Food & Drink

Best restaurants in California? These lists highlight food from Sacramento to San Diego

Composition with delicious sushi rolls. Japanese food
Composition with delicious sushi rolls. Japanese food Getty Images/iStockphoto

The Sacramento area’s top-rated restaurants reveal a vibrant culinary scene praised by various review platforms including Yelp, Eater, and Pizza Today. Eater has notably highlighted Sacramento as an “exciting dining town” amid a culinary revival, spotlighting diverse offerings from Michelin-rated Nixtaco in Roseville to midtown’s vegetarian restaurant Mother. This variety is mirrored in Yelp’s listings, where eateries like Journey to the Dumpling and Guy’s for Lunch are celebrated for their exceptional flavors and local popularity.

The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories below were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.

A chicharron taco at Nixtaco in Roseville is made July 2, 2019, with pork belly in a great sauce with lime-pickled onions in a homemade tortilla.
A chicharron taco at Nixtaco in Roseville is made July 2, 2019, with pork belly in a great sauce with lime-pickled onions in a homemade tortilla. Lezlie Sterling lsterling@sacbee.com

No. 1: Sacramento is one of Eater’s best places to eat in 2024. Which restaurants are ‘essential’?

Eater’s list of top culinary destinations includes cities in Brazil, Egypt and Japan. | Published February 24, 2024 | Read Full Story by Angela Rodriguez

Yelp’s list of the Top 100 Romantic Restaurants for Valentine’s Day Dinner in 2024 includes 19 California restaurants.
Yelp’s list of the Top 100 Romantic Restaurants for Valentine’s Day Dinner in 2024 includes 19 California restaurants. Moncherie Getty Images



No. 2: These California spots are among Top 100 Most Romantic Restaurants in the US, Yelp says

Wondering where to eat on Valentine’s Day? Yelp reviewers say these are the best California restaurants for romance. | Published February 10, 2024 | Read Full Story by Jacqueline Pinedo

Roseville sandwich shop Guy’s For Lunch is one of Yelp’s Top 100 Places to Eatin the U.S. in 2024.
Roseville sandwich shop Guy’s For Lunch is one of Yelp’s Top 100 Places to Eatin the U.S. in 2024. Guy's For Lunch



No. 3: These California restaurants are some of the best in US, Yelp says. See who made the list

Half of the top 10 restaurants on Yelp’s latest list of Top 100 Places to Eat in the U.S. are in California, stretching from the Sacramento area to the Central Coast. | Published January 27, 2024 | Read Full Story by Sarah Linn

Yelp released its annual Top 100 Sushi Spots for 2024, and 10 California restaurants made the list with four places in the top 10. 
Yelp released its annual Top 100 Sushi Spots for 2024, and 10 California restaurants made the list with four places in the top 10.  AtlasStudio Getty Images/iStockphoto



No. 4: These California restaurants are among top 10 sushi spots in US, Yelp says. See the list

A total of 10 California spots made it on Yelp’s list of the 100 best sushi restaurants in the nation. Notably absent: Kru Contemporary Japanese Cuisine. | Published June 14, 2024 | Read Full Story by Hanh Truong

The Sacramento River, swollen from recent storms, flows under the Tower Bridge as the setting sun reflects off its golden paint on Monday, Jan. 9, 2023. A nearby gauge indicated the river was a 27.7 feet, still below monitor stage.
The Sacramento River, swollen from recent storms, flows under the Tower Bridge as the setting sun reflects off its golden paint on Monday, Jan. 9, 2023. A nearby gauge indicated the river was a 27.7 feet, still below monitor stage. Paul Kitagaki Jr. pkitagaki@sacbee.com



No. 5: These Sacramento-area restaurants are among top 100 places to eat in US, Yelp says

See which local restaurants made the list. | Published January 24, 2024 | Read Full Story by Jacqueline Pinedo

Hog Wild Bar-B-Que in Placerville is one of Yelp’s barbecue includes jalapeño-cheese sausages, St. Louis-style ribs and pulled pork.
Hog Wild Bar-B-Que in Placerville is one of Yelp’s barbecue includes jalapeño-cheese sausages, St. Louis-style ribs and pulled pork. Benjy Egel begel@sacbee.com



No. 6: This Sacramento-area restaurant serves up some of the best barbecue in the US, Yelp says

A total of nine California restaurants landed on Yelp’s “Top 100 Barbecue Spots in the US” list. | Published May 13, 2024 | Read Full Story by Sarah Linn

These California pizzerias are the ones to watch in 2024.
These California pizzerias are the ones to watch in 2024. Wirestock Getty Images/iStockphoto



No. 7: These Sacramento-area pizzerias are among top spots to watch in 2024, Pizza Today says

Pizza Today also listed new pizza spots that are on its radar. | Published February 9, 2024 | Read Full Story by Hanh Truong

Chicken tacos sit on a plate at Char Market in Carmichael on Thursday, Aug. 28, 2024.
Chicken tacos sit on a plate at Char Market in Carmichael on Thursday, Aug. 28, 2024. Lezlie Sterling lsterling@sacbee.com

No. 8: This Sacramento-area Mexican restaurant is one of the best in US, Yelp says. Here’s why

The restaurant landed in third place on Yelp’s list for the Top 25 Mexican Spots in the nation. | Published September 20, 2024 | Read Full Story by Angela Rodriguez

Pad See Eiw from The House of Authentic Ingredients is made with your choice of protein stir-fried with wide rice noodles, Chinese broccoli, carrots and egg.
Pad See Eiw from The House of Authentic Ingredients is made with your choice of protein stir-fried with wide rice noodles, Chinese broccoli, carrots and egg. Lezlie Sterling lsterling@sacbee.com



No. 9: The Sacramento region’s most underrated Thai restaurants, as chosen by readers

Readers nominated midtown and downtown favorites as well as hidden gems in the suburbs. | Published May 8, 2024 | Read Full Story by Benjy Egel

This report was produced with the help of AI tools, which summarized previous stories reported and written by McClatchy journalists. It was edited by journalists in our News division.

This story was originally published September 25, 2024 at 8:43 AM.

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