After a tough few years for the restaurant industry, food magazine Bon Appétit is celebrating what’s new and exciting in the industry with its list of the “50 Best New Restaurants” in America. Six California restaurants earned a mention, and fair warning: Reading any further may make your stomach growl.
Three of the restaurants among the top 50 are in Los Angeles.
There’s Quarter Sheets, a pan-style pizza joint in Echo Park, where a recent seasonal menu pie was topped with padron peppers, spring onion, oregano, lemon cream, cheddar and “a few secrets.” Fans of the restaurant urge you not to miss a piece of layer cake for dessert.
Yangban Society in the Arts District also scored a spot on the list. Chefs Katianna and John Hong say the menu “draws inspiration from Korean flavors and regional California ingredients.” Yelp reviewers seem to rave about the warm service just as much as the delicious flavor combinations.
At Lasita in Chinatown, the final L.A. spot recognized by the magazine, diners can wash down a marinated and roasted half-chicken or pork belly with a bottle of natural wine. Bon Appétit writes you shouldn’t miss the sauces you can order alongside each meat dish, especially the Coconut Green Goddess.
Just a few hours south, one San Diego restaurant made the list. Kingfisher “presents a classic take on authentic Vietnamese French influence food with a California sensibility,” the restaurant’s website says. It’s on the pricier side of the California restaurants included in the magazine’s roundup, with fish dishes between $30 and $52, and large meat dishes upwards of $72. The cocktail list includes “maximalist” creations such as the Ozymandias (crust of overcooked rice, Aquavit, Abasolo Mexican
Ancestral Corn Whiskey, D’Aristi Xtabentun Yucatan honey liquor).
The final two California restaurants recognized by Bon Appétit are in the Bay Area. First, in San Francisco, is Good Good Culture Club, which strives to live up to its name according to the list of values it has published online. The menu is composed of mouthwatering small plates like chicken wings stuffed with garlic rice and a little gem salad topped with taro leaf dressing.
Finally, there’s DAYTRIP, which describes itself as a “party restaurant and bottle shop” in Oakland’s Temescal neighborhood. The rotating menu is playful and bold, the restaurant says, and designed to introduce guests to new experiences and flavors. On Tuesdays, the restaurant ditches its usual service and turns into a bar with just a few tiny snacks on the menu. Bon Appétit recommends showing up early to snag a table at the cozy restaurant.
You can see Bon Appétit’s full list of Best New Restaurants on their website.