Must-see restaurants in California

  • Pete's Place

    Yosemite & the Sierra Nevada

    Fill up on a hearty meal at this basic place before entering the park. The menu is extensive, with most kinds of classic American fare, plus some Greek…

  • 21st Amendment Brewery

    Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa

    Perfectly placed before Giants games, 21st Amendment brews stellar IPA and Hell or High Watermelon wheat beer. The vegetarian-friendly bar-and-grill menu …

  • Maggie's Blue Rose

    Los Angeles

    This new, central spot does Mexican standards and cooking with an island twist such as ancho-chile spiced shrimp served with avocado, greens, cucumber and…

  • Alma

    West Hollywood & Mid-City

    Like its home, the Standard Hotel, Alma's a hub of millennial cool. Menus feature hipster standards during the day – think avocado toast, chicken club or…

  • Cafe Dulce

    Downtown Los Angeles & Boyle Heights

    Among the best diversions in the Japanese Village Plaza is this terrific donut-shop-turned-cafe serving blueberry mocha and green-tea roti (Malaysian…

  • Yuko Kitchen

    West Hollywood & Mid-City

    This brightly painted, artsy-adorable Japanese-fusion cafe (enter just south of Wilshire Blvd) serves sashimi salads, udon, rice bowls piled with miso…

  • Lemonade

    Downtown Los Angeles & Boyle Heights

    In the basement food hall of City National Plaza, trendy Lemonade offers the Cafeteria 2.0 experience – counter slop ditched for super-fresh gourmet grub…

  • Grill on the Alley

    Beverly Hills, Bel Air, Brentwood & Westwood

    A back-alley marble, oak and leather steak house where Hollywood heavyweights – who flock here from nearby agencies – slug it out over lunch. While it's…

  • Ski Inn

    Greater Palm Springs

    For local color by the bucket and greasy burgers to boot, stop by this Salton Sea watering hole in a quasi ghost town. If you're lucky, you'll get to be…

  • Dinosaurs

    San Francisco

    Monster banh mi (Vietnamese sandwiches) stomp hunger with your choice of beef, lemongrass chicken, portobello, or pork with pâté on crusty French bread…

  • Hummingbird

    Marin County

    This bustling, warm and friendly breakfast cafe with a N'awlins-style Cajun and creole menu draws crowds, not just for addictive, fluffy beignets dusted…

  • Café Stella

    Silver Lake & Echo Park

    Boho-spirited Stella is a cloud of clinking glasses and red wine under a tented patio that rambles into a nostalgic dining room. Service can be a little…

  • Catal Restaurant

    Disneyland Resort

    The chef cooks up a fusion of Californian and Mediterranean cuisines (steelhead salmon, paellas, lunchtime sandwiches, plus a kids menu) at this airy two…

  • Tony's Coal-Fired Pizza & Slice House

    North Beach & Chinatown

    Fuggedaboudit, New York pizza loyalists: in San Francisco, you can grab a cheesy, thin-crust slice from nine-time world-champion pizza-slinger Tony…

  • Mateo's Cocina Latina

    Healdsburg

    Here the upmarket Yucatan-inspired cooking at lunch and the California-French fusion dishes in the evening integrate fine technique and all-local…

  • South Beverly Grill

    Beverly Hills, Bel Air, Brentwood & Westwood

    With its handsome bar and red leather booths peppered with movie execs talking shop, this dim, buzzing restaurant offers a genuine slice of Beverly Hills…

  • Cockscomb

    Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa

    Rules need not apply in San Francisco: concrete warehouses can become cozy bistros, duck-fat cauliflower and oysters are daily dietary requirements, and…

  • Wildcraft

    Los Angeles

    There's a lot to love at this sourdough-crusted pizza joint, from the slab marble bar and craft libations, to the fluffy, wood-fired pies themselves…

  • Union Larder

    San Francisco

    For wine with a side of food and people-watching, Union Larder sets the scene with backlit wine bottles rising to the ceiling and vaulted windows…

  • Brodard Chateau

    Orange County

    The fancier sister restaurant of Brodard, this place looks like a traditional Vietnamese house, with a full bar and subdued lighting inside. Like the…

