Food guides for California

Armenian and Middle Eastern Food in Fresno

Armenian and Middle Eastern food in Fresno means shish kebab, lamb chops and chicken shawarma wraps. Dishes to look for and how to compare them.

Barrio Logan San Diego Restaurants: Where to Eat

Barrio Logan San Diego restaurants range from tortilla counters and birria quesadillas to loaded hot dogs near Chicano Park. What to order and how to rate it.

Best Burritos in Oakland: Fruitvale Tacos and More

A guide to the best burritos in Oakland: the Fruitvale taquerias and trucks guides keep naming, how to order a super burrito and where the late-night stops are.

Best Dim Sum in Oakland: Chinatown and the East Bay

A guide to the best dim sum in Oakland: Chinatown dining rooms, takeout counters, how carts and ordering sheets work, and what to order on a weekend morning.

Farm to Fork Sacramento: Where to Eat Local Food

A guide to farm to fork Sacramento: how the Central Valley feeds the city, the restaurants guides name most, what is in season and how to shop a farmers market.

Best Fish Tacos in San Diego: Battered or Grilled

A guide to the best fish tacos in San Diego: beer-battered or grilled, what makes a Baja style taco, and how to order from a window, a truck or a taqueria.

Best Pastrami in Los Angeles: Delis and What to Order

A guide to the best pastrami in Los Angeles: the classic delis people argue over, how to order a hand-sliced sandwich and what to know about Fairfax.

Best Ramen in Los Angeles: Styles, Areas and How to Order

A guide to the best ramen in Los Angeles: tonkotsu, shoyu, shio and miso explained, where Sawtelle and Little Tokyo fit in, and how to order a good bowl.

Best Tri-Tip in Santa Barbara and Seafood by the Pier

The best tri-tip in Santa Barbara County, the Santa Maria barbecue behind it, and where to find harbor seafood, Stearns Wharf food and local uni.

Brunch in Sacramento: R Street, Downtown and Midtown

Brunch in Sacramento includes farm-sourced plates on R Street, English pub breakfast, Southern comfort food and hotel brunch downtown. What to order.

Brunch in San Diego: Beaches, Patios and Big Plates

A guide to brunch in San Diego: hearty plates downtown, ocean views in La Jolla, how bottomless drinks work and how to avoid the longest weekend lines.

Build Your Los Angeles Birria List: A Tasting Method

Build a Los Angeles birria list with a method: what to judge in the meat, the broth and the tortilla, how birria reached the city and how to compare plates.

Build Your San Francisco Ice Cream List

Start a San Francisco ice cream list with a method: how to rate ice cream by texture, flavor and melt, why fog matters and how to share San Francisco favorites.

California Central Coast Food Guide: Tri-Tip to Chowder

A California Central Coast food guide: Santa Maria tri-tip, wine country lunches in Paso Robles, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo, and how to plan the drive.

California Farmers Market Seasons: What Ripens When

California farmers market seasons by crop: citrus in winter, strawberries in spring, stone fruit in summer and avocados, with tips on how to shop each stall.

Food Worth a Drive in California: Coast and Valley

A guide to food worth a drive in California: Highway 1 oysters and artichoke soup, Central Valley farm stands, Santa Maria barbecue and road trip tips.

California Regional Foods and Where to Try Them

California regional foods explained: Santa Maria tri-tip, San Francisco sourdough, cioppino and Fresno's Armenian and Hmong kitchens, with places to try each.

Cheap Eats in San Francisco: Taquerias and More

A guide to cheap eats in San Francisco: Mission District taquerias, bakeries, noodle shops and food trucks, with tips for eating well in an expensive city.

Classic Sacramento Restaurants and Ice Cream Parlors

Classic Sacramento restaurants include old-fashioned ice cream parlors, long-running fine dining and English pub breakfasts. How to find them and order well.

Convoy District San Diego: Asian Food Guide

Convoy District San Diego Asian food spans dim sum carts, ramen, Vietnamese hot pot and Korean fried chicken on Convoy Street. How to plan a tasting afternoon.

Date Night Restaurants in Los Angeles: Where to Go

A guide to date night restaurants in Los Angeles: candlelit courtyards, rooftop views, quiet rooms and how to choose a place for an anniversary or first date.

Downtown Los Angeles Food Guide: Markets and Little Tokyo

A downtown Los Angeles food guide: Grand Central Market stalls, Arts District dining, Little Tokyo noodles and sweets, and how to plan a DTLA lunch on foot.

Downtown San Jose Restaurants: What to Eat

Downtown San Jose restaurants include Creole plates, a classic steakhouse, Cuban comfort food, Ethiopian stews and big burritos. What to order and how to pick.

