The Far North Restaurants

Redding, the urban center of the Far North, and college-town Chico have the greatest selection of restaurants. Cafés and simple eateries are the rule in the smaller towns, though trendy, innovative restaurants have been popping up. Dress is always informal.

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  • 1. 5th Street Steakhouse

    $$$$

    Hand-cut steak is the star in this refurbished early 1900s building, the place to come when you're craving red meat, a huge baked potato, or some fresh seafood. Exposed redbrick walls warm the dining rooms, and a long mahogany bar catches the overflow crowds that jam the restaurant on weekends.

    345 W. 5th St., Chico, California, 95926, USA
    530-891–6328

    Known For

    • Alfresco dining on outdoor patio
    • Classic and specialty cocktails
    • Prime cuts of beef with white-tablecloth service

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Mon. No lunch Sat.–Thurs.
  • 2. Bidwell Perk

    $ | Coffee

    A clean and tidy, many-windowed chain alternative for coffee (several different roasts daily) and pastries, Bidwell Perk also serves full breakfasts and light lunches. Bagels, French toast, quiche, and croissant sandwiches in the morning give way to small plates, salads, panini, and sliders as the day moves along.

    664 E. 1st Ave., Chico, California, 95926, USA
    530-899–1500

    Known For

    • Beer and wine selection
    • Outdoor patio
    • Well-crafted espresso drinks

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: No dinner
  • 3. Café Maddalena

    $$

    The chef here gained experience working in top San Francisco restaurants before moving north to prepare adventurous Mediterranean fare with a French influence. Appetizers like a recent menu's mozzarella-stuffed arancini with a piquant tomato-based sauce hint at the level of refinement on display, as do entrées that might include cassoulet or roasted steelhead trout.

    5801 Sacramento Ave., Dunsmuir, California, 96025, USA
    530-235–2725

    Known For

    • Pizzas and pasta dishes
    • Artisanal small-lot wines
    • Outdoor dining under an arbor

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Mon.–Wed. and Jan.–mid-Feb. No lunch
  • 4. Café Paradisio

    $$

    Many Reddingites consider this softly lit restaurant with black-linen-topped tables and artworks for sale adorning the walls their town's best fine-dining option. The menu tilts heavily Italian (gnocchi, lasagna, chicken Marsala) and American (braised short ribs, pan-seared fish, an elk burger), but the chef ventures across the Pacific for dishes that might include a pork-belly appetizer or Thai coconut curry entrée.

    1270 Yuba St., Redding, California, 96001, USA
    530-215–3499

    Known For

    • Baked Brie starter
    • House-made meatballs
    • Many organic ingredients

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon. No lunch
  • 5. Cravings

    $ | Coffee

    This casual breakfast and lunch place inside a clapboard house satisfies diners' cravings with dishes like homemade slow-roasted corned-beef hash topped with two eggs and accompanied by a slice of sourdough or gluten-free bread. You can get breakfast and excellent pastries all day, with soups, salads, sandwiches, wraps, and burgers on the menu for lunch.

    278 Main St., Chester, California, 96020, USA
    530-258–2229

    Known For

    • Waffles with applewood-smoked bacon in the batter
    • Outdoor patio
    • Attached bookstore (run separately)

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Tues. and Wed. (sometimes more in winter). No dinner
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  • 6. Highlands Ranch Restaurant and Bar

    $$$

    Dining at the Highlands Ranch Resort’s contemporary roadhouse restaurant is in a stained-wood, high-ceilinged indoor space or on an outdoor deck with striking views of a serene meadow and the hillside beyond. Among the few sophisticated eating options within Lassen Volcanic National Park's orbit, the restaurant serves updated pasta, fish, chicken, beef, and lamb dishes.

    41515 Hwy. 36, Mill Creek, California, 96061, USA
    530-595–3388

    Known For

    • Craft cocktails, beer flights, wines by the glass
    • Small plates and burgers in the bar
    • Inventive sauces and preparations

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Mon.–Wed. (no lunch Thurs.) Nov.–late May
  • 7. Lilys

    $$

    This restaurant in a white-clapboard home, framed by a picket fence and arched trellis, offers an eclectic menu, starting with bananas Foster French toast for breakfast. The varied lunch and dinner selections might include spicy Mongolian chicken salad, herb-stuffed fresh trout, pad Thai, filet mignon, and always several burgers.

