The best restaurants California

This restaurant on lively Polk Street is a fine Californian Mexican fusion address. We love the stylish, colorful setting and the creative cocktails. Its affordable menu features tacos, house-made antojitos (fried Mexican corn tortilla with chili sauce), soups, salads, burritos and fusion dishes. Very appetizing! You can opt for an assortment of tacos (formula of 2 or 3 tacos) to sample everything. Special mention for the braised pork in banana leaves with red onion, cilantro, lime and habanero.

This vegan restaurant right on Union Street in Cow Hollow isn't cheap, but the flavors are well matched and the compositions original. The classic San Francisco veggie "impossible" burger sits alongside the signature burger with spinach and mushroom steak, onions, lettuce, tomato chutney and black bean aioli. Equally recommendable are pizzas, salads, and bowls like the "probiotic" with rice, tamari-marinated mushrooms, yams, chard, black beans, kimchi, hemp seeds and green godless avocado sauce.

Located upstairs in the Ferry Building, this new restaurant offers Jamaican flavors not so common on the streets of San Francisco. There aren't many dishes on the menu, but they're all delicious, fresh and full of flavor. Starting with the legendary jerk chicken, a braised chicken with a bouquet of 100% Jamaican spices. Of course, there are "patties", meat and vegetable fritters served with fried plantains. But there are also tasty vegetarian ital dishes from the Rasta culture. For a drink, try Jamaican hibiscus

In Japantown, restaurants are plentiful. Only one stands out for its playfulness: Tenroku. Slip onto a stool at the helm of this restaurant, and watch the circular conveyor belt parade sushi made by the minute. This gustatory duck fishery is color-coded for price: green, red, white, black and so on. Everything is spelled out on the menu in front of you. The sushi prepared is quite simple, even the more expensive ones, but the experience invites you to try new dishes quickly, and the atmosphere is popular and pleasant.

While strolling along the Sunset Strip, west of West Hollywood, don't miss Dialog Cafe. This family-run business is part of the Third Wave Coffee movement, and it shows: the hot beverages are delicious. If there's a queue, the best thing to do is ask for a takeaway and get on with your walk. Otherwise, take the time to sit down and order one of the delicious sweet dishes, such as the healthy acai bowl with oatmeal, or the gourmet mini waffles.

We've fallen in love with this magnificent establishment adjoining the Hollywood Historic Hotel, in the Melrose Hill district. Superb wood and marble bar, red brick walls, hushed atmosphere... The decor is simply stunning. If you can, come between 4pm and 7pm: you'll be able to enjoyHappy Hour, both on a selection of drinks and plates to share. We particularly recommend the charcuterie and cheese board, the house burger and the Mac and Cheese. If you want to enjoy the view, take a seat at the counter.

A dozen different sauces to accompany your moules frites, homemade Belgian chocolate waffles, countless Belgian beers... Welcome to Belgium. While we particularly liked the very American mac and cheese revisited, as well as the classic moules marinières, the menu also includes meat dishes such as boeuf bourguignon, boulets à la Liégeoise, filet mignon, boeuf tartare and onglet. All to be enjoyed in a pleasant atmosphere, with subdued lighting and soft music. Impeccable service.

Poultry, poultry, and... poultry. That's what Howlin' Ray's offers. After tasting "hot chicken" - fried chicken - the specialty of Nashville, Tennessee, chef Johnny Ray Zone had a brainwave: even though he had worked alongside such greats as Thomas Keller, Gordon Ramsay and Nobu Matsuhisa, it was this dish that he wanted to cook and adapt in all its forms. A wish that he first fulfilled through a food-truck, before settling in Chinatown in 2015. An excellent address, not to be missed!

Just a stone's throw from the beach, this small establishment serves only poke, Hawaiian specialties that are as fresh as they are tasty. You can choose from two varieties of fish that change daily, ranging from spicy salmon to soy tuna, sesame octopus and kimchi shrimp. It's Raw Poke Shop also offers good lunch alternatives such as kalua pork, another Hawaiian dish not to be missed. All in all, it's a quality caterer, whose preparations are particularly suitable for a picnic on the sand.

In Japanese, Kui Shin Bo means "person who likes to eat". This restaurant in the heart of Japantown is a great address for epicureans who want to try excellent sushi and ramen. The special rolls are particularly creative and ultra gourmet. You can also opt for even more exotic dishes, popular Japanese specialties on the menu, delicately presented: donburi (a kind of chirasi with lots of ingredients), soba and udon noodles, okonomiyaki (savory pancake) and other exquisite Japanese dishes. A very fine address.

This Chinatown restaurant offers specialties from southwest China, Sichuan. A region with delicious hot pepper. The house is a classic in the neighborhood, it doesn't look like much, but you can go in with your eyes closed. This simple room, with its print-covered walls and strange, elongated lights hanging from the ceiling, is an unrestrained delight! We loved the pork ravioli served with an ultra-fine spicy sauce, as well as the aged duck eggs, fish fillets and fried green beans.

