1438 Best Restaurants in California, USA

The redesigned Little Italy restaurant-bar oozes slightly surreal cool. Crammed bookshelves line the walls, banquettes and mirrors are scrawled with sayings, and taxidermy appears in odd settings like a lion preying on a hog above the bar. The management’s no-fear mindset extends to the menu—ketchup and vodka have been outlawed here—but young fans and neighborhood residents who gather here after work find plenty to savor. Dinner features gastropub fare like Korean barbecue wings, thick burgers, homemade corn dogs, and wood-fired dishes that include bone marrow, roasted carrots, and oysters. Save energy for the potent rum drinks at False Idol, the in-house tiki bar accessible only through the walk-in cooler.

Behind the unremarkable facade is an übertrendy—yet decidedly old-school—den of American cuisine that doubles as a safe haven for the movie industry’s most important names and well-known faces. Be aware that this joint is always busy so you might not even get a table and reservations are hard to come by. But you might as well try, and the food is worth the effort.

Enjoy views of the Bea Evenson Fountain from the patio of this quick-lunch option outside the Fleet Science Center. The menu offers everything from flatbreads, sandwiches, and wraps to slushies, specialty coffees, and soft-serve ice cream.

San Diego's best cookies come in crowd-pleasing flavors, such as birthday cake, red velvet, and lemon bar. There are also craft sodas, Cravory flavored milks, edible cookie dough, ice cream, and cold brew to round out your snack. You'll find the cookies at various farmers' markets throughout the city.

Started by former music producer and Donut Friend creator Mark Trombino, Creamo is to Silver Lake ice cream as In-N-Out is to burgers. Everything is vegan in the shop; nonetheless, non-vegans will love its 16 soy-based flavors, many of which are named after pop-punk and emo bands. Crowd-favorites stay year-round, but two to three flavors rotate seasonally in addition to a new flavor every season. Not an ice cream fan? Vegan shakes like the Paramoreo, named after Paramore, might just change your life.

"Elevate Your Everyday" glows a neon side at Crisp, whose spanking-clean interior mirrors the pristine food—avocado toast, beet-cured salmon tartine, breakfast and lunch bowls, and inventive juices, soups, broths, and smoothies—this health-oriented café serves. The location next to Sunshine Market (easy parking out front) may lack glamour, but the place exudes wellness, and the menu acknowledges the requirements of vegans, vegetarians, and carnivores alike.

Egg dishes, griddle items, and hearty Mexican breakfasts like huevos rancheros are the morning draw at this Joshua Tree institution, but plenty of people sing the praises of its sandwiches, burgers, salads, and tacos for lunch or early dinner. Taxidermy animals, framed newspaper clippings, old photos, and beer-can lights decorate the interior, and tattooed waitresses and the quirky regulars make it clear that the high desert is unlike anywhere else in San Bernardino County.

Vintage surfboards and local surf photography line the walls, and nearly every table overlooks sand and surf at this restaurant on the Santa Cruz Harbor. For sweeping ocean views and fish tacos, burgers, and other casual fare, head upstairs to the Breakwater Bar & Grill.

In the lobby of the New People building, this mini tea shop looks like a little girl's fantasy, with pretty flowered and polka-dotted tablecloths, fancy settings, and nods to the British royal family. Most guests opt for high tea with scones, crumpets, and finger sandwiches, or you can stop in for a sandwich or salad.

A Euro--Vietnamese fusion gem in the heart of Beverly Hills, Crustacean allows you to walk on water above exotic fish and see the kitchen preparing your perfect garlic noodles through a glass window. Standouts (besides the noodles) include Dungeness crab, A5 Wagyu beef, tuna cigars, and hearts-of-palm crab cakes. The cocktail program also brings the heat with turmeric mules and artichoke old-fashioneds.

An offshoot of Bankers Hill's CUCINA urbana, CUCINA enoteca occupies a grand two-story space in the Flower Hill Promenade shopping center and is as notable for its whimsical decor—antler chandeliers, burlap-wrapped chairs, and more than 400 horse figurines honor the restaurant's proximity to the Thoroughbred Club—as it is for its beloved Italian food. There are many familiar favorites like the creamy polenta board and pizzas, as well as unique enoteca plates, including short-rib pappardelle, and chicken fra diavolo. The bustling bar and on-site wine shop serve more than 200 varietals, all sold table-side at retail, plus a $10 corkage fee. For a little zucchero in your life, try the chocolate panna cotta with pomegranate and candied pumpkin seed.

Long a locals' favorite for traditional Italian-American cuisine, this restaurant has a warmly lit, often packed dining room and a heated back patio with Petaluma River views. The chef, who trained in Italy, prepares several pasta dishes a night, along with mains that might include veal scaloppini or saltimbocca, roasted chicken stuffed with arugula and pancetta, and pork tenderloin with Gorgonzola sauce.

In a true collision of artistic titans, celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck presents his take on steak houses in a space designed by Getty Center architect Richard Meier. Playful dishes like bone-marrow flan take center stage, while dry-aged and seared hunks of Nebraskan sirloin prove the Austrian-born chef understands America's love affair with beef. Other favorites include the “Louis” cocktail (Alaskan king crab and Louisiana shrimp) and dark chocolate soufflé for dessert.

The parking lot in front of D'Carlos is always full, a sure sign that Ramonans like this casual family-style dinner house. The menu offers something for everyone: burgers, sandwiches, salads, steaks, barbecue, seafood, and pasta. Old-time favorites include chicken-fried steak and homemade meat loaf. The place can feel chaotic, but friendly waitresses are surprisingly efficient. There's also patio dining in good weather.

