Must-see restaurants in California

  • Mitchell's Ice Cream

    The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill

    When you see happy dances break out on Mission sidewalks, you must be getting close to Mitchell's. One glance at the menu induces gleeful gluttony:…

  • Sushi Gen

    Downtown Los Angeles & Boyle Heights

    Come early to grab a table at this classic sushi spot, where bantering Japanese chefs carve thick slabs of melt-in-your-mouth salmon, buttery toro (tuna…

  • Skadi

    Mammoth Lakes

    Considering its more-than-mundane location in an industrial strip, Skadi comes as a surprise. Hip Swiss Alps decor and an innovative menu are the creation…

  • Lukshon

    Los Angeles

    This upscale, teak-clad restaurant is one of LA's underrated highs. Chef and owner Sang Yoon steers a sharp, well-rounded menu of sharing dishes inspired…

  • Lovina

    Calistoga

    A sparsely decorated cottage surrounded by a white picket fence, Lovina is especially good for lunch in the garden. The menu changes frequently, featuring…

  • Flower + Bone

    Russian River Area

    From the foraging, pickling, preserving Santa Rosa couple behind the Naked Pig comes Flower + Bone. The cuisine is inspired by ancient cooking techniques,…

  • Watson Soda Fountain Café

    Orange County

    Established 1899, this former drugstore was recently refurbished to a period design (check out the old safe, apothecary cabinets and telephone switchboard…

  • Z & Y

    North Beach & Chinatown

    Graduate from ho-hum sweet-and-sour and middling mu shu to sensational Sichuan dishes that go down in a blaze of glory. Warm up with spicy pork dumplings…

  • Night + Market Song

    Silver Lake & Echo Park

    After cultivating a cult following in WeHo, this gleefully garish temple to real-deal Thai and Cambodian street food is killing it in the hipster…

  • Industrial Eats

    Santa Ynez Valley

    Hugely and justifiably popular locals' hangout, housed in an eclectically decorated warehouse on Buellton's coolest street. Pizzas have traditional to…

  • Mariscos 4 Vientos

    Downtown Los Angeles & Boyle Heights

    You'll find the greatest shrimp taco of your life at no-frills Mariscos 4 Vientos. Order from the truck (if you're in a hurry) or grab a table inside the…

  • Moody's Bistro & Lounge

    Lake Tahoe

    With its sophisticated supper-club looks and live jazz (Thursday to Saturday evenings), this gourmet restaurant in the Truckee Hotel oozes urbane flair…

  • Ohanas 395

    Mono Lake Region

    This very good food truck, in the parking lot near June Lake Brewing, serves wait-worthy 'Hawaiian soul food' with a dash of Mexican fusion. It's pretty…

  • Q Sushi

    Downtown Los Angeles & Boyle Heights

    Sushi and sashimi hit dizzying highs at this omakase heavyweight, where bite-sized bliss comes from the likes of tender octopus braised in sake and brown…

  • Humboldt Bay Provisions

    North Coast & Redwoods

    Sit at the long redwood bar at this rustic-chic establishment and watch as experts shuck local oysters and top them off with intriguing sauces like…

  • Greens

    The Marina, Fisherman’s Wharf & the Piers

    Career carnivores won't realize there's zero meat in the hearty black-bean chili, or in Greens' other flavor-packed vegetarian dishes, made using…

  • Good Mong Kok

    North Beach & Chinatown

    Ask Chinatown neighbors about their go-to dim sum and the answer is either grandma's or Good Mong Kok. Lines snake out the door of this counter bakery for…

  • Mono Inn

    Mono Lake Region

    A restored 1922 lodge owned by the family of photographer Ansel Adams, this elegant yet casual lakefront restaurant makes everything from scratch and has…

  • La Copine

    Joshua Tree National Park

    It's a long road from Philadelphia to the high desert, but that's where Nikki and Claire decided to take their farm-to-table cuisine from pop-up to bricks…

  • Village Sake

    Marin County

    Open in 2015 to immediate acclaim, San Franciscans drive over the bridge for the izakaya (Japanese pub-style fare and tapas-like small dishes) paired with…