In addition to its stores, the mall is home to a food hall, Lot 579, which hosts a dozen bars and restaurants. From The American Dream's burgers to Frosted Cupcakery's sweet treats, Hans Homemade Ice Cream, Phans55's Vietnamese specialties, vomFass's refined cocktails and Four Sons Brewing's local craft beer, Pacific City is home to a significant portion of Huntington Beach's nightlife, all within walking distance of the beach. It's also a daytime hangout between surf sessions.

SingleThread restaurant in Healdsburg is a Michelin 3-star establishment run by chef Kyle Connaughton and his wife Katina, a passionate farmer. With its five luxurious rooms, this establishment is a pleasant place to stay in the heart of Sonoma wine country. Their goal is to provide you with a dining experience you'll remember in downtown Healdsburg.

Eggplant is an award-winning restaurant located in the Carmel Inn in Carmel-by-the-Sea. Chef Cogley creates innovative dishes with varied textures and flavors, and Chef Santos' desserts are true delights. The eight-course tasting menu changes daily, celebrating seasonality and creativity. Their wine cellar offers a selection of 3,500 bottles from renowned and lesser-known wine regions.

This address, which smells like Italy, has not made a mistake by settling just a stone's throw from the Little Italy district. On the menu, breakfasts in croissants-filled mode, paninis, pizzas, ice creams, salads and a short selection of Italian wines. Several addresses in San Diego.

Cheeky's is the most popular breakfast and brunch spot in Palms Springs... So much so that it's rare to get there without being on the waiting list. If you come alone or with a friend, you may be lucky enough to get in front of the line, in case a spot opens up at the bar. The setting is not incredible, the room is quite noisy and the terrace is rather crowded, but the food is really good. On the menu: melting pancakes, mango waffles, huevos ranchos, quesadillas, salads, burgers, sandwiches, or fresh juices.

This restaurant dedicated to contemporary Chinese cuisine has a modern design with a concrete ceiling and large wooden tables, all organized around the kitchen. Go for the Sichuan pork dumpling with hyperfine sauce, the small duck sandwich and the green beans with mushrooms. All washed down with a 2017 Mayacamas chardonnais, it'll go down easy... The house also has a cozier VIP restaurant, a whiskey lounge bar, a tea room and a boutique area to leave with tea, cookies and condiments.

San Diego's three-Michelin-starred Addison restaurant offers an original dining experience with a nine-course tasting menu featuring regional ingredients and Southern California influences. Chef William Bradley offers a distinct culinary perspective celebrating the beauty of California gastronomy. The wine list features the finest California vintages and wines from around the world. At $355 per person, this culinary experience is worth every penny.

The Pescatore Trattoria at Hotel Zoe, a terrace café on Fisherman's Wharf, is very good. We recommend it for the house specialty, Italian-Californian cioppino, a soup of crabs, clams, shrimp, scallops, squid, mussels and fish, then tossed with fresh tomatoes in a white wine sauce. But you can also opt for fried calamari with shrimp ravioli, chicken fettuccine or spaghetti bolognese. For dessert, tiramisu also works wonders.

One of the city's most designer addresses. Black and white lines cross and uncross endlessly in this 1920s-style brasserie on the first floor of the Clift Royal Sonesta, named after the hotel's creator Frederick C. Clift. You can eat there at any time, but we recommend breakfast or brunch. Special mention for the cinnamon rolls, the Union Square sandwich, the California omelette and the eggs Benedict. A stylish way to start your day!

The Argonaut hotel has opened a very nice restaurant with a marine atmosphere, between woodwork and ropes on a brick background. And of course, at the Blue Mermaid they serve seafood: steamed mussels, crab and squid casserole, fish and chips... The selection of wines, beers and cocktails is also up to par. Enough to enjoy with friends or in gallant company before continuing your walk on Fisherman's Wharf. That said, we don't guarantee that you will walk lightly...

A good pizzeria that also offers American and Mexican cuisine. The establishment has a good reputation, even if its location on Route 66, which is a very wide boulevard here, is not very attractive. The interior, rather well arranged, makes you want to sit down and compensates by its decoration the rather ordinary exterior of the building. On the walls, pictures of Route 66, again and again... One of the last places in the city to eat before going on in the heat of the Mojave desert.

In this elegant Japanese restaurant of wood and raw concrete design, you sit at the counter to watch the cooks prepare sushi and take your time choosing a sake, the bottles of which are displayed in the background. The menu changes daily according to fish arrivals, but guarantees a wide selection of sashimi, nigiri and chirasis. On the small plates, the Tombo tatai of just-seared Hawaiian tuna served with a spicy bouquet of black radish and chrysanthemum leaves is divine, as are the special rolls.

Established in 1908 by Frenchman Philippe Mathieu, this grand old-fashioned diner has been located at the gateway to Chinatown since the 1950s. Its specialty: the French Dipped Sandwich, a sandwich lightly soaked in meat juices and topped with beef, lamb or turkey. It's nothing gourmet, but the macaroni and potato salads, white bean and split pea soups, and apple pie are all reminiscent of the optimistic, good-naturedAmerican way of life of the fifties.