Wife-and-husband duo chef Jen McMahon and Oakland native Darren Lacy (front of house) strive to create the neighborhood's most thoughtful Italian dining experience. Handwritten menus and linen napkins set the tone for ingredient-driven, high-quality regional Italian–inspired cuisine. The menu includes fresh pastas stuffed with Italian cheeses, West Coast veg-heavy salad starters, and classic Italian desserts with gourmet flair, such as butterscotch panna cotta or torta di cioccolato (flourless) with Amarena cherries.

This ever-popular specialist in kalbijjim, a Korean braised beef short rib soup, is set in an industrial-feeling space, with serene images of mountains on the walls. Each soup is large enough to feed a small family and comes with a choice of toppings, like rice cakes or oozing cheese (melted tableside, it's an Instagram sensation). Be prepared to wait at peak times.

The Arts District in DTLA continues to trot out some of the most exciting restaurants in all of Los Angeles, and Damian is simply the latest and greatest example to enter the space. Across from Bestia, the Enrique Olvera--helmed joint serves contemporary Mexican fare combined with California's bounty of excellent produce. Dishes like the mole verde and fish tartare tostadas wow your taste buds as they slide from spicy to creamy and back. The cocktails shouldn't be overlooked either with mezcal-heavy options that also incorporate Italian vermouths and Japanese sake. Buzzing inside and out, this restaurant has vibes for days, food to match it, and service that's second to none. Eat here to question everything you know or want to about what Mexican cuisine can and should be.

If you're looking for an Italian vibe straight out of Goodfellas, your search ends here. Checkered tablecloths cover the tightly packed tables as Hollywood players dine on the city’s best chicken and veal Parm, and down Scotches by the finger. The elbow-room-only bar is loud and the wait times can be long—there’s a decent chance you’ll get bumped by an A-lister—but slipping the maître d' $20 might move things along more quickly.

A good downtown stop especially for lunch, the Dancing Fox also has a tasting room for its eponymous wines. The restaurant, whose decor shimmers with fairy-tale whimsy, serves sandwiches, salads, pizzas, burgers, and wraps and has more than a dozen beers on tap.

San Francisco's real life Willy Wonka factory is the fascinating and delicious home of this "bean to bar" chocolatier. Of course, chocolate in many forms is the highlight for guests, whether it's in pure chocolate bars, in drinks, or as a subtle ingredient in some of the city's most inventive pastries. The 16th Street factory holds self-guided tours on most afternoons that it's open. There are two other nonfactory locations in the city on Valencia Street and in the Ferry Building.

There are six spots across San Diego, including this one on the corner of Juniper and Fern in the heart of South Park. Open daily, this is the place to come for coffee, hot or iced, and a special treat—a scoop of one of the innovative flavors from Mutual Friend Ice Cream like haole pie with Oreo and macadamia nuts, or gluten-free coffee made with Dark Horse cold brew.

A "fermentation-driven" restaurant sounds a bit odd, but you'll find a thrilling, umami-packed experience at this compact Temescal spot. With a disco ball overhead, you expect somebody to get up and dance with how groovy the vibe is. But the food and fresh, low-intervention wines are so great that nobody wants to shift their attention away from them. 

Everyone has their opinion about the greatest sandwiches in this city filled with amazing bread; but more often than not, locals will name this quirky, humorous lunch specialist. Here, sandwiches are truly an art and usually are taller than can be eaten in one bite. Lunch choices are split between the main menu and "board" specials. All sandwiches are for takeout and can be enjoyed at a park across the street.

After three decades of serving Tuscan-inspired cuisine, this restaurant with a plant-filled heated and tented back patio has developed a homey patina enhanced by brickwork, a fountain, family photos, and other old-school touches. Likewise with the food, you won't find belabored technique or froufrou preparations, only soulful renditions of northern Italy's greatest hits—veal scallopini, mushroom ravioli, pappardelle with rich duck ragout—from two generations of family recipes.

The decor signals more ambitious fare, but massive half-pound burgers and sandwiches like the Ultimate Grilled Cheese with smoked bacon and tomato between three slices of sourdough bread are what this restaurant inside a late-19th-century stone-walled building is about. Locals crowd the tables, especially after 6 pm, for the ground-meat patties, beer-battered onion rings, and veggie burgers.

A dining area with hardwood floors, a pressed-tin ceiling, and exposed brick walls provides a fitting setting for the rustic cuisine at this Geyserville mainstay. Chef Dino Bugica studied with artisanal cooks in Italy before opening this restaurant specializing in wood-fired pizzas and house-cured meats, with a few salads and meaty main courses rounding out the menu.

By blending geometrical shapes and horizontal lines in an airy place with big windows, Dinosaur Coffee has utilized its space well, bringing a touch of modern into an older section of Silver Lake. Yet it’s more than just the interiors that draw people in—the coffee is excellent, as are the pastries. And in a neighborhood where independent coffee shops are a dime a dozen, that’s saying a lot.

This small Castro storefront serves up exceptionally fresh banh mi and rockin' spring rolls. Service is quick, and a couple of tables take in the scene on Market Street.

In a rough-hewn structure that, for years, housed a beloved coffee haunt called the Horn of Zeese—the local "Boontling" lingo for a cup (horn) of coffee (zeese)—international wine expert Wendy Lamer operates this combination wine bar and gourmet mini-mart. Well versed in the local wine scene and generous with advice, she pours wines by the glass or bottle and serves up sliders and other "disco snacks."