California’s star-struck cooks, hospitality staff, and restaurateurs all convened in downtown San Diego on Wednesday, June 24, to attend the Michelin Information: California ceremony. It’s there that cooks came upon the starred standing of their restaurant for 2026, whether or not leaping onto the information for the primary time or retaining a one-, two-, or three-starred rating.
The largest information of the evening was the truth that not one, however two, Bay Space spots joined the ranks of three-Michelin-starred eating places. Chef Val M. Cantu’s fine-dining restaurant Californios, and chef Brian Limoges’ Enclos made the soar from two stars to a few, the one eating places to earn that distinction this yr. Californios is the primary Mexican restaurant in the USA to earn the three-Michelin-starred distinction; the restaurant earned its first Michelin star in 2015, later changing into a two-Michelin-starred restaurant in 2017. In the meantime, Enclos has been a Michelin favourite from the beginning: The restaurant leapt into the two-Michelin-starred distinction in 2025, simply six months after opening, and has already leveled as much as three stars.
9 new eating places had been added to the checklist of one-starred designations, with three Bay Space eating places nabbing the honors. Troubadour in Healdsburg, plus Naides and Wolfsbane in San Francisco, every earned a star. Additionally becoming a member of the checklist of latest one-star honorees had been Corridor 109, Kojima, Lielle, Lucien, Miura, and Seline in Southern California.
The Bay Space additionally took residence some particular Michelin distinctions. Evan Williams and the bar workforce at San Francisco’s Maria Isabel took residence the Distinctive Cocktail Award.
Frida Blomdahl Hay, common supervisor at Sons & Daughters, took residence the Michelin Service Award, as properly.
Sadly, as new eating places rise to the starred ranks of Michelin eating places, a couple of Bay Space eating places had been relieved of their star designation. Kenzo in Napa misplaced its stars. In San Francisco, Le Comptoir at Bar Crenn, O’ by Claude Le Tohic, and the Shota all had their one-star designation eliminated. A minimum of a type of removals was anticipated: Chef Dominique Crenn announced in early June plans to close down her French omakase counter, Le Comptoir at Bar Crenn. Bar Crenn itself stays open.
The pinnacle-scratcher of the evening was the seeming return of Inexperienced Stars, only a month after the tire information acknowledged it will retire that designation. Inexperienced Stars spotlight “eating places on the forefront of the business in relation to their sustainable practices,” per an explainer from Michelin, and had been first launched in 2020. The elimination of Inexperienced Stars was (briefly) introduced alongside the brand new Michelin initiative, “Aware Voices,” which is “designed to spotlight people who, via their dedication and actions, are pioneering new approaches within the fields of gastronomy, hospitality and wine,” per a Michelin press release last month. But, at Wednesday’s ceremony, two eating places got new Inexperienced Star distinctions: Monte’s in Santa Barbara and Six Test Kitchen in Paso Robles.
Michelin’s foray into California started with the information ranking the San Francisco Bay Area in 2007; Los Angeles had its personal guides in 2008 and 2009, earlier than that metropolis’s information underwent a decade-long pause. Ultimately, Michelin expanded to cover the entire state in 2019, due to the California Tourism Board, which gave Michelin $600,000 for the extended coverage of the state’s eating places.
Right here’s the complete checklist of Bay Space Michelin-starred eating places for 2026:
Atelier Crenn, San Francisco
Californios, San Francisco (Promotion)
Enclos, Sonoma (Promotion)
The French Laundry, Yountville
Acquerello, San Francisco
Aubergine, Carmel-by-the-Sea
Sons & Daughters, San Francisco
Auberge du Soleil, Rutherford
Chez Noir, Carmel-by-the-Sea
Hilda and Jesse, San Francisco
Mister Jiu’s, San Francisco
Naides, San Francisco (New)
Niku Steakhouse, San Francisco
The Progress, San Francisco
San Ho Received, San Francisco
State Hen Provisions, San Francisco
Troubadour, Healdsburg (New)
The Village Pub, Woodside
Wolfsbane, San Francisco (New)
