The Marina, Fisherman’s Wharf & the Piers
Proustian nostalgia washes over fully grown adults as they bite into cupcakes that recall childhood magician-led birthday parties. Varieties range from…
Must-see restaurants in California
San Luis Obispo
Big Sky is a big room, and still the wait can be long – its tagline is ‘analog food for a digital world.’ Vegetarians have almost as many options as…
Malibu & Pacific Palisades
A dependably good, classic Italian kitchen in the heart of Cross Creek, with ample patio seating, good wines and pastas, and almost always a full house…
Coastal Highway 1
The menu consists of just a few things – usually fish tacos, fish 'n' chips, chowder and a few salads. Barbecued oysters are available seasonally. Order…
Pasadena & the San Gabriel Valley
Cool your jets in the heart of Old Pasadena with some of LA's hippest purveyors of sweets and treats assembled under one roof. Amid the space's downtown…
San Diego
Afghan tapestries and moody photos set the atmosphere in this tall-ceilinged space, with adventuresome Afghan cooking. If you’ve never had it, it’s kind…
Central Coast
Crowded with locals, this shingled late-19th-century house dishes up comfort food with haute touches, like cinnamon-brioche French toast, grilled eggplant…
Central Coast
In Pismo's next-door town of Grover Beach, this nouveau-Thai restaurant is splashed with tropical colors. Making side trips into Asian fusion, it caters…
Eastern Sierra
In business since 1946, old-school diner Jack's stocks a full menu of filling, inexpensive comfort food such as meatloaf and chicken fried steak, as well…
San Diego
Local coffee-shop chain, serving organic teas and a small menu with items such as organic French toast, maple syrup and fresh fruit, or poached eggs with…
Lake Tahoe
Don’t let the strip-mall location stop you from rocking this creative, eclectic tapas and wine bar. Mix light, seasonal, veggie-friendly dishes with…
Pasadena & the San Gabriel Valley
Get your kicks at this original 1915 soda fountain right on Route 66. Slurp an old-fashioned ‘phosphate' (flavored syrup, soda water and ‘secret potion')…
Coastal Highway 1
If you pull into town late and hungry, you’ll thank your lucky stars for this place; it serves quality pub grub – fish and chips, burgers, dinner salads…
San Diego
Every night, party people on a budget crowd into raucous Fred’s, especially on bargain ‘Taco-licious Tuesday' (with tacos from $2 4pm–closing). The…
Beverly Hills, Bel Air, Brentwood & Westwood
One of the most popular lunch spots in Brentwood, where Tuscan spinach salads are tossed with caramelized walnuts, and grilled portobello sandwiches are…
San Diego
Its streetside storefront looks rather plain from the outside, but once inside, this shop – run by three sisters – is awash with warm tones and white…
Mammoth Lakes
Bavarian chalet–style restaurant conveniently located at the bottom of Mammoth Mountain, next to Panorama Gondola, opposite the Main Lodge. Serves…
Yosemite National Park
The small, rustic dining room of the White Wolf Lodge is open for a buffet breakfast and in the evening for family-style dinners inside or on the front…
Venice, Marina Del Rey & Playa del Rey
Consider the chicken mole plate, contemplate the tacos and tamales, then order an authentic torta smeared with black-bean paste and piled with avocado,…
Los Angeles
Across from Avalon's golf course and en route to the botanic gardens, this snack bar is nothing fancy (omelets, burgers and such served outdoors), but the…
Oakland
This restaurant makes a claim to serving the best pork dumplings around, but it's resting on past laurels. The Chinese fare food is still solid, if not…
Sacramento & the Central Valley
This excellent pit stop offers seasonal fruits and nuts from May to November, but the best deals are in the adjacent packing house, where you can barter…
San Diego
Asian restaurant serving dim sum, popular chow meins, pad Thai and noodle soups. A gluten-free menu includes spicy seafood lemongrass, chow fun, and…
Huntington Beach
Sometimes Fido likes to order too. In a dog-friendly setting with shady outdoor picnic tables, try this casual outdoor restaurant in Huntington Central…
Lake Tahoe
A hearty welcome for the whole family is what you’ll find at this wood-cabin diner with an outdoor deck. Buttermilk fries with jalapeño dipping sauce,…
San Diego
Bencotto melds the old with the new of Little Italy – contemporary, angular, multistory, architect-designed, arty and green – and the food is great, too,…
San Joaquin Valley
The Branding Iron roadhouse, a favorite of ranchers in the area, has been spruced up a bit for the tour buses, but locals still dig the hearty steak…
Eastern Sierra
Fairly upscale and unexpected in such a flyspeck town, the Still Life Cafe prepares escargot (snails), steak au poivre (with peppercorn) and other French…
The Peninsula
Inside an early-20th-century general store, this isn't the same diner made famous by 1960s folk singer Arlo Guthrie, yet it's still a popular stop for…
Orange County
Longtime downtown favorite serves spiced-just-right Caribbean, Cuban and Spanish dishes, most accompanied by a hefty serving of plantains, black beans and…
Sequoia National Park
A small shop selling selling delicious warm griddle donuts (yep, donuts heated on a waffle griddle). You can also find 'healthy junk food', nuts, seeds,…
Greater Palm Springs
There are showier Mexican places around town, but eventually everyone ends up back at El Mirasol, with its earthy decor, generous margaritas and snappy…
San Diego
This San Diego chain, named after the famous surf break, sells salads, wraps and sandwiches, plus fresh smoothie bowls earlier in the day or fish-based…
Marin County
This rustic-chic downtown culinary shop and cafe makes a yummy brunch stop for potato-celery root pancakes, huevos rancheros (fried eggs atop corn…
Los Angeles
This family-owned vegetarian steam table serves chunky, cheap samosas, as well as more substantial dishes such as charcoal-smoked cauliflower daal, aloo…
North Coast & Redwoods
You can’t beat the atmosphere at this diner; a former pharmacy dating back to 1870. Trophy heads hang from the wall, the floors slant at a precarious…
Greater Palm Springs
In a historic 1936 shack, owner Diana serves the same freshly ground yummy burgers on toasted buns her mom used to sell at her burger stand on the Venice…
South Lake Tahoe & Stateline
On the outskirts of town, just south of the agriculture inspection checkpoint, this place really lives up to its name; avoid the weekend crowds here…
San Diego
Classic diner fare in retro surroundings including a counter top, blue booths and wood paneled walls. Dishes include salad, soups, chili, burgers and…
Northern Mountains
On a warm day – or, better yet, evening – the patio here is especially sweet. The menu features basic Californian cuisine (ribs, pork chops, half a roast…
