Must-see restaurants in California

  • Ray’s

    West Hollywood & Mid-City

    Seldom does a restaurant blessed with as golden a location as this one – on the plaza of LACMA – live up to the address. Ray's does. Menus change…

  • Wako

    San Francisco

    Chef-owner Tomoharu Nakamura's driftwood-paneled bistro is as quirkily San Franciscan as the bonsai grove at the nearby Japanese Tea Garden. Each omakase …

  • Walt’s Wharf

    Coastal Orange County

    Everybody’s favorite for fresh fish (some drive in from LA), Walt’s packs them in on weekends. You can’t make reservations for dinner (though they’re…

  • HomeState

    Los Feliz & Griffith Park

    Texan expat Briana Valdez is behind this rustic ode to the Lone Star State. Locals queue patiently for authentic breakfast tacos such as the Trinity, a…

  • Night + Market

    West Hollywood & Mid-City

    Set behind Talésai, a long-running Thai joint, this related kitchen pumps out outstanding Thai street food and Thai-inspired hybrids such as catfish…

  • Cassia

    Santa Monica

    Ever since it opened in 2015, open, airy Cassia has made about every local and national 'best' list of LA restaurants. Chef Bryant Ng draws on his Chinese…

  • Inn of the Seventh Ray

    Malibu & Pacific Palisades

    If you lived through the 1960s, you might experience flashbacks at this new-agey hideaway in an impossibly idyllic creekside setting in Topanga Canyon. It…

  • Juniper & Ivy

    San Diego

    Spearheading the new crop of Little Italy's fine-dining restaurants, J&I is the creation of star chef Richard Blais, who performs culinary sorcery with…

  • Guisados

    Downtown Los Angeles & Boyle Heights

    Guisados' citywide fame is founded on its tacos de guisados: warm, thick, nixtamal tortillas made to order and topped with sultry, smoky, slow-cooked…

  • Taco Mesa

    Coastal Orange County

    Brightly painted in Mexican Day of the Dead art, this out-of-the-way stand is a local institution for fresh, healthy, sustainably farmed tacos of steak,…

  • Liholiho Yacht Club

    Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa

    Who needs yachts to be happy? Aloha abounds over Liholiho's pucker-up-tart cocktails and gleefully creative Calwaiian/Hawafornian dishes – surefire mood…

  • Café Maddalena

    Mt Shasta Region

    Simple and elegant, this cafe put Dunsmuir on the foodie map. The menu was designed by chef Brett LaMott (of Trinity Cafe fame) and changes seasonally to…

  • Saddle Peak Lodge

    Malibu & Pacific Palisades

    Rustic as a Colorado mountain lodge, and tucked into the Santa Monica Mountains with a creek running beneath, Saddle Peak Lodge serves up elk, venison,…

  • Maccheroni Republic

    Downtown Los Angeles & Boyle Heights

    Tucked away on a still-ungentrified corner is this gem with a leafy heated patio and tremendous Italian slow-cooked food. Don't miss the polpettine di…

  • Broken Spanish

    Downtown Los Angeles & Boyle Heights

    Despite retro design nods such as concrete blocks, macrame plant hangers and terracotta lampshades, Ray Garcia's sleek Downtown eatery is all about…

  • La Cosecha Bar & Restaurant

    Central Coast

    The Honduran heritage of chef and owner Santos MacDonal shines through at this cosmopolitan bar and bistro translating from Spanish into 'the harvest.'…

  • Madrona Manor

    Healdsburg

    You’d be hard-pressed to find a lovelier place to propose than this retro-formal Victorian mansion’s garden-view verandah – though there’s nothing old…

  • Ike’s Quarter Cafe

    Gold Country

    Right out of New Orleans' Garden District, Ike’s serves splendid brunch fare with a sassy charm. Sit outside under the cherry tree or in the cluttered,…

  • Osteria & Pizzeria Mozza

    Hollywood

    Osteria Mozza crafts fine cuisine from market-fresh, seasonal ingredients, but being a Nancy Silverton joint, you can expect adventure – think squid-ink…

