Famous California Foods: 21 Golden State Favorites
What food is California known for? The Golden State has lots of famous foods, culinary creations, and dishes that were invented here.
I say “here” because I’ve lived in California for over 30 years. As a chef, a foodie, a traveler, and a local, I’ll go out on a limb and say I know my California foods!
So, if you want a list of the famous foods in California, you’re in the right place!
California foods are best enjoyed with a quintessential California view.
The foods California is known for are as diverse as the state itself. They have been greatly influenced by California’s history, its immigrants, its indigenous people, its chefs, and its agriculture.
Yes, agriculture. This beautiful state on the west coast of the United States is not just gorgeous beaches and redwood trees. It’s the largest agricultural state in America, producing a third of the country’s vegetables and two thirds of its nuts and fruits.
In fact, the abundance of farm-fresh ingredients was what drove the cooking techniques and recipes of Alice Waters. Many consider this iconic chef of the Bay Area’s Chez Panisse the originator of California cuisine and the farm to table movement.
But, like I said, there are many other influences on famous California foods. From the California Gold Rush in Northern California to celebrity chefs of SoCal, and everything in between, here’s our list.
Famous California Foods
1. Fish Tacos
Fish tacos, a famous food in California by way of Mexico
From north to south, fish tacos are one of California's most popular foods and one of my favorite dishes to order.
According to food historians, fish tacos are technically a Mexican food. Mexico City is famous for tacos al pastor, but fish tacos can be traced back to the coastal towns of Baja California.
Since CA was once part of Mexico, it’s easy to see how the tacos became so popular here.
The dish was born out of the necessity to use up leftover fish caught by local fishermen. They wrapped the unsold catch in corn tortillas—and the fish taco was born.
Over time, fish tacos evolved to include toppings like fresh salsa, avocado, cilantro, and lime juice, and these Mexican seafood handhelds became a staple food in California. From food trucks to high-end restaurants, they appear as a popular menu item at all sorts of eateries.
Nowadays, fried or grilled cod is the most popular type of fish used, but you’ll find almost any type of fish depending where you are. In San Diego, wild halibut might be the catch of the day, in Ventura you could see sea bass, and up in Mendocino, you’ll find a lot of rockfish.
2. California roll
California rolls, one of the famous California foods born in Los Angeles
You’ll find this famous California food at sushi restaurants throughout the state and beyond.
The history of the California roll dates back to the 1970s, when a well-known sushi chef, Ichiro Mashita, popularized it in Los Angeles’s Little Tokyo.
It’s one of the best known fusion dishes—a marriage of the famous Japanese food maki (sushi roll) and the California ingredients avocado and cooked crab (sometimes imitation crab or crab salad).
California rolls fall into the category of uramaki, or inside-out rolls, because they are prepared with the rice on the outside.
They are the best food item to order if you find yourself at a sushi restaurant and do not eat raw fish.
3. Cobb Salad
Cobb Salad, still the most popular salad at the Brown Derby
The Cobb salad has its roots in the rich history of Hollywood in the early 1930s. It was invented by Robert H. Cobb, the owner of the famous Brown Derby restaurant in Los Angeles.
One night Cobb threw together a snack for himself using ingredients that he found in his kitchen. He loved his creation so much, he added it to the menu, named it after himself, and it became an instant hit.
Today, it is still the most popular salad at the Brown Derby and has become a staple of American cuisine.
The popular dish is made up of a bed of crisp lettuce topped with sliced avocado, diced turkey breast, hard-boiled eggs, tomatoes, chopped bacon, and crumbled blue cheese.
The dressing is called “French dressing,” but it’s nothing like the bright orange bottled kind. It’s more of an olive oil and red wine vinaigrette.
4. Avocado Toast
Avocado toast, a superstar of the California food scene
Avocados are one of the foods California is known for growing. So much so, that California is the avocado capital of the world!
In every form, from guacamole to avocado toast, avocado is one of the state’s most beloved foods. And although avocado toast is an extremely popular breakfast, lunch, and snack, the dish actually originated elsewhere.
Believe it or not, avocado toast was first introduced in Australia in the 1920s. It wasn’t until around 2010, almost a century later, that it became an integral part of the California food scene. It’s even something to try one of the top San Diego food tours.
I hate to admit that I didn’t always love avocados like I do now. It wasn’t until I attended UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) that I began eating them. Now, they’re one of my favorite foods California produces!
