Best road-trip restaurants in California

$$ · Route 66

A family-owned Main Street Barstow stop for the long Mojave stretch, with pasta and pizza that feel more restorative than another gas-station snack run.

$$$ · U.S. Open Golf 2027

Tuscan-countryside trattoria championing house pastas and local farms. (Carmel-by-the-Sea)

$$$ · Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway

A small Dunsmuir dinner room for travelers who want the Shasta stop to feel intimate and memorable rather than purely practical.

$$ · Redwood National and State Parks

Eureka's favorite midtown bistro, built around an artisan brick oven turning out wood-fired pizzas and rustic Italian plates — a Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives alum that still books up. Reserve ahead on redwood weekends.

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Wood-fired Italian-inspired restaurant with handmade pastas and blistered pizzas, a repeat local Best Pizza award winner in Fresno.

$$$ · Pacific Coast Highway

Longtime Main Street trattoria making handmade pasta and wood-fired dishes from local ingredients in a warm rustic-Italian dining room.

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Polished La Jolla Italian with fresh pastas, coastal antipasti and an exceptional cocktail bar known for its classic Manhattan.

$$$ · Super Bowl LXI

Buzzing Arts District Italian for house pastas and charcuterie.

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Nancy Silverton's acclaimed Hancock Park Italian restaurant anchored by a mozzarella bar and handmade pastas.

$$$ · U.S. Open Golf 2027

Family-run since 1989, blending house-made pasta with fresh Monterey Bay catch. (Old Fisherman's Wharf)

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Rockridge trattoria on College Avenue specializing in the traditional cuisine of Piemonte with meticulous fresh pasta.

$$$ · Coachella

Old-school Italian founded by Sinatra's former personal chef. (South Palm Canyon)

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A destination Italian restaurant that draws diners to Old Pasadena, making bread, butter, and pasta from scratch with local produce.

$$ · Napa & Sonoma wine country

Beloved cafe and pizzeria drawing cyclists for oversized cinnamon rolls, piadini sandwiches, and evening wood-fired pizzas.

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Coastal Italian and seafood-forward Riverside neighborhood restaurant praised as a special-occasion go-to with handmade pasta and a deep wine list.

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Sleek Little Italy trattoria on Fir Street turning out fresh handmade pasta and regional Italian plates in a bright modern dining room.

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Bencotto's sibling next door dishing rustic Italian street food and over two dozen fresh-pasta recipes from 800 pounds handcrafted weekly.

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Divisadero destination for wood-fired Italian and Roman-Jewish dishes, a modern SF classic with a plant-draped dining room.

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Michael Tusk's warmer, rustic Italian sibling to Quince, praised for wood-fired pastas, roasts, and thin-crust pizzas.

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Mission-born pasta powerhouse celebrated for its housemade pasta tasting menu and blistered wood-fired pizzas.

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Intimate Noe Valley trattoria specializing in rustic Sardinian seafood cooking, a longtime neighborhood favorite for its bottarga pasta.

$$$ · Super Bowl LXI

Michelin-recognized Venice pasta destination from Evan Funke.

$$$ · Channel Islands National Park

Handmade-pasta Italian on California Street with a full bar, live music, and date-night energy — a longtime local pick for a fancier downtown dinner near the pier.

$$ · Channel Islands National Park

All-day Italian-American cafe in Ventura for breakfast through dinner, a polished option before or after the island ferry.

$$$ · Napa & Sonoma wine country

Chef Michael Chiarello's legacy trattoria delivers lively rustic Italian dishes and house-made pastas in a beautiful stone-walled room.

$$ · Napa & Sonoma wine country

Family-owned neighborhood eatery centered on wood-fired pizzas and fresh pastas with a seasonal, ever-changing chalkboard menu.