Diners' Choice: Innovative restaurants in California Central Coast

OpenTable

Updated June 05, 2025

Looking for the best restaurants that are fit for foodies in California Central Coast? You’re in the right place. Each month, OpenTable analyzes nearly 2 million global diner reviews from the past four months. We sort the results by location and category to help you discover new favorite restaurants. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

San Setto

4.9

4.9 (124)

$31 to $50

Sushi

Santa Barbara

About the restaurant

An intimate space featuring a contemporary Japanese menu highlighting fresh sushi, saké, and selected wines.

Marriott Bonvoy Members can earn points when staying with us. Please enroll here: https://www.joinmarriottbonvoy.com/uscanqr/s/EN/ch/sbarz

For parties with 8 guests or more a 26% service charge fee will be added to your final bill. For all guests there will be an 8.75% California State tax added to the final bill.

Top review

NobbiVIP

Dined on May 24, 2025

Limited Menu but great quality and fantastic service.

Chez Noir

4.9

4.9 (50)

$50 and over

French

Carmel

About the restaurant

Chez Noir is Jonny and Monique’s love letter to Monterey County, celebrating its finest ingredients. We offer a $165 four-course menu in the dining room and on our patio. Our wine program focuses on independent producers, with an all California wine pairing, and select bottles from the West Coast, Spain and France.

A no-show fee of $165 per person will be charged to parties who cancel less than 48 hours before their reservation. This policy applies to reductions in party size.

Please note that Chez Noir is designed for adults. While we leave the decision to bring children up to the discretion of the parents, it is essential that all guests, no matter how small, be included in the guest count. We do not offer off-menu dishes or high chairs.

We do not have a phone; for more info, please email info@cheznoircarmel.com.

Top review

SharonVIP

Dined 1 day ago

Food and drinks were very enjoyable and it was fun to try some very different flavor combinations. Service was very good but the pace between courses was a little fast. Would have loved coasters on the table as the glasses kept sweating and leaving puddles on the table.

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Experience

Prix Fixe Dining Room

Experience

Prix Fixe Outdoor Patio

Experience

Mes Amis VIII - Joshua Pinsky

Barbareño

4.8

4.8 (2001)

$31 to $50

Californian

Santa Barbara

About the restaurant

At Barbareño we seek to help further shape and define Central Coast cuisine. We take our inspiration from traditions and specialties of our area, delicacies unique to our region, and the many outstanding purveyors with whom we are so fortunate to work. In all of our efforts, we hope to capture the essence of a particular place or local flavor, embracing the nuances that make our food and drink unique to our home.

Top review

Jmershon

Dined 1 day ago

Absolutely love the food, we had the tri tip platter which was delicious the beet salad and the cauliflower salad. All excellent. Great wine and wonderful server Alvaro! Lovely evening, would highly recommend!

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4.8

4.8 (732)

$31 to $50

Seafood

Pismo Beach

About the restaurant

Pono Pacific Kitchen offers Pacific Rim cuisine that focuses on local favorites with a style of cooking and presenting dishes that combines ingredients, influences and techniques from not only Hawaii but also Asia, California and Mexico and the western coasts in general.

Top review

bill kristieVIP

Dined 7 days ago

Perfect starter dish - calimari with a tasty dipping sauce- oh yumm.... changed my entree this visit to sea bass, loved it ! so many choices and all with different sides and garnishes. Preston is the king of the kitchen. looking forward to more new summer plates, see you in a week....THANX

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Popular dish

Georges Bank Scallops

4.7

4.7 (207)

$31 to $50

Contemporary Asian

Solvang

About the restaurant

Welcome to The Gathering Table, Solvang’s newest culinary gem. Led by acclaimed Chef Budi Kazali, renowned for his innovative Asian cuisine with French influences, our restaurant promises an unforgettable dining experience.

Chef Budi Kazali brings his mastery to every dish, infusing flavors from his Indonesian heritage with local ingredients sourced from nearby farms. Whether indulging in his signature dishes or exploring new creations, every bite at The Gathering Table is a celebration of culinary artistry.

