People Drive From All Over California For The Ribs At Phil’s BBQ In San Diego
Some families plan their San Diego trips around the beach, and others plan them around a rack of ribs. Some people leave Los Angeles, Orange…
By Evan Cook · Oct 10, 2026
Category
California
1,192 Articles
California
Sourdough Lovers Have Made Boudin Bakery On Fisherman’s Wharf A San Francisco Ritual
Some trips to San Francisco start with a cable car. Plenty of others start with a loaf of…
By Evan Cook · Oct 9
California
How Did A Tiny Ojai, California Bakery Become The Weekend Stop For Every Road-Tripper?
Road-trippers chasing a famous little Ojai bakery often find the town’s real weekend magnet somewhere else entirely: a…
By Evan Cook · Oct 9
California
You Haven’t Really Done Sacramento Until You’ve Had Fried Chicken At Louisiana Heaven
Some of the best meals in Sacramento hide in places most people drive right past. In the Valley…
By Evan Cook · Oct 9
California
Road Trips Through The Gold Country Aren’t Complete Without Pasties From Marshall’s Pasties In Grass Valley
Gold Country road trips come with a hidden rule that locals rarely say out loud. Somewhere between the…
By Evan Cook · Oct 9
California
Swan Oyster Depot Still Seats Only A Couple Dozen People, And San Franciscans Happily Wait Hours
A line forms on a Polk Street sidewalk before 9 in the morning, and nobody in it seems…
By Evan Cook · Oct 9
California
Pizza Lovers Across California Swear These 8 Slice Shops Beat Anything In New York
New Yorkers love to say you cannot get a real slice outside the five boroughs. California pizza fans…
By Evan Cook · Oct 9
California
Dinner At Nepenthe In Big Sur Comes With Cliffside Views That Stretch Down The Coast
Highway 1 through Big Sur is famous for its long, winding stretches with very few places to stop…
By Evan Cook · Oct 8
California
Retirees Keep Choosing This Peaceful Walnut Creek Valley In California, Where Mornings Mean Walks Under 500-Year-Old Oaks
Some retirement plans start with a spreadsheet, while others start with a morning walk through the hills. In…
By Evan Cook · Oct 8
California
Hash Browns At Midnight Feel Like A Trip Back In Time At This Circa-1949 Diner In San Diego, California
The clock says midnight, the city is winding down, and somewhere on a busy boulevard in San Diego…
By Evan Cook · Oct 8
California
Fried Chicken Fans Across California Keep Driving Hours For These 7 Kitchens
California is a big state, and some fried chicken fans treat it like one long road trip between…
By Evan Cook · Oct 8
California
Diners In Stockton, California Say This Catfish Spot Fries Its Fish Crispy, Flaky, And Seasoned Just Right
Good fried catfish is harder to find than most people think. Plenty of places can drop fish into…
By Evan Cook · Oct 8
California
Since 1955, Diners Have Lined Up For The Massive Hollenbeck Burrito At This Beloved Los Angeles, California Mexican Spot
Some burritos fit in one hand. Others need a game plan, a team, and maybe a nap afterward.…
By Evan Cook · Oct 8
California
Locals Swear The Best Wings In Fresno, California Hide Inside This Plain-Looking, Owner-Run Spot
Some of the best meals in Fresno come from buildings you would drive past without a second look.…
By Evan Cook · Oct 7
California
Packed With ’50s Memorabilia, This California Diner Piles On Corned Beef Hash And Biscuits And Gravy
Some San Francisco mornings call for a plate big enough to need its own zip code. A cable…
By Evan Cook · Oct 7
California
California Steak Lovers Plan Their Celebrations Around Tableside-Carved Prime Rib At This Beverly Hills Steakhouse Open Since 1938
Some dinners are booked a month ahead, circled on the calendar, and talked about long after the check…
By Evan Cook · Oct 7
California
Bring A Big Appetite To Joshua Tree, California, Where JT Country Kitchen Serves Huge Portions Of Biscuits And Gravy Worth The Wait
Some breakfasts are quick. Others come with a line out front, a name on a waitlist, and plates…
By Evan Cook · Oct 7
California
Inside a Converted Train Car, This West Hollywood, California Hot Dog Joint Has Served Chili Dogs for Decades, and Longtime Regulars Still Come Back
Some people have been ordering chili dogs at the same spot on the Sunset Strip for over 40…
By Evan Cook · Oct 7
California
Locals In Oakland Have Been Lining Up At Fentons Creamery For Towering Sundaes Since 1894
Some Oakland traditions get handed down like family recipes, and this one comes with a spoon. Grandparents who…
By Evan Cook · Oct 7
California