  • Virginia Creek Settlement Restaurant

    Mono Lake Region

    Aligned with the hotel's Old West theme, this small, casual restaurant is the best place to eat in town. It's decorated country-style, with vintage photos…

  • Mission Chinese

    The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill

    Mission barflies and globetrotting gourmands find common ground at Danny Bowien's cult-food dive. Kung pao pastrami burritos, lamb dumplings with Greek…

  • The Hatch Rotisserie & Bar

    Central Coast

    Wood-fired treats in this heritage location combining shimmering chandeliers and rustic bricks include grilled octopus, rotisserie chicken and creamy bone…

  • 4505 Burgers & BBQ

    The Haight & Hayes Valley

    Sure, you could get the Cobb salad, but go the whole hog for the smoked-rib plate – 4505 butchers its own humanely raised pork and grass-fed beef, so ribs…

  • Pretty Please Bakeshop

    San Francisco

    Since you asked nicely, pastry chef Alison Okabayashi will hand over your choice of all-American treats: mini apple pies, carrot cupcakes and sculpted…

  • El Tonayense Taco Truck

    The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill

    Entire Mission street-art movements have been fueled by El Tonayense tacos over the past 25 years. Burritos and quesadillas are generous to a fault, and…

  • Mercado

    Santa Monica

    The original location for our favorite happy-hour cabana does exquisite carnitas tacos that melt in your mouth only at happy hour, but it mixes excellent…

  • Bun Mee

    Japantown, Fillmore & Pacific Heights

    Gone in six bites, these little banh mi (Vietnamese sandwiches with pickled vegetables) leave lips buzzing. Five-spice chicken packs sweet heat and…

  • Belga

    The Marina, Fisherman’s Wharf & the Piers

    Happening and swank, Belga resembles a European brasserie, with side-by-side tables flanking red-leather banquettes – fitting for northern French and…

  • Escape from New York Pizza

    The Haight & Hayes Valley

    The Haight's obligatory mid-bender stop for a hot slice. Pesto with roasted garlic and potato will send you blissfully off to carbo-loaded sleep, but the…

  • Lakefront Restaurant

    Mammoth Lakes

    The most atmospheric and romantic (and pricey) restaurant in Mammoth, this intimate dining room at Tamarack Lodge overlooks the lovely Twin Lakes. The…

  • Park Tavern

    North Beach & Chinatown

    Once an old boys' club, this modern, women-owned bistro makes cheeky California updates to continental classics: Kobe beef tartare with duck liver pâté on…

  • Ramp

    The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill

    Find a seat on the pier at rickety umbrella tables for Bloody Marys and people-watching, and do it fast – once the Warriors stadium is finished 50 feet…

  • Fred's Beverly Hills

    Beverly Hills, Bel Air, Brentwood & Westwood

    Perched on the top floor of Barneys department store, mid-century-inspired Fred's is a hit with on-point lunching girlfriends and power suits. Call ahead…

  • Heart of the City Farmers Market

    Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa

    Bringing farm freshness to the city's concrete-paved center since 1981, this nonprofit, farmer-operated market is on a mission to provide local,…

  • Slurpin' Ramen

    Westlake & Koreatown

    The communal bar tables and window counters at this casual joint are rarely short of K-Town locals and USC students, slurping on superlative ramen. The…

  • Señor G's

    Venice, Marina Del Rey & Playa del Rey

    A beloved laid-back Mexican joint packed with Playa Vista business types at lunch and locals at dinner. It does massive burritos filled with chunks of…

  • Burma Superstar

    San Francisco

    Yes, there's a wait, but do you see anyone walking away? Blame it on fragrant moh hinga (catfish curry), tangy vegetarian samusa soup, and traditional…

  • Square One

    Hollywood

    In the shadow of the looming Scientology campus is this homely breakfast and lunch spot, complete with quirky egg-carton ceiling. Indeed, eggs feature…

  • Tom's Place Resort Cafe

    Eastern Sierra

    A century old and still going strong, Tom's Place is a classic. The decor is decidedly kitsch and brimming with Americana. Refuel in this friendly locals'…