Trying to nail down what makes California cuisine is rather difficult. But there are a few trends across the state. You’ll often find dishes made with locally-sourced ingredients pretty much anywhere you go, mainly thanks to the fact that 43 million acres of land in California are used for agriculture. From Gilroy’s famous garlic to Castroville’s artichokes, you’ll find fresh ingredients in abundance throughout the state.

Fresh seafood is another major trend in California cuisine, with significant commercial fishing hubs throughout the state. You’ll find plenty of Dungeness crab in San Francisco, abalone farming in Monterey, and fish of all kinds in San Diego, which was once considered the “Tuna Capital of the World.” 

But the main thing that California foods have in common is that they’re inspired by cuisine from all around the world. From the Italian seafood dishes of San Francisco to the Mexican influences that migrated north from Baja California, the state is filled with foods that got their start elsewhere and now come with their own California twists.

Looking for the most famous foods in California? We’ve compiled a list of the best foods to try in California and where you can find them. With this list, you’ll be able to eat your way around the Golden State without missing any local favorites!

12 Famous Foods in California and Where to Find Them

1. Sink Your Teeth into a Double-Double at In-N-Out Burger

Some people look for the golden arches when they want a fast food burger. But Californians tend to look for the golden arrow. Since 1948, In-N-Out Burger has been a California staple. And when visitors come to California, they all want to try the famous In-N-Out burgers. 

What makes In-N-Out so special? For one thing, its freshness is unparalleled. You won’t find a microwave or freezer in one of these fast food joints. All food is to be served fresh, which is why all locations must be within 300 miles of one of the company’s distribution facilities.

That caveat to where an In-N-Out can operate is also part of its appeal. In-N-Out has gradually moved east over the years, but it’s still primarily a West Coast chain. In fact, the first In-N-Out east of the Mississippi won’t arrive until 2026. The exclusivity of getting to go to In-N-Out is part of the reason why everyone flocks to get one as soon as they land in California.

From the iconic “animal style” fries with melty cheese, grilled onions, and In-N-Out’s famous Thousand Island-style spread to the carb-free “protein style” burgers with lettuce wrapping to the vegetarian-friendly “grilled cheese,” a meal at In-N-Out is built to be customized, which also may be a big part of the appeal. However you like your burger and fries, you can get it at In-N-Out. 

If you’re looking for an In-N-Out in California, you probably don’t have to go far. There are 270 in the state, including one right next to LAX.

2. Choose from Over 800 Creations at Ike’s Love & Sandwiches

This chain is quite a bit lesser known than In-N-Out, but Ike’s Love & Sandwiches has my heart. Ike’s massive sandwiches got their start in San Francisco back in 2007. Since then, they’ve become a Bay Area staple. But they can now be found all over California, with over 70 locations in the state alone. 

You’ll find that the selection changes depending on which location you’re at, but if you have a favorite sandwich, the employees are usually able to whip up anything on Ike’s extensive menu. Many sandwiches are named after local celebrities, like the Hunter Pence, named for the San Francisco Giants’ former right fielder. All sandwiches are served hot with lettuce and tomato, as well as Ike’s famous “Dirty Sauce,” a garlic aioli with a secret blend of spices.

You pick the bread for each sandwich, but nothing beats Dutch Crunch. This type of bread could probably get its own spot on this list as a part of iconic California cuisine, especially if you’re talking about the Bay Area. Though Dutch Crunch seems to have originated in the Netherlands, the crispy favorite is often associated with the San Francisco area.

3. Sample San Francisco’s Famous Sourdough

Speaking of Bay Area bread, how could we write a list of famous foods in California without talking about San Francisco’s sourdough? Why is sourdough such a San Francisco specialty? You can go all the way back to the Gold Rush.

In the 1800s, miners discovered that the bread starters, which are fermented dough kept alive with natural bacteria and yeast, could be kept stable if they continuously added flour. Because money was scarce, this option was a lot more cost-effective than buying bread. But soon enough, the miners realized that their bread was starting to taste sour. The flavor took off and became a San Francisco treat. 

Boudin Bakery claims to still use the same starter that was developed during the Gold Rush today in their many locations. Visitors love to flock to the bakery’s flagship store at Fisherman’s Wharf, where you can enjoy the sourdough in many different ways, from a massive bread bowl filled with clam chowder to an oh-so-adorable sourdough bear. 

While Boudin Bakery may be one of the most popular places to get sourdough in the city, you’ll also find tons of companies putting their own spin on sourdough. Rize Up Bakery, which offers pickup and delivery for San Francisco locals, makes tons of unique offerings, like a garlic confit and thyme loaf, a paella-inspired loaf, and one cooked with ube. Or you can head to Jane the Bakery in Lower Fillmore, where they’re serving up award-winning sourdough.

4. Dare to Try Gilroy’s Famous Garlic Ice Cream

Did you think I made a typo? Nope, I’m actually talking about ice cream made from garlic. It’s not exactly a common flavor. You can’t just get it anywhere in California, but you can get it in Gilroy, aka the “Garlic Capital of the World.”

