Walnut Creek Claims 56 Wins in Diablo Magazine’s 2026 Best of the East Bay Awards

WALNUT CREEK, CA — Walnut Creek did not just show up in Diablo magazine’s annual Best of the East Bay reader poll this year. It cleaned house.

The city took 56 winning categories in the 2026 awards — more than any other East Bay community — leaving Lafayette (21 wins) and Concord (12 wins) in the rearview. The results, released this week, amount to a community-wide report card that says something pretty clear: when readers across Contra Costa and Alameda counties cast their votes, they keep pointing at Walnut Creek.

The awards span everything from food and drink to shopping and the arts. It is a reader-driven affair — Diablo magazine puts out the ballot, readers fill it in, and the chips fall where they may. Editors also pick a handful of their own favorites, but the big list belongs to the people.

So who brought home the hardware? La Fontaine had a monster year on the dining front. Chef Hasan Yildiz took Best Chef, and the restaurant also won Best Romantic Restaurant, Best Special Occasion Restaurant, Best Cocktail Menu, and Best Martini. That is a five-category sweep for the French-Italian spot on Locust Street.

Bar Camino — the Mexican restaurant and bar that has become a downtown fixture — won Best Mexican Restaurant, Best Margarita, and co-won Best Outdoor Dining. Stereo 41 took Best New Restaurant (open after March 2025) and Best Late-Night Dining, establishing itself as the go-to when you are hungry after 9 p.m. and do not want fast food.

Va de Vi shared the Best Outdoor Dining co-win with Bar Camino, which means Mt. Diablo Boulevard now officially owns the patio category. Lottie’s Creamery won Best Ice Cream — a repeat performance, if anyone is counting. Model Bakery took Best Bakery. Morucci’s grabbed Best Deli. Torsap Thai Kitchen won Best Thai. Elia co-won Best Greek. Sasa took Best Japanese. Sipeos won Best Vegetarian. Benvenuti Ristorante was named Best Italian and Best Happy Hour.

And the Walnut Creek Farmers Market on Locust Street was named Best Farmers Market, which, if you have been there on a Sunday morning, tracks.

Beyond the table, the honors spread across the city. The Lesher Center for the Arts won Best Performing Arts Venue. The Ruth Bancroft Garden took Best Place to Take Visitors — a win that will surprise exactly nobody who has walked through those gates on a spring afternoon. Broadway Plaza won Best Shopping Center. Heather Farm Park won Best Community Playground.

Retro Junkie won Best Bar and Best Dance Club, a double that tells you something about where Walnut Creek goes when the sun goes down. Club 1220 won Best LGBTQ+ Bar. And The Ballet School won three categories: Best Dance Company, Best Day Camp, and Best Music Lessons.

What does any of this actually mean? Reader polls are, at their core, a popularity contest. But there is something to a city that wins across this many categories — food, drink, arts, shopping, parks, nightlife. Walnut Creek is not just a place where people sleep between commutes to San Francisco anymore. It has not been for a long time. These results are less a revelation than a confirmation.

You could argue about who got snubbed. You could debate whether some winners are the actual best or just the best-known. That is part of the ritual. But 56 wins is 56 wins.

Know something happening in Walnut Creek that deserves a closer look? Drop us a line.

Related: Va de Vi, a Best Outdoor Dining co-winner, is featured on KQED’s Check, Please! Bay Area this season.