18 Best Restaurants In California And How To Visit Them All

There is no doubt that California has a plentiful supply of great food fueled by the state's agriculture and diversity found in cities like Los Angeles and San Diego. Six hundred restaurants in The Golden State have received a Michelin nod, but that's not the only accolade that warrants attention. Whether you live in California or just visiting, it can be hard to pinpoint where you should eat, as the restaurants here will blow your mind and taste buds with their unique offerings. 

So, as expected, this list was challenging to narrow down. However, to help you make better culinary choices, we sailed through the difficulties to bring you California's best restaurants. The state's diverse culinary scene is, perhaps, even more evident in the types of eateries it hosts, from French fine dining and Mexican seafood counters to Asian fares and casual grab-a-bite hubs. Here are some of the best restaurants in the state of California. Unsurprisingly, these restaurants are quite popular, so we've noted how to snatch a seat and visit them all.

Holbox is a counter inside Mercado La Paloma, a small food hall in downtown Los Angeles that existed before these indoor spaces became trendy. For either lunch or dinner, you can walk into Mercado La Paloma and order some of the impeccable Mexican seafood dishes at Holbox: octopus tacos, scallop aguachile, uni tostada, and more. There are two ways to experience Holbox, and we love them both. 

One is to go for the à la carte menu, affording you the freedom to customize your meal. The second is to reserve a seat for the restaurant's eight-course tasting menu, offered only on Thursdays and Fridays. For this experience, Chef Gilberto Cetina flexes his creativity and puts out more ambitious and experimental menu items like abalone tamal and more. At $120 per person, the tasting menu is one of the best deals in Los Angeles.

Kato is a rare offering even in California's diverse culinary scene: a Taiwanese-inspired tasting menu. The restaurant has gone through a major evolution over the years. Chef Jonathan Yao started Kato at a small strip mall in West Los Angeles with a five-course tasting menu that costs just $49. Kato quickly gained a lot of accolades, and Yao eventually moved his restaurant downtown and turned it into an ambitious project where he now serves a 12-course tasting menu.

If the 12-course, $325 per person menu is too much of a splurge, Kato also offers an abbreviated tasting menu at the bar. Alternatively, you can also head to the bar just for cocktails and à la carte snacks. Kato's bar actually has some of the best cocktail programs in town, so we can recommend any of the three experiences above, which can all be booked on OpenTable.

Singlethread is a 3-starred Michelin restaurant with a biodynamic farm, taking the concept of farm-to-table to another level. Chef Kyle Connaughton is the co-owner and runs the kitchen, while his wife, Katina Connaughton, takes charge of the farm.

Located in Healdsburg in Sonoma County, Singlethread's 10-course menu primarily features produce from its own 24-acre farm. The restaurant wows guests from the very first course, welcoming them with a log holding multiple small appetizers made from the season's bounty. The Connaughtons spent some time in Japan, so Singlethread's menu is infused with quite a bit of Japanese influences, including the restaurant's signature use of donabe (Japanese clay pot).

Reservations become available on the first of each month for the following month and can be booked through OpenTable. SingleThread also runs a five-room inn, and a dinner reservation at the restaurant is guaranteed for guests staying at the inn. After your meal, you might want to roam Healdsburg to explore the California wine town reminiscent of the Tuscan countryside.

At Providence Restaurant in Los Angeles, Chef Michael Cimarusti commits to utilizing only sustainable seafood in his tasting menu, which has earned the restaurant a Michelin green star on top of its 2-star accolade. Providence opened in 2005, but it has continued to evolve. A major renovation to the interior gives diners a feeling of being under the ocean. A garden and bee hive on the rooftop contributes to the restaurant's sustainability efforts.  

The chef's tasting menu at Providence costs $325 per person, and reservations can be made up to two months in advance on OpenTable. One of the restaurant's signature items is the soft poached egg topped with Santa Barbara sea urchin, which is an additional cost. But since you're splurging anyway, why not try it as well?

Bell's is a small-town restaurant with a big-city pedigree. Executive chef and co-owner Daisy Ryan has worked at New York City institutions like Per Se, Gramercy Tavern, and The Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare. She met her husband, Greg Ryan (the CEO of Bell's) when they both worked at Per Se. After their son was born, the Ryans moved to California's Central Coast and opened Bell's as a French-inspired bistro in the small town of Los Alamos. This New Mexico location is the most underrated wine region in California. 

