37 Best Restaurants in The Central Coast, California

A local favorite for anniversaries and other celebrations, Zack's serves classic European dishes in an intimate, two-room 1930s cottage adorned with local art. Entrées of note include seafood specials (depending on the local catch), slow-roasted boar shank, and filet mignon, the latter typically crusted in peppercorns or topped with porcini mushrooms.

The younger sibling of the hugely popular Guiseppe's restaurant in Pismo Beach, this lively downtown eatery serves up authentic southern Italian fare in the historic Sinsheimer Bros. building, constructed in 1884. Dine in the spacious main restaurant amid high ceilings, fireplaces, and the bar or in the courtyard beneath strings of twinkling lights.

Dine on stellar French-American delights at a romantic, candlit table in this tiny restaurant within a tasting room and wineshop in Cambria's West Village. The menu changes seasonally, but you might start with diver scallops or stuffed quail, move on to Louisiana seafood gumbo or Long Island duck breast, and then finish with bananas foster or crème brûlée.

The coastal views are utterly spectacular from Nepenthe, named for an opiate mentioned in Greek literature that would induce a state of "no sorrow." For the best vistas, settle on the terraced deck in the late afternoon, order a glass from the extensive wine list, and watch the sun slip into the Pacific Ocean.

At cliff's edge 1,200 feet above the Pacific at the ultrachic Post Ranch Inn, Sierra Mar serves cutting-edge American cuisine made from mostly organic, seasonal ingredients, some from the on-site chef's garden. The four-course prix-fixe option always shines.

The elegant Stonehouse—consistently lauded as one of the nation's top restaurants—is inside a century-old granite former farmhouse at the San Ysidro Ranch resort. The menu changes constantly but might include pan-seared abalone or classic steak Diane flambéed table-side, and the Plow & Angel pub downstairs serves casual bistro fare.

The Alila Ventana Big Sur's restaurant sits high on a ridge, and magnificent terraces offer stunning ocean views and a full-service outdoor bar. Regional and international wines on a comprehensive list pair well with the California-inspired dishes, many of whose ingredients are sourced from local purveyors, and the bar serves seasonal specialty cocktails and California craft beers.

The Central Coast's abundance of organic and sustainably sourced bounty—veggies, seafood, meats, and breads—are creatively woven into innovative dishes at this brick-walled downtown favorite. The wine list celebrates local wines; with many by the half-glass, you can sample a good cross-section.

The specialties at this casual, family-oriented restaurant in Ventura Harbor Village are fresh fish-and-chips and homemade clam chowder. After placing your order at the counter, you can sit outside on the patio and enjoy the view of the harbor and marina.

Spanish flavors and seafood combine with coastal California flair at this trendy downtown eatery. Menu items change with the season, but perennial favorites include dry-aged branzino, paella, or saffron buns with Santa Barbara sea urchin butter. For a special-occasion treat, order the chef’s five-course tasting menu for two ($185).

Edging a ranch, citrus groves, and a seasonal garden that provides produce for menu items, the modest but cheery Boccali's attracts many loyal fans. When it's warm, you can dine alfresco in the oak-shaded patio and lawn area and sometimes listen to live music.

The outdoor tables at this casual harborside restaurant have perfect views of the marina and mountains. Staffers serve enormous, exceptionally fresh fish dishes, and if you walk in without a reservation, which are very limited, they will text you when your table's ready so you can stroll along the breakwater and explore the harbor while you wait.

The Ventura outpost of the wildly popular Santa Barbara restaurant provides the same fresh seafood-oriented meals in a spacious second-story setting overlooking the harbor. Feast on everything from fish-and-chips and crab cakes to chowder and delectable fish—often straight from the boats moored below.

The fresh bounty of the Central Coast takes center stage at this hyperlocal eatery in a Victorian-era home in Cambria’s Old Village. Soups, salads, burgers, sandwiches, and small plates to share predominate here, but you can also order large comfort-food meals (roast chicken, eggplant cassoulet, Wagyu rib eye) for two persons.

Born from the hankerings for food from the owner’s childhood haunts—the streets, markets, home–in Guadalajara, Mexico, this casual eatery (order from the counter) in the Arts District serves authentic south-of-the-border soul food, much of it derived from longtime family recipes and made with fresh local ingredients. Feast on everything from huevos rancheros, chilaquiles, and churro French toast for breakfast to tacos, tamales, enchiladas, and pozole for lunch and dinner.