    1013 S. Mt. Shasta Blvd., Mt. Shasta, California, 96067, USA
    530-926–3372

    Known For

    • Hearty breakfast fare
    • Brussels sprouts salad with crispy bacon and goat cheese
    • Patio dining

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Mon. and Tues.
  • 8. Dunsmuir Brewery Works

    $

    Travelers mingle with locals at this downtown spot for microbrews and pub fare that includes vegetarian-nut, elk, and ½-pound Angus-beef burgers, along with pesto-cream mussels, duck tacos, and smoked-salmon and classic BLTs. The house brews range from pale ale to a porter, with growlers available to go.

    5701 Dunsmuir Ave., Dunsmuir, California, 96025, USA
    530-235–1900

    Known For

    • Outdoor patio
    • Warm pretzels, house-made beer cheese bread
    • Clam chowder Fridays

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Mon. (sometimes Tues.) early Sept.–late May
  • 9. From the Hearth Kitchen & Pie Shop

    $

    A homegrown variation on the Panera theme, this extremely popular operation (as in expect a wait at peak dining hours) serves pastries, eggs and other hot dishes, and good coffee drinks, juices, and smoothies for breakfast. The chefs whip up a diverse selection of wraps, panini, sandwiches, burgers, rice bowls, and soups the rest of the day.

    2650 Churn Creek Rd., Redding, California, 96002, USA
    530-424–2233

    Known For

    • Pork breakfast tacos
    • Pies and other baked goods
    • Several other locations (two drive-through)
  • 10. Mamma Llama Eatery & Cafe

    $

    Tap into the spirit of 21st-century Weaverville at this mellow café that serves breakfast (all day) and lunch, in winter specializing in hot soups to warm body and soul. Expect all the usual suspects at breakfast, along with Country Cheesy Potatoes (topped with green chili) and sausage between two biscuits topped with homemade sausage gravy; a spicy club wrap and several vegetarian sandwiches are among the lunch offerings.

    490 Main St., Weaverville, California, 96093, USA
    530-623–6363

    Known For

    • Hometown vibe
    • Good soups
    • Espresso drinks

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Sun. (but check). No dinner
  • 11. Moonstone Bistro

    $$$

    The chef-owner at this light-filled restaurant in a strip mall 1½ miles southwest of downtown incorporates seasonal organic produce, free-range meats, sustainable line-caught fish, and cage-free eggs in his cuisine. Staples include salads, fish tacos, pasta dishes, and burgers (standard, veggie, or teriyaki mushroom Swiss) for dinner daily and lunch except on Sunday, when buckwheat pancakes, French toast, and two variations on eggs Benedict headline the brunch menu.

    3425 Placer St., Redding, California, 96001, USA
    530-241–3663

    Known For

    • Organic produce
    • All-day bistro menu
    • Sunday brunch

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Mon. and Tues.
  • 12. Red Tavern

    $$

    With its burgundy carpet, white linen tablecloths, and mellow lighting, this is one of Chico's coziest restaurants. The Mediterranean-influenced menu, inspired by fresh local produce, with vegetarian and pescatarian fare in addition to meat and poultry dishes, changes seasonally—steak au poivre, bucatini and clams, grilled meat loaf, and pan-seared halibut are among recent offerings.

    1250 Esplanade, Chico, California, 95926, USA
    530-894–3463

    Known For

    • Wines from California and beyond
    • Nightly specials, happy hour Monday–Thursday
    • Patio seating

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Mon. No lunch Tues.–Sat.
  • 13. Seven Suns Coffee and Cafe

    $ | Coffee

    A favorite gathering spot for locals, this small coffee shop in a stone building serves specialty wraps and burritos for breakfast and lunch, plus soups and salads. Pastries, made daily, include muffins, cookies, and scones (great blackberry ones in season).

    1011 S. Mt. Shasta Blvd., Mt. Shasta, California, 96067, USA
    530-926–9701

    Known For

    • Coffee, tea, spiced cider, Italian sodas
    • Outside patio
    • Vegetarian offerings

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: No dinner
  • 14. Sierra Nevada Brewery Taproom

    $

    The famous brewery's high-ceilinged, heavy-on-the-wood taproom bustles day and night with patrons washing down well-conceived gastropub grub with the best-selling Pale Ale and smaller-batch offerings, some only available here. The open kitchen turns out sandwiches, burgers, wood-oven pizzas, and fish-and-chips (the fish's batter made with Pale Ale) with remarkable speed.

