66 Best Restaurants in The Central Coast, California

Named for the Japanese women free divers who collected seafood for their villages, AMA (tucked in a courtyard at the Rosewood Miramar Resort) offers two fine-dining experiences—omakase at the 13-seat sushi bar (a two-hour feast—you must arrive promptly or risk missing a course or two) or prix-fixe (three or four courses total). You can combine meals with sake pairings for an additional fee; alternatively, the Japanese-inspired cocktails are especially popular.

A local favorite for anniversaries and other celebrations, Zack's serves classic European dishes in an intimate, two-room 1930s cottage adorned with local art. Entrées of note include seafood specials (depending on the local catch), slow-roasted boar shank, and filet mignon, the latter typically crusted in peppercorns or topped with porcini mushrooms.

A special-occasion destination and treat for multiple senses, Caruso’s combines exceptional views (perched on the sand at Rosewood Miramar Beach resort), sophisticated design (the ocean-inspired decor is as high-end as Santa Barbara gets), and romantic ambience (soft lighting, soft music) with Michelin-starred, Italian-California coastal cuisine. Options include three- and four-course prix-fixe menus (there’s a vegan one, too) and a chef’s tasting menu, which you can augment with wine pairings for an additional fee. The menu changes constantly, depending on the season and chef’s whims, but choices might include yellowtail crudo with tangerine and pickled kumquats; Santa Barbara sea urchin with tomato confit, yuzu butter, and caviar; hibachi grilled tenderloin with truffle bordelaise sauce; and, for dessert, tiramisu.

The candle-lighted, creaky-floor restaurant in the main house at the historic inn of the same name is a Big Sur institution. It serves spicy seafood paella, grass-fed filet mignon, and rack of lamb for dinner and flavorful eggs Benedict for breakfast.

A barn-style restaurant with high ceilings and an open kitchen, Ember enjoys a red-hot reputation for Italian-inflected dishes prepared in an authentic Tuscan fireplace or a wood-burning oven. Chef-owner Brian Collins, a native of Arroyo Grande, the town bordering Pismo Beach, honed his culinary skills at Berkeley's legendary Chez Panisse Restaurant.

Savor the chef's carefully curated tasting menu with five different groups of eclectic California-French dishes paired with local wines at this elegant farm-to-table restaurant inside the Mirabelle Inn. The seasonal menu changes constantly, but regular dishes include smoked sweet-and-spicy duck wings, truffle-roasted cauliflower, local spot prawns, short rib bourguignonne, and pears poached in red wine from the sommelier-owner's organic Coceliquot Estate Vineyard.

The younger sibling of the hugely popular Guiseppe's restaurant in Pismo Beach, this lively downtown eatery serves up authentic southern Italian fare in the historic Sinsheimer Bros. building, constructed in 1884. Dine in the spacious main restaurant amid high ceilings, fireplaces, and the bar or in the courtyard beneath strings of twinkling lights.

Dine on stellar French-American delights at a romantic, candlit table in this tiny restaurant within a tasting room and wineshop in Cambria's West Village. The menu changes seasonally, but you might start with diver scallops or stuffed quail, move on to Louisiana seafood gumbo or Long Island duck breast, and then finish with bananas foster or crème brûlée.

Housed in a renovated 1886 building, erected during the stagecoach era, Mattei's encompasses several sophisticated, light-filled dining rooms with leather seats and benches, exposed brick walls, and high ceilings with wooden beams. The seasonal menu features California ranch–inspired dishes, many of which are cooked over a wood fire in the open kitchen and all of which use local and regional ingredients. You might start with Central Coast abalone and greens from local farms, then feast on squid ink rice with grilled octopus or pork belly and clams, and finish with a dark chocolate soufflé.

The coastal views are utterly spectacular from Nepenthe, named for an opiate mentioned in Greek literature that would induce a state of "no sorrow." For the best vistas, settle on the terraced deck in the late afternoon, order a glass from the extensive wine list, and watch the sun slip into the Pacific Ocean.

Authentic northern Italian dishes with a California twist, a cozy fireplace dining room in a century-old Craftsman-style house, and a covered patio amid the oaks draw locals and visitors alike to this popular eatery, owned by an Italian chef and his American wife (the family lives upstairs). The menu changes seasonally, but regular stars include seared sea scallops with Parmesan fondue and truffle shavings, homemade pastas made with organic egg yolks, and tagliatelle with grass-fed Wagyu beef.

Cambria's best place for seafood fills up soon after it opens at 5:30 (no reservations taken, but you can put your name on a waitlist at 5:30). Those in the know grab seats at the oyster bar and take in spectacular sunsets while watching the chefs broil fresh halibut, steam garlicky clams, and fry crispy calamari steaks; if you arrive to a wait, play cribbage or checkers in the game room.

At cliff's edge 1,200 feet above the Pacific at the ultrachic Post Ranch Inn, Sierra Mar serves cutting-edge American cuisine made from mostly organic, seasonal ingredients, some from the on-site chef's garden. The four-course prix-fixe option always shines.

