Top SoCal Restaurants Receive AAA Four, Five Diamond Ratings

Just in time for Valentine’s Day celebrations, 36 Southern California restaurants have received the AAA Four or AAA Five Diamond Award®, the travel authority’s highest rating, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California.  The Grove Steakhouse in Alpine (San Diego County) and the Olivella in Ojai have each earned the AAA Four Diamond restaurant award for the first time.

The Auto Club and AAA’s professional inspectors evaluate and rate 1,200 hotels and restaurants each week for a total of 58,000 each year -- more than any other rating entity.  The AAA Diamond hotel ratings were announced in January.

“The AAA Four and Five Diamond Rating for restaurants is earned through daily dedication of maintaining exceptional standards,” said the Auto Club’s Approved Accommodations Supervisor Patricia Marenco.  “The Auto Club congratulates Southern California’s 36 outstanding 2016 AAA Four and Five Diamond restaurants, their management and employees for their hard work to attend to guests’ needs and delivering memorable dining experiences.”

Travelers can find Diamond Rated establishments and inspector insight in AAA trip planning products: the eTourBook^® guides and AAA Mobile^® app for tablets and smartphones, the TripTik^® Travel Planner and Travel Guides on AAA.com and AAA TourBook^® guides available at AAA/CAA offices.

The AAA Diamond rating system provides consumers with the broadest coverage of any U.S. rating system, geographically and by number of properties rated, including the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. 

To be considered for AAA approval and rating, restaurants must undergo a thorough unannounced evaluation. The Auto Club’s full-time inspection staff reviews Southern California restaurants. AAA Five Diamond restaurants go through the most extensive reviews of the Diamond rating programs with candidates for the rating undergoing multiple unannounced evaluations.  The inspectors bring significant prior industry experience to the association and apply that experience to give members effective, consistent evaluations that can be used to select the property and restaurant that meets their travel desires.

The Southern California restaurants that received the AAA Five Diamond Award with year first rated:

Beverly Hills

The Belvedere (in The Peninsula Beverly Hills)        1995

San Diego

Addison Restaurant                                               2008

The Southern California restaurants that received the AAA Four Diamond Award with year first rated: