The Sunset Travel Awards celebrate the best in travel in the West. These restaurants are the 2025 winners of the Where to Eat & Drink: California Classics category. Check out the complete list of winners here. For our definitive and searchable travel directory to help you plan your next trip in the West, click here.
Ad Hoc + Addendum
Deborah Jones
Home of Thomas Keller’s rightly celebrated Ad Hoc buttermilk fried chicken, Ad Hoc, along with its takeout annex Addendum, combines Keller’s exacting sourcing and technique in a casual setting that invites culinary-minded diners to come as they are and delight in the chef and his team’s mighty talents.
Delfina
Albert Law
You can hardly turn a corner in San Francisco without stumbling upon an excellent pizza joint, but there’s no denying that this is the one that set the tone for it all. Delfina has been a trailblazer in the Cal-Italian cuisine movement for more than 25 years, with dishes driven by the Bay Area’s seasonal bounty.
Hitching Post 2
Jeremy Ball
This iconic restaurant in Buellton, owned by grill master and winemaker Frank Ostini, is famous for its signature wood-fired Santa Maria-style barbecue, steaks, and award-winning Pinot Noir, which initially made a real name for itself in the film Sideways in 2004. Whether you’re dining out on the patio for lunch or in the dimly lit dining room for dinner, you don’t want to miss the cult-favorite grilled artichokes.
Loquita
Rob Stark
Transport yourself to the bustling market at La Boqueria in Barcelona at this authentic Spanish restaurant offering hot and cold tapas, wood-fired seafood, and paella. Its menu mirrors the Mediterranean climate, utilizing locally sourced ingredients. Naturally, there’s an extensive offering of Spanish vermouths, sangria, and gin tonics, too.
Bouchon Bistro
Bouchon
It’s difficult to imagine the Yountville food scene without Thomas Keller, who first opened this French-inspired bistro in 1998 near his famed fine dining restaurant, The French Laundry. Here, you’ll find a seasonal menu and raw bar alongside Keller staples like roast chicken and classic French onion soup, perfect for pairing with wines from its vin de carafe program, featuring exclusive selections from top wineries in Napa Valley and France.
Sushi Note Omakase
Shelby Moore
It’s difficult to make waves in a city known for being the site where Japan’s sushi first came stateside, but the team behind Sushi Note continues to surprise and delight year after year. At this new Beverly Hills 14-seater, the 20-course omakase is always dialed in with the freshest seafood flown in from Tsukiji, Spain, and New Zealand, plus wine and sake pairings to boot.