Food Allergies in Los Angeles: A Multi-Cuisine Map

Food allergies in Los Angeles cross many kitchens, from Koreatown to Thai Town. A map of what to ask in each style, with notes you can keep and share.

Food Allergies in San Jose: How to Ask and Plan

Food allergies in San Jose meet a city of many cuisines. Learn the nine major allergens, why menus are not labeled like packages and how to ask the kitchen.

Fresno Blossom Trail: A Spring Orchard Food Guide

The Fresno Blossom Trail is a self-guided spring drive through orchards east of the city. Learn what blooms, how it ties to the food you eat and how to plan.

Fresno Chile: The Pepper Named for Fresno

The Fresno chile is a medium-hot pepper developed near Clovis. Learn how it compares with a jalapeno, how it is used and how to rate dishes.

Fresno International Restaurants: Peruvian, Mexican and More

Fresno international restaurants include Peruvian kitchens built on childhood recipes and Mexican fine dining known for ceviche. What to order and how to rate.

Historic Restaurants in Fresno: Delis, Basque and Mochi

Historic restaurants in Fresno include Tower District delis, Basque family-style dining, Chinatown mochi makers and Armenian grills. What to order at each kind.

How to Find Good Food in Fresno: A Method

How to find good food in Fresno: start with the valley's farms, follow its Armenian, Mexican and Hmong food traditions, then keep notes and share your lists.

How to Find Good Food in Sacramento

Find good food in Sacramento by starting where the ingredients come from: the farm-to-fork capital's markets and menus. Keep a record and share your lists.

How to Find Good Food in San Jose: A Method

How to find good food in San Jose: pick one area at a time, from Japantown to Little Saigon, taste one dish across stops, then keep notes and share lists.

Japantown San Jose Restaurants: Where to Eat

Japantown San Jose restaurants line Jackson Street and North 6th Street with family-run Japanese kitchens, ramen, Korean seafood pancakes and manju sweets.

Little Italy San Diego Restaurants: Where to Eat

Little Italy San Diego restaurants mix handmade pasta, wood-fired meats, an oyster bar and vegan Italian cooking on India Street and Kettner Boulevard.

Little Saigon San Jose: A Food Neighborhood Guide

Little Saigon San Jose is the heart of the city's Vietnamese community, centered on Story Road. Learn its history, how to walk it and how to keep notes.

How to eat your way around Los Angeles without a car

Los Angeles is huge, but you can eat very well in it without driving. How to plan food days by neighborhood, which Metro lines reach the best food areas, and how to dodge traffic.

Los Angeles Farmers Markets: Days, Picks and Tips

A guide to Los Angeles farmers markets: the Hollywood Sunday market, the Santa Monica Wednesday market, the old Fairfax landmark and how to shop by the day.

Los Angeles farmers markets: which to visit and how to shop them

A guide to LA farmers markets: Hollywood on Sundays, Santa Monica on Wednesdays, the Eastside markets, the historic Original Farmers Market and Grand Central Market, and how to shop them.

Los Angeles Food Halls: Where to Graze and What to Know

A guide to Los Angeles food halls: the century-old market downtown, the Sunday food market at Row DTLA, Santa Monica halls and tips for sharing a table.

Koreatown Los Angeles food guide: barbecue, soups and late nights

Where Koreatown is, how to get there on the Metro, what to eat beyond Korean barbecue, and why it is one of the best places in Los Angeles to eat late at night.

LA County restaurant letter grades: what A, B and C really mean

What the A, B and C cards in Los Angeles restaurant windows mean, how LA County Public Health scores an inspection, where the grades came from, and what they do not tell you.

San Gabriel Valley Chinese food guide: where and what to eat

Why the San Gabriel Valley has some of the best Chinese food in the US, which towns to head for, the regional styles to look for, and how to plan a visit from central LA.

Santa Monica and Venice food guide: where and how to eat by the beach

How to eat well in Santa Monica and Venice: the Wednesday farmers market, Main Street, Abbot Kinney Boulevard, the boardwalk, and getting there on the Metro E Line.

Silver Lake and Echo Park food guide: eating on LA's Eastside

How to spend a day eating in Silver Lake and Echo Park: Sunset Boulevard, the reservoir and the lake, the farmers markets, and Thai Town a short hop west.

Tacos in Los Angeles: a guide to taco trucks, stands and styles

How to eat tacos in Los Angeles: the taco truck and street stand culture, the styles to know from al pastor to birria and mariscos, where to look, and how ordering works.

Mexican Food in San Jose: Tacos and Burritos

Mexican food in San Jose runs from fast taquerias to kitchens that make their own tortillas. How to compare burritos, tacos and grilled platters.

