flowers

Best Eats

Places I like to eat! Many of these are part of my Global Bites project.


San Luis Obispo Area

Avila Beach

Custom House Front Street

Good burgers and salads.

Mersea's on the pier

Seafood on the pier.

Baywood Park & Los Osos

Carlock's Bakery Los Osos Valley Road

We picked up a chocolate cheesecake here and it was very good.

High Street Deli 2nd Street

The best sandwiches so far.

Kuma 10th Street

Tasty sushi.

Noi's Thai 2nd Street

Really good Thai food, the best so far.

Sylvester's Burgers Baywood

Good burgers.

Cayucos

Ocean Front Pizza Across from the beach

Tasty pizza by the slice.

Harmony

Harmooonious Moment in town

We love the Cubano and Poutine Racelette. Closed as of October 16, 2023, keeping on here in case it reopens.

Morro Bay

Buttercup Bakery and Cafe Morro Bay Blvd

Good for picking up breakfast.

Chowa Bowl Main Street

Tasty bowls and yakatori.

Frankie and Lolas Front Street

Unique breakfasts.

Harbor Hut Embarcadero

It's been in business since 1951 for a reason!

House of JuJu Embarcadero

Really good sliders.

La Katrina Embarcadero

Mexican food, new and becoming a favorite!

La Parisienne Front Street

Great sandwiches.

Luna Llena Deli Main Street

Great sandwiches.

Mi Casa Morro Bay Blvd

Between this and Taco Temple, both are our favorites.

Morro Bay Butcher and Deli

Great sandwiches.

Pizza Port off Morro Bay Blvd

A favorite from my college days.

Stax Wine Bar and Bistro Embarcadero

Great food and generous pours.

Surfside Pizza North Morro Bay

We love this pizza!

Taco Temple North Morro Bay

Generous portions, very good. Favorite of ours.

Thai Elephant Morro Bay Blvd

Tasty Thai food.

The Galley Embarcadero

Seafood and steaks by the water.

The Savory Palette Embarcadero

Outdoor dining on water.

Tognazzini's Dockside Too Embarcadero

Really good fish and chips. Dockside Too is outdoor dining only right on the water, Dockside is indoor dining only.

Pismo Beach

Brad's Pomeroy Avenue

Best tri-tip sandwich so far! Tasty seafood.

San Luis Obispo

Brasserie SLO downtown SLO

Good sandwiches and fresh juices for lunch.

Cowboy Cookie downtown SLO

Founded in 1978. Tasty cookies.

Frank's Famous Hot Dogs SLO, behind Cal Poly

Founded in 1977. Mark likes these hot dogs.

Giuseppe's downtown SLO

Favorite Italian restaurant in the area.

Mistura at Creamery

Excellent Peruvian food. Organic.

Novo downtown SLO

Good food and you can sit outside next to the creek.

Old SLO BBQ downtown SLO

Great Tri-Tip sandwich and sliders.

Piadina at Hotel San Luis Obispo

Excellent food! We loved it for lunch!

Sheila Kearns downtown SLO

Chocolate shop.

Sidecar downtown SLO

Cocktails and comfort food.

Thai Classic downtown SLO

Really good Thai food.

Woodstock's Pizza downtown SLO

Tasty pizza since 1980!

San Simeon

Hearst Ranch Winery

Wine tasting and sandwiches with a view.

Bay Area

Campbell

Aqui downtown

Cal-Mex fast food. Good for take-out. Vegan options.

Casa Lupe Winchester

Tasty Mexican food.

Mo's downtown

Best breakfast place! Try the chicken and waffles.

Naschmarkt Restaurant downtown

Really good Austrian food.

Opa! downtown

Always tasty Greek food. This location has outdoor seating and is bigger than Los Gatos location.

Half Moon Bay

Half Moon Bay Brewing Company Capistrano Road

Outdoor dining and craft beer.

Los Altos

Casa Lupe downtown

Good California Mexican food, like I grew up with.

Esther's German Bakery San Antonio Road

Great German breads, pretzels and pastries.

