9 Best Restaurants in North County and Around, California

Named for Rancho Santa Fe’s visionary architect, Lillian Rice, this swanky restaurant hits all the right notes with coastal California cuisine-meets-local purveyors with fresh fish, grass-fed meats, and seasonal ingredients. Although breakfast and lunch are offered, splurge for dinner with starters like tuna tartare, Peking duck tostada, and Osetra caviar. Open up that appetite for Baja striped bass from the sea, eggplant parmesan from the garden, and New York strip from the land. Arrive early for a drink at the attached Bing’s Bar, an English pub-style clubhouse inspired by the golden age of Hollywood.

For inexpensive comfort food, this desert restaurant serves sandwiches, pasta, burgers, and chicken-fried steak with thick fries; for super-fresh ingredients, request organic goods plucked from their adjacent vegetable garden. This is the area's best breakfast joint, with menu highlights including cinnamon French toast and smoked salmon eggs Benedict. Portions are hearty including the salads with homemade dressings; the seared ahi salad and cold peanut sesame noodle salad are both top picks on a hot day.  The air-conditioned dining room, full bar, and pet-friendly shaded patio are great when the season heats up.

With over 100 items on its menu, this local watering hole seems to collect hungry patrons ranging from hippies to hikers and is the place to go any night of the week. A large, dimly lighted room houses the horse shoe–shaped bar and dining tables, and the menu lists pasta, burgers, seafood, and pizza in addition to old-fashioned entrées such as liver and onions, ribs and steaks, and a mixed grill. Dinners come with soup or salad, and mashed potatoes and vegetables. There's live music Friday and Saturday (October–May) at 8 pm, but a juke box keeps tunes going regardless of the day. 

The parking lot in front of D'Carlos is always full, a sure sign that Ramonans like this casual family-style dinner house. The menu offers something for everyone: burgers, sandwiches, salads, steaks, barbecue, seafood, and pasta. Old-time favorites include chicken-fried steak and homemade meat loaf. The place can feel chaotic, but friendly waitresses are surprisingly efficient. There's also patio dining in good weather.

This meat-focused eatery fills bellies with farm-to-table cuisine like bacon mac and cheese, and a 12-ounce pork chop served over house grits. Add a sunny-side-up farm egg to your burger, chop, shank, or homemade pasta, and if you’re into sauces, the chef is on point with lick-your-plate gravies with garlic, onions, and herbs. Burgers and sandwiches come with hot fries served in a brown paper bag, stylistically in line with the quirky-rustic decor made from repurposed materials. The Flying Pig is a member of the Slow Food movement, meaning food is fresh, not fast.

Situated next to grassy Powerhouse Park, Jake's feels like Southern Californian dining at its best—a beachfront location coupled with beautiful ocean views and the freshest ingredients. In a true aloha spirit, friendly servers are ready to tempt with cucumber margaritas and starters like macadamia-crusted calamari as well as items from the main menu, which is split "by garden," "by sea," and "by land," with options like the seafood pot, the chef's burger, and the filet mignon. Just steps from the sand, this is one of San Diego's best restaurants for mai tai sunsets.

Carl Schroeder, one of California's most reputable chefs, draws well-heeled foodies to his creative and locally sourced California fare, much of it with an Asian influence from his time in Japan. The three-course tasting menu changes regularly depending upon what's fresh, but Schroeder's seasonally inspired dishes have a playful spirit, whether it's a gorgonzola soufflé, a grapefruit-avocado salad, or miso-glazed cod with ramen noodles and snap pea tempura. A well-edited wine list offers food-friendly wines by the best and brightest winemakers around the world. Desserts change monthly.

The menu at this American bistro changes quarterly but the clientele is here to stay, especially during summer months when people-watching becomes a sport. Grab a seat on the terrace, if you’re lucky, to enjoy such magical cocktails like a cucumber crush of grapefruit, vodka, and elderflower, and menu mainstays such as buttermilk-fried Jidori chicken, braised short ribs, and seared ahi tuna. For a collision of textures, try the sticky steam buns with crunchy chicken, or the crispy calamari with chipotle crema. This is a popular spot for weekend brunch. 

Local influences blend with global flavors from the Mediterranean, Mexico, and Asia at this chic Alila Hotel-based restaurant with sweeping coastal views. Grab a seat in the dining room to watch chefs in the open-air kitchen fire up a seasonally changing menu that features dishes like beef carpaccio topped with caviar, corn campanelle with cotija cheese, or R&R Farms New York steak. For a treat, order the Ibérico chops with a side of potato rosti, but be sure to save room for the malted-chocolate bombe with chocolate showcased in four textures.