Pho Isn’t The Only Thing Worth Ordering At These 7 Little Saigon Restaurants In California
Pho gets most of the attention, and it earns it. But California’s Little Saigon neighborhoods, from Westminster and…
By Evan Cook · Oct 6
California
Ono Hawaiian BBQ In Lake Forest Serves Island-Style Plate-Lunch Comfort, From Loco Moco To Mac Salad
Lunch in Orange County can get pricey fast, so a full plate of grilled meat, two scoops of…
By Evan Cook · Oct 6
California
Seven California Crab Shacks Where You Crack Dungeness With Your Hands
Some meals come with a fork, and some come with a cracker, a bib, and a stack of…
By Evan Cook · Oct 6
California
Generations Of Sacramento Families Have Celebrated Over Steaks At The Firehouse Restaurant
Some dinners get forgotten by Tuesday, and some get retold at family gatherings for years. In Old Sacramento,…
By Evan Cook · Oct 6
California
Seven California Burger Stands Older Than Your Grandparents Still Flip On Flat-Tops
Some of the best burgers in California come off griddles that were already hot when Eisenhower was in…
By Evan Cook · Oct 6
California
Big Bear Lake Is The California Mountain Town Where Fall Weekends Feel Unhurried
Some weekends call for a packed schedule, and some call for no schedule at all. High in the…
By Evan Cook · Oct 6
California
Locals Swear The Best Fish Tacos In San Diego Come From Oscar’s Mexican Seafood
Some taco spots need a billboard to get noticed. This one just needs a line that stretches out…
By Evan Cook · Oct 5
California
Retirees Are Quietly Moving To Red Bluff, California, Where Homes Still Sell Under $350,000
Some retirees are skipping the crowded coast and heading north on Interstate 5 instead. Their destination is a…
By Evan Cook · Oct 5
California
A Bowl Of Chili At Chili John’s In Burbank Tastes Exactly Like It Did In 1946
Some restaurants chase trends every season. One small counter in Burbank has spent decades doing the opposite, ladling…
By Evan Cook · Oct 5
California
These 8 California Donut Shops Are Worth Setting An Early Alarm For
Some donuts are fine at noon, but the best ones in California tend to disappear long before lunch.…
By Evan Cook · Oct 5
California
Before Heading Into Yosemite, Everyone Stops At The Iron Door Saloon In Groveland For A Burger
The road to Yosemite has plenty of pretty views, but one small Gold Rush town holds a stop…
By Evan Cook · Oct 5
California
Craving Real Southern Barbecue? These 8 California Smokehouses Get The Brisket Right
Good brisket is hard to fake. It takes hours on the smoker, a steady hand with the seasoning,…
By Evan Cook · Oct 5
California
Along The Russian River, Guerneville Is The Little Redwood Town Where Weekends Slow Way Down
Some towns ask you to hurry, and some quietly hand you permission to stop. Up in Sonoma County,…
By Evan Cook · Oct 4
California
Hungry Visitors To Solvang Keep Walking Out Of Mortensen’s Danish Bakery With Pastry Boxes
Some people come to Solvang for the windmills and the storybook rooftops. A surprising number leave with something…
By Evan Cook · Oct 4
California
Locals Have Been Ordering The Tri-Tip Sandwich At The Hitching Post In Casmalia For Decades
Some towns are so small you could miss them with one long blink, and Casmalia is one of…
By Evan Cook · Oct 4
California
Grab A Number At Fosselman’s In Alhambra, Where The Ice Cream Has Been Churned In-House Since 1919
Some Alhambra families have been lining up at the same ice cream counter for 50 years, and a…
By Evan Cook · Oct 4
California
Just Ask For The Hofbrau Plate At Harry’s Hofbrau In Redwood City
Some meals come with a menu, and some come with a tray, a line, and a carver waiting…
By Evan Cook · Oct 4
California
Nothing On The Menu At Duarte’s Tavern In Pescadero Beats The Olallieberry Pie And Artichoke Soup
Highway 1 makes it easy to zip past the tiny town of Pescadero without a second look. That…
By Evan Cook · Oct 4
California
Every Weekend, Californians Line Up At These 8 Carnitas Spots For Pork Sold By The Pound
Saturday morning in California has its own ritual, and it involves a paper-wrapped pound of pork, a stack…
By Evan Cook · Oct 3
California
Crab Legs And Carving Stations Pile Up At These 7 California All-You-Can-Eat Buffets
Some meals call for a menu, and some call for a plate you can refill as many times…
By Evan Cook · Oct 3
California
Some Of The Best Korean Barbecue In California Is Grilled At Your Table In These 8 Restaurants
Korean barbecue is dinner and a hobby rolled into one meal. You sit down, a grill sits in…
By Evan Cook · Oct 3