Los Gatos

Andalé downtown

A lunch favorite of ours. Vegan options.

Dio Deka downtown

Dio Deka is a Greek restaurant and has a lot on their menu, it is hard to choose. I usually end up with the Kotopoulo, Sananaki, and Horiatiki salad.

Epernay downtown

French bistro.

Fleur de Cocoa downtown

I loved the small chocolate tart!

Icing on the Cake downtown

The cakes that I pick up from there are always a hit! Especially the Luscious Lemon with Lemon Buttercream. Vegan options.

Lexington House downtown

Love this place.

Manresa downtown

Inventive cuisine. Chef tasting menu. Expect four to five hours for dinner and around 12 small dishes.

Namaste East Main Street

Our favorite Indian restaurant. Vegan options.

North downtown

Vietnamese.

The Bywater downtown

Tasty Cajun food.

The Cats off 17

Tasty BBQ.

We Olive downtown

Tapas and wine.

Zona Rosa downtown

Fresh and tasty Mexican cuisine. Interesting dishes.

Menlo Park

Cafe Borrone on El Camino

Good for breakfast and lunch, nice atmosphere where you can sit outside. I love their free range chicken salad sandwich on toasted cinnamon raisin bread. I have been going here for over 20 years.

Susie Cakes downtown

Tasty cupcakes.

Mountain View

Cooking Papa El Camino

Catonese and Hong Kong style dishes, many to choose from.

Cucina Venti near Shoreline

Good Italian food, near Shoreline.

La Fiesta near downtown

I like their enchiladas de mole.

Palo Alto

Bird Dog downtown

American / Japanese mix, tasty, modern cuisine.

Palo Alto Sol California Avenue

Mexican food.

Sprinkles Cupcakes Stanford Mall

Tasty cupcakes, flavors rotate with the seasons.

Tacolicious downtown

Super awesome tacos.

Terrain Stanford Mall

Tasty place to eat when shopping. Vegan options.

San Francisco Favorite Hotels - Le Meridien St. Regis Hotel Vitale

Café Claude near Union Square

A taste and feel of Paris right in San Francisco. We had lunch here and loved it. It's just a few blocks from Union Square, a great choice when shopping.

Cako Union Square

Tasty cupcakes near Union Square. We had the Strawberry Cheesecake and the Maple Bacon. Yum.

Chantal Guillon Hayes Street

Super yummy macarons. Locations in San Francisco and Palo Alto.

Christopher Elbow Chocolates Hayes Street

Artisan chocolates.

Coqueta Pier 5, The Embarcadero

Michael Chiarello's interpretation of Spanish cuisine. Tasty tapas and modern cocktails.

El Porteño Ferry Building

Tasty empandas!

Gott's Roadside Ferry Building

We've had burgers here but the recent surprise was tasty breakfast sandwiches.

Johnny Foley's O'Farrell Street

Irish pub and restaurant.

La Mar Cebicheria Peruana Pier 1.5, The Embaracadero

Tasty Peruvian food, gorgeous restaurant, private dining available.

Maven Haight

Good burger at brunch.

Pläj near Civic Center

Super tasty Scandinavian food, worth a trip to the city.

Uma Casa Noe Valley

Super love this Portuguese restaurant!

San Jose

Adega Little Portugal

Already has a star, great Portuguese food!

Din Tai Fung Valley Fair

Tasty hand-made dumplings.

Falafel Drive-In on Stevens Creek east of Valley Fair

This place is fun to go to and has tasty food. We had the falafel sandwich, chicken in a pita, hummus plate, pita chips, banana shake, and onion rings.

Il Fornaio downtown

Tasty Italian food. My family loves going here. Mark and I like to do the Festa Regionale.

Mexico Lindo south of Willow Glen

Mexican food like I grew up with, not fancy, just tasty. We had been looking for a place to get fast and tasty old-fashion Mexican food, and this fits the bill perfectly.

Mezcal downtown

Really good Oaxacan Mexican food. Their speciality is that they have three moles to choose from. All are good. I like the chicken enmoladas for dinner.

