15 California Eateries Named Among Nation's 'Top Hot Spot Restaurants'

Planning a special night out, or just want to treat your tastebuds? Luckily for those in California, there are plenty of world-class dining options.

In fact, according to one new ranking, the Golden State is home to more "vibrant dining experiences" this spring than nearly every other state in the nation. Only Florida boasts more.

A total of 15 California eateries made OpenTable's "Top 100 Hot Spot Restaurants in America" list. The picks were chosen by OpenTable users.

However, you'll have a bit easier time finding a California "hot spot" if you're in the Southland — 14 of the 15 restaurants are in Southern California, while only one is in NorCal.

The online reservation service provider’s list is based on more than 10 million reviews by verified diners who made reservations at more than 24,000 restaurants across the country. The restaurants were rated not only for the quality of their food and drinks but also the vibrancy of bar scenes, live music and ambiance. (You can read more about the methodology here.)

"The list includes restaurants with buzzy, engaging ambience, many of which feature interactive dining experiences, live entertainment, and appealing playlists," OpenTable says of its latest ranking. "While American cuisine is quite popular, an international array of fares are present, especially Asian, Brazilian, Italian, Latin, Mexican, and Spanish."

Without further ado, here are the California restaurants that made the rankings:

• Barton G. The Restaurant - Los Angeles — West Hollywood
• Broadway by Amar Santana – Laguna Beach
• Eight4Nine – Palm Springs
• .ink – West Hollywood
• Ironside Fish & Oyster – San Diego
• Juniper & Ivy – San Diego
• The Nest – Indian Wells
• Officine BRERA – Los Angeles
• Perch LA – Los Angeles
• Pump – West Hollywood
• Toca Madera – West Hollywood
• Trio Restaurant – Palm Springs
• The Tropicale – Palm Springs
• VACA – Costa Mesa
• Yoshi’s – Oakland

Click here if you'd like to see the full list of 100 Hot Spot Restaurants in America.

TELL US: What restaurants do you think should have also made the list... or been left off the list? Sound off in the comments.

— Patch editors Shannon Antinori and Beth Dalbey contributed to this report / Image via Flickr user T.Tseng, used under creative commons license