I always have fresh avocados in the house, and I make avocado toast at least once a week with whatever I have around. It could be an egg, tomatoes and onion, smoked salmon, prosciutto, or some combo of these.
5. Fortune Cookies
Fortune cookies, a California famous food invented in San Francisco
Did you know fortune cookies originated in San Francisco? Yup, this California famous food is filled with a couple of other surprises too.
Contrary to popular belief, the modern version of fortune cookies actually traces back to Japan, not China. The larger, darker "tsujiura senbei," a miso-sesame-based Japanese cracker, was the predecessor of the modern-day vanilla flavored cookie.
The first place to serve what we think of as the traditional fortune cookie was the Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park.
However, the tea garden procured the cookies from the SF bakery founded by Japanese immigrants, Benkyodo. Thus, Benkyodo is credited with introducing the sweet, butter-vanilla flavors and inventing a mass production machine for fortune cookies in 1911.
Despite their Japanese origins, fortune cookies became associated with Chinese restaurants because in the early 1900s, Japanese immigrants in California often opened restaurants serving Chinese food because they thought that this cuisine was a better fit for the American palate of that era.
If you want to learn more, take one of the food tours in San Francisco that goes to the fortune cookie factory.
6. French Dip Sandwich
The iconic Californian sandwich, the French Dip, began as an accident.
While the roast beef sandwich is considered to be a food from Boston, the French dip, also made with sliced roast beef, hails from downtown Los Angeles.
The story of its birth starts in 1918 with Philippe Mathieu and his restaurant called Philippe in LA.
Mathieu accidentally dropped the French roll for a policeman’s order into a pan of meat juices. The policeman decided to take it as is and loved it. He reportedly returned the next day with some friends, asking for more of the “juicy sandwich.”
Philippe changed the name to the French Dip, and today it’s one of the most iconic foods from California.
The family-run restaurant still stands in the same Los Angeles location and operates under the name Philippe The Original.
7. Mission Burrito
Eat California like a local, try a Mission Burrito in SF’s Mission District.
Undoubtedly, burritos are a staple of Mexican cuisine, but the unique style of the Mission burrito began in San Francisco. The exact restaurant and inventor are heavily disputed, but everyone can agree it happened in the Mission District of SF, which is still the best place to try one and where you’ll find the best Mexican food in the city.
Mission burritos start with a gigantic flour tortilla to which Mexican rice, salsa, and seasoned meat like carne asada or carnitas is added. To take it to the next level, you can upgrade for an extra cost to a “super.” Super in this case is not bigger but adds any combination of sour cream, avocado or guacamole, and cheese.
When in San Francisco, you will not be disappointed at any of the big four purveyors of the Mission burrito: La Taqueria, El Faro, La Cumbre, or Taqueria El Farolito.
8. California Burrito
One of the most popular Southern California foods, the California Burrito
Not to be outdone by San Fran, San Diego needed its own burrito style, and so we have the California burrito. As with the Mission burrito, the exact origin is unknown, but the two main contenders are Santana’s and one of the Roberto’s Taco Shops, like the one my husband and I frequent in Solana Beach on our San Diego staycations.
This delicious burrito blends Mexican and American flavors, but it always reminds me of the Greek food gyros because the defining ingredient is french fries. (Your hometown Greek restaurant may not include fries, but that’s how they make gyros in Athens.)
In addition to fries, a California burrito may have sour cream, marinated carne asada, guacamole, and shredded cheese. You will rarely find this burrito style north of LA, so get one when you’re in SoCal when you can.
9. Cioppino
Cioppino, a famous seafood dish invented in California
Another California dish from San Francisco, Cioppino is a hearty seafood soup with ingredients harvested from the Pacific Ocean.
The legend of Cioppino dates back to the late 1800s. At that time, the Italian immigrants to SF often became fisherman. They would “chip in” their scraps from their daily catch and prepare this hodgepodge in a tomato-based soup. The fresh seafood could include bits of Dungeness crab, shrimp, clams, mussels, and any variety of fish.
The dish is often confused with the famous French dish bouillabaisse from Marseille, but while they both originally used leftovers, the taste is quite different.
Today, Cioppino is served in fine coastal restaurants up and down California. It’s one of my husband’s favorite soups. He's had delicious versions at restaurants in Mendocino, Laguna Beach, Los Angeles, Redondo Beach, and plenty more coastal locales.
