We understand that time is the most valuable thing for everyone — especially you! And after time, its food. Life is too short for a bad bowl of soup. We firmly believe that each meal is an opportunity for bliss, hence we have done the hard work for you in selecting the best “fill in the blank” dining options. We work with local food editors up and down the coast, to compiles our “Best of” roundups.
Who’s we? Please meet our California Clean Plate Club that comprise the Local Getaways food editors.
And if we missed our favorite, please email us connect@localgetaways.com.
Featured Photo: KAIYŌ Rooftop by Anthony Parks & Emilio Salehi, Equal Parts Media
Lotus Abrams
I’m a rare breed on (at least) two fronts: a true Bay Area native who embraced plant-based eating long before it was a “thing.” I was just a babe in the early 1970s when my peace-loving parents discovered the ways of the macrobiotic diet. That didn’t stick for any of us, but a passion for veggies sure did (plus cheese, and I just don’t think I could live without huevos rancheros). Now, whether I’m cooking up a meal at home for family and friends or sampling veggie delights everywhere from chic rooftop cocktail lounges to neighborhood eateries and food festivals, I’m always on the lookout for new flavors and fabulous finds. When I’m not tooling around the Peninsula — my home base for exploring the ever-evolving Bay Area food scene — you’ll likely find me mingling with fellow food and drink fanatics at a couple of my other happy places: wine country and Tahoe.
Jeanne Cooper
After many years of reporting on trends in the state and visiting friends, my husband Ian Hersey and I have moved to the Big Island, a.k.a. Hawaii Island. If you check my Instagram account, you’ll see cute puppies (I foster) and tasty treats. Getting a photo of me with the meals was not as easy. Luckily, Ian often has a camera in hand during Happy Hour.
Kate Combs
As a Richmond, Virginia native spending the summer in San Francisco, I found food to be one of the best parts of my stay. As the Bay Area is a hub for hundreds of incredible restaurants and markets, I simply could not get enough of trying new spots. I have always been a believer that food is at the center of all things health and wellness. And as an adventurous eater, trying new unique foods has always been so much fun to me. That is why I loved the opportunity to sample a variety of different cuisines all summer long, each fresh and different! Cheers!
Jessica Gliddon
From writing food reviews in Dubai to sampling Michelin-caliber restaurants in Cape Town, I’ve been fortunate enough to develop an international palette through my work, but there’s nothing like home when it comes to food. I’m lucky enough to live in North Beach and enjoy some of the best Italian food the country has to offer, but I’ll never pass up an opportunity for some fresh dim sum first thing in the morning, a bowl of pho from a hole-in-the-wall place in the Tenderloin or a matcha drink in Japantown. Further afield, South Bay curries and East Bay Ethiopian always have me excited to eat out. The Bay Area’s dining scene is amazing and I’m always there for it! Besides exploring San Francisco’s best eats and beyond, I love to cook at home, especially Asian food, whether it’s honing my skills with Indian spices or trying to perfect a Thai curry.
Helena Grant
My favorite food? Well…pretty much anything you can get at a bakery. I grew up with a mom who is not only an extraordinary cook (and worked at Sunset Magazine) but who is an amazing baker. She taught me everything when it comes to baking cakes in particular. Coming from the South Bay, I now live in San Francisco and am the resident baker of my friend group and the office. I bake everything from cakes to croissants to sourdough to focaccia to… well just about everything. Before I travel, I always do tons of research to find the best bakeries to try in the area. Another thing I love? Cocktails, but that’s a whole other story involving my dad and his love for tiki drinks (one pictured to the [left]).
Spud Hilton
After 20 years as a full-time travel writer for the San Francisco Chronicle, I realize there are two things I love about food. First, eating something new or foreign is a great way to get out of your comfort zone, which is the point of traveling and experiencing other places. And second, local food is the easiest way to explore another culture — not everyone loves art or music, but everybody has to eat. It doesn’t matter if it’s halfway around the world or down the street, there are always great dishes to try, and I love sharing those places when I find them.
