15 Celebrity Chefs And Their Favorite Hometown Restaurants
Celebrity chefs have emerged as powerful tastemakers in contemporary culture. Their culinary training puts them in a position to tell the difference between bad, decent, and spectacular food (if their natural palates didn't already), but above all, their platforms make it possible for them to tell the rest of us all about what they've learned, thereby bridging the gap between haute cuisine and everyday dining. Their charismatic presence on television, social media, and in print has allowed them to spread a message that prioritizes quality, flavor, and, in many cases, sustainability and healthy eating. In short, we live in a golden age of foodies, and it's in no small part thanks to celebrity chefs.
But while many celebrity chefs are well-traveled and have tried all manner of cuisines around the globe, the dining scenes they know best probably remain their home cities or at least places where they've lived for a significant amount of time.The luxury of time affords them the chance to test out a wide range of restaurants and to find true diamonds in the rough. It also allows them to return to a place multiple times to see whether it can stand the test of time. This, coupled with their sophisticated palate, makes celebrity chefs a great resource for finding restaurant recommendations in a town they know well. So, let's take a deeper look at some of the best eaters in towns inhabited by some of our favorite celebrity chefs.
Alton Brown - Seed Kitchen and Bar in Marietta
Atlanta is a veritable foodie capital, and there is no shortage of great restaurants to try if you're in town for business or pleasure. And they won't be hard to find. So, it's lucky that "Iron Chef" host and Food Network presenter Alton Brown actually lives in Marietta, a small city about 30 minutes northwest of Atlanta with a vibrant cultural scene.
While Brown can certainly provide many restaurant recommendations in Atlanta, Marietta is where he seems to spend most of his meals when eating out. In particular, he told Eater, "I'm a big fan of Seed in Marietta. I eat there at least once a week. And they've done really well with the new wine bar, Stem." The food is casual American but with a somewhat stylish presentation, so think fried calamari with yuzu ginger emulsion, or a burger with caramelized onions and white cheddar.
(678) 214-6888
1311 Johnson Ferry Rd, #504, Marietta, GA 30068
Michael Symon - Red, The Steakhouse in Cleveland
You might not think of Cleveland, Ohio, as a top foodie destination, but if that's the case, you'd be surprised. Its diversity alone makes it a top choice, but the presence of great local produce and talented chefs, such as Michael Symon himself, seals the deal. In this context, it's not surprising that Symon has many favorite restaurants in and around Cleveland, but one in particular, if you're interested in steak, is Red, The Steakhouse. As he told the Food Network, he always orders the same thing, which is "a perfect, delicious, prime, dry-aged piece of meat." He was referring to a rib-eye he orders medium-rare with a side of potatoes au gratin and a glass of good red wine.
He orders this delicacy about once a month, which is probably what any reasonable person would do, since this dish is a whopping 16 ounces and costs $57 a pop. But in true modern steakhouse fashion, Red provides more than just heavy red meat dishes, if you wanted to stop by for anything else. It also offers a good selection of oysters, salad, and even a king crab dish served with lemon and clarified butter.
(216) 664-0941
417 Prospect Ave E, Cleveland, OH 44115
Giada De Laurentiis - Angelini Osteria in Los Angeles
Giada De Laurentiis knows her Italian food inside and out, which is why we listen when she offers up a recommendation for an Italian restaurant that is not her own, especially in her hometown of Los Angeles. The menu at Angelini Osteria offers classic Italian fare like pasta Bolognese and veal agnolotti, prepared up to the standards of what you might find in the old country.
Indeed, the restaurant is packed almost every night, so be sure to make reservations. At the same time, it's not one of those trendy LA spots that don't live up to the hype. As De Laurentiis told The Infatuation, "It isn't the cool, hip spot, but the food is traditional. I feel good when I leave there ... and I can practice my Italian." There are many Italian restaurants across America today that are owned and operated by people who have no direct link to Italy, but if the owners at Angelini Osteria speak Italian, there's a pretty good chance they are real Italians serving authentic Italian food.
(323) 297-0070
7313 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036
Bobby Flay - Salt's Cure in Los Angeles
It's helpful to have a restaurant recommendation for every meal of the day. Yet most chefs reveal their favorite spots that serve lunch or dinner. Luckily, Bobby Flay has come to the rescue to take care of breakfast, at least for when we're in LA. In fact, his recommendation is Salt's Cure, which he named his number-one breakfast destination in the city (though they also serve brunch, lunch, and dinner).
The farm-to-table restaurant has a lot to offer across the board, but we can see why breakfast might be special. The oatmeal griddle cakes with molasses cinnamon butter are not something you can get just anywhere, and you can even use them to build your own breakfast with a slew of other goodies, such as house-cured bacon or avocado with chili salt.
