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A new list from Yelp reveals the 25 best new restaurants in the country for 2026 — and California is serving up more winners than any other state, with five spots on the list.
Three California newcomers cracked the top five, including LA’s Firstborn, which snagged the No. 2 spot.
Located in Chinatown, the buzzy Chinese restaurant is ran by Michelin-recognized Anthony Wang, and offers a “remarkably complex” menu, according to one Yelp review.
“Many of the ideas are rooted in nostalgia from my upbringing,” Wang told Yelp. “Much of the menu is driven by seasonal availability.”
Firstborn offers a $68 pre-fix menu with three choices per course, options include duck sausage, butter-poached prawn and Chongqing fried chicken topped with chili crisp and roasted chicken jus.
Cal-Indian restaurant Eylan in Menlo Park ranked fourth on the list, with Yelp highlighting the restaurant’s reimagining of traditional flavors.
The restaurant offers a family-style prix-fixe menu with options including crispy chicken, gulf shrimp and taro root chat.
“The Sigri Kabab and Taro Root Chaat were phenomenal appetizers — bursting with flavor and beautifully executed,” one yelp reviewer wrote.
Just behind Eylan at number 5 is Lilo in Carlsbad. The Japanese-influenced restaurant received a Michelin star just two months after opening.
Lilo offers a three-part dining experience beginning with small bites and a welcome drink, followed by a dozen dishes around the restaurant’s chef counter. The dining experience is topped off with tea by a fire pit.
“Each dish was a whimsical work of art and tasted so fresh and delicious. It’s amazing how the chefs are able to pair flavors that work so well together,” one Yelp review wrote.
“The attention to detail was exquisite. Definitely make this a destination meal if you want a magical experience.”
San Francisco’s Ah Ma’s Kitchen came at sixteenth on the list, offering Cantonese cuisine with a twist.
The menu is heavily inspired by Hong Kong tea restaurants, offering options like noodle soup with pork-and-shrimp wontons, beef chow fun and crispy salted egg yolk chicken wings.
The Caribbean restaurant has already gained a reputation for being a celebrity hot spot, with A-listers including Usher and Saweetie giving it their stamp of approval.
The spot also ranked among Robb Report’s 21 Most Beautiful Restaurants in America.
But the food at Lucia is the real star. Dishes from two-time James Beard Award finalist Cleophus “Ophus” Hethington include saltfish croquetas with truffle and manchego cheese and Guyanese chow mein.
The designation of best new restaurant overall belongs to Tempe’s Filthy Animal.
At the jungle-themed eatery from restaurateur Teddy Myers’ Pretty Decent Concepts, Executive Chef Rene Vargas whips up creative American dishes with smoky depth and global flair over an open pit fire.
“There are Asian, Mexican, and tropical influences, but it’s all focused around the wood fire pit,” Myers told Yelp. “It’s a primal style of cooking.”
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