2 Orange County Restaurants Among OpenTable’s Top 100 Restaurants – Orange County Register

A Costa Mesa sushi counter and an Anaheim tiki bar have earned spots on OpenTable’s annual list of America’s 100 Best Restaurants.

Naisho Omakase in Costa Mesa and Strong Water in Anaheim earned spots on the booking platform’s 2026 list, released Nov. 4. The two restaurants are among 19 California establishments recognized this year, more than any other state.

For Naisho Omakase, opened earlier this year, recognition comes quickly. The intimate 14-seat restaurant, helmed by Chef Shimpei Shinohara, offers a chef’s choice experience with 12- and 16-course menus. The latter costs $100 while the shorter option costs $75. It also has a Japanese-style bar at the front.

Strong Water, meanwhile, is no stranger when it comes to national recognition, having previously received James Beard Award nominations. The Anaheim tiki bar, which also made the OpenTable 2025 list, has built a following for its tropical cocktails, Polynesian-inspired dishes and dreamy interiors. Its nautical-themed decor, filled with the trappings of a shipwreck, makes this place a standout compared to your average neighborhood watering hole.

The two Orange County locations join a handful of other California restaurants that made the list. Other Golden State names on the list include Bar Cecil in Palm Springs, Musso & Frank Grill in Los Angeles and Callie and Cesarina in San Diego. Further north, San Francisco was represented by restaurants such as House of Prime Rib, Kokkari Estiatorio and Saison.

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So how can a restaurant succeed? Unlike lists from anonymous restaurant critics or food inspectors, OpenTable’s Top 100 is determined by a combination of customer reviews and reservation activity. For its 2026 selection, the company analyzed more than 11 million verified customer reviews and other data collected between September 2025 and August 2026.

Restaurants had to respond to a minimum number of reviews and remain in good standing with the platform to qualify. OpenTable then weighted several factors, including diners’ overall ratings, percentage of five-star reviews, how often diners searched for the restaurant, number of alerts set for available tables, time in advance, and percentage of seats reserved.

These numbers were combined into an overall score to determine the bottom 100. Keep in mind that restaurants are not ranked, despite the numerical distinction.

The entire 2026 list is as follows, grouped alphabetically by state:

Arizona

Cafe Monarch — Scottsdale, Arizona

Christopher is at Wrigley Mansion – Phoenix, Arizona

Ocean 44 — Scottsdale, Arizona

Steak 44 — Phoenix, Arizona

Uppercut—Phoenix, Arizona

California

Bar Cecil — Palm Springs, California

Boulevard — San Francisco, California

California — San Francisco, California

Callie’s Restaurant — San Diego, California

Cesarine — San Diego, California

Chicano Nuevo — San Francisco, California

Cowboy Star — San Diego, California

Dunsmoor — Los Angeles, California

Prime Rib House — San Francisco, California

Kokkari Estiatorio — San Francisco, California

LEILA — San Diego, California

Lilo — Carlsbad, California

Naisho Omakase — Costa Mesa, California

Providence — Los Angeles, California

Rich table — San Francisco, California

Season — San Francisco, California

Etching — Anaheim, California

Le Musso & Frank Grill — Los Angeles, California

Progress — San Francisco, California

Colorado

Alma Fonda Fina—Denver, Colorado

Alteño — Denver, Colorado

Florence Supper Club — Denver, Colorado

Guard and Grace — Denver, CO

Mezcaleria Alma — Denver, CO

Milpero—Denver, Colorado

The Wolf Tailor — Denver, CO

District of Columbia

Jônt — Washington, DC

Moon Rabbit by Kevin Tien – Washington, DC

Florida

Bern’s Steak House — Tampa, Florida

Buccan — Palm Beach, Florida

Georgia

Bones — Atlanta, Georgia

La Grotta — Atlanta, Georgia

UMI — Atlanta, Georgia

Hawaii

Merriman’s Kapalua — Lahaina, HI

Illinois

Daisies — Chicago, Illinois

Never — Chicago, Illinois

Gibsons Italia—Chicago, IL

Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab — Chicago, Illinois

Kasama—Chicago, Illinois

The Colonial — Chicago, Illinois

Café Lula — Chicago, Illinois

My Friend Gabi — Chicago, Illinois

North Pond — Chicago, Illinois

PIZZ’AMICI — Chicago, IL

RL—Chicago, IL

Zarella Pizzeria & Taverna — Chicago, IL

Kentucky

MeeshMeesh Mediterranean — Louisville, KY

Tara Restaurant — Louisville, Kentucky

Louisiana

Dakar NOLA — New Orleans, LA

GW Fins — New Orleans, LA

Maine

Scales — Portland, ME

Massachusetts

MOON — Dennis Port, MA

Pammy’s — Cambridge, MA

New Jersey

The Saddle River Inn — Saddle River, New Jersey

New Mexico

Geronimo — Santa Fe, New Mexico

new York

Rooms — New York, NY

Del Vino Vineyards — Northport, NY

Don Angie — New York, New York

Fairfax — New York, New York

Gallaghers Steakhouse — New York, NY

Graciela — New York, NY

Jeffrey Grocery Store — New York, NY

Joseph Leonard – New York, New York

Kabawa — New York, New York

Palma — New York, New York

Red Hook Tavern — Brooklyn, New York

Marin — Brooklyn, New York

The Odeon — New York, NY

Gramercy Tavern — New York, NY

Una Pizza Napoletana — New York, NY

Ohio

Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse — Cincinnati, Ohio

Pepp & Dolores — Cincinnati, Ohio

Sotto—Cincinnati, Ohio

Pennsylvania

Fiorella — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Friday Saturday Sunday — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Her Place Supper Club — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Mawn — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Provenance — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Restaurant Saloon — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Sao — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Vetri Cucina — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania