 2017 and shook things up with a dash of cajun seasoning, some…
Greater Palm Springs
A vibe of understated cool permeates this popular Vietnamese fusion place tucked away in a strip mall. It's a good match for the very fine, often…
Coastal Orange County
In a building that traces its origins to 1797, this sprawling, beam-ceilinged 'Mexican steakhouse' and bar does a big business in the standards …
San Fernando Valley
There always seems to be a (manageable) line of hungry Filipino families waiting to get into this friendly, Manila-style temple to fried chicken – it deep…
Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa
In the historic Pacific Telephone & Telegraph building (check out the splendid black-marble deco lobby), Iron Chef star Mourad Lahlou creates such…
West Hollywood & Mid-City
It's a classic LA success story: cousins Jim and Sabin moved to LA with a dream of a business drawing on their New England heritage. They started with a…
San Diego
East Village hipsters feast on fragrant thin-crust brick-oven-baked pizzas under Basic’s high ceiling (it’s in a former warehouse). Toppings span the…
Westlake & Koreatown
Wherever you chow in Koreatown, leave a little room for shaved ice from youthful Snowla. Simply choose your cup size and shaved-ice flavor (we love the…
Hollywood
Old Hollywood glamor is back in vogue at this sultry newcomer, where the wallpaper is deco, the bar hand-carved and the waitstaff bow-tied. Part of the…
San Luis Obispo
Visit garlic-perfumed Guiseppe's for a leisurely lunch of toothsome salads, pizza and antipasti starring produce harvested on the owner's farm. Out the…
Los Angeles
A micro-chain with a social conscience: fresh, healthy grab-and-go meals in a bowl, priced lower in under-served communities and higher in more affluent…
Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa
Mt Everest is for amateurs – gourmet adventurers brave the Tenderloin's mean streets for Red Chilli's bargain butter chicken, Kathmandu rolls (naan wraps)…
San Francisco
Casually sophisticated La Folie has bravely upheld French standards in laid-back California since 1988. Courses are leisurely paced and chef-owner Roland…
South Bay Beaches
This sprawling seafood market has been doing its thing on the north end of the Redondo pier since 1953. Take your pick from dozens of fresh fish, oysters…
Santa Monica
The name refers to the temperature of this restaurant's wood-fired pizza oven. Your job: follow the line into the big, splashy, marble-floored environs…
Downtown Los Angeles & Boyle Heights
Mexican street food goes freestyle at this colorful, counter-service eatery. Here, al pastor tacos might ditch pork for cauliflower and ceviche tostadas…
San Diego
Near the tiki-themed hotels of Point Loma, this longtime, special-occasion restaurant serves Hawaiian-themed meals like tuna poke (cubed raw fish mixed…
Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa
Salesforce employees are famously well-treated by their benevolent CEO Mark Benioff, so it's no surprise that a swanky (but playful!) Hawaiian restaurant…
Downtown Los Angeles & Boyle Heights
Reserve ahead for a window table at fine-dining 71 Above, perched 950ft above Downtown streets. While it's difficult to upstage the views, chef Vartan…
Newport Beach
Who are we to disagree with the Enlightened One? This dockside sushi joint’s Yokohama-born chef has a hipster following for creative hot and cold…
Pasadena & the San Gabriel Valley
Multiple magazines have named Marston's as having the best breakfast in LA and California, likely for its 'famous French toast' (sourdough with cornflakes…
Los Angeles
Modern, timber-lined Father's Office spills onto an outdoor patio, where you can sip any of 36 craft beers, munch on smoked eel, spread roasted bone…
San Fernando Valley
A neighborhood institution dishing out chili around a U-shaped counter since 1946. It's most popular served over spaghetti, but it'll do chili dogs,…
Coastal Orange County
Service can be harried at this breezy, open-air cafe, but all is forgiven after a bite of their sweet and savory French crepes – goat cheese and turkey;…
Los Feliz & Griffith Park
A culinary ménage à trois involving a boulangerie, bistro and lounge, Figaro channels fin-de-siècle Paris with its heavy framed mirrors, sidewalk tables…
Marin County
For a taste of old-school Mill Valley, head to this breakfast joint that feels like a cross between a tropicana nostalgia shop and a garage sale. This is…
Huntington Beach
A fresh new addition to Sunset Beach's dining scene, this wood-built, indoor-outdoor restaurant serves your choice of fish in tacos, on baguettes with a…
San Diego
Across from the beach, Ki’s is an organic cafe-restaurant and a hub of local activity. At the juice bar on the first floor are awesome smoothies, healthy…
Coastal Orange County
This hipster gourmet eatery does dishes like rib-eye Thai beef salads, grilled salmon tacos with curry slaw, and bodacious burgers like the Chow BBQ…
Marin County
Lazy ceiling fans, tropical plants and the pulse of Latin rhythms create a soothing atmosphere for delicious dishes such as a jíbaro sandwich (made with…
