I’ve lived in California for nearly my entire life, bouncing between Northern and Southern California, and if there’s one thing I can tell you about the two halves of the state, it’s this: the food can be just as different as the weather and terrain.
California is enormous. It’s roughly the size of an entire country, and you can drive for nearly half a day in one direction without ever leaving the state. So it shouldn’t be surprising that what you eat in San Francisco can feel completely different from what you’ll find in Orange County, San Diego, Santa Barbara, or the Central Coast.
We also have a pretty ridiculous advantage when it comes to food.
California has massive agricultural regions, a climate that allows us to grow an absurd amount of fresh produce, a long coastline packed with seafood, and centuries of Mexican and Latino influence woven into the state’s food culture. Add the many immigrant communities that have made California home, and you’ve got one of the most varied food scenes in the country.
And that’s what this guide is about: the foods I think you should actually seek out when visiting different California destinations.
And no, we’re not covering stereotypical California cuisine like avocado toast or fish tacos. The dishes and specialties featured here will tell you a story about where you are.
In San Francisco, that means getting serious about sourdough and ordering a bowl of cioppino packed with seafood. Head south to the OC, and you’ll find one of the largest Vietnamese communities outside Vietnam (and a completely vast food culture worth exploring).
Whether you’re planning a Bay to LA road trip or thinking about visiting one of these destinations on its own, use this as your foodie checklist of what to order, where to try it, and what makes each region’s food worth seeking out!
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Table of Contents
San Francisco
Sourdough, Cioppino, Mission-Style Burrito
San Francisco is one of those cities where your itinerary should basically be built around eating. If you only have a couple of days in SF, there are a few foods you should absolutely get your hands on: sourdough, cioppino, and the famed Mission-style burrito.
Sourdough is practically part of the city’s DNA, but don’t stop at the obligatory bread bowls at Fisherman’s Wharf; make time to sample your way through the many award-winning bakeries that dot the city, such as Tartine. Their iconic country loaf is a must, as is their morning bun, made from laminated croissant dough rolled with cinnamon, brown sugar, and fresh orange zest.
Cioppino, for the uninitiated, is a giant bowl packed with fresh, succulent seafood. While Sotto Mare is often hailed as the quintessential North Beach experience, our personal recommendation is Betty Lou’s Seafood & Grill (one of my favorite seafood restaurants in the city).
Then there’s the Mission burrito, San Francisco’s famously oversized contribution to the burrito world. A traditional Mission-style burrito is basically a super giant stretchy tortilla stuffed with meat, beans, cheese, salsa, and often rice, sour cream, and guacamole—but there’s one very important exception: La Taqueria is home to a legendary version that comes without rice.
👉 Pro Tip: Experience SF by spending a day eating your way through its MANY diverse neighborhoods. Head to Chinatown for dim sum, bakeries, and little snack shops, then wander over to North Beach for Italian-American classics, coffee, cannoli, and, of course, cioppino. Here are 10 fun neighborhoods to explore while you’re in town.
San Diego
California Burritos, Tacos, Craft Beer
San Diego’s proximity to Mexico has a huge influence on what you’ll eat here, and honestly, you could build an entire San Diego trip itinerary around just tacos and other Mexican food fare alone.
Of course, when in SD, there is no other way to kick things off than with the California burrito, a San Diego original that combines carne asada, French fries, cheese, guac and sour cream into one gloriously oversized burrito.
For a quick and easy introduction to SD’s taco scene, The Taco Stand is a solid choice; we love their al pastor and crispy fish tacos (especially atop those fluffy handmade tortillas). Tacos El Gordo is the move when you’re ready to get serious about Tijuana-style tacos and want to try meats like adobada, lengua, or cabeza.
For all the drinkers out there, there’s the craft beer scene. San Diego has been one of California’s major craft-beer destinations for decades, with hundreds of breweries small and large scattered throughout the county.
You’ve got old-school names like Stone Brewing, popular neighborhood spots like North Park Beer Co., and smaller operations like Harland Brewing Co., where the focus is more on small-batch brews with bright and creative flavors.
Pair that with fresh seafood, California produce, coffee shops, and the city’s youthful, casual lifestyle, and you’ve got one of the easiest places in California to eat extremely well!
Sonoma Coast
Oysters, Dungeness crab, Clam Chowder
The Sonoma Coast is where you go when you want your California food experience to taste as it came right out of the Pacific Ocean that morning. Oysters, Dungeness crab, and clam chowder, reign supreme in this coastal region of NorCal.
Spud Point Crab Company in Bodega Bay is one of my must-stops, particularly for the clam chowder and crab rolls; the chowder has a long-standing reputation as one of the area’s best.
The drive toward Bodega Bay gets prettier and prettier the closer you get to the coast (green rolling hills, expansive farmland), and this stretch is prime oyster country.
If you want a casual roadside seafood stop, Rocker’s Roadhouse is a fun place to break up the drive. Another great option in Valley Ford is Bodega Bay Oyster Company. Don’t blink too slowly because you might miss it while driving!
This is also a great region for local cheese, wine, sourdough, and farm-to-table produce, so you can easily turn a coastal drive into a multi-stop grazing session. Here’s our Sonoma Coast road trip guide to get you started on your outdoor foodie adventure.
