The year of Michelin honors is officially under way.
The dining world’s prestigious Michelin Guide on Wednesday named 15 restaurants in the Bay Area, Central Coast and Southern California as “new discoveries” — a prelude to the release later this year of its California stars.
These “culinary gems” include a seasonal California tasting menu in Oakland, a buzzy Cantonese hot spot in San Francisco, along with new Southern and French menus in the Bay Area and creative sushi specialists in Los Angeles.
On guide.michelin.com, these establishments are listed as “New.” Michelin highlighted “new discoveries” for the first time in the summer of 2021, and has done so every year since. Of the 15 finds on this list — expected to be the first of many for 2025 — four are in San Francisco, one is in Oakland, two are in Wine Country, one is on the Central Coast and seven are in the Los Angeles area.
Will the praise for these restaurants be elevated to Michelin stars when the guide is released later this year? Or become Bib Gourmand honors, the Michelin awards given to restaurants that offer “excellent food at reasonable prices” to diners? It’s a wait-and-see situation for these chefs.
In a summer 2024 ceremony in Half Moon Bay, the Michelin Guide International solidified California’s reputation as a dining mecca, reaffirming all six of the state’s “exceptional” three-star restaurants (two more than New York), honoring 13 restaurants for their two-star cuisine and handing out seven new one-star awards — for a total of 85 starred restaurants statewide.
Here is the list of new discoveries, along with edited versions of the dining notes from the Michelin inspectors:
BAY AREA AND WINE COUNTRY
Sun Moon Studio, Oakland: “A slightly clandestine air still prevails outside this inconspicuous little spot, but the secret is out: the handful of seats inside are hotly in demand. Chefs Alan Hsu and Sarah Cooper have both worked in some of the country’s most celebrated kitchens, but here channel their talents on a more intimate scale. Their shared vision emerges in a mercurial seasonal tasting menu that dutifully celebrates the wealth of Californian ingredients, spanning squab to rockfish and wild mushrooms to citrus. The style is pared down and technically precise, letting products shine while adding a spark of personality, as in Dungeness crab with yuzu kosho butter, perched over silken tofu.”
Four Kings, San Francisco: “Restaurants don’t get much buzzier than this bustling Chinatown haunt, where chefs Franky Ho and Michael Long are drawing crowds eager to sample their breezy contemporary take on Cantonese cuisine. From claypot rice with bacon and Chinese sausage to savory “fish fragrant” eggplant, the cooking taps into traditional flavors while offering a fresh perspective.”
Prelude, San Francisco: “Although chef Celtin Hendrickson-Jones grew up in California, maternal grandmothers from Alabama had a formative influence on his cooking. and a modern sensibility. The dishes feature hearty flavors tempered by an edge of refinement, as in lacy fried chicken wings, partially boned and stuffed with andouille dirty rice, or a pimento cheese made with triple cream cheese and garnished with trout roe. The best might be saved for last: a banana cream pie reimagined as a delicate inverted tartlet with dark chocolate and pretzel.”
The Wild, San Francisco: “Diners are seated at a counter surrounding a central hearth, where they can watch as vegetables, seafood and meats alike are carefully tended over coals, a testament to the ingredient-forward cooking on display. Dishes demonstrate this Californian sensibility along with Japanese influences, as in a yellowtail crudo with spruce and ponzu, or noodles with chayote squash, black garlic and uni-lobster broth.”
Verjus, San Francisco: “In the shadow of the Transamerica Pyramid, chef Michael Tusk’s stylish little wine bar-cum-French bistro returns for its second act as popular as ever. The skillfully prepared cuisine highlights top-notch seafood and peak produce, as in sweet razor clams anointed with celery brunoise and Meyer lemon. Seasonal offerings change frequently, but you can count on delicious staples like the duck-based pâté en croûte, studded with vibrant green pistachios; as well as a variety of house-made sausages.”
Table Culture Provisions, Petaluma: “After scrappy beginnings as a mobile kitchen, chef/owners Stéphane Saint Louis and Steven Vargas transformed this cozy 10-table spot into the toast of downtown Petaluma. The seasonally inflected tasting menu comprises elegant Californian cooking with classic French flourishes. A prime example might be found in a beautifully flaky pithivier filled with squab and kohlrabi, matched with buttery Robuchon-style potatoes.”
Enclos, Sonoma: “An opulent tasting menu marries global flavors, refined technique and exceptional ingredients, including produce sourced from their two farms, all shot through with subtle nods to chef Brian Limoges’ New England roots. Take, for example, a clever “lobster roll” canapé made up of spiny lobster tartare in a crisp shell, or a clam chawanmushi that subtly evokes the flavor of chowder.”
CENTRAL COAST
Stationa/ery, Carmel: “This cheery, welcoming little spot has risen to the status of a local brunch favorite thanks to its cleverly California-inflected takes on American classics. A potato pancake served with Korean braised short ribs and kimchi is an illustrative example. Dinner, served three nights a week, has additional appealing offerings, like duck egg raviolo with crispy garlic and brown butter, or a grilled swordfish steak with romesco and Meyer lemon.”
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Bar Etoile, Los Angeles: “It’s not just about (really) great wine at Bar Etoile, though their expansive list with a French focus is certainly a winner. It’s also about their product-driven cooking presenting simple dishes that allow ingredients to shine. Chef Travis Hayden’s menu may be streamlined but there’s something for everyone in this comfortable spot.”
Kusano, Los Angeles: “The menu is nigiri forward, and while most will arrive simply dressed with just a stroke of nikiri and wasabi, some items, like the Hokkaido uni draped with a thin slice of squid and cooked seaweed have a bit more flair. The unfussy sensibility continues through to dessert with a yuzu granita.”
Mori Nozomi, Los Angeles: “Chef Nozomi Mori’s sushi counter stands apart from the pack, both for its excellent edomae-style sushi and for its hospitable staff in the front and back of house. Plan in advance to visit this special spot, where there are just eight seats at the wood counter. While the fish is flown in several times a week from Japan, local, seasonal produce is worked into nearly every dish.”
Rasarumah, Los Angeles: “Expect to be greeted with an array of sambals as well as Malaysian classics on chef Jonny Lee’s Chinese-Malaysian menu. Don’t let the slightly higher price point steer you away, as these large plates are designed for sharing. Pork jowl or chicken satay skewers start things off right, as do ulam bendi with charred okra, and steamed eggplant with sambal and dried shrimp.”
Restaurant Ki, Los Angeles: “Chef Ki Kim’s New Korean tasting menu pulls in global influences. … Main dishes include the likes of barbecue roasted squab with foie gras sauce, and 45-day dry-aged dairy cow with golden beet jus and Korean bone broth. A mushroom ice cream sandwich seals the deal.”
Seline, Los Angeles: “Chef Dave Beran’s Seline’s ambitious tasting menu dances between sweet and savory. The hot mushroom salad steamed in a squash is plated tableside for a bit of drama. Squab served in two parts plates roasted breast with a fennel sausage-stuffed leg for the opener, followed by smoked chocolate and squab liver truffle with strawberry sauce.”
Tomat, Los Angeles: “Working with local farmers and suppliers to highlight seasonality, Tomat features all-day dining, but the cooking turns more serious when the sun sets. Kick things off with their barbari bread with roasted tomato powder-dusted butter. Main dishes are meant for sharing, and the half Liberty Farms duck is a perfect choice. Deftly cooked with crispy skin, it’s enhanced with a pomegranate and walnut mole.”