June 13, 2025—It’s unclear if LA Times’ Bill Addison should earn plus points or minus points for attempting to flag the best 101 places to eat in a state like California, where the total number of restaurants reaches past 100,000.
Tracking everything around San Benito, Santa Cruz and Monterey counties—two of the Golden State’s top 101 on the LA Times list—is enough to keep me under-slept and overfed.
When he neglects to include, say, bucket-list Aubergine or levitation-level Sierra Mar on a list that wisely highlights life-affirming Chez Noir and Santa Cruz’ eclectic Bad Animal—the overstretch marks are showing.
But his list also offers inspiration to spotlight my top 13 eateries/restaurants/food trucks for the year-to-date, with links to Edible coverage wherever possible.
And I do love this thought from Addison: “‘Best’ is a word for headline catnip that I live with but don’t love. ‘Essential’ has always been more of a guiding precept for me.”
In honor of his ambition, current attention spans, and this list of 13, I’ll serve up summaries of each of my best new restaurants of the year-to-date in…13 words.
Feliz Friday the 13th.
1 • Oystertown | Monterey
Omens that O-town would be great—chef, manager, product—boded well. And O, it’s good*.
(*13 words, check my math?)
2 • Silver Spur #2 | Watsonville
A Live Oak legend gives Watsonville’s East Lake Village a lip-smacking breakfast-lunch anchor.
3 • Ad Astra Atelier | Carmel Valley
Two super-skilled chefs, working with celebrated hand-kneaded sourdoughs, make for a rocketship hit.
4 • Padrino Oaxaqueña | Seaside
If you’ve visited Oaxaca, you’ll like this. If you haven’t, here’s an introduction.
5 • La Pizza Piccolo | Pacific Grove + Elsewhere
A mobile oven at Pop & Hiss almost won national recognition for its pizza.
6 • Rice & Roots Vietnamese Cuisine | Carmel
The savants behind a Vietnamese joint in the Barnyard reimagine in downtown Monterey.
7 • Food Talk – Santa Cruz
Sometimes a speakeasy-style spot hidden behind a faux bookcase reveals underdiscovered everyday gourmet.
8 • The Snack Shack at Lovers Point | Pacific Grove
Nostalgia isn’t a flavor. But it tastes a lot like a soft-serve cone.
9 • Emilie and the Frenchies | Aptos
Many places practice French techniques. VERY few channel both Surf City and Nice.
10 • Gabrielita | Santa Cruz
Gabriella Cafe gains a hermanita focused on tamales that adhere to the appetite.
11 • Salty Otter Sports Grill – Santa Cruz
When a hospitality pro gets her spot, in a dream location, goodness results.
12 • La Gran Diabla – Salinas
The wildest reinvention of 2025 quietly has solid food to complement loud scenery.
13 • Fusion Fare – Santa Cruz
Szechuan heat uplifts items like fried eggplant and red-oil dumplings. This FFer’s flavorful AF.
About the author
Mark C. Anderson, Edible Monterey Bay's managing editor, appears on "Friday Found Treasures" via KRML 94.7 every week, a little after 12pm noon. Reach him via mark@ediblemontereybay.com.