Los Angeles
Korean BBQ, Marinated Crab, Tacos
If there is one food experience I’d tell you to prioritize in Los Angeles, it’s Korean BBQ. Some people will even tell you LA’s Korean food is better than what you’ll find in Korea, and after living in LA for the last 7 years, I can confirm that claim has legs to it.
LA has one of the largest Korean communities outside Korea, and Koreatown (K-Town) is an endless playground for anyone who loves all-you-can-eat beef brisket, pork belly, banchan, and corn cheese.
Koreatown welcomes eating until you need to unbutton your pants, so dress ready for the occasion before braving the lines at Hae Jang Chon or Road To Seoul. Both are AYCE, which means you can keep ordering meat until you physically cannot eat another bite.
One thing to look for on the menu is LA galbi, one of the cuts that makes LA’s Korean BBQ scene distinct, and it’s absolutely worth ordering when you see it on an AYCE menu.
K-Town is also the perfect place to branch out beyond the usual bulgogi and galbi and try specialty dishes like ganjang gejang, or soy-marinated raw crab. It’s not exactly a beginner dish, but if you like crab and have caught on to the Korean food mukbang trends, I’d certainly give it a try.
Then there’s LA’s taco scene, which is a whole separate rabbit hole of its own. My advice: don’t waste your LA trip eating only at the famous spots (in my opinion, Leo’s Tacos is sooo overrated). If you ask me, I love less-talked-about taco joints like El Primo Tacos on the Westside and Ensenada’s Surf N Turf Grill in the South Bay.
Read Next: 11 Fun Neighborhoods To Visit in LA (From A Local’s Perspective!)
Santa Barbara
Mexican Food, Uni, Strawberries
Santa Barbara’s list of must-try foods sounds totally random, but makes perfect sense once you understand where you are: SB is a conglomeration of beaches, agricultural farms, Mexican influence, and an absurd amount of fresh seafood.
Start with Santa Barbara-style Mexican food, which tends to be casual, generous, and very much part of the local culture. Most first-timers usually start off with a visit to La Super-Rica Taqueria, but if you’re open to branching out from that, there’s PLENTY more awaiting you.
Seafood lovers should absolutely look for Santa Barbara uni, which is famous for its creamy texture and sweet, briny flavor when it’s in season. If you’re visiting on a Saturday morning, head to the harbor’s Saturday Fishermen’s Market, where you can buy uni directly from local fishermen (a much better deal than paying restaurant prices).
And then there are the strawberries. Santa Barbara County is one of California’s major strawberry-growing regions, so you’ll see them everywhere when they’re in season.
You’ll find plenty of options at the Santa Barbara Certified Farmers’ Market, which is a great place to load up on produce, cheeses, and local wine before heading off to explore the coast. And while we’re on the topic of wine, did we mention that Santa Barbara is a renowned wine destination as well?
There’s almost TOO much to love about SB, so we’ve created our own Santa Barbara travel guide to help you explore the essence of the town in just a short day or two.
Orange County
Vietnamese Food
Some of you might be associating the OC with the likes of Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, etc. But I’m here to tell you those places are not where you’ll find the best food. The priciest and the bougiest? Yes.
But the best? You’ll find that in the more inland areas. If you like Vietnamese food, that is.
Orange County is home to one of the largest Vietnamese communities in the United States, and if you’re anywhere around Garden Grove, Westminster, or Fountain Valley, you should absolutely make time to eat your way through Little Saigon.
Yes, you can start with a classic bowl of pho, but please don’t stop there. One of my favorite things about eating in this part of California is trying dishes that you may not see on the menu at your neighborhood Vietnamese restaurant back home.
Look for harder-to-find dishes like bánh khọt (little crispy Vietnamese rice cakes topped with shrimp), bánh cuốn (delicate steamed rice rolls filled with pork and mushrooms), and mì Quảng (turmeric-colored noodles served with meat, shrimp, herbs, peanuts, and just enough broth to bring everything together).
These are exactly the kinds of dishes that I crave whenever I’m in the OC! And because so many restaurants are concentrated within a relatively small area, it’s perfect for a DIY food crawl.
And while you’re here, don’t forget to get your fill of Vietnamese iced coffee or chè, a sweet Vietnamese dessert made with goodies like beans, jellies, fruit, coconut milk, and sticky rice!
Napa Valley
Wine, farm-to-table cooking, award-winning restaurants
Yes, Napa may be famous for its primo wine and food, but if you think you need a four-figure tasting menu to eat well here, please don’t let that scare you away!
This is one of California’s great agricultural regions, so farm-to-table cooking is a major part of the food scene, with chefs building menus around produce, olive oil, meat, cheese, and other ingredients grown throughout the valley.
If you have the budget for a once-in-a-lifetime meal, this is certainly the place to splurge: Thomas Keller’s The French Laundry is one of California’s most famous fine-dining restaurants, and Keller’s other restaurants, including Bouchon Bistro, give you another way into his food without costing you an arm and a leg.
That said, you absolutely do NOT need to spend hundreds of dollars on food to eat well in Napa! Look for casual wine-country restaurants, bakeries, food halls, picnic provisions, farmers markets, and restaurants that let you order à la carte.
One of my favorite spots for brunch? Farmstead at Long Meadow Ranch. I absolutely love everything about Farmstead (their food, their property, and what they stand for). Not only is their food amazingly fresh and delicious, but the lively atmosphere is unbeatable.
Oxbow Public Market is another must-visit, featuring tons of great eateries under one roof.