Tucked in a tiny space in the heart of Tin City, this Michelin-starred restaurant offers an intimate gastronomical experience nonpareil in SLO County—12 guests sit at a wooden counter that wraps around an open kitchen and dine on small plates, followed by a seasonal 12-course chef’s tasting menu (two seatings per night).

Shared dining—small plates and larger—and a seasonal menu showcasing local ingredients are the focus at this urban-chic restaurant named for an overnight all-Pullman train that chugged into the nearby railroad station for six decades. Sit at the 24-seat communal table set atop vintage radiators or at tables and booths crafted from antique Spanish church pews and other repurposed or recycled materials.

The elegant Stonehouse—consistently lauded as one of the nation's top restaurants—is inside a century-old granite former farmhouse at the San Ysidro Ranch resort. The menu changes constantly but might include pan-seared abalone or classic steak Diane flambéed table-side, and the Plow & Angel pub downstairs serves casual bistro fare.

The Alila Ventana Big Sur's restaurant sits high on a ridge, and magnificent terraces offer stunning ocean views and a full-service outdoor bar. Regional and international wines on a comprehensive list pair well with the California-inspired dishes, many of whose ingredients are sourced from local purveyors, and the bar serves seasonal specialty cocktails and California craft beers.

The Central Coast's abundance of organic and sustainably sourced bounty—veggies, seafood, meats, and breads—are creatively woven into innovative dishes at this brick-walled downtown favorite. The wine list celebrates local wines; with many by the half-glass, you can sample a good cross-section.

Captain Mark Tognazzini catches seasonal seafood and delivers the bounty to his family's collection of down-home, no-frills, harborside enterprises—a fish market with patio dining and up-close views of Morro Rock (Dockside Too) and the original Dockside restaurant. Local musicians play live music nearly every day at the outdoor patio at Dockside Too.

Seasonal, locally sourced ingredients and softly lit muted-yellow walls evoke the flavors and charms of Tuscany and the Mediterranean at this rustic-romantic restaurant across from the harbor and West Beach. Ahi sashimi tucked in a crisp sesame cone is a popular appetizer, after which you can proceed, perhaps, to rock-shrimp gnocchi.

The specialties at this casual, family-oriented restaurant in Ventura Harbor Village are fresh fish-and-chips and homemade clam chowder. After placing your order at the counter, you can sit outside on the patio and enjoy the view of the harbor and marina.

Locals flock to this two-story restaurant and sushi bar—famed for its wildly creative combination rolls and other delectables. Fans of authentic Japanese food sometimes disagree about the quality of the seafood, but all dishes are fresh and artfully presented.

Spanish flavors and seafood combine with coastal California flair at this trendy downtown eatery. Menu items change with the season, but perennial favorites include dry-aged branzino, paella, or saffron buns with Santa Barbara sea urchin butter. For a special-occasion treat, order the chef’s five-course tasting menu for two ($185).

Determined to push the boundaries of farm-to-table, Barbareño combines Santa Barbara and Central Coast history and traditions with fresh local ingredients to create inventive dishes, for example, uni caesar salad, acorn tagliatelle, local black cod in a pinquito miso sauce with wild onion and blackberries, and crispy Brussels sprouts in a sauce infused with Bragg vinegar and Ojai honey. It churns its own butter; bakes its own breads; makes condiments from scratch; and forages mushrooms, eucalyptus leaves, and other ingredients from the wild.

Family-friendly Big Sky turns local and organically grown ingredients into global dishes, starting with breakfast. Just pick your continent—braised Brazilian lamb shanks, Southeast Asian noodle bowls and crispy tempura cauliflower, Middle Eastern shakshuka, Spanish paella, Nashville fried chicken sandwich.

Owner-chef Laurent Grangien's handsome, welcoming French bistro occupies an 1890s brick building across from City Park. He focuses on traditional dishes such as duck confit, rack of lamb, and onion soup, but always prepares a few au courant daily specials as well.

Edging a ranch, citrus groves, and a seasonal garden that provides produce for menu items, the modest but cheery Boccali's attracts many loyal fans. When it's warm, you can dine alfresco in the oak-shaded patio and lawn area and sometimes listen to live music.

The outdoor tables at this casual harborside restaurant have perfect views of the marina and mountains. Staffers serve enormous, exceptionally fresh fish dishes, and if you walk in without a reservation, which are very limited, they will text you when your table's ready so you can stroll along the breakwater and explore the harbor while you wait.

The Ventura outpost of the wildly popular Santa Barbara restaurant provides the same fresh seafood-oriented meals in a spacious second-story setting overlooking the harbor. Feast on everything from fish-and-chips and crab cakes to chowder and delectable fish—often straight from the boats moored below.

The fresh bounty of the Central Coast takes center stage at this hyperlocal eatery in a Victorian-era home in Cambria’s Old Village. Soups, salads, burgers, sandwiches, and small plates to share predominate here, but you can also order large comfort-food meals (roast chicken, eggplant cassoulet, Wagyu rib eye) for two persons.