CALIFORNIA
Where to Eat in Bakersfield: 15 Must‑Try Local Restaurants That Can’t Miss
By Mei Chen | June 27, 2025
AUTHOR BIO: Mei Chen has worked for nearly a dozen start-ups in as many years, taking her to several West Coast cities. While she’s sure her current day job is permanent, she also has her eye on Carmel.
“Let’s be real—when people search ‘best restaurants in Bakersfield’ or ‘restaurants near me in Bakersfield,’ they want more than just a marker on the map. They want flavor, charm, and a handful of stories with their meal.
Bakersfield's food scene doesn’t need hype; it delivers honest-to-goodness dishes with heart. From smoky barbecue to hand-rolled pasta and soulful Basque stews, this is local flavor that sticks with you.
After years of traveling to Bakersfield, I’ve roamed every corner of town. Here now are the best restaurants in Bakersfield right now.
18Hundred
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18Hundred is the kind of place where you can show up in jeans and still get a steak seared like it belongs in a white-tablecloth joint. Housed in a former firehouse with the red doors still intact, the space leans industrial without trying too hard—like they just dusted off the soot and threw up some Edison bulbs. The menu’s a greatest-hits album of comfort food, with smoked tri-tip sliders, fried chicken sandwiches, a killer Cobb salad, and what might be the city’s best burgers. Bakersfield has its share of places chasing the trendy crowd, but 18Hundred feels confident just being itself—and that’s exactly what makes it cool.
Brimstone
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The restaurant inside The Padre Hotel is where locals go to eat, drink, and admire how they’ve managed to make a building that’s over a century old feel hip again. The Brimstone Bar offers everything from craft cocktails to inventive small plates, and let’s just say, it’s a far cry from the cowboy steak and whiskey scene of yesteryear.
Chef’s Choice Noodle Bar
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When in doubt, noodles. Chef’s Choice has managed to perfect the casual, upscale balance without being, well, pretentious. It’s where you can tuck into a steaming bowl of pho or slurp down pad Thai without spending your whole paycheck, and the variety on the menu means you’ll never get bored.
Don Perico Mexican Grill & Bar
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With three locations around town, Don Perico is the kind of place where you’ll eat like you’ve been invited to a family reunion, if that family happens to make top-notch fajitas. The sizzling platters come out with a cloud of aroma that’ll make everyone in the restaurant turn and stare, and the margaritas are the size of a birdbath. It’s been around for decades, and it feels like everyone in Bakersfield has a story about a celebration here.
Donna Kaye's Cafe
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Donna Kaye’s doesn’t try to be anything but what it is: the best breakfast spot in town. The biscuits are fluffy, the gravy is peppery, and the coffee comes in cups that never get below half-full. Order the Meatlovers Omelette, which gets blanketed with enough bacon, ham, and sausage to feed a family. It’s simple, hearty, and exactly what you want when you’ve got a day of exploring Bakersfield ahead.
Flame & Fire
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This isn’t your average meat fest—it’s an upscale rodízio with a trademark tomahawk steak and fire‑grilled picanha that get carved at table‑side. Pair those juicy skewers with a crisp white from their curated wine list, then swing by their Market Table for sides like Brazilian cheese bread and fresh veggies. It’s an experience dressed up in business‑casual, but don’t let the cloth napkins fool you—it’s pure, smoky indulgence.
Little Italy
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You don’t come here for the lighting or the playlist—you come because Little Italy still does it the old way, with red sauce that simmers half the day and pastas that aren’t pulled from a box. Chef Marco Pietri doesn’t do trends, but his chicken piccata still draws a wait on weekends, and the seafood linguine is overloaded in the best way. On most nights, half the dining room is regulars, and the other half is people wondering why they didn’t find this place sooner. The bar pours a strong Negroni, and there’s no shame in ordering the tiramisu before your entrée.
Locale Farm to Table
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Locale feels like it was built for Instagram, but don’t let the pretty plating fool you—this place is all about the flavors. Chef Heather Laganelli builds her dishes around fresh vegetables that serve as a love letter to Bakersfield’s agricultural roots. Try the carrot soup, which somehow manages to make a root vegetable taste like a three-course meal. This is farm-to-table done right.
Luigi’s
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This family-run spot has been dishing out Italian comfort food since 1910. But it’s more than nostalgia that brings people back to Luigi’s Restaurant & Delicatessen—think homemade pasta, massive portions, and sandwiches that are just this side of divine. Grab a bottle of wine from the deli while you're there.
Noriega's
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Eating at Noriega’s feels like stepping into a time capsule, but instead of dusty antiques, it’s full of Basque-style lamb stew and comfort food like chicken and waffles. The communal tables make you instant friends with strangers, and the family-style dining turns every meal into an event. This place is a Bakersfield institution, and for good reason—where else can you leave feeling like you’ve eaten an entire country’s worth of food?
Pho Hut
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Pho Hut is a warm bowl of comfort on a Bakersfield evening. The broth is rich enough to feel indulgent but not heavy, and the noodles are springy and perfect for slurping. Add in some fresh herbs and jalapeños, and you’ve got a dish that feels like a hug in soup form. If you’re lucky, you’ll snag a spot near the window to watch Bakersfield’s low-key hustle go by while you eat.
Prime Time BBQ Company
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The newer location of Prime Time feels like the original, just with more room to breathe and a few extra smokers out back. Pitmaster Taylor McCowan still runs the place like it’s a competition, slicing brisket with that pink smoke ring and boxing up ribs that fall apart before you get the lid on. You’ll want the sausage too—coarse grind, lots of snap—and a side of that mustardy potato salad they make in-house. It’s not fancy, but it’s not trying to be. Just barbecue done exactly the way you hoped it would be.
Vatos Tacos Grill & Cantina
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The tacos at Vatos are little bundles of joy wrapped in handmade tortillas. The birria taco is juicy enough to require a napkin for every bite, and the shrimp taco has just the right kick to keep things interesting. Add a few margaritas—because of course you’re having margaritas—and you’ve got yourself a fiesta in taco form. It’s lively, loud, and exactly how tacos should be served.
Wool Growers
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Wool Growers is the Basque anchor that’s still standing tall, serving family-style setups of soup, beans, tongue, and oxtail stew just like they did in 1954, when J.B. and Mayie Maitia opened the place. I grabbed the full “setup” lunch—cabbage-packed veggie soup, pinquito beans, rustic salad—followed by chicken-fried lamb drenched in garlic-butter sauce and crisp fries. At the bar there’s Picon Punch cocktails, while share-tables hum with chatter from ranchers, blue-collar families, and train-crew regulars. No frills, no garnish—just that Basque-American nitrogen: community, history, and solid, honest food that fills you and the room.
Zama
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Zama is where Bakersfield shows off its modern side. The décor feels like it was plucked from a trendy downtown, but the dishes from chef Daniel Alvarez Gaona are deeply rooted in Latin traditions. The Peruvian ceviche is tart and zesty, the kind of dish that wakes up your taste buds. Pair it with a mezcal cocktail that’s smokier than a campfire, and you’ve got a night out that’s both polished and fun.