Christina Mueller
I was raised on the East Coast by two immigrant parents who knew a thing or two about eating well while pinching pennies. Subsequent explorations around the world led to a cabinet full of spices and a fridge packed with homemade everything in my Marin kitchen, and an insatiable desire to find flavor at restaurants and pop-ups, food trucks and backyard barbecues in the Bay Area and far, far beyond. From where to eat near California’s missions to the Bay Area’s under the radar food towns and Mendocino’s burgeoning food scene, I have witnessed (and eaten) it all. I’ve proudly turned my kids into food nerds, too. When I am not eating or writing about eating, you can find me next to a ballfield, hiking the trails or flying back east or to Switzerland and Germany to visit family.
Tabi Parent
Growing up in San Francisco for the past 21 years, I’ve been spoiled with the amount of incredible food sitting just a ride away on the 38 Muni. Half-days in middle school meant my friends and I crowding the local pizza spot with our rolling backpacks to grab a slice for lunch, or hitting up the hole-in-the-wall sushi place on Geary (San Francisco is the only place I know of where eating at a hole-in-the-wall sushi spot is a good thing). With a dad in the restaurant business in the city, I’ve also grown up seeing first hand how special, resilient and important San Francisco’s food is to its people. Now, having lived in Boston, Chicago and New York City, I can confidently say that there is still nothing like the Bay Area’s food scene (let’s leave bagels out of this debate). Just when I think I’ve tried it all, a new place crops up offering french-fry stuffed burritos, cronuts or the latest take on avocado toast featuring. And if there’s one thing I like almost as much as I like eating at San Francisco’s restaurants, it’s writing about them!
Kasia Pawlowska
A Californian by way of Poland, I’ve spent the past 13 years living and eating in the birthplace of snobby ice cream flavors and (potentially) the martini — San Francisco. Whether it’s wood-fired Neapolitan pizza from a no-reservations-hour-long-wait spot, seasonal ankimo at 10-seat sushi bar, $2 take-out har gow, or a new chip at the bodega, selecting food is one of the most thrilling and important decisions of my day. Hence when I’ve traveled for work or pleasure, I study up on where I will spend my two precious resources, time and money. I believe that we can all eat really well regardless of budget and that an expensive meal isn’t always a good one. I love uncovering hidden gems tucked away in strip malls, and am a bit of a heat seeker, so you can catch me slapping on the wasabi and splashing on the Crystal house sauce on just about anything.
Paula Phommounivong
Growing up as a Lao American, I’ve been blessed with my parents’ Southeast Asian cooking all my life. So, I love anything with fish sauce, garlic, and chili pepper! I can genuinely say food is the way to my heart. I don’t recall ever being a picky eater as a child — if it looked edible, I’d eat it. I believe trying new dishes is the best way to learn about a culture and its people. Since moving to the Bay Area, I’ve been hunting for the cheapest eats, well-loved regional staples, and trendy TikTok foods. When I’m not cooking, I’m probably out ordering chili-oil soaked liang pi noodles, chirashi bowl, or sopes de cabeza for dinner. Whether you are searching for a place to dine in or order takeout, I hope you find what you’re looking for on our website. Bon appétit!
Mimi Pinson
I love eating— I mean, I do it at least three times a day. Luckily, I’ve gotten to eat a lot of good food by being from the Bay Area. Farm-to-table in Marin County, authentic global flavors in the East Bay and the absolute explosion of cuisine that is San Francisco: There are no limits on what you can find. So, I’m excited to guide you through the best that our region has to offer. Fresh oysters, sourdough pizza crust, mouthwatering (and tongue-burning) basil shrimp dumplings, late-night chaat… I can go on.
Matthew Poole
Matthew has authored more than two dozen travel guides to California, Hawaii, and abroad. Before becoming a full-time travel writer and photographer, he worked as an English tutor in Prague, a ski instructor in the Swiss Alps, and a scuba instructor in Maui and Thailand. His writing and photography clients include Frommer’s, HarperCollins Publishers, Simon & Schuster, Macmillan Publishing, Penguin Books, and Berlitz Publishing Co. Matthew’s expertise is on California travel, and he’s the author of four Frommer’s travel guides to San Francisco, Los Angeles, and California.