  • Sqirl

    Silver Lake & Echo Park

    Despite its somewhat-obscure location, this tiny, subway-tiled cafe is forever pumping thanks to its top-notch, out-of-the-box breakfast and lunch…

  • Driftwood Kitchen

    Laguna Beach

    Ocean views and ridiculous sunsets alone ought to be enough to bring folks in, but gourmet Driftwood steps up the food with seasonal menus centered around…

  • Mauerpark

    San Francisco

    Break brot (bread) with friends, and share platters piled with wurst, salami and cheese. Raised by German immigrants in the Bay Area, Salome Buelow serves…

  • Fentons

    Oakland

    If you have children, or love ice cream, you owe it to yourself to stop by this institution. The range of ice cream flavors is encyclopedic in range,…

  • Indian Paradox

    The Haight & Hayes Valley

    Hit the high-low sweet spot between the Upper and Lower Haight at this cozy storefront serving zesty Indian street food with inspired wine pairings…

  • Gai Chicken Rice

    San Francisco

    Who's got the solution to cold snaps and tentative tummies? This Gai. The tender Hainan-style poached chicken here is free-range and antibiotic-free,…

  • MB Post

    South Bay Beaches

    There's a lot to love here, from the reclaimed wood-paneled exterior to the exposed rafters and wood-block common tables where you'll munch pomegranate…

  • Convict Lake Resort Restaurant

    Eastern Sierra

    Widely considered to be the best restaurant within a 100-mile radius. Expertly prepared fish and meat dishes such as beef Wellington, filet mignon, wild…

  • Penny Ice Creamery

    Santa Cruz

    With a cult following, this artisan ice-cream shop crafts zany flavors such as bourbon-candied ginger, lemon-verbena–blueberry and ricotta apricot all…

  • Carthay Circle

    Disneyland Resort

    Decked out like a Hollywood country club, new Carthay Circle is the best dining in either park, with seasonal steaks, seafood, pasta, smart service and a…

  • Mission Community Market

    The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill

    Back-alley bounty brings ravenous crowds on Thursdays to this nonprofit, neighborhood-run market, come rain or shine. More than 30 local farmers and food…

  • Ostrich Farm

    Silver Lake & Echo Park

    Flickering tea lights and charming, competent barkeeps crank up the charm at this intimate, convivial space, owned and run by a husband-and-wife team. You…

  • Grand Central Market

    Downtown Los Angeles & Boyle Heights

    Designed by prolific architect John Parkinson and once home to an office occupied by Frank Lloyd Wright, LA's beaux arts market hall has been satisfying…

  • Kitchen Mouse

    Los Angeles

    A super-cute cafe with tied-back curtains, freshly picked flowers and sidewalk tables, Kitchen Mouse is Highland Park's favorite herbivore. Everyone from…

  • Hash House a Go Go

    San Diego

    This buzzing bungalow with its old-school dining room, busy bar and breezy patio dishes up rib-sticking 'twisted farm food' straight from the American…

  • Providence

    Hollywood

    Consistently near the top of every list of great LA restaurants, chef Michael Cimarusti's James Beard–winning, two-Michelin-starred darling turns…

  • Taylor’s

    Westlake & Koreatown

    Fifties throwback Taylor's is all old-school LA, from the dark-leatherette booths and wood-paneled walls, to the vest-clad old-school waiters. Some…

  • La Palma Mexicatessen

    The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill

    Follow the applause: that's the sound of organic tortilla-making in progress. You've found the Mission mother lode of handmade tamales, and pupusas …

  • Benkyodo

    Japantown, Fillmore & Pacific Heights

    Since 1906, family-owned Benkyodo has survived earthquakes, world wars, even Japanese American internment – and still the Okamura family keeps making life…

  • Elf Cafe

    Silver Lake & Echo Park

    This intimate Echo Park mainstay is one of the best – if not the very best – vegetarian restaurants in LA. The menu has distinct Mediterranean and Middle…

  • Molinari

    North Beach & Chinatown

    Observe this quasi-religious North Beach noontime ritual: enter Molinari, and grab a number and a crusty roll. When your number's called, let wisecracking…