Pastel Adega downtown

Portugeuse bakery. Same owners as Adega.

Pesticos downtown

Portuguese tapas. Same owners as Adega.

Ristorante Fratello Meridian south of Hamilton

Organic, hormone free, locally owned. Delicious Italian food.

The Grill downtown

We went here on Christmas and everything was really good.

The Mynt West San Jose

Good for Indian take-out. Vegan options.

Saratoga

Bell Tower Cafe downtown

Great for sandwiches.

Indo Cafe downtown

After I got back from Amsterdam, I was craving Indonesian food. This tastes just like what I was missing! It's a bit hard to find because it's behind the UPS store.

La Fondue downtown

Fun for special occasions.

Madala Indian Cuisine downtown

Tasty Indian food.

Plummed Horse downtown

We used to eat here years ago and then recently tried it again. So glad we did! It was awesome! We had the tasting menu, regular and vegetarian.

Sunnyvale

DishDash downtown

Delicious Middle Eastern food.

Walnut Creek

Rocco's Pizzeria Ygnacio Valley Road

We stopped here on the way to a concert at Concord Pavilion, good pizza.

Rooftop downtown

New American food, great view.

Woodside

Buck's Woodside Road

Good omelets.


Outside the Bay Area

USA Las Vegas Maui Napa Valley New York City Oahu Sonoma Valley

Europe Amsterdam Barcelona Florence London Paris Rome

Amsterdam, The Netherlands Favorite Hotel - Conservatorium

Albert Cuypstraat 196

This is actually a home and garden shop. In the back is a garden. The owners made us a lovely Indonesian soup to eat in the garden as the 7th stop on the Hungry Birds tour.

Bazar Amsterdam

We ate lunch here, tasty North African food.

Blauw

We had an excellent Indonesian rijsttafel (Selera Blauw menu item) here. Eighteen dishes in all were served. Also had the Ayam Bungkus Karee starter (we really didn't need to order that, but it was good.) Remember to make reservations.

Rijsttafel included: Sate Ayam, sate kambing, daging kunyit, daging pedis, babi ketjap, ikan kerrie blauw, ikan blado, perkedel, pisang goreng, tahoe ketoprak, sambal goreng telor, gado-gado, sajoer lodeh, sambal goreng kentang, serundeng, atjar ketimun, nasi putih en nasi goreng.

In English: Chicken satay, goat satay, turmeric beef, spicy beef, sweet soy pork, fish curry, spicy fish, meat-potato pastry, fried banana, tofu soy sauce, egg in sambal sauce, roasted coconut, vegetables with peanut sauce, vegetables with coconut sauce, spicy fried potatoes, roasted coconut, sweet-sour cucumber, white rice and fried rice.

Butcher Louman

Tried the ossenworst and grillworst. Butcher dates back to 1860. Third stop on the Jordaan Food Tour.

Café de Prins

Seventh and last stop on the Jordaan Food tour. Here we had tasty poffertjes.

Cafe Hoppe

A pub that dates back to 1670. We had Jenevers here as stop #10 on the Hungry Birds tour. They fill it so full that you have to take a sip before picking up the glass.

Cafe Papeneiland

One of the oldest cafes in Amsterdam and serves the best Dutch apple pie. First stop on the Jordaan Food Tour - Eating Amsterdam.

Febo

This is a must try. It's basically a hot vending machine with tasty snacks. Super popular in the Netherlands. The food items are made fresh every day. Our second stop on the Hungry Birds tour.

Goudse Stroopwafels

You have to have these. Made on the spot stroopwafels. Sixth stop on the Hungry Birds tour.

Het Oud-Hollandsch Snoepwinkeltje

A candy store with a bunch of different types of liquorice. Our fifth stop on the Jordaan Food Tour.

House of Bols

Gin tasting! This was really fun!

Kaashuis Tromp

Insanely good cheese and the 8th stop on the Hungry Birds tour.