    1075 E. 20th St., Chico, California, 95928, USA
    530-345–2739

    Known For

    • Pretzel with white-cheddar beer cheese and mustard
    • Wings and salads
    • Draft beers
  • 15. Taroko Asian Bar & Grill

    $$

    With items like Shanghai dumplings and Taiwanese sausage fried rice, this pan-Asian restaurant decorated with contemporary flair tilts heavily Chinese—the chef's from the mainland, the owner Taiwan—but Japan and the rest of Southeast Asia are amply represented. Some dishes seem tweaked to broaden their appeal, but they're generally well executed, and even on busy nights the staffers remain pleasant and efficient.

    1701 Pine St., Redding, California, 96001, USA
    530-255–8863

    Known For

    • Small bites that can add up to a meal
    • Salads, bowls, soups, rice, and noodles
    • Specialty cocktails and beer selection
  • 16. The Ranch House

    $

    This convivial neighborhood pub stands out because of its abundance of shaded patio seating (and full horseshoes pit) in the landscaped backyard. After a long day of hiking and exploring, the restaurant is a reliable bet for hearty comfort fare—sandwiches, half-pound burgers, fish-and-chips, and tacos, plus a daily special or two.

    669 Main St., Chester, California, 96020, USA
    530-258–4226

    Known For

    • Chicken wings, mac-and-cheese bites, and fried pickles appetizers
    • Decadent "Sidewinder" spiral fries with cheese, pulled pork, creamy Sriracha, and sour cream
    • Beer selection

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Sun.–Tues. No lunch Wed. and Thurs.
  • 17. The Rawbar Restaurant & Sushi

    $$

    For more than two decades, the chefs at this downtown pan-Asian restaurant and bar have served up sushi, sashimi, rolls, "hot bites" like Korean tacos (short ribs with kimchi aioli), and build-your-own poké bowls. Chico being an inland destination, the sushi might not always be as absolutely fresh as on the coast, but even then it's close, and the nonsushi options show flair and imagination.

    346 Broadway St., Chico, California, 95928, USA
    530-897–0626

    Known For

    • Blistered shishito peppers and other starters
    • Thai "drunken" noodles and Korean egg-topped pork belly over rice cake
    • Signature cocktails and wine, sake, and whiskey flights

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Mon. and Tues. No lunch Sun.
  • 18. Trinity County Brewing Company

    $

    Craft brews, from pale ales to stout, and food that's a cut above the expected have made this brewpub with a cavernous industrial interior a hit. The cheese-curd and chicken-wing starters and burger and grilled-chicken sandwich are among the best sellers.

    301 Main St., Weaverville, California, 96093, USA
    530-423–4114

    Known For

    • Community feel
    • Outside patio
    • Garlic fries with secret sauce

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Mon. and Tues.
  • 19. View 202

    $$$

    The view at this glass-walled hilltop restaurant is of the Sacramento River below the wide outdoor patio and well beyond the waterway to snowcapped mountains. It's best to stick with the least complicated preparations on the New American menu, which emphasizes grilled meats and fish from noted California purveyors but also includes Asian-tinged appetizers and house-made ravioli.

    202 Hemsted Dr., Redding, California, 96002, USA
    530-226–8439

    Known For

    • Friday and Saturday prime rib
    • Specialty cocktails
    • Wine list
  • 20. Vintage Public House

    $$

    Patrons of this comfort-food haven across from downtown's 1935 Cascade movie palace wash down elevated pub grub with classic and craft cocktails and wines and beers from California and beyond. The fare includes salads, sandwiches, rice bowls, a locally revered mac-and-cheese, truffle burgers, fish-and-chips, and a few heartier entrées.

    1790 Market St., Redding, California, 96001, USA
    530-229–9449

    Known For

    • Patio dining
    • Poke appetizer with jalapeño wonton nachos
    • Artisanal spirits

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Sun. No lunch Sat., Reservations not accepted

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