Food

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These are the 101 best restaurants in California

From San Diego to the Bay Area and wine country, our food critic guides you to the best dining spots in the state.

Does California have the best restaurants in the country? Yes. Here’s our proof

Tell us: What are the best places to eat in your part of California?

Bill Elwell, photographed at age 93, waits for customers at his Van Nuys hamburger stand in 2020.

‘This is not Burger King.’ Bill Elwell, who flipped patties at a beloved L.A. shack since 1965, dies at 98

The sardonic San Fernando Valley figure served his food unapologetically and with no modifications, and often teased his guests.

Chef Justin Pichetrungsi's ice cream sundae, with fried bananas and a fish sauce caramel to add some umami at the Los Angeles Times Test Kitchen in El Segundo, CA on Thursday, May 16, 2024.

Can chefs create recipes simple enough for home cooks? 23 food pros met our summer challenge

Watch Sang Yoon ‘Chef That!’ Egg Salad Sando

Columnist Jenn Harris and her late grandmother Phyllis Harris. She has her grandmother to thank for her love of food.

Voices

Commentary: Relishing a grandmother’s love, one meal at a time

Elon Musk's Tesla Diner opened in Hollywood on July 21, 2025.

The Tesla Diner is officially open ‘from now until forever.’ What we learned on Day 1

Recipe of the Day

Licorice Ice Cream

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These are the 101 best tacos in Los Angeles

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Restaurant critic Bill Addison’s list of best tacos in L.A.

Los Angeles, CA - July 14: A plate of tacos is displayed from at the Industrial Downtown Night Market on Sunday, July 14, 2024 in Los Angeles, CA. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)

The 18 best places to get vegetarian and vegan tacos in Los Angeles

A taco glossary: Words you need to know to order tacos like a pro

Illustrated portraits of 8 faces surrounded by taco ingredients

Celebrities, chefs and athletes share their favorite tacos in L.A.

Behind the scenes of the Food team devouring tons of tacos.

We ate hundreds of tacos to find the 101 best. Here’s how the whole process went

Our California Guides

For Subscribers

25 of the best restaurants and bars for your Palm Springs road trip

Take a break from sunbathing and vintage shopping to check out the best restaurants in Palm Springs and as far afield as Cathedral City and Yucca Valley, including a secret speakeasy, a Balkan-inspired beer hall and a classic steakhouse.

For Subscribers

Our L.A. food critic’s highly specific guide to San Francisco dining

Jeune et Jolie in Carlsbad, Calif. with chef Eric Bost, July 13, 2024. Clockwiise from foreground: Gnudi, Porc, Melon and Croque Madame. (Amy Carson / For The Times)

For Subscribers

23 of the best restaurants and bars for your San Diego weekend getaway

Image of a restaurant dining room with people eating various foods

For Subscribers

19 must-try diners and restaurants for your next California road trip

RIVERSIDE, CA - NOVEMBER 10, 2023: The Fox Theater was built in 1929, and is a Spanish Colonial Revival style building in the heart of downtown Riverside on November 10, 2023 in Riverside, California. It underwent a major renovation in 2010.(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

For Subscribers

SoCal’s most overlooked weekend escape is a place you’ve probably driven past

Restaurant Reviews

Review

Hot cheese breads and meat pies are only the start at L.A.’s best new Armenian restaurant
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With the new Vin Folk, Hermosa Beach becomes a culinary destination
Review

Have menu fatigue? Enter another dimension at a Santa Ana industrial park
Review

This dumpling reveals all at a Turkish restaurant like no other in L.A.
Review

The originator of Panda Express is back. Is the new orange chicken better?
Review

Head to this new SGV dumpling parlor for Kaifeng-style xiao long bao

Collage of food photos from the 2024 101 list

For Subscribers

These are the 101 best restaurants in Los Angeles

Restaurant critic Bill Addison and columnist Jenn Harris rank the 101 best restaurants in Los Angeles.

4 things we learned about L.A. cuisine while finding its 101 best restaurants

Hall of Fame restaurants: These timeless classics define L.A. dining

Our Food Guides

Los Angeles, CA - July 16: A view of the dog-friendly environment at De La Nonna on Wednesday, July 16, 2025 in Los Angeles, CA. (B. Justine Jaime / Los Angeles Times)

For Subscribers

The best dog-friendly patios to take your pup this summer

12 L.A. spots reinventing the classic chicken Caesar wrap

Nine small cups of Awan ice cream in various flavors against a rust-colored background.

10 of the best L.A. scoop shops for vegan ice cream

LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 17: Tom Yum soup at Mae Malai Thai House of Noodles on May 17, 2025 in Los Angeles, CA. (Shelby Moore / For The Times)

19 affordable picks from the 101 Best Restaurants in California guide

Los Angeles, CA - July 01: The strawberry matcha latte from Ondo Coffee Co. on Tuesday, July 1, 2025 in Los Angeles, CA. (Shelby Moore / For the Times)

For Subscribers

15 over-the-top coffee and matcha drinks to try in L.A.

Collage of food images: burger, rice, raw seafood

The best places to eat and drink this month, according to our food writers

A bowl of chicken nurungji topped with egg yolk, green onion and sesame at Jilli in Koreatown

Are you eating the crispy rice at the bottom of the pot? 13 L.A. spots to try nurungji

15 food fundraisers and events that support L.A.’s immigrant communities

LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 4, 2022: Salsa being ladeled on a Carnitas Taco at Los Cinco Puntos (Ron De Angelis / For The Times)

18 immigrant-founded restaurants in L.A. from our Hall of Fame list

Moronga de borrego and barbacoa tacos from Barbacoa Ramirez, photographed for the 101 Best Tacos 2024 on Saturday, July 13th, 2024 in Los Angeles, CA. (Andrea D'Agosto / For The Times)

19 street vendors to support from the 101 Best Tacos guide

Soyrizo-and-potato croissants on baking racks at Santa Canela panadería in Highland Park.

8 bakeries with globally inspired croissants that are uniquely L.A.

Collage of food images: fries, sandwiches, congee, pasta

The best places to eat and drink this month, according to our food writers

Food Videos

Raising a family, doing business in California not easy, In-N-Out boss says
Fear of ICE raids led chef Wes Avila’s father, a legal resident, to leave the U.S. Avila cooks to soothe the loss
The passion and wild herbs of a Tuscan chef

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Power Rankings

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I tried every smoothie at Erewhon, including Hailey Bieber’s $17 skincare smoothie

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