Venice, Marina Del Rey & Playa del Rey
This sprawling Venice institution (established 1979) was recently given a major, very welcome makeover. If the new version is less funky (though you'll…
Must-see restaurants in Southern California
Venice, Marina Del Rey & Playa del Rey
The folks behind the standard-setting Gjelina have opened this very casual, very gourmet, very Venice bakery, cafe and deli behind a nondescript…
Los Angeles
If you're near Expo Park or USC, it's totally worth the five-minute walk under the freeway to this fabulous food hall. About a dozen restaurant stalls…
Santa Barbara
Headline: kaiseki (traditional Japanese multicourse dining) comes to Santa Barbara and wows locals. It might have limited hours, take a chunk out of your…
Venice, Marina Del Rey & Playa del Rey
If one restaurant defines the new Venice, it's this. Carve out a spot on the communal table between the hipsters and yuppies, or get your own slab of wood…
San Diego
The culinary heart of a 1920’s-era naval training center turned artistic urban playground, this hip food hall presents around 30 local artisan vendors who…
Santa Barbara
A top spot to savor SoCal's bountiful farm and fishing goodness, chef-run Lark was named after an antique Pullman railway car and is based at a former…
Santa Barbara
Phenomenally popular Arigato Sushi always has people milling around waiting for a table (no reservations taken) but it's worth the wait. Traditional and…
Los Angeles
Market-fresh ingredients drive elevated comfort dishes at this slinky Highland Park hot spot, complete with prerequisite marble-topped bar, designer…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
Orange County
Established 1899, this former drugstore was recently refurbished to a period design (check out the old safe, apothecary cabinets and telephone switchboard…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
San Diego
Some diners only look old-fashioned. This one is the real deal from the 1940s, with red leatherette swivel stools and booths with minijukeboxes. It does…
Santa Barbara Shellfish Company
Santa Barbara
‘From sea to skillet to plate’ sums up this end-of-the-wharf seafood shack that’s more of a buzzing counter joint than a sit-down restaurant. Chase away…
San Diego
Since the flower-power days of 1969, OB’s legendary burger joint has served great shakes, massive baskets of onion rings and succulent hamburgers wrapped…
San Diego
In this casual grown-up fish shack, order at the counter, sidle up to a butcher-block table, sip craft beer or Mexican coke from a mason jar and tuck into…
San Diego
Eat honestly priced, pork-inspired slow food in a cute outdoor patio with natural wooden features. Wash dishes like the triple-threat pork sandwich (with…
Greater Palm Springs
Hidden away in the back of the ornate 1920s El Paseo building, a large patio with olive trees leads to this starkly beautiful space. At its center is a…
Malibu & Pacific Palisades
Chef Nobu Matsuhisa's empire of luxe Japanese restaurants began in LA, and the Malibu outpost is consistently one of LA's hot spots. East of the pier, it…
Santa Barbara
Just try walking past this place on State St if you have a sweet tooth. A Santa Barbara institution since 1949, McConnell's uses local milk and other…
Venice, Marina Del Rey & Playa del Rey
Find yourself a seat around the central counter or facing busy Abbot Kinney to tuck in to stone-oven pizzas, handmade pastas and veggie faves such as…
Santa Barbara
The usual Mexican crowd-pleasers are all here (tacos al pastor, quesadillas, agua fresca) but made to such perfection that previous versions pale in…
Greater Palm Springs
At the heart of downtown Palm Springs yet secluded from hubbub this delightful bistro sits in a country-style courtyard. All the better to enjoy classic…
Santa Barbara
A top pick for plant-based dining, Mesa Verde has so many delicious, innovative all-vegan sharing plates on the menu that meat-avoiding procrastinators…
San Diego
In the old San Diego Police Headquarters, this vibrant eatery serves modern Mexican street food that knocked our zapatos off. Start with some creamy…
Greater Palm Springs
Sushi in the desert may not make intuitive sense, but this modern, Scandinavian-designed sushi and whisky bar defies expectations. Starter cocktails might…
Orange County
First things first: they're not hot dogs, they're 'haute' dogs, homemade and topped with your choice of combinations (the BBQ, Bacon and Blues comes with…
Greater Palm Springs
Waits can be long and service only so-so at this breakfast and lunch spot, but the farm-to-table menu dazzles with witty inventiveness. The kitchen…
San Diego
Country-style seating indoors and great people-watching on the sidewalk. Just one taste of the homemade ravioli or lasagna, salmon with arugula, capers…
Death Valley National Park
This formal restaurant delivers continental cuisine with stellar views of the Panamint Mountains. For a more chilled ambience, enjoy breakfast, lunch or…