Located in the heart of Japantown, this ramen house is famous and crowded, so remember to make reservations for evenings and weekends. The star of the menu is the Hinodeya Ramen, a noodles soup with bonito (tuna), kombu and scallops. You can also add pork cha-shu, soft-boiled eggs, dried seaweed and green onions. Vegetarian ramen is also popular, with soy milk, sesame and spinach noodles, a creamy soup that can be topped with a tofu cake, pepper, fried kale and shitake mushroom. A must try!

In this tourist district, this street food restaurant on the pedestrian waterfront is delicious and reasonably priced. The family behind the stoves has mastered California seafood specialties: the famous clam chowder, crab cake, fish & chips, shrip'n'chips, lobster, fried oysters, seafood combos and shrimp popcorn. You'll want to try it all, it's all delicious! The star of the sandwiches is the lobster roll, expensive but delicious.

South of Wilshire Avenue, Westwood Boulevard is a long succession of oriental restaurants and stores. Let the aroma of falafels guide you to Sunnin Leban Cafe. Among the specialties, we particularly recommend the moujadarah - a lentil puree prepared with rice and caramelized onions - and the houmous kawarma - with beef fillet. While prices may seem rather affordable, fans of Lebanese gastronomy will quickly run up the bill, curious to try several preparations.

This coffee shop set in a cottage in the middle of a garden makes you want to push the door open. In addition to cookies, burrito breakfasts, lavanda vanilla latte and green turkey sandwiches, the specialties of the house, it hosts outdoor country, rock and jazz concerts in the summer, but also weddings. And on the other side of the house, at the end of the hallway, we find a cozy bar, the Revive Bar Room. Last but not least, the owner Robin knows all the good tips of the region and runs a paddle boat business on the lake in the summer.

It's the wine cellar of Sonoma Valley wineries that don't have the infrastructure to accommodate their customers. The wines on offer are organic or natural, but not exclusively so. The interior room and patio are rather basic, with wood, simple lighting and a shade sail outside, but pleasant. The cuisine is Mediterranean-inspired, using seasonal vegetables from the region. We recommend the spicy eggs with basil and the chicken with broccoli. For wine, Ashanta and Source & Sink are not bad!

This California-based Thai cuisine brand has several restaurants in the state (including one in San Francisco). The Berkeley address is particularly elegant, with Asian-design furniture focusing on wood. On the menu, you'll find daring and delicious proposals: for starters, tom yum granita; for main courses, crab pad thai, beef with yellow coconut curry, volcano cup noodle with braised pork... All accompanied by equally refined creative cocktails.

This Mexican taqueria is a true delight, as it handles the art of tacos, burritos and other Mexican delights... but only with vegetables: it's entirely vegan. Specialties include "impossible" vegetarian steak, which imitates meat very well, as well as black bean, potato and chickpea compositions. You'd expect bland dishes, but everything is tasty and perfectly balanced. Reasonably priced, with fast service, this is a great place to stop for lunch in Oakland.

Oxbow's Farmer's Market is downtown Napa's gathering place for food and wine lovers, and the perfect place to sample local street food. The market supports sustainable, organic agriculture and small, independent farms. It features a panoramic outdoor terrace with tables along the Napa River, and offers the best of local produce, as well as bars and restaurants... On the menu, the best of Northern Californian cuisine: oysters, sandwiches, tacos, organic ice creams and gluten-free pastries.

A quintessential Californian address that only exists in Oakland, with character. Serving both fine cocktails and Mexican-influenced gourmet plates. It's a busy restaurant by day and a lively bar by night. We love the floor, the refreshing chick-yellow and water-green colors, and the sunny bay windows. The à la carte menu features simple, affordable dishes, with veggy, vegan and gluten-free options, prepared with a variety of toppings (seeds, etc.). Brunch at weekends.

This little takeaway-only counter is easy to spot from the street, it's always full, and all the customers are Chinese! Ideal for a picnic break in a park (either Washington Square or Porthmouth Square). The food is authentic, inexpensive and delicious. We loved the pork buns, steamed shrimp and coriander dumpling, fried corn cakes, egg rolls, sesame balls... It's easy to choose: all the dishes have photos on the wall and in front of the counter with corresponding numbers.

Blackwood is an elegant new Thai-American restaurant on Chesnutt Street in Marina. Two inviting communal tables can be found by the fireside on the terrace, while inside there are more cosy banquettes with marble cushions and tables. Classic Thai dishes, such as pad thai, oyster mushroom egg rolls and crispy-crusted tiger prawns, coexist with American dishes twisted with Thai flavours, such as the BW Burger, wagyu seasoned with white cheddar, coriander aioli and Thai sesame salad on a brioche bun.

We're not in Napa Valley yet, but this address already sets the tone for this wine and food region. Located in the center of Sausalito, an upscale town where restaurants are expensive, this small, unpretentious address offers affordable burgers. What makes them special is that they are prepared with ingredients from the Napa Valley. The wood-and-brick interior is very recent, but the best part is the sunny terrace. We regret, however, that it is not open for dinner.