CA Has 6 Of America's Best 50 Restaurants, New Ranking Finds

CALIFORNIA — Six of America’s best restaurants are located in California, according to a new list from The New York Times.

To develop The Restaurant List, 14 New York Times and editors took 76 flights to 33 states, where they ate more than 200 meals, the publication said. The sleuths showed up unannounced and made reservations through a smartphone app.

“We pay for all of our food, and we don’t accept freebies. We eat like you do, with the same hope for a meal to remember, to be welcomed and delighted,” The Times wrote.

More than half of the restaurants have opened since the 2024 list was published, The Times said.

In California, Lilo, Baby Bistro and Sun Moon Studio stood out as remarkable, according to the report.

The owners of Lilo describe the restaurant as an immersive dining experience that "harnesses the untamed spirit of the California Coast."

It was opened in 2025 and is located in Carlsbad, about 35 miles north of San Diego.

"The chef Eric Bost and John Resnick, the co-owners of Lilo, are doing their part to transform Carlsbad, a beach town preserved in amber, into a dining destination," according to Eleanore Park of the New York Times.

Baby Bistro made its Los Angeles debut in 2023 as a pop-up but officially opened a permanent location this year in Chinatown.

Tejal Rao of the New York Times says Baby Bistro has a "frisky little menu" that often changes. So if one item changes a customer's life, it may not be there the next time around.

Still, the restaurant, surrounded by banana trees and bougainvillea, feels "inviting, unpredictable and alive," Rao writes.

West Oakland's Sun Moon Studio, opened in 2024, already has a Michelin star for its high-quality cooking.

Park says this is one of the most difficult restaurants in the Bay Area to secure a reservation. But if lucky enough to get one, customers won't be disappointed.

Whether it's the "soulful" housemade water kimchi paired with halbut crudo or the shiso and perilla ice creams with crunchy cacao nibs, the food at Sun Moon Studio "reminds you of what the right chefs can do with access to California’s bounty," Park said.

The whole list of the best six California restaurants, according to the New York Times (in no particular order), is as follows:

• Baby Bistro (Los Angeles)
• Lilo (Carlsbad)
• Mori Nozomi (Los Angeles)
• RVR (Venice)
• Sun Moon Studio (West Oakland)
• Verjus (San Francisco)