The fall signifies many a thing: new beginnings, back to school, and, of course, autumn road trips. Southern California has no shortage of stunning destinations to visit. There’s the stark desert beauty of Palm Springs and Joshua tree to the east, picture-perfect Santa Barbara and its surrounding wine country an hour or two north, and San Diego’s laid-back beach vibes a few hours south. The same goes for delicious restaurants that are worth hopping in the car for; there are plenty of those to be found in the areas surrounding Los Angeles.
Read on for six restaurants within a few hours of LA, each reason enough to plan a trip this fall.
Mattei’s Tavern (Los Olivos)
The Santa Ynez Valley’s dining scene continues to flourish. One of the latest additions to the area is the restaurant at the newly renovated and reopened inn at Mattei’s Tavern in Los Olivos. The Tavern itself feels like a rustic-chic farmhouse with a vaulted ceiling and sleek black- and camel-colored leather seating. In the kitchen, chef Rhoda Magbitang uses produce from the property’s gardens and farms for dishes such as mussels with cuttlefish sofrito and half chicken with roasted kohlrabi and English pea purée.
GiGi’s (Palm Springs)
Mid-century glamour meets Tulum breeziness at this chic bar and restaurant with poolside seating at the V Hotel Palm Springs. The food is playful throwback American with modern twists. Think beet and goat cheese deviled eggs, steak tartare with truffle vinaigrette, and lobster thermidor pasta with cognac brown butter tomato sauce. This being Palm Springs, and GiGi’s being poolside, cocktails are a highlight. Refreshing drinks such as the Flamingo Spritz (Aperol, peach vodka, and blood orange syrup in a flamingo glass) will be your friends while you’re basking in the desert sun.
Heritage Barbecue & Brewery (Oceanside)
Earlier this year, Daniel and Brenda Castillo of San Juan Capistrano’s beloved barbecue spot Heritage opened a new location in sunny Oceanside—the perfect spot for lunch en route to San Diego. The 10,000-square-foot restaurant and brew pub has a more fleshed-out menu than the original location with heartier offerings like tacos on housemade beef-fat tortillas. Platters of the restaurant’s signature brisket, pulled pork, and tri-tip are also available at lunchtime. A selection of more than 25 beers on tap washes everything down nicely.
Rory’s Place (Ojai)
Sisters and restaurant vets Rory and Meave McAuliffe opened charming Rory’s Place in the equally charming town of Ojai in early 2022. The cozy, high-ceilinged restaurant in a former theater on the town’s main drag has rustic elements like a bar made from locally sourced wood. Local produce shines on the menu in homey dishes, including wood-fired summer squash, hand-cut pasta, and halibut with pistachio bagna cauda. Natural wines and playful cocktails such as the gin-laced Psychic Celery Fizz round out the meal.
Corazón Comedor (Santa Barbara)
The latest restaurant from Guadalajara-born chef-owner Ramon Velasquez—who also runs Corazon Cocina at the Santa Barbara Public Market—is a love letter to Mexican soul food and his mother’s home cooking. Many of the dishes at the restaurant are based on his mother Imelda Saldivar-Hernandez’s recipes. Breakfast is a big focus with everything from huevos rancheros to churro French toast. At dinner, there’s a selection of tamales, a torta of the day, and Imelda’s pozole, made with pork, hominy, radishes, and cabbage. The restaurant’s order-at-the-counter setup is casual, but accents like bright blue tiles and artwork-lined walls make it a cozy place to linger.
Bistro Na’s (Temple City)
This destination restaurant is 13 miles east of downtown Los Angeles—and although it’s still within Los Angeles County, it’s worth a drive for excellent platters of imperial Chinese food in an opulent setting. In the wood-paneled dining room, modeled after a courtyard from the Qing Dynasty, big groups dig into expertly prepared crispy shrimp (a must-order), black-pepper beef, and stir-fried lobster with ginger and garlic. Book one of five private rooms for an even more intimate experience with a group of friends. It’s no surprise this restaurant earned MICHELIN stars in 2019 and 2020.
Karen Palmer is a pizza- and pasta-obsessed food writer based in Los Angeles. Follow her on Instagram at @karenlpalmer.
