California’s Can’t-Miss Restaurants

On this episode of the California Now Podcast, host Soterios Johnson digs into the Golden State’s dynamic and diverse restaurants with three experts who know the local food scene inside and out.

First, Johnson chats with Elina Shatkin, food journalist and producer of KCRW’s Good Food in Los Angeles. Shatkin shares some of her favorite restaurants and foodie neighborhoods across the City of Angels. Shatkin runs the full gamut of good eats, from L.A. institutions to standout sandwich shops and high-end spots. “I just want to give people a good time and help them discover something delicious,” she says. She also takes listeners east, highlighting her favorite newcomers and old-school dining establishments in Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley.

Next, Johnson welcomes Mackenzie Chung Fegan and Cesar Hernandez, food critics at the San Francisco Chronicle and the duo behind the paper’s much-anticipated Top 100 Restaurants list. They reflect on their process of curating the list and their goal to highlight culinary excellence across price points, cuisines, and regions—from Oakland to San Jose to Healdsburg. “We wanted to make sure that there were plenty of affordable restaurants on this list,” says Fegan, “that it wasn’t just a list of places to eat out for special occasions.”

Hernandez echoes this sentiment, emphasizing the value of lifting up both legacy and new restaurants. “We also wanted to represent places that have been around for at least 10 or 15 years instead of just the ones that are new.” Together, the critics highlight standout picks, ranging from local taco shops to classic Bay Area mainstays and Michelin-starred meals.