The cuisine in Concord has an exceptionally diverse vibe, welcoming and friendly, with more than 350 restaurants and 27 ethnic cuisine choices. Here are seven of my favorite Concord restaurants, not in any order.
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Visit Concord sponsored my stay. All opinions are my own.
1. Longport Fish Company
In the beautiful Veranda shopping center in Concord, Longport Fish Company proudly features the freshest seafood and appetizer plates, with craft cocktails, local beer, and hand-selected wine to complement your meal. Chef/Owner Nick Diarenzo creates globally inspired dishes, adding special attention and friendly service.
What To Order At Longport Fish Company
Baked oysters with garlic butter, parmesan, and breadcrumbs are yummy. You’ll want to place more than one order with your group to get at least one. The sweetness of the Calabrian chili honey butter with tasty thick slices of cornbread made me think of my grandmother’s cornbread that she baked in an iron skillet.
Splurge for the Yacht features 12 oysters, 12 shrimp, whole Maine lobster, truffle ahi poke, Bianca’s ceviche, and cool stuff from the kitchen, including yuzu aioli, kombu mignonette, kimchi cocktail sauce, lemon wedges, and Old Bay hot sauce.
Try the blackened shrimp tacos with mozzarella cotija, avocado, pico, pickled onions, and house-made corn tortillas.
2. Doppio Zero
Doppio Zero is a southern Italian restaurant in a warm rustic ambiance at the sleek Veranda shopping center. The restaurant is famous for its Neapolitan pizza, homemade pasta, and traditional Italian dishes. I loved the warm and cozy family atmosphere.
The Doppio Zero name refers to the “double zero” flour used for the pizza crust and the ovens imported from Naples. The restaurant is certified Vero Pizza Napoletana (VPN), one of a few California pizzerias to hold this Neapolitan pizza approval.
What To Order From Doppio Zero
The chef recommended the Marechiaro — homemade squid ink tagliolini, jumbo scallops, clams, and roasted garlic in a light spicy tomato sauce. It was better than he described.
The homemade ravioli vegani is gluten-free, vegan ravioli filled with asparagus and topped with a garlic cherry tomato sauce and fresh basil.
Order the Salmone Alla Griglia — freshly grilled salmon in guazzetto sauce served with excellent black forbidden rice.
The Bistecca — 12-ounce grilled black Angus rib-eye steak with French fries and Italian green sauce — was tender and juicy.
The outstanding margherita pizza with San Marzano tomatoes, fior di latte mozzarella, parmigiano reggiano, and basil is the standard. You can add arugula, anchovies, prosciutto, or Italian salami for extra.
Figs and prosciutto pizza made with fior di latte mozzarella, 24-month prosciutto di Parma, light arugula, burrata cheese, and balsamic reduction is heavenly.
Explore its four locations: San Francisco, Mountain View, Concord, and San Carlos. A fifth location will open in Campbell in November 2023.
3. Luna Ristorante
Luna Ristorante is a cozy place with a warm and welcoming atmosphere, serving superb, flavorful Italian dishes. The menu includes classics like lasagna, risotto, and tiramisu, all made with fresh ingredients. The homemade sauces make every bite memorable.
Luna Ristorante serves only the finest cuts of beef, chicken, and fresh fish, never frozen.
What To Order From Luna Ristorante
Start with the olive pesto dip — Mediterranean mixed olives with candied walnuts, pesto, honey, balsamic, cheese, and olive oil. Order the bread for dipping.
The gamberoni-sauteed tiger shrimp head-on with capers and olives in a spicy livornese sauce is fantastic. Share the stuffed mushrooms — mushrooms stuffed with crab meat and cream cheese — or you may want the plate for yourself; it’s so delicious.
Choose from six delightful salads for your greens, from Caesar, caprese, or spinach, with candied walnuts, apples, grapes, and feta cheese in a honey mustard dressing.
For the main course, try the traditional chicken marsala — tender pan-seared chicken in your choice of piccata or marsala sauce.
The hearty lamb shank is a tender braised shank with a wine demi glaze and roasted vegetables.
Save room for dessert like the limoncello, chocolate molten, or the traditional tiramisu.
Enjoy an extensive wine list of reds, whites, sparkling, and ports by the glass or bottle.
4. Tortilleria El Molino
Part of the annual Concord Taco Trail, family-owned Tortilleria El Molino serves authentic Mexican food, famous for the tortillas freshly made in house. This restaurant and catering company proudly makes homemade burritos, quesadillas, and tacos stuffed with seasoned meats like carne asada and carnitas.