Meer dan Vis

A place to try herring, served Dutch-style with pickles and onions. Our fourth stop on the Jordaan Food Tour.

Olive and Cookie

We stopped here on a food tour and had a tasty treat.

Salon Boat "The Tourist"

We had three kinds of Gouda from De Kaaskamer, bitterballen from Holtkamp bakery, and local beers from Brouwerij't IJ. Sixth "stop" on the Jordaan Food Tour.

Swieti Sranang

Had the broodje pom and baka bana, Suriname and Indonesian food. Second stop on the Jordaan Food Tour.

Tempo Doeloe

We had Indonesian food here, known for their rijsttafel.

Tjin's Toko International Food Store

We stopped here for a banh mi type of sandwich. Fourth stop on the Hungry Birds tour.

Toko Ramee

Our first stop on the Hungry Birds Street Food tour. We had a tasty Indonesian meat pie (Vleespastei) and an 18-layer cake (Spekkoek).

Van Stapele Koekmakerij

The last stop on the Hungry Birds tour, a delicious chocolate cookie with white chocolate in the middle.

Vishandel Albert Cuyp

Fifth stop on the Hungry Birds tour. Here we tried herring, brined, and served with fresh onions and pickles. Also had deep-fried cod.

Vlaams Frites Huis

Best fries in Amsterdam with 25 sauces to choose from. Get #12 Oorlog "at war", this is a peanut sauce, a mayo and onions.

Wagamama

Japanese fast-food, really tasty! Hope it takes off in the states.

Yoghurt Barn

Local, organic yogurt, plus other treats. Third stop on the Hungry Birds tour.

Barcelona, Spain Favorite Hotel - Hotel Arts Barcelona

Arola at Hotel Arts Port Olimpic

Gorgeous tapas restaurant at our hotel.

Bar Nostàlgic Carrer de Viladomat, 38, 08015

We went here for tapas as part of a food tour.

Cacao Sampaka Eixample

Chocolate shop, part of chocolate tour.

Cal Pep El Born

Popular tapas restaurant. Website has some recipes.

Cook and Taste

Offers cooking workshops. We didn't get to this but I wanted to put on my list for next time.

Els Sortidors del Parlament

We went here as part of a tapas tour.

Fargas Gothic Quarter

Chocolate shop, part of chocolate tour.

Granja La Pallaresa Gothic Quarter

Known for their hot chocolate and pastries, part of chocolate tour.

L'Òstia La Barceloneta

Tasty tapas, we ate here on our first night.

Moncho's down the beach from Hotel Arts

We ate here a couple of times. Enjoyed the food and the view.

Pastisseria Escribà Las Ramblas

Chocolate shop, part of chocolate tour. This is where we got the white chocolate (red) lips.

Quimet and Quimet Carrer Poeta Cabanyes 25 08004

We went here as part of a tapas tour.

Florence, Italy Favorite Favorite Hotel - Gallery Hotel Art

Las Vegas, Nevada Favorite Hotel - Aria

Carnevino at Palazzo Las Vegas strip

A Mario Batali Italian Steakhouse.

Fu Hard Rock Hotel

If you are staying at the Hard Rock, this is pretty good for lunch.

Hakkasan at MGM Grand Las Vegas strip

Modern Cantonese.

Nobu Hard Rock Hotel

Really good for dinner.

Sage at Aria Las Vegas strip

Contemporary American.

London, United Kingdom Favorite Hotel - The Langham

Aladin Brick Lane/East End

Sixth stop on Eating London's East End tour. Situated in the heart of Brick Lane, we tasted various curries.

Artesian The Langham Hotel

Awesome bar at The Langham hotel. We stayed at The Langham and went to this bar several times. Great food and creative cocktails.

Beigel Bake Brick Lane/East End

Seventh stop on Eating London's East End tour. We had a salt beef bagel sandwich with hot English mustard and gherkins.

Copita SOHO

Tasty Spanish tapas.

Dishoom Covent Garden

My favorite Indian restaurant. We ate at the Covent Garden location.