Soon, Bell's began to attract food lovers in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Los Alamos, as well as awards and press coverage. Lunch at Bell's is a casual affair with an à la carte menu, while dinner is a 5-course prix fixe menu at $110 per person. Either is worth the drive on the 101 Highway, but given the restaurant's popularity, we recommend booking a reservation on Tock ahead of time.

Chef Josiah Citrin opened Melisse in 1999, one of the first French fine-dining restaurants in Southern California. Decades later, the restaurant has evolved for the better. In 2019, Chef Josiah Citrin announced he would split the restaurant into two: Melisse and Citrin. The new Melisse is a tasting menu-only restaurant that seats 14 guests. 

The revamped experience feels refreshingly new and blends Chef Josiah Citrin's classic French techniques with California ingredients and his love of rock and roll. Melisse's tasting menu has 18 courses for $399 per person, and reservations can be made on OpenTable. The wine pairing offered with the tasting menu is also noteworthy and features small and obscure producers from around the world.

This pastel-colored French restaurant is in Carlsbad, a beach town just north of San Diego. Jeune et Jolie opened in 2018 with Executive Chef Eric Bost at the helm, and it has impressed diners from all over with its stylish space, beautifully presented dishes, and Bost's impeccable yet light take on French cuisine. We were particularly impressed by the sea bass, which had saffron and vanilla. 

Dining at Jeune et Jolie is worthy of a special occasion; it has a lower price point than other fine dining restaurants in California. The restaurant offers a 4-course prix fixe menu for $120 per person, and reservations can be made on OpenTable. Alternatively, walk-ins are accepted for the bar and lounge area, where an à la carte menu is available.

The restaurant inside the Fairmont Grand Del Mar is easily one of the best eateries in the San Diego area. Addison and Fairmont Grand Del Mar are located in the seaside resort town of Del Mar, just half an hour from San Diego. Chef William Bradley took over the kitchen at Addison in 2006, and the restaurant has only improved ever since. It received its Michelin nod in 2022, making it the only 3-starred restaurant in Southern California.

At Addison, Bradley draws on global culinary influences from Japan to Spain and applies them to California's seasonal and local produce. One of Addison's signature dishes is playfully called "eggs and rice" and features Koshihikari rice with Regiis Ova Reserve caviar and smoked sabayon. The restaurant offers a 10-course tasting menu for $375 per person. Reservations can be made on OpenTable.

Lazy Bear in San Francisco started as a pop-up supper club when former lawyer David Barzelay was laid off and started hosting dinner parties. Its popularity led to the establishment of the brick-and-mortar location. It's been 10 years since Chef Barzelay opened Lazy Bear's permanent site — the restaurant has become one of the best in the city with its multi-course tasting menu. 

While Lazy Bear no longer has communal seating for its diners, the restaurant maintains that fun, dinner-party vibe. One of the most famous dishes at Lazy Bear is the lamb chops, seared and charred to perfection with a marinade made of fish sauce, sugar, garlic, and mustard. Pre-paid reservations for Lazy Bear's tasting menu, priced at $295 per person, can be booked on Tock. 

The French Laundry in Napa Valley's Yountville is an iconic California restaurant that still holds its own. Chef Thomas Keller purchased The French Laundry in 1994, and it has become a legendary restaurant that has pioneered California cuisine and trained many award-winning chefs over the years. The French Laundry has maintained 3 Michelin stars since 2006, which is the first year that the Michelin Guide awarded stars in California. 

Dining at The French Laundry is on many people's bucket lists while visiting Napa Valley, so be sure to book ahead. Reservations can be made on Tock, and bookings are released on the first of the month for the following month. The French Laundry offers two tasting menus daily: a classic tasting menu and a vegetarian menu, both of which cost $390 per person.

Harbor House Inn may be one of the hardest restaurants on this list to get to, thanks to its location. The restaurant is inside the Harbor House Inn in Elk, a small town on the Mendocino Coast in Northern California. Chef Matthew Kammerer strives to provide a hyper-local menu, foraging from the tidepools around the inn and sourcing from the land in the region. 

The restaurant offers a 5-course lunch for $135 per person and a longer tasting menu at dinner for $325 per person. Reservations can be made on Tock. Overnight guests at the inn get first dibs on dining reservations, plus the stay also comes with a great breakfast, so you may want to consider booking a room for your trip here. 

