Yelp declares 4 Calif. eateries among the best new restaurants in US

Pomet, a farm-to-table restaurant owned by an actual farmer, K&J Orchards’ Aomboon Deasy, opened on Oakland’s Piedmont Avenue in early 2022. This summer, it earned a Michelin green star for its sustainability efforts. The restaurant’s menu varies based on what ingredients are in season: Currently, a sample dinner menu features a persimmon and beet salad, trout with sweet potato and Brussels sprouts and “ugly mushroom” pasta with celery root miso butter.

Yelp also featured three Southern California restaurants on its list of 25. Manzke, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Los Angeles, was No. 3 on the list. The restaurant offers a 10-course tasting menu that “blends French techniques with Californian influences and Asian notes,” according to the Michelin Guide. Main course highlights include Liberty Farms duck and Snake River Farms wagyu.

San Laurel, another Los Angeles fine dining destination, is Yelp’s No. 21. The modern Californian restaurant with Spanish influence comes from celebrity chef José Andrés and is located on the 10th floor of the Conrad hotel. San Diego’s California English was ranked No. 24 on the list, a restaurant from “Top Chef” alum Richard Blais that reimagines English dishes with California ingredients.

Yelp created the best new restaurants list by identifying restaurants that opened after Jan. 1, 2022, and ranking them by total volume and ratings of reviews between that date and Aug. 7, 2023. Eligible businesses also had to have a passing health score as of August.