To enjoy a top-notch Cioppino in the City by the Bay, you can’t go wrong with ordering the versions served at either Sotto Mare or California’s oldest restaurant, Tadich Grill.
10. California-Style Pizza
A Jalapeño-Lime Carnitas California-style pizza enjoyed during a weekend in Temecula
We’ve written about Chicago deep-dish pizza, New York pizza, Colorado-style pizza, Roman street food pizza, and I’m sure many more, but somehow we haven’t discussed California-style pizza.
What is a California-style pizza? It has a thin crispy crust and, most notably, toppings that you typically wouldn’t find on a traditional pizza, like barbecue chicken, shrimp, peanut sauce, duck, etc. Some of the first California-style pizzas had names like Santa Fe Chicken, Thai Chicken, and Jamaican Jerk.
Ed LaDou, dubbed the “Prince of Pizzas,” is usually credited for the popularization of California-style pizza. He created the first menu for California Pizza Kitchen in 1985, and the restaurant’s popularity took off like wildfire.
However, since LaDou was the pizza chef at Wolfgang Puck’s Spago at the time, sometimes Puck gets some credit. And it appears that one of our other favorite California chefs, Alice Waters, was simultaneously creating some on her own California-style pizzas in Oakland.
Whoever you give the credit to, there’s no mistaking that California-style pizza has become a staple of the cuisine of California.
11. In-n-Out Burger
The most popular fast food in California, In-N-Out Burger
To say that the In-N-Out Burger is a popular California food is an understatement.
You can spot one of the drive-thru burger stands by looking for the line of cars you’ll see at anytime during opening hours. As far as fast food joints go, they have an almost cult-like following that attracts every socioeconomic segment.
I personally know a 70-year-old real estate mogul who asked for an In-N-Out burger as soon as he came out of heart surgery. My in-laws and nephews would also insist on an In-N-Out pilgrimage on their visits from Maryland. And In-N-Out burgers have been a late night traditional food in California college towns since I was in school.
The chain got their start in 1948, the same year as McDonald’s. Both burger behemoths also sprung up in Southern California. Obviously, In-N-Out didn’t grow at the rate of their rival, but for fans of their hand-cut fries, double-doubles, and shakes made with real ice cream, there’s no substitute.
Extreme fans are rewarded with a secret menu offering such items as Animal Style Fries—fries topped with onions, special spread, and melted cheese—and many other on-the-down-low specialties.
12. Sourdough Bread
Sourdough bread, one of the most famous foods in California
Sourdough bread has been associated with San Francisco cuisine for generations, but its history is as complex as the bread itself. The origins of sourdough bread can be traced back to ancient Egypt, where bakers would let their bread dough ferment naturally before baking it.
Then why is San Francisco known for its sourdough? Boudin Bakery, the oldest continuously operating business in the city, began baking the famous bread during the San Francisco Gold Rush. Nourishing and filling, it was instantly popular. Additionally, the thick fog on the San Francisco Peninsula reacts with the yeast and bacteria to impart a unique flavor that’s a critical part of the distinct style of SF sourdough bread.
Boudin Bakery prospered and now operates numerous bakeries in San Francisco in addition to the original location on Fisherman’s Wharf. If you want two San Francisco treats in one, try a clam chowder sourdough bread bowl while visiting the city—Yum!
13. Ranch Dressing
As a Californian, I prefer Ranch dressing to ketchup for my burgers and fries.
Ranch dressing is one of the most famous foods from California. It’s been America’s number-one-selling salad dressing since 1992. Can’t get much more famous than that!
I don’t know about you, but I don’t limit it to salads. I’ve doused the creamy dressing on everything from fries, to wraps, to chicken tenders.
The first known recipe for ranch dressing was created in the 1950s by Steve Henson, a plumber turned chef. At his Hidden Valley Ranch in the then small town of Santa Barbara, Henson began selling dry packets of the dressing mix locally. He progressed to mail order and then to grocery stores. The rest, as they say, is history.
The main ingredients in ranch dressing include buttermilk, onion, garlic, and herbs. It’s a medley of ingredients simple enough to have spawned lots of copy-cat and knock-off versions of the original Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing.
14. Garlic ice cream
The best place to try garlic ice cream is in Gilroy, California.