(323) 380-7148
1155 Highland Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038
Ina Garten - The Canal Cafe in Hampton Bays
Ina Garten famously resides in the Hamptons, where she founded the bakery that launched her career –- the Barefoot Contessa -– and where she still spends a lot of her free time wining and dining. As such, Garten may just be the preeminent source for restaurant recommendations in Long Island, and one such recommendation is the Canal Cafe in Hampton Bays.
The restaurant closes for several months in the winter, but the summer is really the best time to go, anyway. As she told the New York Times in 2012, she likes to drive there with the top down on her car and order a lobster roll or a grilled fish dish. Both items happen to go well with a nice, chilled white wine — one of the best indulgences in which to partake during the hot summer months. So, listen to Ina; grab a seat out on the deck, order some fish and wine, and you won't be disappointed.
(631) 723-2155
44 Newtown Rd, Hampton Bays, NY 11946
Rachael Ray - Via Carota in New York
When chef Rachael Ray wants Italian food in her hometown of New York City, she often heads to Via Carota in Greenwich Village, as she told Time Out. Not only do they have great food there, but they're also conveniently located across the street from another personal favorite, Bar Pisellino, "which makes fabulous martinis and negronis," which are ideal for an aperitif or if you need to kill some time while you wait for your table to be ready at Via Carota –- it is a popular spot, and one of those restaurants where it's not easy to get a reservation.
But if you can snag a seat, the wait will have been worth it. Chefs Rita Sodi and Jody Williams earned a James Beard Award for best chefs in 2019, and you can tell by the quality of the food. Dishes that look simple or boring, like grilled chicken or classic pastas, explode with flavor. It's hard, if not impossible, to have a bad meal at this place.
(212) 255-1962
51 Grove St, New York, NY 10014
Jaime Oliver - The River Café in London
There was a time when London, or all of England, was not known for its food. Seemingly unpalatable dishes like liver pie come to mind, or mystery items like spotted dick, whatever that is (quite a nice vanilla pudding, actually, but that's beside the point). But things have changed drastically since then, to the point where you can hardly throw a stone in London without hitting a decent restaurant.
One of those restaurants, according to chef Jamie Oliver, is The River Café, located on the banks of the Thames. As he told CN Traveller, "It's a very specific expression of Italian food, and I've never had a bad meal. Yes, it's expensive, but is it worth saving up for? For sure." So, if you happen to be out Hammersmith way in West London, be sure to book a table at the River Café — after saving up first, of course. Not only will you get a great meal, but also the ideal ambiance. As Oliver says, "The River Café has got a very good feeling about it."
+44 20 7386 4200
Thames Wharf, Rainville Rd, London W6 9HA, United Kingdom
Guy Fieri - La Texanita Restaurant in Santa Rosa
If there is any place outside of Mexico that truly knows its Mexican food, it's California (or New Mexico, Arizona, and maybe some other Southwestern states). This means that when it comes to this cuisine, the bar to clear is very high, and according to Guy Fieri, La Texanita Restaurant in Santa Rosa, in Sonoma County, does it and then some.
As he said in season seven of "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives," the carne asada tacos at La Texanita were "so simple, but so good." Perhaps the reason for this high praise rested in the tortilla above all else, because then he said, "I'm telling you something, there's just nothing that can beat that handmade tortilla." Try them out for yourself by ordering the homemade tortilla and filling it with carne asada, pollo asado, carnitas, BBQ pork, or chorizo. Or try the veggie taco, which also comes with the famous homemade tortilla.
(707) 527-7331
1667 Sebastopol Rd, Santa Rosa, CA 95407
Emeril Lagasse - The Commander's Palace in New Orleans
When it comes to favorite restaurants, Emeril Lagasse may not be the most impartial observer when he recommends The Commander's Palace in New Orleans, his hometown. But he would probably be remiss if he left it out, as it truly is a local institution, regardless of the fact that Lagasse worked there for many years. In fact, the place is widely seen as the restaurant that made him famous.
The restaurant highlights classic New Orleans cuisine, like the Creole spiced Texas redfish, while also adding some twists of its own, like the legendary Commander's Palace strawberry shortcake. Aside from providing top-notch cuisine, the restaurant uses fresh ingredients, most of which are sourced within 100 miles of the restaurant itself. For instance, you will find shrimp and oysters from the Gulf, and Louisiana field peas.
(504) 899-8221
1403 Washington Ave, New Orleans, LA 70130
Marcus Samuelsson - Sylvia's in New York
There are so many great restaurants in Harlem that sometimes, it hardly seems necessary to venture into the rest of Manhattan. For one, there is Samuelsson's own Red Rooster restaurant, which serves a sophisticated take on classic soul food, like shrimp and grits with pork chorizo. But Samuelsson himself recommends Sylvia's, which is about a block away from the Red Rooster.
As he told Lonely Planet in an interview, Sylvia's "is still going strong. The Woods family is doing a great job, doing their thing." The restaurant has been operating since 1962 and people from all over still flock there for its soul food. Go to town on classics like fried chicken or BBQ pork ribs, and you won't be disappointed. You may even spot a celebrity. Famous people of all ilks have been going here for generations, including the likes of Muhammad Ali, Diana Ross, and Barack Obama.
(212) 996-0660
328 Malcolm X Blvd, New York, NY 10027
Andrew Zimmern - Una Pizza Napoletana in New York
It almost feels like a cop-out to name a pizza place as one of your favorite restaurants, but this is definitely not the case with Una Pizza Napoletana, recommended by chef Andrew Zimmern, a native of Queens. The restaurant is not lacking in praise: It has received accolades from the New York Times, the Michelin Guide, New York Magazine, and a slew of other publications. Even Tasting Table has called it the best Italian pizza in the world.
The more recommendations a restaurant gets, the more likely it is to be good, but you never know, so you should probably go and taste it for yourself. You will find a crust made with naturally leavened dough, topped with homemade marinara, and a brief but carefully selected list of high-quality toppings, like real buffalo mozzarella or salted Italian anchovies. If you have room for dessert, you will also find some pretty good gelato here, including some interesting toppings like candied Sicilian orange peel.
(646) 476-4457
175 Orchard St, New York, NY 10002
David Chang - Sun Nong Dang in Los Angeles
David Chang was famously a New York guy, as evidenced by his Momofuku restaurant empire, which encompassed such wonders as Momofuku Ko, a fine dining establishment, and Momofuku Ssam, a more casual but still sophisticated affair. But as these spots closed down, leaving only Bang Bar and Noodle Bar, Chang himself seems to have up and left for Los Angeles, where he is now in the process of expanding his presence.
But amidst all that work, a guy's gotta eat, and it looks like one of his favorite places to do that is Sun Nong Dan, specifically the one housed in a mall in Koreatown. Chang has posted about the place on his Instagram account on several occasions, highlighting the braised short ribs in particular. But the place is perhaps best known for its sullungtang, which is a type of beef broth soup.
Multiple locations
Nigella Lawson - Kima in London
Nigella Lawson cut her teeth as a food writer and British celebrity chef, both of which give her plenty of qualifications to recommend restaurants in London, where she lives and works. One such restaurant is Kima, a Greek restaurant that focuses on seafood. In her Instagram post on the subject, she wrote that both times she visited the restaurant, as of 2024, "I've had what can only be described as a fish feast."
In particular, she mentioned that she likes Kima's whole fish approach, which is probably helped by the fact that the restaurant only serves the freshest catch available, which "is delivered to them daily from their own two boats." But despite all this fishy business, the restaurant knows how to make other things, too. Lawson likes the kaimaki ice cream pudding with lemon curd in particular.
+44 7745 205136
57 Paddington St, London W1U 4JA, United Kingdom
Alice Waters - Ajanta Restaurant in Berkeley
Renowned celebrity chef Alice Waters, who runs Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California, has graced us all with a handy map of the Bay Area, where she has indicated her favorite local restaurants and the reasons she likes them. Since it's easy to find great restaurant recommendations in San Francisco, we focused on Waters' selections in Berkeley, which are a little closer to home for her anyway.
One standout is Ajanta, an Indian restaurant she says in her map "keeps getting better with its use of organic ingredients and an ever-changing, seasonal menu." Indeed, the restaurant states on its website that it utilizes sustainable seafood, as well as free-range, hormone- and antibiotic-free meats, poultry, and organic vegetables. Ingredients matter when it comes to the final product, and Ajanta proves it every time it serves one of its delicious dishes from various parts of India.
(510) 526-4373
1888 Solano Ave, Berkeley, CA 94707
Cat Cora - Ca' Dario in Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara is a fine place to visit, especially if you have a slew of good restaurant recommendations to keep you busy at mealtimes. Luckily, celebrity chef Cat Cora lives in Santa Barbara, and she can tell us exactly where to eat. According to Delish, Cora particularly likes Ca' Dario, an Italian restaurant that is ideal for a romantic dinner, both for its food and its ambiance.
The menu is extensive, encompassing vegetable-forward dishes, fish, and meat, but there are also plenty of pasta dishes, as befitting an Italian restaurant, and probably all the Italian desserts you've ever heard of (yes, they have tiramisu and cannoli). If you're familiar with Italian food at all, you may note that the restaurant serves primarily northern Italian food, but that doesn't mean you can't trust the Sicilian cannoli!
(805) 884-9419 ext. 1
37 E Victoria St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101