California hot spots make NYT’s best restaurants of 2026 list

They’re some of the best in the West.

Five California restaurants were honored on a new, national list of the best restaurants in the United States — from a casual San Diego County taqueria to the casual offshoot of a pioneering East Bay farm-to-table eatery.

Published annually by the New York Times, the unranked list of fifty spots from coast to coast is comprised of the editors’ “favorite places in America right now,” and leans heavily towards what’s new and exciting — though classics weren’t automatically disqualified, readers were assured.

In Los Angeles, where more restaurants seem to be closing than opening in 2026, three buzzy, very different spots made the grade.

Glendale’s Yerord Mas Bakery & Deli — a humble spot in what used to be a San Fernando Rd. doughnut shop, was singled out for Echo Park-raised Arthur Grigoryan’s modern takes on Armenian diaspora cooking, and for fresh pita baked in a pizza oven on a sidewalk.

The restaurant, which opened last January, went viral over the summer for serving one of the most expensive sandwiches in town — $38 for a heaping helping of basturma-rubbed brisket.

Komal, a Mexican counter joint inside South LA’s long-running Mercado La Paloma, a destination that has also recently received its share of viral attention, also snagged a perch on the Times list, for chef Fátima Juárez’ antojitos.

The operation is backed by an on-site mini mill, or molino — creating some of the city’s most talked about tortillas and masa-based dishes.

The third City of Angels pick veers toward the fine dining end of things — Daniel Patterson’s new Jacaranda, near Melrose and Highland, wowed the editors with a 12-course tasting menu that “flows from one marvel to the next.”

The three other Golden State entries as varied as the LA picks. There was Escondido’s Mesa Agricola, a “no-frills” burrito and taco spot with elevated ingredients that’s popular with the local lunch crowd, as well as Restaurant Naides in San Francisco for its high-end Filipino tasting menu.

Rounding out the lucky six was Bar Panisse, the newest offering from the legendary Chez Panisse in Berkeley.

The group of professional tasters dined unannounced — and said they accepted no free meals in the course of their research. And the ultimate decision came down to vibes, editor Brian Gallagher wrote.

“You know it when you feel it,” he said of the restaurants that made the grade. “And we do, too.”

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