Enrique Tomas SOHO

Second stop on the SOHO Food tour. Tasted jamón, cheese, and wine.

Leong's Legend SOHO

Taiwanese. We went here on a food tour, really good.

Momo West End

We loved this Moroccan restaurant!

Pix Pintos SOHO

Third stop on Eating London's SOHO food tour. We had a variety of Spanish tapas, ended up going back, very good.

Pizza East Shoreditch/East End

Eighth and final stop of the Eating London's East End tour. We had the very tasty salted caramel tart.

Poppies Fish and Chips Spitalfields/East End

Fourth stop on Eating London's East End tour. You guessed it, fish and chips.

Pride of Spitalfields Spitalfields/East End

Fifth stop on Eating London's East End tour. A small local pub, tasted beer and cider.

Said Dal 1923 SOHO

Fifth stop on Eating London's SOHO food tour. We had tiramisu and hot chocolate.

St. John Bread and Wine Spitalfields/East End

Our first stop on Eating London's East End tour. This is Fergus Henderson's acclaimed nose-to-tail restaurant. We had the legendary bacon sandwich.

Thai Square Restaurant Windsor (Outside of London)

Situated opposite Windsor Castle. Great Thai food.

The English Restaurant Spitalfields/East End

Second stop on Eating London's East End tour. We had the British classic bread and butter pudding.

The House of Androuet Spitalfields/East End

Third stop on Eating London's East End tour. Here we tasted English cheeses.

The London Gin Club SOHO

First stop on the SOHO Food tour. Had a gin and tonic, and a meat pie, a really good start to the tour! We ended up going back here on another day.

Wagamama South Bank of River Thames and other locations

A British-headquarted chain serving Japanese-inspired food. We went here a coupe of times while visiting Londone, including the one at Heathrow. Also in several other countries and coming to NYC. Hoping they make it out to California!

Yalla Yalla SOHO

Fourth stop on Eating London's SOHO food tour. Yalla Yalla serves Beirut street food. We had the Samboussek Jibne.

Maui Favorite Hotel - The Montage

Cane and Canoe Kapalua

Really nice restaurant at The Montage.

Mama's Fish House North Shore

On my list to try next time! Go shopping at Paia while in the area.

Merriman's Kapalua

Another favorite, close to The Montage.

Punakea Palms Lahania

A coconut farm with tastings. On my list to do next time!

Star Noodle Lahania

On my list to try next time!

Napa Valley, California Favorite Hotel - Calistoga Motor Lodge & Spa 114 VRBO

Acacia House St. Helena

This was the #1 place that we've eaten at so far. Don't miss this one!!

Brannan's Grill Calistoga

We stopped here for appetizers, would like to go back for dinner.

Dean and Deluca St. Helena

We like to pick up sandwiches here.

Farmstead St. Helena

We had a good dinner here.

Goose & Gander St. Helena

Good for lunch or dinner. On the casual side. Known for their cocktails and bar downstairs as well as good food.

Gott's Roadside St. Helena

Good burgers. Order online about 45 minutes before.

Kollar Chocolates Yountville

Love their chocolates. Pick up a fun bag of Strawberry White Chocolate Bark with Pop Rocks.

Market St. Helena

Really good food, local and organic.

Morimoto Napa

Stopped here on the way home from Calistoga. Awesome burger, plus Morimoto's is a favorite of ours.

Rutherford Grill Rutherford

We've been going here since 1997 and still love their ribs!

Sam's Social Club Calistoga

Tasty place for breakfast and dinner.

Tra Vigne St. Helena

Great place to stop for lunch.

New York City, New York Favorite Hotel - Le Parker Meridien

Babbo Greenwich Village

A Mario Batili restaurant, tasty with a fun atmosphere.

Baked by Melissa various locations

Very tasty, tiny cupcakes. Available online to ship in USA.

Bar Americain Midtown

We ate here for lunch with Michael Symon as part of "The Chew Experience." Everything was good!

Barbounia Gramercy Park

We ate here in 2006, need to go back.