Garlic ice cream may not be the most famous food in California, but if you’ve gone to the Gilroy Garlic Festival, you’ve certainly at least thought about trying it.
Gilroy is the garlic capital of the world, and there’s no better place to try garlic ice cream. Depending on the maker, it can taste like a garlic cream sauce or vanilla ice cream with a hint of sweet roasted garlic.
I get that, compared to the typical selection of ice cream flavors that include salted caramel or chocolate brownie, garlic may not sound so good. But in Gilroy, where garlic is gold, you’ll have have a good reason to try it.
15. Santa MariA–Style Barbecue
Santa Maria–style barbecue at the farmers market
The history of Santa Maria–style barbecue is rooted in the early 1800s. It was a part of the local culture in the Santa Maria Valley in Santa Barbara County on the Central Coast of California.
Barbecue feasts provided a way for local ranchers to feed large groups of cowboys and their families, all while promoting a sense of community.
Beef tri-tip was seasoned with salt, black pepper, and garlic and grilled over coals made from the native Coast Live Oak trees. The beef was served with indigenous pinquitos beans, salsa, salad, and grilled bread.
By the late 1950s, four Santa Maria–style barbecue restaurants had sprung up, including The Hitching Post, which was featured in the movie “Sideways.” The eatery is still considered a local favorite and one of the best restaurants in the valley. Meanwhile, Santa Maria-style barbecue is still the most popular food in California’s Central Coast and a style of BBQ just as unique as you would find in Texas or Charleston, SC.
16. Pacific Oysters
One of the most popular California foods, Pacific oysters
Oysters are certainly one of the most popular foods in California, but they are also an essential part of the ocean’s ecosystem. A single oyster can filter and clean 50 gallons of seawater each day!
Oysters flourish in the cool waters of the Pacific Ocean. They are cultivated along the California coastline, particularly in Tomales Bay near San Francisco.
That’s where you’ll find one of the most reputable oyster farms, Hog Island Oyster Company. They have been growing oysters sustainably for over 35 years. They have a restaurant in the Ferry Building in San Francisco, which is the perfect place to enjoy their oysters.
Come to think of it, I’ve never had a bad oyster in California. The freshest oysters I’ve ever had were at Carlsbad Aquafarm in Carlsbad, CA. They pull them from the water only 20 minutes before you eat them!
Pacific Oysters are known for their briny flavor and crisp texture. They can grow quite large, but I prefer the small ones.
At local restaurants specializing in seafood, you’ll find oysters prepared every way you can think of: raw, grilled, fried, charbroiled, Rockefeller, and many more.
17. Doughnuts, aka Donuts
Randy’s Donuts, the most recognizable donut shop in LA
Surprised that even in the the land of health food, people are donut crazed? Well, we are still in America, and let’s face it, Americans love their donuts. Portland has VooDoo, Chicago has Stans, NOLA has Café du Monde, and Boston has too many to name. But here’s another surprise . . .
According to Yelp, California has the top-rated donut shop in the entire country! Rocklin Donuts and Cinnamon in Rocklin, CA, takes the coveted #1 spot, and 5 other CA shops round out the USA’s Top 10!
Some of the most well-known donut shops, like The Donut Man or Randy’s Donuts in LA, may not have made the list, but they are still beloved. In fact, Randy’s has appeared in so many movies and TVs, it’s got to be the most famous donut shop in Cali.
18. Crab Louie
Crab Louie, a famous California dish from San Francisco
No list of California foods would be complete without Crab Louie—another one of the delicious foods San Francisco is famous for. This one originated in the Palace Hotel in the early 1900s.
The star of this salad is Dungeness crab, which is plentiful in the Pacific Northwest. Unlike the blue crabs I’m fond of eating in Ocean City, MD, theses crabs are big boys. One has enough crab meat to fill you up. On the east coast of Maryland, they dump a whole pile of blue crabs on your table, and even after you’ve eaten your way through them, you still end up asking for more before you can feel genuinely full.
In the Crab Louie, hard-boiled eggs, lettuce, tomatoes, and avocados team up with the Dungeness to comprise the salad. The dressing has a mix of sweet and sour flavors, similar to Thousand Island dressing. As with any classic recipe, there are many variations on the original Crab Louie.
If you spend a weekend in San Francisco, the famous restaurant Tadich Grill serves an excellent version.