Dana Rebmann
Lucky enough to call Sonoma County wine country home, I’m incredibly spoiled when it comes to eating (and drinking) well. I get just as excited as the next person by a beautiful table topped with fine linens and Michelin rated meals, but there’s nothing better than discovering a new hole-in-the-wall, mom-and-pop eatery serving up delicious dishes like Huevos Rancheros, wood-fired pizza, (especially when it’s topped with salad greens) and anything with chocolate. Meals don’t have to be expensive to be delicious and memorable. Her work has appeared in a variety of publications including Garden & Gun, Hemispheres, Shondaland, The (London) Telegraph, AARP, Diablo magazine, Sonoma magazine, and others.
Emma Robertson
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned to love cooking — cooking for others has even become a love language — and try recipes from different cuisines. As a vegetarian of a few years now, I’ve also taken it upon myself to discover the best vegetarian, or even vegan meals, that I can both make at home and find on a menu. Homemade potstickers, pasta from scratch, build-your-own pizza, funky salads — you name it, and I’ve probably attempted to make it. But as much as I love cooking, I also love to admire the craft of a well-practiced chef. I have plenty of go-to comfort restaurants, and I make sure to try new places that I can add to my repertoire. And what better place to do this than in the Bay Area?
Grace Towle
Mealtime has always been my favorite time and with Mimi as my mother, being picky was out of the question. My diverse palate loves almost all food under the sun, but my favorite is no question anything Asian, and if raw fish is involved, even better. In the last year I have taken a lazy pescatarian approach to my diet, and I love me some good veggies. That said, dim sum makes my heart skip a beat and no matter what’s inside I will have to indulge. Mornings are best with coffee and a treat or smoothie and sometimes a breakfast burrito. My sweet tooth persists and if presented with a yummy dessert I will always find room for at least a few bites. Going out to grab a bite to eat with friends and family is my favorite activity and I can’t wait to keep.
Mimi Towle
Growing up in a restaurant family on Oahu, with a cattle ranch on the Big Island, food was always front and center, which is probably why, like many it’s my love language. Bring me fresh dim sum and you’ve won my heart. It’s that easy. I’ve been lucky to live in the East Bay, San Francisco, and Marin County and have lots of friends in the South Bay. In each town I’ve lived in, I’ve made it a priority to discover the best noodles (Asian and Italian) sushi, tacos, falafel, curries (+ naan) and pizza I can drink with a punch-in-the-face glass of red wine. I’m not picky what I eat and aim for local, sustainable, organic, a.k.a. ‘regenerative’ is the word du jour! Cheers to all of our local restauranteurs work so hard to keep us coming back for more! (That’s me on the right enjoying a pie from Pizza Hacker)
Sabrina Tuton-Filson
There are few things that get me like the crunch of freshly baked sourdough pizza, the sizzle of onions in oil, or a well-balanced hearty salad. I’m known for adding a pinch of fleur de sel to just about everything — open-faced toasts to smoothies to ice cream — and have a proclivity for fitting nearly every meal into a mason jar. In true SF-native form, I spend generous amounts of time ogling farmer’s market stands and talking about new veggie varietals I just learned how to cook. When I’m not perusing the aisles for cooking inspiration, I’m on the lookout for the best vegetarian, dairy-free and seafood dishes that restaurants offer — because yes, cheese-less pizzas (*gasp*) and dairy-free ice cream can be delicious. As a former dairy fiend, I’m here to spread the word.
Ann Wycoff
For more than two decades, I’ve had the good fortune to travel and write about food in various corners of the world. I enjoyed my times as a food critic for Modern Luxury, co-authoring a cookbook for Clarkson Potter, and running a culinary magazine in LA. Over the years I’ve written for Marin Magazine, San Diego Magazine, Shape, Fitness, Spa, T+L and more. I loved being a part of LA’s shift into a culinary capital and now am watching San Diego‘s binational region transform with its uptick of great chefs and restaurants. I’m always in search of the perfect perch for an Aperol Spritz with good company and tasty eats.
