These Are the 90 Best Restaurants in California, Says Michelin

(Bloomberg) -- The balance of power in California’s restaurant world is swinging south, according to Michelin.

On Sept. 28, the guide’s second edition for the Golden State listed 90 starred restaurants, the same number that appeared in the inaugural list in 2019, although the Bay Area, which previously led the state with 57 spots, saw a notable number of places drop from the list. That hit was most apparent in San Francisco, which saw 13 of the city’s 30 one-star restaurants fall off the list, principally because of closures. California restaurants had been hard hit since March 2020, with an estimated one-third shuttering, and two-thirds of workers lost their jobs, at least temporarily, because of the pandemic.

Among the San Francisco one-star places that lost designations were Luce in SoMa and the now-shuttered Michael Mina in the Financial District. One of the most notable drops from the list was the Thomas Keller restaurant Bouchon Bistro in Napa Valley, which remains open, as well as Baumé, in Palo Alto, which lost its two stars even though it’s still offering takeout.

Michelin’s chief inspector, who spoke on condition of anonymity, declined to give reasons for specific places losing their ranking but said, “Removing a star is an extremely difficult decision confirmed from multiple inspector visits over time as awards are evaluated on an annual basis.”

Earlier in the year, the guide was more generous about keeping stars in place for dining rooms that had temporarily closed or had successfully pivoted because of the pandemic. Among the qualities Michelin inspectors evaluate, she says, are “consistency between visits when deciding a restaurant’s distinction. Our inspection criteria remain unchanged.”

Los Angeles, on the other hand, has five new one-star restaurants and two new two-star dining rooms, which offer “excellent cuisine, worth a journey.” Hayato, the seven-seat kaiseki spot in Downtown, joins Mélisse in Santa Monica and Addison in San Diego to bring the state’s two-star total to 16, indicating an increased focus on Southern California.

As in years past, a handy way to get Michelin’s attention is to spotlight sushi. Among the 22 new one-stars (“a very good restaurant in its category”), four have the word “sushi” in the name.

Mattia Agazzi, who creates risotto camouflaged as pizza at LA’s Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura, among other inventive dishes, got the news of his one-star win on a phone call with his mentor, Massimo Bottura, who has three stars at his restaurant Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy. 

“It’s very important, especially after a year when we had to open and close,” Agazzi says about the impact of Michelin on business. “When we got stars in the past, it always helped.” (The place opened right before the lockdowns in March 2020.) 

Jil Hales, owner of Barndiva in Sonoma County’s Healdsburg, another new starred place, spotlighted the continued stress the restaurant industry is under. “While we are so appreciative of the attention this acknowledgement will bring, we’re in the same fraught situation as most of the industry,” she says. “We’re really hoping this will allow us to grow our team, so we can accommodate demand.”

Six restaurants received three stars (“exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey”) including the exquisite Atelier Crenn from Dominique Crenn and the French Laundry, which played a role in the recall election of Governor Gavin Newsom when he dined there in the midst of a November 2020 lockdown. The only place to drop from the top tier was the Restaurant at Meadowood, which was destroyed in the Glass Fire. (It has since reopened as the fast-casual restaurant Loveski.)

For the budget-minded, Michelin announced its California Bib Gourmands for 147 restaurants on Sept. 22. This included 45 new places, featuring reasonably priced food (specifically, $40 for two courses, plus wine or dessert). Among the new entries are Dumpling House in San Francisco, and Folktable in Sonoma, with a focus on farm-to-table cooking.

Here are California’s Michelin winners. An asterisk denotes a new entry; neighborhoods are designated by Michelin.

THREE STARS

Atelier Crenn, San Francisco
Benu, San Francisco
The French Laundry, Yountville
Manresa, Los Gatos
Quince, San Francisco
Single Thread, Healdsburg

Two Stars

Acquerello, San Francisco
Addison, San Diego*
Birdsong, San Francisco*
Californios, San Francisco
Campton Place, San Francisco
Coi, San Francisco 
Commis, Oakland
Harbor House, Wine Country*

Hayato, Los Angeles*
Lazy Bear, San Francisco
Mélisse, Los Angeles*
N/naka, Los Angeles
Providence, Los Angeles
Saison, San Francisco
Sushi Ginza Onodera, Los Angeles
Vespertine, Los Angeles

One Star

Adega, South Bay*
Al’s Place, San Francisco
Angler SF, San Francisco
Auberge du Soleil, Rutherford
Aubergine, Monterey
Avery, San Francisco*
Bar Crenn, San Francisco
Barndiva, Wine Country*
Bell’s, Central Coast*
Bistro Na’s, Los Angeles
Chez TJ, Mountain View
CUT, Los Angeles
Gary Danko, San Francisco 
Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura, Los Angeles*
Hana Re, Orange County
Jeune et Jolie, San Diego*
Ju-ni, San Francisco
Kali, Los Angeles
Kato, Los Angeles
Kenzo, Wine Country 
Kin Khao, San Francisco  
The Kitchen, Sacramento

Knife Pleat, Orange County*
La Toque, Napa 
Le Comptoir, Los Angeles
Madcap, Marin
Madera, Peninsula, Menlo Park 
Marlena, San Francisco*
Maude, Los Angeles
Mister Jiu’s, San Francisco
Mori Sushi, Los Angeles
Morihiro, Los Angeles*
Mourad, San Francisco

Niku Steakhouse, San Francisco*
Nozawa Bar, Los Angeles
O’ by Claude le Tohic, San Francisco*
Omakase, San Francisco
Orsa & Winston, Los Angeles
Osteria Mozza, Los Angeles
Pasjoli, Los Angeles*
Pasta  | Bar, Los Angeles*
Phenakite, Los Angeles*
Plumed Horse, Saratoga
The Progress, San Francisco
Protégé, Palo Alto
Q Sushi, Los Angeles
Rasa, Burlingame
Rustic Canyon, Los Angeles
Selby’s, South Bay*
Shibumi, Los Angeles
Shin Sushi, Los Angeles
The Shota, San Francisco*
Six Test Kitchen, Central Coast*
Soichi, San Diego*
Sons & Daughters, San Francisco
Sorrel, San Francisco
SPQR, San Francisco
Spruce, San Francisco
State Bird Provisions, San Francisco
Sushi | Bar Montecito, Central Coast*
Sushi l-Naba, Los Angeles*
Sushi Shin, Peninsula*
Sushi Takodoro, San Diego*
Sushi Yoshizumi, Peninsula
Taco Maria, Orange County
The Village Pub, Peninsula
Wako, San Francisco
Wakuriya, Peninsula

©2021 Bloomberg L.P.