Burger Joint Midtown and Greenwich Village

In Le Parker Meridian hotel, look for the neon burger sign.

Campagnola Upper East Side

Tasty Italian food served family style.

Carmine's Theater District

Great for late night dining after a show. We went to the one in the Theater District on 44th street.

DB Bistro Moderne Midtown

Chef Daniel Boulud's contemporary French bistro. Famous for their sirloin burger filled with braised short ribs, foie gras, and black truffle.

Dolce Gelateria West Village

Handmade gelato.

Dominique Ansel Bakery SOHO

The home of the Cronut. Always a new creation here.

Eataly Flatiron District

We had lunch at Manzo, really good.

Hakkasan Theater District

A Michelin Star Cantonese restaurant in the Theater District. We've been to the one in Vegas as well. Fun and modern.

Keens Steakhouse Garment District

We had the Prime Porterhouse for three. Considered a top steakhouse in NYC.

Mighty Quinn's BBQ various locations

One of the best BBQ places in NYC. Get the Dirty Frites!

Ma Peche Midtown

We had an awesome brunch here - Habenero Chicken and Waffles, Beef "Fried Rice" and Cherry Mimosas.

Morimoto Chelsea Market

Oh man, I can't wait to go back here.

Num Pang Chelsea Market

Grab a sandwich here and walk over to The High Line.

Papaya King various locations

I don't eat hotdogs, so this is Mark's pick. Don't even ask the story behind this one!

Peter Luger Brooklyn

Famous steakhouse in Brooklyn, established in 1887.

Petite Cocotte SOHO

Tasty place to pick up a sandwich.

Shake Shack various locations

"Roadside" burger stand.

Whiskey Park Midtown

A comfy bar near Central Park.

Oahu - Waikiki, Honolulu and North Shore Favorite Hotel - The Royal Hawaiian 273

Azure Waikiki

The restaurant at the Royal Hawaiian. We eat here every time. Had the steak and lobster during our last trip. Now open for lunch as well.

Bill's Sydney Waikiki

Bill is a celebrity chef from Australia and is famous for his breakfasts. He is famous for his Ricotta Pancakes. We love going here for breakfast.

Giovani's Shrimp Truck North Shore

We had to try a shrimp truck! The shrimp was tasty. It's peel and eat, but don't worry, they have a place to wash your hands.

Henry's Place Waikiki

Tiny store that sells fresh fruit and tasty ice cream and sorbets. Steps away from the beach on Beachwalk.

Leonard's Bakery Honolulu

Famous for their malasadas.

Mai Tai Bar Waikiki

The outdoor bar at the Royal Hawaiian. They recently changed their menu so I haven't had a chance to try many items, must have the Royal Mai Tai.

Morimoto Waikiki

Closed, waiting for it to re-open at the hotel 'Alohiani.

Nobu Waikiki

Recently moved, even better food, menu, and place. Must go to!

Roy's Waikiki

Always a favorite when we visit Waikiki. We love the short ribs and the steak. They are always changing up the menu. Don't forget to get the Hawaiian Martini.

Uncle Bo's Honolulu

A local favorite. We didn't make it off the Pupu menu - Greasy Noodles, Kalua Pig Sliders, and Yobu Wings.

Paris, France Favorite Hotel - Hotel Raphael

Bistrot Paul Chêne 123 rue Lauriston, 16th

Fantastic classic French food.

Café Kleber place du Trocadéro, 16th

We've eaten here several times. It has a nice view of the Eiffel Tower.

Chez René 14 Boulevard St. Germain, 5th

Great classic French food.

Rome, Italy Favorite Hotel - Hotel Art

 

Sonoma Valley, California Favorite Hotel - Hotel Healdsburg

Bravas Bar de Tapas downtown Healdsburg

Spanish tapas.

Chalkboard downtown Healdsburg

Our favorite. Go here!

Dry Creek Kitchen downtown Healdsburg

A Charlie Palmer restaurant. Very good.

La Salette downtown Sonoma

Portuguese food. Pick up a couple of bottles of Piri Piri sauce while your there.