Chef Dominique Crenn is one of the most well-known female chefs in California. Crenn was born in France but has honed her cooking skills at various restaurants around the world before opening her own restaurants in San Francisco, including the 3 Michelin-starred Atelier Crenn, where she serves a French-Californian tasting menu that is creative and innovative. One of Crenn's signature dishes is a play on a Kir aperitif and features a minimalist sphere of white chocolate filled with apple cider liquid, topped with a small dollop of creme de cassis.

In recent years, Atelier Crenn has shifted to a fully pescatarian-only menu. Along with other sustainable initiatives like becoming a plastic-free establishment, these efforts have earned the restaurant a Michelin green star (see why it's unique). The tasting menu at Atelier Crenn costs $395 per person, and reservations can be made on Tock.

The husband-and-wife-run Republique is one of those restaurants that hit on all fronts while still being accessible. Chef Walter Manzke periodically offers themed tasting menus worth grabbing seats for, but the à la carte menu is always a solid call for a date night out. For dessert at dinner and during brunch service, Pastry Chef Margarita Manzke bakes some of the best pastries in town and French-inspired desserts. 

Some customers also come to sidle up at the bar for a drink since the cocktail program here is also one of the best around. No matter the occasion, it seems Republique is never the wrong answer.  Reservations for dinner can be made on OpenTable, while lunch and brunch are walk-ins only (unless it's for a party of eight or more). Walk-ins are also accepted during dinner, depending on availability. 

There are quite a few outstanding sushi restaurants in California, and it was challenging choosing one for this list; however, Sushi Kaneyoshi certainly deserves its accolades. Chef Yoshiyuki Inoue has honed his skills at other famous sushi restaurants, including Sushi Ginza Onodera and Sushi Mori. At Sushi Kaneyoshi, Chef Inoue utilizes traditional edomae sushi techniques but infuses it with modern sensibilities. 

Sushi Kaneyoshi only offers an omakase experience for $300 per person. There are 12 seats at the sushi bar, made available nightly at 7 p.m., so reservations can be hard to come by. Reservations for the month are released on Tock on the first day of the month at 3 p.m. PST. 

At Hayato, Chef Brandon Hayato Go serves a traditional Japanese kaiseki menu with California ingredients. It's one of the finest examples of the kaiseki tradition in all of California. The entire menu of 14 courses is prepared in an open kitchen in front of the guests' counter seats. The seasonal tasting menu costs $400 per person, but it is worth the splurge, if you can get a reservation.

Hayato only has seven seats, so reservations are very difficult to come by. It's often easier to book as a single diner. Reservations for the month are released on Tock on the first day of the month at 10 a.m. PST, and they sell out in minutes, so be ready to book quickly. 

Chef Michael Tusk's Quince in San Francisco is one of only eight restaurants in the United States with three Michelin stars. Tusk previously trained in Italy, and his contemporary Californian menu at Quince draws quite a bit from Italian cuisine. For example, his signature pasta caviar course features spaghetti cooked in beetroot juice and yuzu vodka, topped with Tsar Nicoulai caviar. Tusk is also committed to sourcing sustainable and seasonal local produce. 

There are a few different ways to experience Quince. The full tasting menu costs $390 per person, but the restaurant also offers a 4-course menu at the Salon for $270. Alternatively, Quince recently started serving lunch, which is offered at $195 per person. Reservations for all of the above can be made via the restaurant's website.

At Birdsong, Chef Christopher Bleidorn specializes in what he calls whole-form cooking. From local vegetables to whole animals, the food at Birdsong is also all about the wood-fired grill. The menu at Birdsong is heavily inspired by the Pacific Northwest, but it's innovative and whimsical, with signature dishes like cornbread and caviar or the lacquered smoked quail. 

Birdsong offers two different tasting menu experiences. The full-tasting menu, The Journey Menu, typically consists of over a dozen courses, and costs $325 per person, while an abbreviated Discovery Menu is priced at $265 per person. Reservations for both menus can be made on Tock. 

At Californios in San Francisco, Chef Val Cantu serves his ambitious take on modern Mexican cuisine. The tasting menu at Californios consists of about 16 courses and mainly highlights seasonal ingredients from California's farms and producers. It's garnered the restaurant 2 Michelin stars — in fact, Californios is the first Mexican restaurant in the United States to be awarded two stars. 

The menu costs $307 per person and might start with ceviche and grilled banana with caviar before moving on to taco courses featuring squab. Whatever seasonal dishes are offered that evening, you will still get the bold and elegant flavors that Chef Cantu serves up. Reservations for Californios can be made on Tock.