It’s a busy place where workers stop in for a quick breakfast or lunch carry-out. They order pupusas, tortas, taquitos, tacos, burritos, and enchilada plates with sides of chips, salsa, rice, and beans.
What To Order At Tortilleria El Molino
Order a fish or shrimp taco, battered and lightly fried, topped with coleslaw, limes, and salsa. The pupusas are stuffed hand-made tortillas with chicharron, beans, and cheese, served with cured cabbage, carrots, and onions.
The most popular dish is the meat burrito, with your choice of meat, beans, rice, pico de gallo, cheese, guacamole, and sour cream. My second favorite dish is the soft taco, with your choice of meat, onions, cilantro, limes, and salsa on the side.
The whole chicken combo feeds a family with a rotisserie chicken, 16 ounces of rice and beans, 8 ounces of coleslaw, tortillas, and salsa.
Try the Torta Ahogada, a Mexican sandwich with beans and carnitas, topped with special tomato sauce, extra hot salsa, cured red onions, and limes. The combo includes a torta with two crispy tacos and a soft drink.
My beef fajita taco salad was delectable and made with fresh lettuce, tomatoes, Mexican cheese, and grilled beef fajita meat.
Take home a whole packet of tortillas with a 50-count of fresh corn tortillas. Save room for dessert: flan, caramel churros, or tres leches cake.
5. Fiore Restaurant
Fiore Restaurant serves authentic Italian fusion cuisine with a Mediterranean twist, delectable pasta dishes, wood-fired pizzas, and curated cocktails. The cozy white tablecloth atmosphere and friendly staff make it a top choice.
Enjoy the front dining room with large windows or the romantic red room that reminds you of a night in Paris.
What To Order At Fiore Restaurant
Start with the classic caprese made with sliced tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, basil, a decadent balsamic vinaigrette drizzle, and optional anchovies.
My favorite, Marchigiana Grancha, is magnificent, with prawns, crab meat, broccoli, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, and crushed red pepper in a garlic olive oil sauce.
While famous for the best lasagna ever, the ravioli with truffle sauce is fabulous.
Order the classic veal scaloppini with a choice of piccata or marsala wine sauce for a truly Italian experience.
The lamb shank, braised with a demi glaze gorgonzola sauce over polenta, is hearty and flavorful while you enjoy a grand wine from the curated list.
6. Residual Sugar
Residual Sugar offers curated small plates, meat and cheese boards, and desserts focusing on local, organic ingredients to complement your choice of wine. Enjoy over 30 native and eclectic wines from Italy, Austria, Greece, Spain, and France.
What To Order At Residual Sugar
Choose a curated regional meat and cheese board from France, Italy, Spain, or America, or the Grand Platter with all four meats and cheeses to feed a group.
I loved the Juicy Lucy meatballs stuffed with cheese and topped with marinara, parmesan, and crostini. These paired well with the margherita flatbread topped with marinara, basil oil, and mozzarella.
Others enjoyed the loaded, crispy smashed potatoes topped with sour cream, cheese, and chives.
The warm Castelvetrano olives and rosemary marcona almonds were a treat for munching.
7. Concord Tap House
Enjoy tasty craft beer, wine, and favorite pub foods with 24 rotating local and Pacific Coast craft beer taps at Concord Tap House. Find something new or sip your local craft favorite.
What To Order At Concord Tap House
For brews, try the Narrative Spill the Beans, a sweet imperial coffee stout, or the Cellarmaker Double Mt. Nelson, a hazy DIPA with a big hoppy aroma and malt flavor.
Order pub food like Wings Your Way with seven sauces or dry-tossed with three seasonings. Try the chili cheese fries or the fried Brussels as well.
I enjoyed the cashew chicken wraps; you can’t miss any of the burgers, sandwiches, or wraps.
About Concord, California
With an authentic hometown atmosphere, Concord has excellent outdoor adventures, culinary favorites, a vibrant art scene, and fabulous music. Concord’s downtown square, Todos Santos Plaza, is encompassed by many restaurants and local businesses.
Just 29 miles east of San Francisco, Concord is an uncrowded central location for travelers to the Bay Area — with the Napa Valley and Sonoma wine country to the north and Mount Diablo State Park to the east.
Four international airports surround Concord: Oakland, San Francisco, San Jose, and Sacramento. Buchanan Field Airport in Concord offers twice-daily flights to and from Bob Hope Airport in Burbank. All California Amtrak routes stop in Martinez, just north of Concord.
Concord is touted as the best place to raise a family in California, noting its friendly reputation, family-oriented community, historic downtown, and peaceful, spacious parks. The community has been a noted USA Tree City for 33 years and America’s happiest and smiliest city. The Livability website awarded Concord the Best Music Scene.