This traditional New England–style crab shack imports fresh seafood daily from Australia, Alaska, and the East Coast. Fish is line-caught, much of the produce is organic, and everything is made from scratch.

This restaurant overlooking the harbor has satisfied local appetites since 1942 and serves straight-ahead dishes such as cod or shrimp fish-and-chips or calamari tubes sautéed in butter and wine.

A bakery, shop, and café by day, this lively locals hub, run by longtime friends, morphs into a Burmese-Californian restaurant and bar by night. Menu items range from croissants, flatbreads, sandwiches, and salads to tandoori chicken or seafood dishes, and most ingredients used to make them come from eco-minded purveyors within 50 miles (some from a co-owner’s family farm).

An organic farmer and his chef-wife run this funky café/bakery/market in Meiners Oaks, just a few miles west of downtown Ojai. Order a wood-fired pizza, bento box, sandwich, or a daily special, and then grab a table indoors or out on the patio.

The classic flavors of southern Italy are highlighted at this lively downtown spot. Most recipes originate from Bari, a seaport on the Adriatic; the menu includes breads and pizzas baked in the wood-burning oven, hearty dishes such as dry-aged steak and rack of lamb, and homemade pastas.

Waterfront views (from beside the Channel Islands National Park Robert J. Lagomarsino Visitor Center), hearty, cooked-to-order meals, and boxed picnic lunches make this casual dockside eatery a popular spot for island travelers and beachgoers. Fill up on a breakfast burrito before boarding the boat; take a boxed deli-sandwich along; and refuel posttrip with a hefty Angus burger, chowder, or fish-and-chips.

Take a break from waterfront and State Street explorations at Jeannine's, revered locally for its wholesome sandwiches, salads, and baked goods, made from scratch with organic and natural ingredients. Dine in the expansive dining room or on the patio, or pick up a turkey cranberry or chicken pesto sandwich to go and picnic on the beach or nearby Chase Palm Park. Jeannine's also has outlets in Montecito, Uptown, and Goleta.

Award-winning local chef Jeff Wiesinger and his wife Kathleen opened this casual eatery, tucked in a hidden courtyard a block from downtown City Park. Feast indoors or out on made-to-order sandwiches, hearty mac-and-cheese bowls, house-made potato chips, fresh salads, craft beer, and local wines while listening to throwback soundtracks from the ’60s and ’70s.

Homemade soups, potpies, and other farmhouse comfort foods share the menu at this spacious East Village restaurant with fancier farm-to-table dishes such as organic, free-range chicken topped with raspberry-orange-cranberry sauce. Also on-site are a bakery, a café serving more casual fare (take-out available), and a gift shop that sells gourmet foods.

A spacious, contemporary space with a festive outdoor patio, this restaurant near Mission Plaza serves creative tapas and cocktails. The small plates include birria-braised beef tacos, avocado-tuna ceviche, and crispy Brussels sprouts.

Fresh, sustainably caught seafood charbroiled over a mesquite grill, a well-stocked oyster bar, specialty cocktails, and a wine list heavy on local vintages lure diners into this slick, nautical-theme space downtown. The menu, which emphasizes the use of organic vegetables alongside the local catches, includes tacos, sandwiches, and salads.

Locals and visitors alike flock to this sleek, Asian-inspired restaurant across from Stearns Wharf and East Beach (reserve a second-story table for killer views). The eclectic menu focuses mostly on small plates of classic dishes meant for sharing—sushi, sashimi, yakisoba, ramen soup with pork belly, black-garlic filet mignon—but it also has creative surprises like the halibut-crab-avocado "lollipop" or the lobster-tempura-Wagyu beef roll.

Sophisticated Italian cuisine with an emphasis on Sicily is served at this restaurant near the Arlington. The veal scaloppine is popular, but surprises abound here, with unusual dishes such as the duck ravioli or the ribbon pasta with quail and sausage in a mushroom ragout.

Mardi Gras energy, team-style service, lively music, and great Cajun, creole, and Caribbean food have made the Palace a Santa Barbara icon. Be prepared to wait for a table on Friday and Saturday night, though the live entertainment and free appetizers, sent out front when the line is long, will whet your appetite for the feast to come.