Must-see restaurants in California

  • Standing Room

    South Bay Beaches

    New brick-and-mortar incarnation of the gourmet fave, Korean-fusion burger stand that started in Redondo Beach. It's a hipster-cool spot for the Cash…

  • Mr Pollo

    The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill

    This hole-in-the-wall restaurant contains just six tables and serves one of the most delicious, but least expensive, tasting menus in all of San Francisco…

  • Petit Trois

    Hollywood

    Good things come in small packages…like tiny, no-reservations Petit Trois! Owned by acclaimed TV chef Ludovic Lefebvre, its two long counters (the place…

  • Daichan

    San Fernando Valley

    Tucked away in an unassuming mini-mall, and stuffed with knickknacks, pasted with posters and staffed by a sunny, sweet owner-operator, this offbeat, home…

  • Manuela

    Downtown Los Angeles & Boyle Heights

    This it-kid inside the Hauser & Wirth arts complex boasts a woody warm, loftlike space and an oft-tweaked menu that beautifully fuses California meats,…

  • Gjelina

    Venice, Marina Del Rey & Playa del Rey

    If one restaurant defines the new Venice, it's this. Carve out a spot on the communal table between the hipsters and yuppies, or get your own slab of wood…

  • Chez Panisse

    Berkeley

    Foodies come to worship here at the church of Alice Waters, inventor of California cuisine. Panisse is located in a lovely arts-and-crafts house in…

  • Din Tai Fung

    Pasadena & the San Gabriel Valley

    It's a testament to the SGV's ethnic Chinese community that Taiwan's most esteemed dumpling house opened its first US outpost here. The menu of dumplings,…

  • Asanebo

    San Fernando Valley

    Although it's in a strip mall (welcome to the Valley), Asanebo is a Sushi Row standout thanks to dishes such as halibut sashimi with fresh truffle, and…

  • Ember

    Central Coast

    Chef Brian Collins, who once cooked at Alice Waters' revered Chez Panisse, has returned to his roots in SLO County. Out of this heart-warming restaurant's…

  • The Mill

    The Haight & Hayes Valley

    Baked with organic wholegrain stone-ground on-site, hearty Josey Baker Bread sustains Haight skaters and start-uppers alike. You might think SF hipsters…

  • Hook Fish Co

    San Francisco

    There's a reason you packed that puffy coat: to visit this delightful fish joint out in the windy abyss also known as the Outer Sunset. Order over a small…

  • Ramos House Café

    Coastal Orange County

    The best spot for breakfast or lunch in Los Rios Historic District, this Old West–flavored, wood-built house from 1881 (with brick patio) does organically…

  • Cowgirl Creamery

    Marin County

    Perhaps the best cheeses made in Northern California, Marin, and probably beyond. Reserve in advance for an artisanal cheesemaker’s demonstration and…

  • Union

    Pasadena & the San Gabriel Valley

    A cheerful, sophisticated energy animates James Beard–nominated chef Bruce Kalman's restaurant, offering California interpretations of northern Italian…

  • Republique

    West Hollywood & Mid-City

    A design gem with the gourmet ambition to match. The old interior of LA's dearly departed Campanile is still an atrium restaurant with stone arches, a…

  • Officine Brera

    Downtown Los Angeles & Boyle Heights

    Hidden down a seemingly barren street is this stylish northern Italian restaurant, an expansive industrial space with rustic wooden accents. Stacked logs…

  • Backyard

    Russian River Area

    This relaxing, alfresco spot gets every fruit, vegetable and animal from local farmers or fishers and the chef knows just what to do with all of it…

  • Wolfdown

    Silver Lake & Echo Park

    Young Korean-American chef Jason Kim has created a buzz with his latest venture, a snug, discreet restaurant with a 'deconstructed farmhouse' design,…

  • RT Rotisserie

    The Haight & Hayes Valley

    An all-star menu makes ordering mains easy – you'll find bliss with entire chickens hot off the spit, succulent lamb and pickled onions, or surprisingly…

