American

If you’re going to eat at The Cheesecake Factory in LA, you might as well eat at the one with its own beach in Marina Del Rey.

Hats off to The Cheesecake Factory in Rancho Mirage. There's a full moat around it.

Not even a fountain-facing patio can save The Cheesecake Factory in Sherman Oaks from being utterly generic.

The most exciting aspect about the Cheesecake in Beverly Hills is that it's the original location. Otherwise, it's pretty dreary inside.

Aside from some spectacular murals, the experience at The Cheesecake Factory in Redondo Beach is surprisingly muted.

The Cheesecake Factory in Santa Monica has a big patio with views of The Promenade.

The Cheesecake Factory in Pasadena is small and quaint, but also a bit boring.

The Cheesecake Factory in Cerritos is extremely suburban, which means tons of free parking and plenty of room for groups.

The Cheesecake Factory at The Grove is pure camp with a two-story escalator and a glassed-in dining room that overlooks the AMC.

The Cheesecake Factory in Glendale is easily one of the biggest and most crowded in LA.

Aside from the thick columns decorated with creepy stone carvings of faces, The Cheesecake Factory in Arcadia is a completely standard suburban location.

The Canoga Park location of The Cheesecake Factory has free parking and a big patio, but otherwise, is pretty generic.

Interstellar is a Santa Monica cafe with sleek black decor, solid brunch dishes, and a small patio where you can see a sliver of the ocean.

Located in the Palm Springs Art Museum, Livs is the perfect place for a sunny, slightly fancy lunch in Palm Springs.

For a quick and tasty rotisserie chicken that isn't from a grocery store, Byrdie's in Beverly Grove is a great option.

Pie ’n Burger is a Pasadena classic with disappointing (and expensive) burgers and OK pie.

Somerville is a glamorous supper club in South LA with live jazz and enough ambiance to turn every night into a special occasion.

Fable and Spirit is a glamorous dinner spot in Lido Marina Village that’s great for a special occasion or date night.

Bear Flag is a casual seafood restaurant with two locations in Newport Beach that serve incredibly fresh fish.

The Beachcomber Cafe is a seafood brunch spot with a patio right on the sand at Crystal Cove Beach.

The Chicken Shop is a rotisserie chicken specialist in Newport Beach with healthy-ish lunch options.

This tiny yellow hut perched on a cliff on PCH has fantastic ocean views and great milkshakes.

The restaurant inside the Sunset Tower hotel has perfectly average food, and an incredible industry scene.

Smoke House Restaurant is a Burbank classic and where you go for big steaks, garlic bread, and a lot of movie history.

Pann's is an iconic retro diner with big red leather booths, a Googie-style roof, and plates of hotcakes coming out of the kitchen every few seconds.