5 Restaurants to Fuel Your Appetite
From roadside fruit stands to iconic fast food landmarks, Farley Elliott maps out the must-eat stops that define California’s rich highway food culture.
California food is defined by freeways. Produce moves overland from the valleys to the shore, and seafood heads in the opposite direction. McDonald’s started here, kicking off America’s fast-food obsession, while roadside stands and eye-catching buildings (like a giant orange) continue to entice hungry travelers. Historic yet timeless, these are some of California’s best road-trip food stops.•
This roundup appears in Issue 32 of Alta Journal. SUBSCRIBE
IKEDA’S, AUBURN
Originally just a popular fruit stand en route to Tahoe, 75-year-old Ikeda’s has blossomed over the decades. Today, the sprawling restaurant and market excels at teriyaki burgers and aisles of snack options, but pie is the true star.
MARK’S HOT DOGS, SAN JOSE
Housed in a giant roadside orange (yes, the fruit) built almost 90 years ago, Mark’s serves favorites like the surprising root beer milkshake and what may be San Jose’s best hot dog—snappy and impossible to put down.
AARMANN INDIAN FOOD, BAKERSFIELD
In-the-know drivers can fill their tanks in more ways than one at this Indian café inside a Chevron station. Order Punjabi staples like paratha, biryani, and samosas from a handwritten menu that changes often.
CLEARMAN’S, LA MIRADA
SoCal’s coolest restaurant mini-chain, founded in 1958, always has (fake) snow on its roof. Inside this large log cabin off the 5 freeway, a stuffed bear stands near a giant working fireplace, and one porterhouse steak easily feeds two.
TACO TIA, REDLANDS
Before Glen Bell founded Taco Bell, he created Taco Tia. A final, often-overlooked location remains, with a nostalgic menu of hard-shell tacos plus deliciously messy “taco burgers” and breakfast burritos. Consider this a Taco Bell prototype.
Farley Elliott is the senior editor at Eater LA and the author of Los Angeles Street Food: A History from Tamaleros to Taco Trucks.
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