Calif. Restaurants Among Best For 'Big Night Out'

CALIFORNIA — For all those Californians looking to get all gussied up and go out for a night on the town, you have 18 great options, according to new rankings by the online reservation company OpenTable.

The company this month released its 100 best restaurants in America for a "big night out." With both affordable and expensive places spanning 19 states, the list includes Italian, Chinese, Mexican, French, Middle Eastern, Cajun, Latin, Irish, American foods and more. Steakhouses and breweries also made the list.

Here are the restaurants from California (listed from North to South):

Mustards Grill

• American
• Location: Yountville
• "Delicious food and wine list. A wonderful evening!"

Slanted Door

• Vietnamese
• Location: Financial District/Embarcadero, San Francisco
• "A wonderful meal! A client told me about the Slanted Door when I mentioned I would be in San Francisco. He said I must eat here. What a treat. Everything we had was amazing. Fresh, cooked to perfection and fabulous flavors. Will be sure to return on my next visit to SF. Be sure to make a reservation early!"

International Smoke San Francisco

• American
• Location: SOMA, San Francisco
• "Hands down best BBQ and cocktails in the city. Have to try the bacon and wagyu appetizer."

China Live

• Chinese
• Location: Chinatown, San Francisco
• "The food was delicious and the server was very attentive and gave great recommendations. I will definitely be going back!"

House of Prime Rib

• Steak
• Location: Civic Center/Hayes Valley/Van Ness, San Francisco
• "As usual it was a wonderful experience. The prime rib was excellent. Service was stellar And we had a wonderful time. Will definitely return again."

Tao - LA

• Pan-Asian
• Location: Hollywood
• "It was very nice, the staff was amazing and kind. I really felt like we were treated well. They brought our appetizers then cleared those out, our main course, then cleared that out and brought out dessert. I felt so boujee! I loved it. The bathrooms are confusing. Men’s on the left, women’s on the right. I would recommend this place and I’d go again."

Republique

• French
• Location: Hollywood
• "Service was outstanding and everything but the entree was a 10/10. Incredible spot, looking forward to going back for more of the cheese board."

Catch LA

• Seafood
• Location: West Hollywood
• "Great vibe - beautiful scenery - great food and service!"

The Ivy

• Californian
• Location: Beverly Hills
• "A lovely upscale French country restaurant great for special occasions"

Avra Beverly Hills

• Mediterranean
• Location: Beverly Hills
• "Our waiter was amazing and great table!!! Good as always was delicious."

Perch LA

• French American
• Location: Downtown Los Angeles
• "Lil pricey but the ambiance and quality was amazing. Fantastic service too."

Bavel

• Middle Eastern
• Location: Downtown Los Angeles
• "Always a great experience."

Bestia

• Italian
• Location: Downtown Los Angeles
• "We had the chicken liver on toast, kohlrabi and apple salad (with Persian cucumber) and charred broccoli as antipasti. We also had the Trofe all’Amatriciana and the cavatelli alla Norcina. For dessert we had the Butterscotch coconut tart with fresh coconut sorbet. Everything was amazing!"

The Tropicale

• Californian
• Location: Palm Springs
• "A beautiful outdoor setting (indoors was gorgeous as well but the weather meant we could enjoy the evening outside). Everyone enjoyed their meal and our waiter Sean and the staff were impeccable!"

Coasterra

• Regional Mexican
• Location: Harbor Island, San Diego
• "Excellent service at the table. The young waiter was very knowledgeable and fun. Drinks were fabulous. Food was very good. The view of the city was beautiful."

Juniper & Ivy

• Contemporary American
• Location: Little Italy, San Diego
• "Great date night location. Very attentive staff. Fantastic starter bites. The duck entree was presented and prepared beautifully."

Herb & Wood

• Californian
• Location: Little Italy, San Diego
• "Amazing food and service!"

Born & Raised

• Steakhouse
• Location: Little Italy, San Diego
• "Everything was unbelievable! Get the dessert!"

Americans love eating out. The restaurant industry is projected to generate $863 billion in sales this year, according to the National Restaurant Association, and a large part of that is people feel eating at a restaurant is actually a better use of their time. Nine in 10 consumers say they enjoy eating out, and about 75 percent say their leisure time is better spent dining out with family and friends than cooking and cleaning up.

OpenTable wrote in a blog post that its honorees were restaurants that offered not only "exceptional" food and drinks, but also "vibrant bar scenes and lively atmospheres" so patrons can enjoy the warm summer evenings.

"The Big Night Out list is also great year-round for anyone planning a celebratory evening out, whether it’s a girls’ night, a milestone birthday, or an anniversary," the company said.

While most restaurants on the list were found in just one city, some can be found in multiple locations. These include Avra, Beauty & Essex, Buddakan, Catch, Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant, Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse, Founding Farmers, Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab, Monkeypod Kitchen by Merriman, RPM Italian, Steak 44 and Steak 48, Tao, Uchi and Yardbird Southern Table & Bar.

The list was cultivated from more than 12 million verified diner reviews of more than 30,000 restaurants, OpenTable said. Many establishments offer beautiful scenes that offer diners a perfect backdrop for their night out.

With 18 restaurants, California had the most establishments on the list. New York had the second-most with 16, followed by Illinois with 14, all of which were in Chicago.

Each restaurant on the list was frequently tagged "hot spot" as a special feature.

Patch national staffer Dan Hampton contributed to this report.