This popular Spanish-leaning small plates restaurant in Paso Robles offers plenty of seafood and then moves into pizzas and a tight collection of larger-format dishes to enjoy.

This special dining experience is a new destination in Paso Robles, with a multi-course tasting menu featuring seasonal ingredients from the Central Coast. The avant-garde-style plating aims to make this Michelin-starred restaurant one of the state’s most ambitious fine-dining restaurants.

This cash-only, no-reservations seafood institution is old-school in all the good ways. Folks line up before Sea Chest opens at 5:30 p.m. so they can dig into classics like oysters Rockefeller, clams casino topped with thick chunks of bacon, and a surprisingly tender breaded and fried calamari steak (one of the house specialties). Plus, the restaurant is perched right on the Pacific, so the sunset views are nothing short of spectacular.

Brunch lovers, beachgoers, and longtime locals all crowd into The Spoon Trade. The Grover Beach mainstay matches its sunny ambiance with its airy made-from-scratch menu and homey service.

Ember is a true Arroyo Grande original that sprung up in a casual space well off the beach back in 2013. Chef Brian Collins has a long background of cooking in places like San Francisco, but returned to the Central Coast to bring wood-fired flavors and seasonal menus to anyone willing to wander in.

This classic cowboy-style steakhouse in Orcutt is like a time portal to the Old West, with large, nicely grilled steaks at reasonable prices. The artwork in the dining room is a nice bonus to the experience.

Full of Life Flatbread continues to shine as a Central Coast institution known for their inventive flatbread pizzas made hot and fast thanks some wood-fired dome ovens. Their home base location is still the anchor to the brand, and comes complete with an awesome bar in the front.

Located in Los Alamos’s culinary corridor with neighboring heavyweights like Full of Life Flatbread and Bell’s, Pico holds its own with chef Cameron Ingle heading up the kitchen. The Bestia and Bavel alum draws inspiration from locally-sourced produce and proteins for the restaurant’s small-plates menu. Start with a well-made cocktail and an order of the house-made marinated olives before transitioning to wines and digging into supple Hope Ranch mussels with fennel and tarragon, and the lushest chicken liver mousse in town.

The Bell’s team has another hit on their hands with this stylish sustainable seafood destination, which opened in the summer of 2021 and sources local sea urchin, crab, and the like. Chef Brad Mathews has already created some signature items in dishes like peel-and-eat shrimp; Spanish octopus with fingerling potatoes, frisée and saffron aioli; and little neck clams with house-made chorizo. The wine list here is something special, too.

A star by any measure, owner Bob Oswaks puts out some of the Central Coast’s best breads and pastries from two small storefronts, including this newer one in Ballard (the original is in Los Alamos). The place has become a weekend hang for in-the-know tourists and wine country enthusiasts but is also exceedingly popular with locals in the area who know where to sniff out a great morning meal.

Verona-born chefs Luca and Francesco Crestanelli turn out pizzas, seasonal vegetables, and house-made pastas like ricotta and marjoram gnocchi with Bordier butter and roasted cherry tomatoes at this Italian-leaning Santa Ynez stalwart. Dine inside for chic farmhouse vibes, or have lunch or dinner on the gorgeous shaded patio.

Cold Spring Tavern is a living Santa Barbara legend, pushed into the hillsides above the Central Coast city. Loaded with roadhouse favorites like tri-tip, chili, and steaks, this 130-plus year getaway is still as popular with travelers as ever before.

Ojai’s dining scene has expanded in recent years, thanks in part to this Rustic Canyon Group-owned restaurant that combines Kelsey Brito’s baked goods with chef Saw Naing’s all-day offerings. Drop by in the morning for Brito’s outstanding pastries and dishes like a croque madame with smoked ham and poached eggs. Come dinnertime, don’t miss Naing’s Burmese-inspired dishes like the show-stopping seasonal fried fish, served with a tea leaf salad, chickpea curry, jasmine rice, lentils, chili paste, and house-made naan.

Perhaps the most iconic restaurant on this list, La Super-Rica has been providing Santa Barbara — and endless tourists — with quality Mexican food for more than a generation. Famously loved by Julia Child, the restaurant still serves up all manner of fresh Mexican food, complete with hand-pressed tortillas.

Stupendous blistered, wood-fired pizzas topped with house-made pork sausage, seasonal vegetables, and the like are just one of the reasons to visit this Montecito gem. Don’t sleep on little bites like nduja-stuffed dates and a baby gem salad dressed with zippy homemade ranch. Spritzes and negronis are a must too at this cozy neighborhood restaurant that feels like a visit to Italy.

Oyster lovers consider this no-frills Ventura Beach seafood truck the ideal place to pull up, order a bunch of local seafood, and hang out all day at the breezy picnic tables right by the ocean. The grilled oysters with habanero butter are a nonnegotiable; just know that it’s BYOB, so pack some beer and wine if it suits.