Beverly Hills, Bel Air, Brentwood & Westwood
This busy, fast-food-style place won't be winning awards for atmosphere anytime soon, but you're here for fresh, tasty, wallet-friendly salads, sandwiches…
Must-see restaurants in California
San Francisco
Bite into your ice-cream cone and get instant brain freeze, plus a hit of nostalgia – this is the original Swensen's ice-cream shop, opened in 1948. Oooh…
Coastal Orange County
Costa Mesa's newest food destination brings together purveyors of coffees, cheeses, oysters and more. Also here is Taco Maria, whose Michelin-starred chef…
Mt Shasta Region
Hiding under the Hitching Post sign just off I-5, this is the lplace to come to blow your diet. Breakfast means Cuban pepper-steak hash or perhaps home…
Marin County
A chef-run roadside restaurant with a sophisticated menu and decor, Saltwater's offerings change with the seasons; savor roasted quail with rhubarb…
Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa
Food is secondary to people-watching at this glass-pavilion cafe perched atop Union Sq – stake out a prime outdoor table and order snacks at the counter…
North Beach & Chinatown
Meekly suggest an interest in seafood, nothing deep-fried, maybe some greens? – and your server will nod brusquely, grab the menu and return laden with…
Coastal Highway 1
Given its position, overlooking the docks, you would expect this to be a swanky oysters-and-champagne sort of place. Far from it. The decor is stuck in…
Mt Shasta Region
Smack in the middle of town, this homey place serves strong coffee, espresso and friendly service. It's more of a diner than a bakery and the offerings –…
San Jose
Always busy, this indoor/outdoor marketplace downtown showcases a few shining local food stars such as Pizza Bocca Lupo, Konjoe Burger Bar, Treatbot ice…
San Francisco
Foodies, rejoice: here's one deli where they won't blink if you request aged, drunken chèvre instead of provolone on your sandwich. The specialty is…
San Joaquin Valley
This checker-tiled neighborhood wing joint is run by a former NFL player and his wife, who turn out perfectly crispy wings (which were recently featured…
The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill
Riches beyond your wildest dreams: butter-golden pains au chocolat, cappuccinos with ferns drawn in dense foam and croque monsieurs turbo-loaded with ham,…
Santa Ynez Valley
Next to Hotel Corque, chef Bradley Ogden's creative farm-to-table cuisine shows an artful touch. It’s hard to beat the chicken and steaks, or come for the…
San Diego
This cool diner-decorated eatery fuses mostly Korean cooking with Western and other Asian influences (witness the 'super awesome' beef-and-kimchi burrito)…
Laguna Beach
With its friendly, indie-spirited vibe comes this tiny tribute to healthy cuisine. From hummus and guac sandwiches to sunflower sprout salads and black…
The Deserts
Interstate truckers, blue-collar workers and Vegas-bound hipsters all gather at this simple, colorful Mexican cocina, tucked away inside a strip mall and…
Sonoma
Specializing in Portuguese and Mediterranean fare, this tapas tavern in food-obsessed downtown Sonoma holds its own. Try the authentic caldo verde …
San Diego
Although the wicker-chair look is getting a bit dated, this popular neighborhood restaurant is like a fine bottle of wine that gets better with age…
Santa Monica
Chef Sang Yoon's elbow-to-elbow, counter-service gastropub is famous for its Office Burger, a dry-aged-beef number dressed in smoky bacon, sweet…
Eastern Sierra
This roadside barbecue spot is a Big Pine classic, drawing fans from afar for its pulled pork sandwiches, Saint Louis-style ribs and sampler platters. Two…
Newport Beach
Sit on the wooden deck and watch the boats at this polished harborside restaurant and oyster bar that serves incredibly fresh fish. Great for Bloody Marys…
Along Highway 101
Opposite the Boonville Hotel, this superb deli is good to stock up for picnics, offering gourmet sandwiches on homemade bread, thin-crust pizzas and…
Napa Valley
In an architect-designed dining room that breaks the Wine Country mold, Archetype effortlessly melds Asian and Mediterranean techniques with the best of…
West Hollywood & Mid-City
This tasteful kitchen began life as Coach and Horses, one of Hollywood's favorite dives, before it was reimagined into a place where you can get buffalo…
Coastal Orange County
With its flickering votive candles, ivy-covered courtyard and spicy Cuban, Mexican and Jamaican specialties, this sultry cantina whispers rendezvous…
Santa Monica
Creative New American cooking takes center stage at this multi-windowed cafe with lots of sidewalk seating in the tony Montana Ave shopping strip. The…
Los Feliz & Griffith Park
Hungry hikers gravitate to this adorable walk-up cafe, a few blocks north of Los Feliz Blvd. Almost everything from its tiny timber-cabin kitchen is made…
Berkeley
Grégoire has an interesting theme going – French comfort sandwiches, salads and such (ie fries and puffs) available on the go, and for relatively cheap…
Santa Ynez Valley
As seen in the movie Sideways, this dark-paneled chophouse offers oak-grilled steaks, pork ribs, smoked duck breast and rack of lamb. Every old-school…
Santa Barbara
Spanish tapas done the Spanish way – simply and with top-quality ingredients. The wine list is a curated best-of-Spain selection, too, so pair your pulpo …
Silver Lake & Echo Park
A simple, modern, pared-back market cafe that's family owned and a champion of all things fresh, local and seasonal. Scan the counter and the freshly…
Venice, Marina Del Rey & Playa del Rey
Hal's has been an institution on Abbot Kinney since the late '80s, even weathering the upswing in Abbot Kinney real-estate prices, albeit in a new…
Santa Monica
The Santa Monica shingle of a popular sushi chain imagined by LA’s reformed Sushi Nazi, Chef Nozawa. You can order à la carte or one of the three set …
San Diego
In a sunny yellow, wooden building that used to be the Encinitas train station (transported from its original site), Pannikin is an adorable sprawl of…
Santa Barbara
With all the exuberance of Mardi Gras, this N’awlins-style grill makes totally addictive baskets of housemade muffins and breads, and ginormous (if so-so)…
Rocket Dog Gourmet Brats & Brew
San Joaquin Valley
Sure, something like 'Hansel's Heaven' – a bratwurst served on a pretzel roll and covered in mac 'n' cheese – isn't health food, but this excellent, ultra…
San Diego
Pull your own bottle from the wine vault, then char your own favorite cut of steak, chicken or fish on the open grills in the retro-Vegas dining room at…
West of I-5
For years this has been Weaverville's more upscale offering, specializing in American favorites from burgers and steaks to ribs and grilled salmon. It's a…
Malibu & Pacific Palisades
This Mexican joint with a Cuban name serves terrific margaritas in sumptuous booths on the heated patio, salsa on the sound system and two dishes that…