  • Brenda's Meat & Three

    The Haight & Hayes Valley

    The name means one meaty main course plus three sides – though only superheroes finish ham steak with Creole red-eye gravy and exemplary grits, let alone…

  • Joss Cuisine

    Beverly Hills, Bel Air, Brentwood & Westwood

    With fans including Barbra Streisand, Gwenyth Paltrow and Jackie Chan, this warm, intimate nosh spot serves up superlative, MSG-free Chinese cuisine at…

  • Pacific Beach Fish Shop

    San Diego

    You can't miss this fishy-themed joint with its enormous swordfish hanging outside. Inside, it's a casual, communal bench affair. Choose from more than 10…

  • Beauty's Bagel Shop

    Oakland

    Few breakfasts can match the sheer perfection of a good bagel loaded with cream cheese, salmon, tomatoes and capers, and the version at Beauty's is, well,…

  • Café Beaujolais

    Coastal Highway 1

    Mendocino’s iconic, beloved country-Cal-French restaurant occupies an 1893 farmhouse restyled into a monochromatic urban-chic dining room, perfect for…

  • Montrio Bistro

    Monterey

    With 'clouds' hanging from the ceiling and tube sculptures wriggling towards them, it's apparent that much thought has gone into the design of this dining…

  • Lucky Penny

    Santa Barbara

    Shiny exterior walls covered in copper pennies herald a brilliant pizza experience inside this Funk Zone favorite, right beside the Lark. Always jam…

  • Marufuku Ramen

    Japantown, Fillmore & Pacific Heights

    No Silicon Valley technology excites as much local geekery as a bowl of Marufuku ramen. Its advantages are much discussed: tonkotsu broth cooked for 20…

  • Fishing with Dynamite

    South Bay Beaches

    You'll love this tiny, modernist place for its oysters, raw bar and menu mixing 'old school' (chowder, crab cakes) and 'new school' (miso black cod,…

  • Old Town Mexican Café

    San Diego

    In business since the 1970s, this vibrant Mexican joint delivers authentic south-of-the-border fare despite the clichéd folkloric look. Marvel at staff…

  • Crossroads

    West Hollywood & Mid-City

    Tal Ronnen didn't get to be a celebrity chef (Oprah, Ellen) by serving ordinary vegan fare. Instead, seasonal creations include 'crab cakes' made from…

  • Bear Flag Fish Company

    Newport Beach

    This is the place for generously sized, grilled and panko-breaded fish tacos, ahi burritos, spankin’ fresh ceviche and oysters. Pick out what you want…

  • Spruce

    San Francisco

    VIP all the way: Baccarat crystal chandeliers, tawny leather chairs, rotating art collections and 2500 wines. Ladies who lunch dispense with polite…

  • Ahgassi Gopchang

    Westlake & Koreatown

    Especially popular with young, trendy Koreans, Ahgassi Gopchang (or 'young lady's…small intestines') doesn't translate well into English, but the fatty…

  • Garlic & Chives

    Orange County

    One of the most exciting restaurants – not just Vietnamese – in Orange County. Chef Kristin Nguyen nails the standards and then riffs on share plates like…

  • Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams

    Los Feliz & Griffith Park

    Rarely short of a queue, this Ohio import scoops some of the city's creamiest, most inventive ice cream. Forget plain vanilla. Here, signature flavors…

  • Bouchon

    Santa Barbara

    The perfect, unhurried, follow up to a day in the Wine Country is to feast on the bright, flavorful California cooking at pretty Bouchon (meaning ‘wine…

  • Napa Rose

    Disneyland Resort

    High-back arts-and-crafts-style chairs, leaded-glass windows and towering ceilings befit Disneyland Resort’s top-drawer restaurant. On the plate, seasonal…

  • Liguria Bakery

    North Beach & Chinatown

    Bleary-eyed art students and Italian grandmothers line up by 8am for cinnamon-raisin focaccia hot out of the 100-year-old oven, leaving 9am dawdlers a…

  • Fog Eater Cafe

    Coastal Highway 1

    Forget everything you think you know about vegetarian food and the cuisine of the American South. Fog Eater challenges your perceptions of both by taking…