19. Hot Sauces
Sriracha mixed with mayo makes a great hot sauce for sushi.
Hot sauces in general are popular in California. Many restaurants have them on tables, or servers ask if you would like them. Of course, many varieties of hot sauce exist, but the two in particular that I consider famous California foods are Tapatio and Sriracha.
Of these two, Tapatio came on the California food scene first, in 1971. California has Mexican immigrants to thank for a number of standout culinary creations, and Tapatio is one of them. The spicy sauce full of Mexican spices was created by Jose-Luis Saavedra in Southern California. He wanted to recreate the bold flavors of his hometown, Guadalajara, the capital city of Jalisco. The name "Tapatio" is a term of endearment for people from this region. Trust me, this sauce is way better than Tabasco!
The Asian chili sauce Sriracha, also known as “Rooster Sauce,” originated in the coastal town of Si Racha, in Thailand. However, the version of sriracha that is widely used around the world today was created by Huy Fong Foods. This Californian company was founded in 1980 by Vietnamese immigrant David Tran to produce a hot chili sauce for the entire Asian community. Today, Huy Fong needs to crank out 3,000 bottles of sriracha per hour to meet the demand of its ever-growing fan base!
20. California Cheese
Happy cows make some of the best cheese in California.
In addition to fresh produce, California’s farms churn out amazing cheeses. If you believe the dairy commercials, it’s because we have happy cows. I’ve seen where some of these dairy cows live, and I’d be pretty happy there too. The ones at Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company (makers of the famed Point Reyes blue cheese) even have an ocean view!
In addition to Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company, at least 10 other cheese farms call Northern California home. The following are two of the most noteworthy NorCal cheese producers.
Cow Girl Creamery, also located in Point Reyes Station, produces the soft triple-cream cheeses Mt Tam and Red Hawk among their array of offerings. Mt Tam has notes of butter and mushroom, while Red Hawk is more grassy.
Cypress Grove, based in Arcata, is renowned for their Humboldt Fog aged goat cheese. You should also be on the lookout for their Midnight Moon—a wonderfully flavorful hard cheese—and their Truffle Tremor, if you’re addicted to truffles like I am.
If you find a California cheese that sounds good to you, give it a try. Just know that this statement comes from someone who likes very few things more than cheese. Out of all the French cheeses, Italian cheeses, Wisconsin, Vermont, and California cheeses I’ve tried, I can only think of one that I did not like—and it was not a cheese from CA.
21. Chinese Chicken Salad
Chinese Chicken Salad, one of the California foods that became a hit nationwide.
Did you know that Chinese Chicken Salad is a famous food from California, not China?
Sylvia Cheng Wu, owner and chef of the haven for Hollywood stars, Madame Wu’s Garden, created it for Cary Grant in the 1960s. It was an overnight success and quickly became her most popular menu item.
However, once again, Wolfgang Puck is often cited as the originator of this California popular food. In 1983, Puck called his version “Chinois Chicken Salad” as it was served at his upscale Asian-fusion restaurant Chinois.
While there’s no denying Puck’s immense contributions to Californian cuisine, I have to give the nod in this case to Madame Wu. Puck actually had more to do with popularizing the salad and solidifying its position as a famous food in California rather than inventing it.
It is worth noting that Puck’s salad and Wu’s salad were not identical, but both had a base of lettuce, cabbage, and chicken with Asian flavors like sesame oil and ginger. Today, if you Google “Chinese Chicken Salad,” you get about 415,000,000 results.
If that’s your measure of fame, the Chinese Chicken Salad is the most famous California food on this list!
Popular California Foods and Drinks
In case it’s not obvious, I didn’t include every food invented in California. Granted, some of these dishes are more regional than others, but I stuck to popular foods you can still find today.
So, if you travel to the Golden State, I hope you’ll try as many of these California foods as you can!
Famous California Drinks
Some cocktails like the Mai Tai and Martini were invented in California. But first and foremost, California is famous for its wine. Red wine, white wine, sparkling wine—you name it, we’ve got it.
Napa Valley is the premier wine region in California, but there are lots of others. In Northern California, some of the other notable regions include Sonoma, Russian River, and Anderson Valley.
In Central California, wine-making regions include San Luis Obispo, Paso Robles, and Santa Barbara. And in Southern California, Temecula Valley is the largest while Malibu wine country is the smallest.
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