La Jolla
A fabulous colorful warehouse-style restaurant dowsed in Californian spray-paint artist Chor Boogie designs. It serves Mexican street food in the form of…
Must-see restaurants in California
Westlake & Koreatown
Who doesn't love a chicken in a pot? Of course, you can opt for deer antler or abalone instead, but we (alongside other Korean food geeks) are partial to…
Santa Barbara
In the heart of east Santa Barbara's Mexican culinary scene, Los Agaves stands out for its well-cooked food and hacienda-style decor. Start with the…
Santa Ynez Valley
Fine cuisine isn't usually associated with Solvang, but Aly's meat- and fish-focused dishes hit the mark. The low-lit, simply furnished dining room…
Eastern Sierra
Tucked off the main drag, behind Yamatani's Restaurant, this busy bowling-alley bar and grill (with bowling-pin carpeting!) earns the locals' affection…
Orange County
For breakfast, not much beats this former gas station now serving haute pancakes, chorizo eggs, Cobb salads and patty melts instead of unleaded. Check out…
Venice, Marina Del Rey & Playa del Rey
This imaginative, local-market, cafeteria-style shop serves a lineup of tasty salads (watermelon radish and chili or tamarind pork and spicy carrots), and…
Sausalito
Chow down on seafood sandwiches, BBQ oysters or a Dungeness-crab roll at redwood picnic tables facing Richardson Bay. A local leader in promoting fresh…
Downtown Los Angeles & Boyle Heights
We love it all: the hand-picked china, the cracked terrazzo floor, and the fact that the affable Brazilian owner-operator is still chefing it up. Her pork…
Venice, Marina Del Rey & Playa del Rey
Venice cool has leaked into the Marina Del Rey border regions with wonderful results. This place is big and open with polished concrete floors and an…
Greater Palm Springs
Hot pink accents the all-white high-ceilinged lounge and dining room at this popular hangout in a converted post office. Come hungry for fare that is both…
San Diego
One of San Diego’s most authentic English ale houses, Shakespeare is the place for darts, soccer by satellite, beer on tap and pub grub, including fish…
Hollywood
A hipster deli and wine shop with a devoted following, where you can browse Californian wines, specialty bottled cocktails, artisanal cheeses and other…
San Diego
Come to this sports bar-slash-surf-hangout for its award-winning chicken wings. On the menu are 37 different flavors, including classic buffalo alongside…
Pasadena & the San Gabriel Valley
In business since 1946 and under a neon sign, Gus's smokes its baby back ribs, chicken, brisket and more in pecan wood and serves them Memphis or St Louis…
Santa Ynez Valley
Duck around the Danish-inscribed beams with decorative borders to order aebleskivers – round pancake popovers covered in powdered sugar and raspberry jam…
South Bay Beaches
Grab a stool, a booth or, better yet, an ocean-view table at this tiny, greet-the-day, intimate South Bay institution. Sexy surfers, tottering toddlers…
The Marina, Fisherman’s Wharf & the Piers
Gourmet burgers have taken SF by storm, but In-N-Out has had a good thing going for more than 60 years: prime chuck beef processed on-site, plus fries and…
Greater Palm Springs
The winning formula in this '60s modernist space: updated American comfort food (awesome Yankee pot roast) enjoyed surrounded by eye-catching artwork and…
Sacramento
With effortless class and obsessive commitment to seasonality, this converted 19th-century firehouse offers delicate pastas (such as a fresh lamb…
Berkeley
Big, delicious bowls of acai are the name of the game here, served in a well lit space that's popular with the kids. Options include acai bases overlaid…
Newport Beach
The claim to fame of this authentic Italian place on Lido Island is its handmade Chicago-style sausage, blended with Sicilian goat cheese for that…
San Diego
One part coffee shop, one part lounge and one part restaurant, this new vegan eatery serves hearty salad bowls heaped with goodness. Opt for a superfood…
Healdsburg
Top Chef Masters winner Douglas Keane's gastropub is perfect when you’re famished but don’t want to fuss. Expect simple classics – mac 'n' cheese, pulled…
San Diego
Finally, a vegan place that doesn't feel like you're slumming it. The modern decor with clean lines and bold graphics is your first clue; the menu, from…
West Hollywood & Mid-City
Let the bossa nova grooves flow at this ever-so-cute French cafe set in the American Rag complex. There are tables on the sidewalk, but we like the sofa…
Greater Palm Springs
Don't be put off by this French patisserie's strip mall location. Owners Christophe and Helene pour heart and soul - and butter, lots of butter - into…
Beverly Hills, Bel Air, Brentwood & Westwood
This Westwood institution has been in business since 1983 thanks to a simple formula: ice-cream sandwiches made before your eyes, packed between two fresh…
West Hollywood & Mid-City
An upscale, new-school taqueria. Vegetarians may opt for the roasted poblano and jack cheese tacos; fish heads will dig the branzino, shrimp or lobster …
Los Angeles to Barstow
As the name suggests, waffles are the main stock in trade of this classic dockside cafe. Choose from 17 sweet or savory varieties, including the luscious…
The Deserts
Roy Rodgers and Johnny Cash came by and scenes from Easyrider were filmed at this old-timey honky-tonk dripping with memorabilia and character(s). It's…
Mono Lake Region
Stop in at the country-kitchen dining room of this whitewashed 1877 building for burgers, pot roast, steaks and seafood, and a dip into its modest wine…
Coastal Orange County
The name really says it all at this urbane spot across from the water. Get a table by the window for the best ocean views as you chomp on a modern…
San Francisco
Get cozy at this bay-window osteria with a sunny disposition, feel-good handmade pastas, excellent DOC Italian wines by the glass, and banquettes that…
Sonoma Valley
With a gurgling fountain on the back patio and glorious views onto the neighboring hills, this little Kenwood joint is an excellent value, its dishes made…
Death Valley National Park
Above-par cowboy cooking happens at this ranch house, which gets Old West flair from a rustic fireplace and rickety wooden chairs and tables. Many of the…
Along Highway 101
This unassuming restaurant in the south of town transports you from the vineyards of Ukiah to the foothills of the Himalaya with its dark wood paneling,…
Oakland
The name promises what's good: pho ga, Vietnamese chicken noodle soup, served here with a side of ginger scallion sauce that feels like it came straight…
Long Beach & San Pedro
On Retro Row, Vietnamese noodles, banh mi sandwiches and craft beers are served in a spare, minimalist spot (concrete floors, white Formica tables) that…
Santa Barbara
Just around the corner from State St, this high-ceilinged pizzeria with a happening wine bar proffers crispy, wood-oven-baked pizzas, platters of imported…
