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…
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…
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…
South Bay Beaches
New brick-and-mortar incarnation of the gourmet fave, Korean-fusion burger stand that started in Redondo Beach. It's a hipster-cool spot for the Cash…
Hollywood
Good things come in small packages…like tiny, no-reservations Petit Trois! Owned by acclaimed TV chef Ludovic Lefebvre, its two long counters (the place…
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…
Coastal Orange County
The best spot for breakfast or lunch in Los Rios Historic District, this Old West–flavored, wood-built house from 1881 (with brick patio) does organically…
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…
Anaheim
Chef Jimmy, who has worked in some of LA's top kitchens, returned to his Mexican roots to make some of the most gourmet tacos we've ever seen: pineapple…
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…
Hollywood
Hollywood history hangs in the thick air at Musso & Frank Grill, Tinseltown’s oldest eatery (since 1919). Charlie Chaplin used to knock back vodka gimlets…
Hollywood
Wood-paneled, concrete-floored Salt's Cure is an out, proud locavore. From the in-season vegetables to the house-butchered and cured meats, the menu…
Los Angeles
Market-fresh ingredients drive elevated comfort dishes at this slinky Highland Park hot spot, complete with prerequisite marble-topped bar, designer…
Coastal Orange County
Everybody’s favorite for fresh fish (some drive in from LA), Walt’s packs them in on weekends. You can’t make reservations for dinner (though they’re…
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…
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,…
Hollywood
Osteria Mozza crafts fine cuisine from market-fresh, seasonal ingredients, but being a Nancy Silverton joint, you can expect adventure – think squid-ink…
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…
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…
Hollywood
Consistently near the top of every list of great LA restaurants, chef Michael Cimarusti's James Beard–winning, two-Michelin-starred darling turns…
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…
Santa Ynez Valley
Hugely and justifiably popular locals' hangout, housed in an eclectically decorated warehouse on Buellton's coolest street. Pizzas have traditional to…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
La Jolla
The Euro-Cal cooking is as dramatic as the oceanfront location, thanks to the bottomless imagination of chef Trey Foshee. George’s has graced just about…
Santa Ynez Valley
Rich, innovative small plates in an elegant but cozy setting make First & Oak Solvang's best dining experience. The menu changes with the seasons but you…