Gilroy greatly celebrates its garlic heritage. You can get garlic-filled treats throughout the town, but the best place to get them was at the Gilroy Garlic Festival. Sadly, the future of the festival still remains up in the air. The plug was pulled on the beloved festival in 2022. 

However, in 2023, a new organizer took over the idea of a garlic festival and moved the event to the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds, calling it the California Garlic Festival. Though there’s some controversy about the event no longer being in Gilroy, you can still expect the event to serve up some garlic-filled delights, including maple brown sugar garlic ice cream.

If you’d like to sample garlic ice cream and won’t be around for the festival, there are some other places in Gilroy to pick up a cup, namely the roadside stops Pacheco Pass Farmer’s Market and Garlic World. The traditional garlic ice cream actually tastes quite sweet and a little like vanilla, mainly due to the roasting process. The kick from the garlic typically comes in the aftertaste.

5. Get Addicted to Buttermilk Doughnut Bars

When it comes to famous foods in California, there’s something special about a buttermilk doughnut. Instead of the fluffiness of a raised doughnut or the moistness of a cake doughnut, you get something entirely its own.

It’s a bit crunchy on the outside, but inside is a fluffy, tender interior. Most often, it’s all covered in a sweet glaze. The best way to eat a buttermilk doughnut is to get it in a bar shape, sparing you from having to miss out on too much of the inside for a hole to be taken out. 

California does buttermilk bars right, with locations both in the north and south serving up these treats. Over in the Sawtelle and Westwood neighborhoods of Los Angeles, you’ll find Primo’s Donuts, which has been serving up buttermilk bars since 1956. 

This family-owned shop has perfected their buttermilk bar recipe, now serving it plain, glazed, with cinnamon, and with chocolate. You can even get it in bite-sized form. If you’re not in the Los Angeles area, you can also order these doughnuts online to have them delivered across the US. 

But if you find yourself in Northern California, you’ll want to head to Colonial Donuts, a 24-hour family-run Oakland institution you’ll find on Lakeshore Avenue. You’ll also find Colonial Donuts in Montclair Village, though it’s not open as many hours as the flagship location. 

If you’re craving a doughnut at two in the morning, there’s no better place to be than Colonial. The buttermilk bars here tend to sell fast, so you’ll have to hope that you arrive when a fresh batch was just made. 

6. Eat all the Fish Tacos

Throughout California, you’ll find that Mexican food is a big part of California cuisine. No matter where you go and who you talk to, you’ll find someone who wants to tell you where to get the best tacos in California or the best burritos or the best sopapillas. But one of the most divisive foods is the fish taco, a California classic.

It’s believed that the fish taco got its start in Baja California. From there, it spread throughout Mexico and traveled north to California. But it makes a good deal of sense why California would adopt it as a favorite dish. You’ll find many fishing communities throughout the state, from Monterey to San Francisco to San Diego. Fresh seafood is a huge part of California cuisine. 

Another thing that makes the fish taco so divisive is that California tends to make it in all different ways. Traditionally, the fish inside is usually cod, tilapia, or a white fish in general. But you’ll find it filled with everything from shrimp to salmon in California fish tacos, much to traditionalists’ chagrin. 

If you’re looking for the best fish tacos in California, it’s rather hard to make a list, as you can get them pretty much anywhere. But there are some fish tacos institutions that shouldn’t be missed, especially in the San Diego area. 

If you want to try the fish taco that started the California craze, head to Rubio’s Coastal Grill, a popular joint that’s now expanded outside of California. For dinner and a view, head to La Jolla for George’s at the Cove. And for some of the best and most reasonably-priced fish tacos around, visit Oscar’s Mexican Seafood. 

7. Order Up the Iconic “California Burrito”

Hopping over to another Mexican food that’s become a big part of California cuisine, let’s talk about burritos. Burritos are extremely common in California, so much so that many businesses tend to put their own spin on them to stand out. One of the most famous of these twists is, of course, the Sushiritto, a marriage of Japanese and Latin cuisine. This unique shop has locations throughout the Bay Area and beyond.

But if we want to talk about a burrito that’s strictly Californian, how can we not talk about the California Burrito? Born in San Diego, this burrito style is a mix of classic Mexican and American (and Belgian) foods. It’s filled to the brim with carne asada, cheese, pico de gallo, sour cream, guacamole, and French fries. 

In traditional Californian fashion, different restaurants offer different takes, blending even more cultures into this one dish. Sayulitas Mexican Food, which has locations throughout San Diego, offers a traditional California burrito as well as takes on the trend with classic Filipino ingredients. 

Or, for an even more indulgent treat, visit La Perla Cocina Mexicana in Pacific Beach and Point Loma to try the Oaxacalifornia, a take on the California burrito served in a cheese quesadilla. For a more traditional take, you can’t go wrong with Humberto’s Taco Shop.

8. Mix the Sweet and the Savory with a Cinnamon and Sugar-Dusted Churro

Churros are another Mexican food that’s moved north across the border. Although churros didn’t originate in Mexico, the version we know today in California is traditionally Mexican. The Mexican iteration of the dessert sees it covered in cinnamon sugar, which is how most Americans know churros to be. 