Michelin Restaurants in Sacramento: A Planning Guide

Michelin restaurants in Sacramento span starred tasting menus, Bib Gourmand noodle houses and recommended rooms. Match the mark to your evening.

North Park San Diego Restaurants: Where to Eat

North Park San Diego restaurants range from Sonora-style birria and seafood tapas to falafel bowls and ice cream. How to eat your way along University Avenue.

Oak Park Sacramento: A Food Neighborhood Guide

Oak Park Sacramento began as the city's first streetcar suburb and is now known for its Broadway corridor and varied food. Its history, a walk and notes.

Old-School San Jose Restaurants: Long-Running Favorites

Old-school San Jose restaurants include classic steakhouses, drive-ins, family-run Japanese kitchens and bakeries with history. How to find them and order well.

Pho in San Jose: Styles, Broth and How to Order

Pho in San Jose is part of a large Vietnamese community. Learn the northern and southern styles, what is in the bowl, how to order and how to rate each.

Richmond District San Francisco Restaurants

A guide to Richmond District San Francisco restaurants: the Clement Street strip, Burmese favorites, a bakery stop and the Sunset side of Irving Street.

Sacramento Tomatoes: Why the City Is Called the Big Tomato

Sacramento tomatoes built a canning city known as the Big Tomato. Read the history, learn what to look for in a good tomato and keep notes as you taste.

San Diego Food Halls and Public Markets Guide

A guide to San Diego food halls and markets: Liberty Station, the Little Italy Mercato and the hall that closed, plus how to sample several kitchens in a stop.

San Diego Neighborhood Food Guide: Where to Eat

A San Diego neighborhood food guide: North Park beer and dinner, Little Italy markets and patios, Barrio Logan tortillerias, and how to string a day together.

San Francisco Chinatown and dim sum: a food guide

San Francisco's Chinatown is the oldest in North America. Where to eat on Grant Avenue and Stockton Street, how dim sum works, and what to order first.

Cioppino and Dungeness crab season in San Francisco

Cioppino is San Francisco's seafood stew, and Dungeness crab is its star. Where the dish came from, when crab season usually opens, and how to eat both well.

Ferry Building and farmers market in San Francisco: a visitor guide

How to visit the Ferry Building Marketplace and the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market in San Francisco: which days the market runs, when to go, and what to eat.

San Francisco Food Halls and Markets: Ferry Building

A guide to San Francisco food halls and markets: the Ferry Building Marketplace on the water, the Oxbow Public Market in Napa and how to graze through both.

Where to eat in Hayes Valley and the Castro, San Francisco

A food guide to two San Francisco neighborhoods: Hayes Valley, around Patricia's Green, and the Castro, on Castro and 18th streets. What to eat and how to spend the day.

The Mission burrito: how to eat it in San Francisco

The Mission burrito was born in San Francisco's Mission District in the 1960s. What makes it different, how to order one, and where in the Mission to look.

North Beach Italian food in San Francisco: a neighborhood guide

North Beach is San Francisco's Little Italy. Its history, what to eat along Columbus Avenue, from focaccia to cioppino, and how to spend a day there.

San Francisco restaurant surcharges and service fees explained

Why San Francisco restaurant checks carry surcharges and service fees, what California's SB 478 and SB 1524 changed in 2024, and what to ask when you see one.

San Francisco sourdough: history, science and where to buy it

Why San Francisco sourdough tastes the way it does, how it arrived with the Gold Rush, the bacteria named after the city, and how to buy a good loaf.

San Jose Bakeries and Coffee Shops Worth a Detour

San Jose bakeries and coffee shops include Portuguese custard tarts, burnt almond cake and neighborhood roasters. How to plan a pastry morning and what to buy.

Santana Row San Jose Restaurants: Where to Eat

Santana Row San Jose restaurants range from Southeast Asian cooking and Japanese dining to fresh-churned ice cream on a walkable shopping street. How to plan.

Temescal Oakland Restaurants: Telegraph Avenue and Beyond

A guide to Temescal Oakland restaurants: the Telegraph Avenue strip, the alleys, pizza and doughnuts, plus nearby Rockridge dining and a slow weekend plan.

Vegan Eating in Fresno: Produce and What to Ask

Vegan eating in Fresno starts with the produce of a major farm county. Learn where animal products hide, how to ask and how to keep notes on each dish.

Vegan Eating in Sacramento: Farm Fresh, and What to Ask

A plain guide to vegan eating in Sacramento: how a farm-fresh region helps, where dairy, egg and stock hide, and what to ask the kitchen before you order.