Situated amidst Solvang’s picturesque streets, our restaurant offers a serene outdoor dining area, perfect for enjoying Chef Kazali’s creations al fresco. Inside, savor handcrafted cocktails at our full bar or host an intimate gathering in our Private Dining Room, where every detail is tailored to exceed your expectations.

Discover a place where exquisite cuisine meets warm and approachable hospitality at The Gathering Table!

Top review

KellyVIP

Dined 2 days ago

Japanese salad was wonderful as well as the salmon. Caramel bundino for dessert was awesome.

Mistura

4.6

4.6 (1715)

$31 to $50

Peruvian

San Luis Obispo

About the restaurant

The word Mistura brings together the essence of Peru, a vision of its people and cuisine, a wondrous blend of cultures of priceless heritage. Our Mistura is a modern Peruvian restaurant that is as lively as the country and biodiversity it celebrates. Mistura captures the multicultural spirit of Peru, combining its native Incan and Pre-Columbian culinary heritage with the Italian, Spanish, Japanese, and Chinese influences that embody the country's flavorful cuisine. Mistura is an authentic tribute to the diversity of Peruvian food, proposing familiar yet unexpected and adventurous flavors.

Top review

Jeremy

Dined 1 day ago

Great menu, very good food and interesting drink menu. Try the Pisco Sours for authentic Peruvian drinks.

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Experience

Chef's Table 5-Course

Experience

Chef's Table 7-Course

Barley & Boar

4.6

4.6 (286)

$31 to $50

Distillery

Atascadero

About the restaurant

Barley & Boar is a cozy boutique pub located in downtown Atascadero. We distill our own liquor, brew our own beer, and craft our own delicious fare from fresh and local ingredients. Dinner is full service, and our bar is open until midnight.

Join us monthly as we change our menu to showcase what’s in season.

Top review

Kaye

Dined on Jun 22, 2025

Yummm. I will definitely be a regular! The pork chop!!! Worth it! The braziano app was my favorite! Loved the look of the place. Great date night.

Covey Grill

4.4

4.4 (360)

$31 to $50

Californian

Carmel

About the restaurant

Taste the fresh ingredients harvested from local organic farms that are hand selected by Executive Chef Goran Basarov and exquisitely prepared by his culinary team into the savory dishes available on our new menus. Covey Grill features a casual elegance with its indoor and outdoor dining located alongside the natural backdrop of Quail's sparkling pond and lush gardens. Our Carmel, CA restaurant is proudly guided in the principles of sustainability by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch and focuses on local farm to table options.

We offer a variety of menus throughout the week between our two restaurants, Covey Grill and Edgar's Restaurant.
Wednesday Dinners Chef Goran exquisitely curates our Love Thy Neighbor menu each week, a unique three-course pre-fixe dinner for $59++. 5PM-9PM every Wednesday.

Top review

Connie

Dined 5 days ago

Excellent food and reasonable price. Absolutely enjoyed the dinner

Bibi Ji

4.4

4.4 (386)

$31 to $50

Indian

Santa Barbara

About the restaurant

Modern Indian food featuring local produce and seafood paired with a robust low-intervention wine program curated by Alejandro Medina and James Beard Award winner Rajat Parr. Located directly across the street from the historic Granada Theatre in the heart of Santa Barbara's ARTS District. Join us in our lively, signature pastel pink dining room.

Michelin Guide Central Coast Selection 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024.

Top review

SallyVIP

Dined 5 days ago

Excellent food. Gorgeous space. Heavenly cauliflower

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4.3

4.3 (396)

$31 to $50

Bistro

San Luis Obispo

About the restaurant

The Oak Grill Features new Californian cuisine showcasing the freshest ingredients from the Central Coast, celebrating each season with its unique offering and flavor profiles.

Top review

MatthewVIP

Dined on Jun 17, 2025

Finally made it over to Oak Grill to try their Happy Hour. Service was excellent, prices were solid, fries delicious, and both shrimp ceviche & crab roll were good. Thank you!

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Popular dish

Salmon

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