Southern California does churros particularly well, like Lucero Bakery in Commerce or La Casita Mexicana in Bell. But we’d be remiss if we made a list of the most popular foods in California and didn’t talk about Disneyland churros. Eating a churro in Disneyland is a must-do! These churros are always crispy and rolled in a generous amount of cinnamon sugar. 

Disneyland also puts Disney-themed twists on their churros. These churros tend to change, so don’t expect your favorite churro to last forever. These specialty churros also typically come with dipping sauces, like a “Coco”-themed churro with a Mexican hot chocolate sauce or a blueberry-sugar-dusted churro with a blueberry cheesecake sauce. 

9. Get Your Seafood Fix with Cioppino

Cioppino is a San Francisco specialty, making it one of the most popular foods in California. This dish is filled with all kinds of seafood, with a traditional San Francisco cioppino being made with halibut, sea bass, shrimp, mussels, and Dungeness crab, which is another one of the most famous foods in California. Maine can keep their lobsters. Californians know Dungeness crab is where it’s at. 

Cioppino is best in San Francisco when it’s Dungeness crab season, which typically starts in winter and ends in early summer. Due to this season, cioppino is often a holiday treat for Californians. 

If you’re in San Francisco during this time, definitely dine on cioppino, with one of the most famous options being the dish found at North Beach’s Sotto Mare. If you’re near the Central Coast, stop by another favorite cioppino spot, Phil’s Fish Market, which you’ll find in Castroville.

10. Do as Californians Do and Order an Avocado Toast

What’s in a California roll? Avocado. How about virtually any California burger served anywhere? Avocado. Avocados are synonymous with California, where they’re able to grow year-round thanks to the soil and climate. So, if you visit California, don’t be surprised when you see avocado on every menu. 

But one tried-and-true avocado treat that doesn’t seem to be going anywhere is avocado toast. Although it was the talk of the town in the early 2010s, the avocado toast phenomenon appears to have died down some. But you can still find this breakfast favorite on every breakfast and brunch menu in California.

Avocado toast is often considered a Los Angeles staple, and it is true that you can get some of the best avocado toast in the Southern California city. Coffee shop Go Get Em Tiger, which has several locations around the LA area, serves up avocado toast with heaps of veggies on top, and you can even add an egg and house-smoked salmon. Or head to Jon & Vinny’s for more traditional avocado toast on fresh ciabatta. 

Outside of Los Angeles, you can still find tons of avocado toast options, like the health-conscious options over in Santa Rosa’s The Pharmacy. For some of the best avocado toast in the Bay Area, stop by Grand Lake Kitchen in Oakland. 

11. Dig Into All the Fried Chicken Sandwiches

The fried chicken sandwich may not be the first thing people think of when they think of California cuisine, but there are so many places in California that get this crispy, buttery treat right, with one of my personal favorites being in the Bay Area. Bakesale Betty is arguably where the fried chicken sandwich craze started for Bay Area folk. 

This shop that’s amassed a cult following is known for its fried chicken sandwiches, which come with a heaping helping of jalapeño slaw, and its pastries. You’re definitely not going to want to skip dessert here. 

There’s always a line out the door here, so you’re going to want to get here early. They’re only open from Thursday to Sunday from mid-morning to early afternoon. Why? Because when you’re this good, you can make your own rules, and people will still line up around the block. So, be prepared to wait, but also be prepared for one of your new favorite meals.

If you’re in the Los Angeles area and don’t mind a little spice, head to Howlin’ Ray’s in Pasadena or Chinatown, where they’re serving up cayenne-crusted chicken on a buttery brioche bun. 

Meanwhile, if you’re over in Sonoma, visit Belfare in Petaluma. Their local favorite fried chicken sandwiches used to cause a stir at their pop-up locations, but they have their own brick-and-mortar now, making it even easier to get their spicy mayo-covered sandwiches. 

Be mindful that they’re only open for lunch on weekdays. Otherwise, you may have to hunt them down at their pop-up shops.

12. Try Some Melt-In-Your-Mouth Tri-Tip

Ask an East Coaster where to find tri-tip, and they may look at you like you have three heads. If you yourself are an East Coaster, you may be asking, “What does that even mean?”

Speaking as an East Coast transplant to the West Coast, I always thought I just hated steak. That is until I tried tri-tip. This triangular cut of beef from the bottom of the sirloin is oh-so-tender. When cooked right, it melts in your mouth.

Sometimes referred to as a “California Cut” or “Santa Maria Steak,” tri-tip can be found all over the state, but it’s tricky to find elsewhere. It pops up around the world under many different names, but tri-tip is what Californians know it best as.

Central Coast barbecue joints are often where you’ll find the best tri-tip. You likely want to look for Santa Maria-style barbecue, like the style served at Orcutt’s Far Western Tavern or Santa Maria’s Shaw’s Steakhouse.

There you have it! 12 delicious California foods you need to try. What’s your favorite part of California cuisine? Let us know in the comments!

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