  • Bestia

    Downtown Los Angeles & Boyle Heights

    In a once-abandoned Arts District corner, this loud, buzzing, industrial dining space is one of the most sought-after reservations in town; book at least…

  • Liberty Public Market

    San Diego

    The culinary heart of a 1920’s-era naval training center turned artistic urban playground, this hip food hall presents around 30 local artisan vendors who…

  • Ciccio

    Napa Valley

    The small, frequently changing menu at this family-owned Italian place is dependent on the season and likely to include just a couple of veggies, pastas,…

  • Pour Vida

    Anaheim

    Chef Jimmy, who has worked in some of LA's top kitchens, returned to his Mexican roots to make some of the most gourmet tacos we've ever seen: pineapple…

  • Restaurant at the Boonville Hotel

    Along Highway 101

    Food-savvy travelers love the constantly changing, adventurous tasting menus dreamed up by renowned chef Perry Hoffman. His distinctive haute cuisine is…

  • Lark

    Santa Barbara

    A top spot to savor SoCal's bountiful farm and fishing goodness, chef-run Lark was named after an antique Pullman railway car and is based at a former…

  • Arigato Sushi

    Santa Barbara

    Phenomenally popular Arigato Sushi always has people milling around waiting for a table (no reservations taken) but it's worth the wait. Traditional and…

  • Kantine

    San Francisco

    Brunch is served with a side of hygge (cozy happiness) at Kantine. Take your pick of five to seven seasonal Scandinavian-inspired dishes – velvety bay…

  • Sunday Marin Farmers Market

    Marin County

    Nowhere else in Marin County do as many farmers, ranchers, fishers and gourmet-food makers gather than at this Sunday-morning farmers market, happening…

  • Handline

    Russian River Area

    Housed in a former Foster's Freeze, this local's favorite seafood restaurant is over-the-counter casual but undeniably elegant. The stylish interior is…

  • Gio Gelati

    The Marina, Fisherman’s Wharf & the Piers

    Gelato chef Patrizia Pasqualetti was well-known in Italy for her family's gelato shop, and here in SF she's re-creating those tried-and-true flavors, only…

  • Musso & Frank Grill

    Hollywood

    Hollywood history hangs in the thick air at Musso & Frank Grill, Tinseltown’s oldest eatery (since 1919). Charlie Chaplin used to knock back vodka gimlets…

  • Erna's Elderberry House

    Yosemite & the Sierra Nevada

    With wall tapestries, oil paintings and ornate chandeliers, the Californian-French restaurant at Château du Sureau could be a castle. But you don't have…

  • Avatar’s

    Sausalito

    Boasting a cuisine of ‘ethnic confusions,’ the Indian-fusion dishes here incorporate Mexican, Italian and Caribbean ingredients and will bowl you over…

  • Hog Island Oyster Company

    Marin County

    Ten miles north of Point Reyes Station you’ll find the salty turnout for Hog Island Oyster Company. There’s not much to see: just some picnic tables and…

  • State Bird Provisions

    Japantown, Fillmore & Pacific Heights

    Even before winning multiple James Beard Awards, State Bird attracted lines for 5:30pm seatings not seen since the Dead played neighboring Fillmore…

  • Kettle Black

    Silver Lake & Echo Park

    Kettle Black belongs to the new Silver Lake guard, a dark, stylish cocktail bar-restaurant with fashionable diners, communal bar tables and a dizzying…

  • Salt's Cure

    Hollywood

    Wood-paneled, concrete-floored Salt's Cure is an out, proud locavore. From the in-season vegetables to the house-butchered and cured meats, the menu…

  • Cafe Birdie

    Los Angeles

    Market-fresh ingredients drive elevated comfort dishes at this slinky Highland Park hot spot, complete with prerequisite marble-topped bar, designer…

  • Hot Sauce and Panko

    San Francisco

    What's for lunch? Just wing it at Hot Sauce and Panko, an eccentric hilltop corner store stocking hundreds of versions of two namesake items, plus 30 (!)…