Restaurants & Bars
13 Restaurants Added To CA Michelin Guide
The July 2024 additions come in advance of next month's Bib Gourmand and star honors.
CALIFORNIA — Thirteen California restaurants have been added to the coveted Michelin California Guide, giving foodies a new list of must-try eateries.
The restaurants are spread out from Healdsburg in the Wine Country north of San Francisco to La Jolla in San Diego County.
Here's a look at each restaurant.
Healdsburg: Molti Amici
This Wine Country casual Italian eatery features wood-fired pizzas and house-made pastas. The judges were especially taken with the pizza, described as "ideally blistered and feature simple but compelling toppings like squash blossom with fontina and balsamic."
The enclosed patio includes a bocce court, encouraging friends to gather and linger.
La Jolla: Ambrogio by Acquerello
"This friendly, cozy La Jolla offshoot of a celebrated restaurant outside of Milan has a vibe somewhere between humble and sophisticated, for a comfortable experience that’s none too precious. The style that chefs Choi Cheolhyeok and Silvio Salmoiraghi shaped at the original is a contemporary, minimalist approach to Italian that incorporates elements of Chef Choi’s Korean background."
Los Angeles, Cypress Park: Barra Santos
Snag a seat outside or in at this small, no reservations restaurant in Cypress Park. Inside, the best seats are at the bar with a view into the kitchen. The focused menu is Portuguese and even features some family recipes. Plenty of items are designed for sharing, including their crispy and tender bacalhau fritters with salt cod, potato, and caramelized onion, or charred cabbage over a bed of white beans studded with Iberico pork and garlic butter sauce.
Los Angeles, Koreatown: Danbi
"Chef Lareine Ko's streamlined menu pops with large, shareable plates. The hit list includes mushroom bibimbap with fresh vegetables, as well as a crispy scallop pancake accompanied by a creamy mentaiko sauce. Wagyu Zabuton, cooked over charcoal and served on a hot cast iron skillet over a bed of grilled onions, is a solid winner."
Los Angeles, Hancock Park: Leopardo
Chef Joshua Skenes is back on the scene with Leopardo, a likeable spot with a laidback feel where the menu leans on seafood with a few pizzas thrown in for good measure. Come with a group to sample a variety, beginning with crispy red flint waffles with bordier butter and maple syrup, and splurge by adding Ossetra caviar aged for six months with country bacon salt.
Los Angeles, Historic Filipinotown: Grá
"There's a welcoming vibe at this hip spot where the focus is on natural fermentation with sourdough pizza, seasonal pickled vegetables, and fermented drinks such as tepache. Grá has indoor and covered patio seating, but all eyes will be on the cooks preparing pizzas in their wood-fired oven. It's all about the thin and crispy sourdough crust with high quality toppings."
Los Angeles, Thai Town: Mae Malai Thai House of Noodles
"Just a short walk from their original food stall, this restaurant's strip mall digs are simple but it's a comfortable, welcoming spot with a tempting menu to boot. As the name suggests, their specialty is noodles, particularly boat noodles with a thick, intense broth and your choice of pork or beef, noodle type, and spice level."
Los Angeles, West Hollywood: Stella
"Italian food with local California products is the promise at Stella, where a two-story dining room has an Art Deco flair, and the chef's counter offers a mesmerizing look at live-fire cooking."
Oakland: Burdell
This homy Temescal spot serves novel soul food.
Diners can select standards like collard greens and fried chicken, or expand their Southern palettes with chicken liver mousse and cornmeal waffle. Don't be surprised by the "particularly thoughtful wine."
San Francisco: Azalina’s
Chef Azalina Eusope's Malaysian cuisine is in San Francisco's "rough-and-tumble Tenderloin."
You'll find a seasonal prix fixe menu with dishes that that blend fresh California with Malaysia. Judges liked a noodle dish with "fermented chili paste, topped with barbecued quail and toasted hazelnuts, or steelhead trout baked in banana leaves." They also raved about the desserts.
San Francisco: Hed 11
If you fancy Thai, head to the Kimpton Hotel Enso where you'll find Hed 11 "perched in a swanky space."
The restaurant's signature 11-course menu celebrates regional Thai flavors with a contemporary style. "The price point doesn’t lend itself to dining on a budget." Sweet and savory are blended throughout the menu, which includes a coconut pancake with lime and caviar, seared scallop paired with chilled rice noodles, and a Thai-style cheesecake with crispy fried onions and passionfruit syrup.
San Francisco: Tiya
At the edge of Cow Hollow, Tiya is serving Indian-meets-California cuisine that caught the eye — and tastebuds —of judges.
Seasonal produce is featured in both the a la carte and tasting menus. Vegetarians have a wealth of choices featuring flavor and lively textures. The bar offers unique cocktails named in honor of San Francisco neighborhoods.
Santa Barbara: Silvers Omakase
"With just a handful of seats and a small staff, this omakase from Chef Lennon Silvers Lee is ever-changing. Some things change daily, while others change weekly, but one thing you can always expect is well-executed dishes made with rice from Japan that is milled in house, and fish that is sourced both locally and from Japan and then dry aged."
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