It’s no secret that I am a huge foodie. Our trips usually revolve around where we’re going to eat and I spend a lot of time researching the best restaurants on every single one of our adventures.
California is home to some incredible places, and even more incredible restaurants. Here’s a list of our absolute favourites, and one’s that you just can’t miss on your next trip…
1. Sotto Mare (San Fran)
Located in the heart of North Beach, or ‘Little Italy’, this buzzing, authentic Italian restaurant is the best spot to grab some of San Francisco’s infamous Cioppino. This small restaurant was absolutely crammed when we arrived at around 6pm to see if we could swing a table for dinner, which to me is always a great sign. The food gods were with us on this particular day and we managed to grab a table outdoors, before sitting down to order their most popular item on the menu: Cioppino for two. At just $54.99 for two people, the size of the dish was incredibly generous and packed full of crab, prawns, mussels, clams, squid, pasta and probably some other stuff, but who knows. I can even begin to describe how good this meal was. I’d go as far as saying it was the best dinner I’ve had in my almost 30 years of life. Whilst I’d recommend the Cioppino, the rest of the menu was vast and varied with an array of fresh fish and seafood on offer. I can imagine that all of the food here is second to none and I honestly would go back to SF just for another bowl of this stuff.
If you’re into seafood, please please please – just go.
2. Sant’olina (The Beverly Hitlon)
Having had nothing to do with booking this restaurant, I had no expectations on arrival to this gorgeous rooftop dining room. As you head up in the lift, prepare yourself to be transported to a magical place, lit to perfection by soft lighting, candles and hundreds of sparkling fairy lights. The interior of this place is an experience of its own, even without tasting any of the food.
Sant’olina is a fairly new addition to The Beverly Hilton hotel. On the menu expect to find a variety of marinated meats, soft flatbreads and delicious dips. Yes, this gorgeous restaurant is a blend of Mediterranean with a hint of Californian flair.
Please prepare yourself for the most flavourful meal you’ve ever had. The smell of the food hits you as soon as you walk into this restaurant and I can say from experience, it actually tastes better than it smells. The food here was so flavoursome and perfectly portioned. Without a doubt the best meal we had in LA.
3. Old Fisherman’s Grotto (Monterey)
I don’t know about you, but I love the interior of a restaurant to be just as magical as the food. If you’re like me, then you will not be disappointed after a visit to this beautifully romantic restaurant on Monterey’s beloved Fisherman’s Wharf. Having opened in the 50’s, the décor inside this restaurant is like stepping onto an old, luxurious boat. With deep mahogany walls and sumptuous leather booths, this little restaurant screams romance. We visited Old Fisherman’s Grotto in the evening so the lighting was dim and from our window next to our table, you could see the moonlight glittering off the ripples of the ocean. Can you imagine a more perfect dinner setting?
After sitting down and taking a glance through the menu, we realised that choosing was going to be tough. The menu here is extensive with additional specials based on what has been caught fresh during daily trawling. This particular restaurant is home to multiple award-winning chowder so whatever you do, make sure to grab a bowl of this creamy, delightfulness during your meal. You can order it in several different sizes so Debs and I opted to share just a cup between us, followed by lobster, scallops, prawns and risotto. I think the setting of this place makes it my second favourite meal of the trip, and to top it all off, ladies that dine within their restaurant are sent home with a beautiful single red rose. How cute!
4. Chateau Marmont (LA)
The Chateau Marmont Hotel is a huge part of Hollywood’s glamorous history. Having hosted a number of very well-known guests including Marilyn Monroe, Johnny Depp and Leonardo DiCaprio, this deliciously decorated hotel is widely used by celebrities across the globe. Now, this is a feature about restaurants and honestly I could go on telling tales about this location for days, so if you’re interested in learning more about this hotel, do a google deep dive on it. You won’t be disappointed, I promise.
So, you now know how exclusive this restaurant is and as such there is a no photo policy within the building. Take it from me, you will get told off if you’re caught taking pictures, even if it is just of your spouse sipping on a glass of wine.
Chateau Marmont has both indoor and outdoor space but if the weather’s good and you’re offered, I’d recommend taking a table outdoors. The restaurant is within a walled courtyard so is extremely private (for obvious reason) and honestly feels like you could be in the middle of France somewhere.
The wine list has a great selection of both Californian and International wines so be sure to grab a glass of something nice whilst you’re dining. The food here is equally as divine as the setting, with the traditional Bolognese being one of the most popular options – I’d recommend giving it a try.
5. Rainbow (LA)
If you’re looking to dine somewhere a little more laid back, but still want to do some LA celebrity spotting, you should absolutely try a meal at Rainbow Bar & Grill. This place is incredibly well known to be a hotspot for rock gods of the ages. From Alice Cooper to Ozzy Osbourne, almost every band member in the rock industry has had a night out at Rainbow.
This place is quirky, fun and the wait staff are some of the friendliest we met during our trip.
Portion sizes here are very generous so all I’ll say is: under order. If you aren’t sure you’ve ordered enough, I guarantee you probably have. Between four of us we shared one pizza, some mozzarella bites, wings and onion rings and we still had tonnes to spare. Great food, great people, amazing atmosphere. One of the best night’s out we had in LA.
6. Fog Harbour (San Fran)
With a whole bunch of restaurants to choose from on San Francisco’s pier 39, we thought we’d mention our favourite here to save you the trouble of umming and ahhing. I believe several of the restaurants on this pier are owned by the same company, and with that I also believe the menus are similar if not the same. What we liked most about Fog Harbour was the interior and the location on the pier. If you manage to get a window spot, you’ll be able to enjoy your meal with a view of the water and SF’s famous sea lions. The food is consistently good and pricing is pretty decent too!
7. Beverly Wiltshire Hotel (LA)
If you only need one reason to dine at this place let it be the fact that the exterior and lobby of this hotel feature heavily in the classic film that is Pretty Woman. The whole of this place shouts luxury from the minute you enter the lobby. The décor is decadent, and the food was some of the best we ate in LA. If you want to go full on tourist, I’d recommend the pretty woman cocktail.
8. Wally’s (LA)
Okay so we didn’t actually eat INSIDE this restaurant. We had food delivered from here to our hotel and honestly it was so good I couldn’t not mention it. We got back pretty late from our day our at universal, (which you can read more about here), and as we were all so exhausted, we opted to get into our PJ’s, hang out in our room(s) and order food from this restaurant that we’d heard so much about. This was hands down the best burger I’ve ever had! Made with Wagyu beef, this burger was so tender and had so much flavour that I kept on eating even when I was full. I’d love to have tried some other items on the menu, so I guess maybe next time around we’ll try and put some real clothes on and head to their Beverly Hills restaurant. Also, if you’re into truffle please get the pizza. Sydney had this as her meal and followed in my footsteps by eating until she almost burst!
9. Bouchon Bakery
Although this isn’t a restaurant, it was so good and it’s so well known in Napa that it deserved a spot on the list. Bouchon Bakery is part of the Thomas Kellar group, which I don’t think I’ve ever heard a bad word about. Having opened in 2003 this place evolved from a little bread bakery to a classic French boulangerie, featuring an impressive selection of traditional, artisan breads, pastries and sweet treats. We queued for around half an hour just to get in the door so if you’re planning a visit, be prepared to wait in line for a taste of France in the gorgeous town of Yontville.
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