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…
Must-see restaurants in Southern California
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…
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,…
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,…
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…
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…
Hollywood
Osteria Mozza crafts fine cuisine from market-fresh, seasonal ingredients, but being a Nancy Silverton joint, you can expect adventure – think squid-ink…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Hollywood
Consistently near the top of every list of great LA restaurants, chef Michael Cimarusti's James Beard–winning, two-Michelin-starred darling turns…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Santa Ynez Valley
Hugely and justifiably popular locals' hangout, housed in an eclectically decorated warehouse on Buellton's coolest street. Pizzas have traditional to…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Santa Ynez Valley
An inspired, if meat-centric, menu allows farm-fresh ingredients to speak for themselves at this family-owned gourmet cafe and market. For breakfast and…
Westlake & Koreatown
The best pastrami sandwiches aren't in New York. They're at this retro deli, where the recipe and hand-carving of the meat hasn't changed since 1947…
