Best Restaurants

Overview

ANIMAE is a world-class steakhouse restaurant, one of the few in San Diego serving Japan’s finest A5 wagyu beef. The brainchild of celebrity chef and restaurateur Brian Malarkey, ANIMAE offers a unique take on West Coast cuisine, layered with Asian influences. Applying a California cooking style to ANIMAE’S traditional coal-fired oven and grill, the menu is as thoughtful as it is refined, elevating local produce and seasonal ingredients to create a lively and progressive culinary program. By: Top Chef alum Brian Malarkey

Awards

Top Chef

Contestant, S3: Miami

James Beard

Finalist — Best Chef: California, 2025

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