Greater Palm Springs
The new art-filled restaurant by the Caliente Tropics Hotel offers generous servings of modern Mediterranean cooking: bold varieties of hummus, North…
Must-see restaurants in California
San Diego
This local institution can't be beat for breakfast burritos, multigrain pancakes, stir-fries, salads, smoothies and three-egg ohm-lettes (sorry, we couldn…
Sausalito
Equal parts old-school Marin and tourist magnet, Scoma's has an enviable setting on stilts, right over the bay. Few places do seafood (all sustainable)…
Yosemite National Park
Beautiful sequoia-painted lamps light this old-fashioned dining room, and the Victorian detail makes it an enchanting place to have an upscale – though…
Westlake & Koreatown
Unlike many of its competitors, this good-value, all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ joint takes reservations (the upstairs can get frustratingly loud so request a…
Downtown Los Angeles & Boyle Heights
Knead is one of our favorite stalls at Grand Central Market, its just-made pasta singing in dishes such as sultry butternut squash ravioli with chili,…
The Marina, Fisherman’s Wharf & the Piers
You'd be hard-pressed to find pasta fresher than this – cooks roll out sheets of dough right in the window. The formula is simple: pick your pasta, add a…
Silver Lake & Echo Park
Lo-fi, counter-service Fat Dragon pumps out tweaked takes on old-school American Chinese to the sound of hip-hop and woks. Chow down hearty, flavor-packed…
Beverly Hills, Bel Air, Brentwood & Westwood
Yes, it has traditional Mediterranean dishes covered, but Momed (short for Modern Mediterranean) also melts avocado into its hummus, crafts shawarma from…
Los Angeles
Once Michael Jackson's chef, Akasha Richmond helms her eponymous eatery, a lofty, timber-meets-concrete space where seasonal, sustainable produce meets…
San Francisco
For fresh, wallet-friendly meals, it's always Poki Time. Order a bowlful of kale or brown rice, plus your choice of marinated sushi-grade fish (the house…
San Fernando Valley
Among the multitudes of Thai restaurants in LA this small storefront stands out for its Thai fusion cuisine. What's that, you ask? Think satay quesadillas…
Orange County
This longtime favorite spot has a huge menu of salads, sandwiches, soups and rice dishes, but just about every table orders the oddly addictive nem nuong…
The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill
Savor Latin street food six floors above Mission St, with views over cinema marquees, palm trees and bodegas all the way downtown. Sunny brunches call for…
Mammoth Lakes
Mammoth Tavern hits the spot with comfort food like shepherd's pie, fondue and pork tenderloin. Heaping salads too. Warm lighting, wood-paneled walls…
North Beach & Chinatown
After this historic North Beach speakeasy was nearly evicted, devotees like Robert DeNiro and Johnny Depp rallied – now chef-owner April Bloomfield's in…
Central Coast
Delve into the appetizers menu – including crab cakes or orange-glazed octopus – or kick off with tuna tataki or fresh oysters from the crudo raw bar…
Laguna Beach
Birthplace of the smoothie (in the Guinness World Records), this little shop from 1931 continues to pack in surfers fueling up before hitting the waves…
The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill
Tandoori in the Tenderloin is for novices – SF foodies queue for the bright, clean flavors of Udupi's South Indian dosas (light, crispy lentil-flour…
Laguna Beach
At this stylish purveyor of New American cuisine, the small-plates menu ($8 to $15) ranges from filet mignon pot pie to sizzling garlic shrimp and New…
Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa
Pocket change left over from farmers-market shopping scores Argentine pocket pastries packed with local flavor at El Porteño. Vegetarian versions like…
Marin County
This quirky place takes a 1950s diner and fills it with Mexican religious statuettes, bright floral tablecloths and sparkling crystal chandeliers. The…
Marin County
Famous for its hearty breakfasts and lunches, this cozy eatery next to the beach serves wood-fired pizzas and excellent coastal cuisine such as Tomales…
Hollywood
A transporting taste of southern Thailand, friendly Jitlada peddles palate-pleasing crab curry and fried som tum (fried papaya salad). Regulars rave about…
San Fernando Valley
Pies from fruit to meat star at this reclaimed-wood-built shop in the NoHo Arts District. It's got all the standard comfort-food pies and quiches and…
Calistoga
Housed in the Indian Springs Resort, this is Calistoga's fancy American restaurant that also brews its own beer. Colorful and expertly prepared dishes…
Amawele's South African Kitchen
Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa
Salads alone won't power you through downtown days – follow techies sneaking away from their corporate cafeterias and duck into the Rincon Center for…
Downtown Los Angeles & Boyle Heights
A low-key, industrial hangout with chipped steel bench, butcher's paper place mats and old-school classroom chairs, Bäco Mercat is known for its warm…
Santa Monica
One of our favorite places on Main, it does a white pizza loaded with crispy kale, and another with prosciutto and egg on a bed of mozzarella and Gruyère…
Beverly Hills, Bel Air, Brentwood & Westwood
Beemer-steering girlfriends, celebrities and the generically cool flock to this farm-to-table kitchen, complete with attached gourmet deli. Locally…
Yosemite National Park
This tiny and super-friendly market sells groceries and bags of divine locally roasted coffee (take a deep breath in the aisles), and in summer it sells…
Malibu & Pacific Palisades
Tucked away in the Pine Tree Circle complex, it make a gorgeous warm goat-cheese salad (the cheese is breaded with panko and baked), a popular yellowfin…
Los Angeles
The Carfachia family has been running this old-school Italian deli for over 40 years, and everyone from local matriarchs to laborers and hipsters hit the…
North Beach & Chinatown
Other North Beach restaurants fake Italian accents, but this trattoria has Italians in the kitchen, on the floor and at the table. Roman chef-owner…
Marin County
Locally raised, grass-fed meats are the specialty of this whole-animal butcher committed to sustainable agriculture and family farms and ranches…
Central Coast
Fresh, sustainable seafood is artfully presented in any number of inventive ways, and a seasonally inspired menu also carries slow-cooked meats and…
Berkeley
In West Berkeley, this longtime, popular chaat house gets mobbed at lunchtime by regulars that include equal numbers of hungry office workers, students…
Japantown, Fillmore & Pacific Heights
Picnic under the Peace Pagoda with reliably fresh sushi or teriyaki bento boxes from Nijiya's deli counter, plus Berkeley-brewed Takara Sierra Cold sake…
San Francisco
Nibbling creative yakitori (skewers) at this snug six-table joint plastered with Beatles memorabilia is like dining aboard the Yellow Submarine. Twin…
Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa
Rising star chef alert: Brian Fernando is turning Sri Lankan inspirations into Californian cravings. Velvety halibut ceviche in coconut milk is an instant…
