Chef Recommends

Photographed at Wilma & Frieda.

Breakfast or lunch? Coffee or cocktails? Wine or craft beer? Apps or dessert? No hard decisions here. El Paseo is an all-of-the-above kind of destination.

As the morning sun washes over the desert, coffee shops, cafés, and local brunch institutions arouse both sweet and the savory senses. Lunch over sandwiches, salads, pastas, or sushi is a prelude to happy hour. Dinner honors European and Asian traditions as chefs flex their culinary range.

The phrase “signature dish” is too limiting for this sophisticated stretch. Restaurants well-known for a signature plate enjoy delighting guests with consistent excellence.

Il Corso showcases grilled octopus.
Photo by Nate Abbott

Café des Beaux-Arts transports guests with French specialties.
Photo by Jaime Kowal

Breakfast and Brunch

The most important meal of your day begins at Café des Beaux-Arts, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Daily Grill , The Fix, Il Sogno, JC’s Café, Starbucks Coffee , and Wilma & Frieda’s Café.

Comfort Food Classics

Hearty chicken pot pie at Daily Grill marries a flaky crust with a creamy center. Meatloaf and fish and chips are among regulars’ orders, as are the cobb salad and anything with mashed potatoes.include multiple paragraphs.

French Cuisine

At Le Paon , contemporary French dishes from a chef classically trained at Le Cordon Bleu are nearly always succeeded by a fluffy soufflé. Café des Beaux-Arts stirs a longing for Paris with a bowl of French onion soup and a quiche
Lorraine.

Pizza and Italian

Crisp crust, bubbling cheese, bright marinara sauce. Revisit the Old World’s most quintessential flavors at California Pizza Kitchen , Il Corso, Piero’s Pizza Vino, Ristorante Mama Gina, and Sammy’s Woodfired Pizza & Grill .

Seafood and Steakhouses

Surf and turf is an El Paseo tradition. Reserve your bliss at Eddie V’s Prime Seafood , Mastro’s Steakhouse , Mitch’s Prime Seafood , Pacifica Seafood Restaurant , Sullivan’s Steakhouse , or Tommy Bahama Restaurant & Bar . (Surf is the highlight at The Venue Sushi Bar & Sake Lounge .)

Thai Favorites

When noodles are calling, Thai Smile obliges, with spicy, mild or somewhere in between.

SPOTLIGHT ON:

Sweet Basil California Eatery

The newest El Paseo restaurant introduces a fresh California take on international cuisine. Look for rotating specialties highlighting seasonal fruits and vegetables, paired with a curated list of wine and beer.
https://www.sweetbasilpd.com