Top Local Restaurants Receive AAA Four, AAA Five Diamond Ratings

Forty Southern California restaurants have received the AAA Four or AAA Five Diamond Award®, the travel authority’s highest rating, over the past 12 months, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California.  The Belvedere in Los Angeles and the Addison in San Diego continued their rating on the AAA Five Diamond restaurant list.

The Auto Club announced AAA Four Diamond restaurant ratings as well, including Avant, Cowboy Star Restaurant and Butcher Shop and Veladora all in San Diego and for the first time following rigorous evaluations. Angel Oak in Santa Barbara (inside the Ritz-Carlton, Bacara) also was rated a AAA Four Diamond restaurant for the first time.

Just 0.2 percent of the more than 31,000 AAA Inspected & Approved restaurants are Five Diamond-rated restaurants. To qualify for the rating, a restaurant will consistently provide leading-edge cuisine of the finest ingredients, uniquely prepared by an acclaimed chef and served by expert service staff in extraordinary surroundings.

“AAA Five Diamond restaurants have evolved over the years to meet the changing expectations of restaurant enthusiasts who are increasingly sophisticated about cuisine,” said Patty Marenco, manager of the Automobile Club of Southern California’s Approved Accommodations program.  “Guests want to learn about cooking techniques, fresh ingredients and trends. They are looking for a wide-ranging dining experience that includes being entertained. No longer does world-class necessarily mean formal attire and opulent surroundings. And that’s where AAA’s Diamond Ratings can help guide the discerning diner.”

While some Five Diamond restaurants still have lavish surroundings, others feature counter seating or chef’s tables overlooking or surrounding the cooking area. And many Five Diamond restaurants, including most of those new to the list this year, have tasting menus offering a frequently changing array of intricate small dishes prepared from the finest ingredients and presented in an interactive environment.

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 for four diamonds, provide distinctive fine-dining, creatively prepared, skillfully served, often by a wine steward, amid upscale ambience.  The Auto Club’s full-time inspection staff reviews Southern California restaurants. The inspectors bring prior hospitality industry experience to the association and apply that experience to give members effective, consistent evaluations that can be used to select the restaurant that meets their travel desires.

Southern California restaurants rated as AAA Five Diamond with year first rated:

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