2 Hollywood Restaurants Earn Michelin Stars

HOLLYWOOD, CA — Two Hollywood restaurants were bestowed with coveted Michelin stars this week.

The pair of eateries make up two of the 10 new restaurants added to Michelin's California Guide. Two other Los Angeles County restaurants made the cut.

"California continues to shine bright as we see the culinary scene evolve and highlight emerging talent and cuisines," said Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guides. "This year we are thrilled to welcome 10 new restaurants to the family of Michelin-starred restaurants, in addition to one new green star."

The 2024 guide spotlights 577 restaurants across the state and lists 85 California restaurants with stars.

Earning a Michelin star is the gold standard for restaurants. Only one Southern California restaurant has attained three stars, which means "exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey," according to the guide. Four have obtained two stars, denoting "excellent cooking, worth a detour," and 30 have secured one star, meaning "high-quality cooking, worth a stop."

Here's a look at Hollywood's new Michelin-starred restaurants, along with Michelin Guide inspector notes for each establishment:

Meteora — 6703 Melrose Ave.
One star

"This whimsical, immersive space is a touch otherworldly, with its tangled greenery, moody lighting, and trance-y soundtrack, but guests will be happy to fall under its spell when they taste Chef Jordan Kahn’s singular cuisine. Primal live-fire cooking combines with a zero-waste ethos and a treasure trove of sustainably sourced wild and organic ingredients to create dishes that are as memorable as they are delicious. Charred yam with a buttery sauce accented with smoked trout roe and grilled hazelnuts is more than the sum of its parts, and a dish of raw scallops with a vivid macadamia nut leche de tigre, banana, and crunchy kombu manages to both surprise and delight. Drinks, from cocktails made without refined sugars, to wild-harvested herb teas and single-origin coffees, follow the same compelling ethos."

Uka — Ovation Hollywood, 6801 Hollywood Blvd.
One star

"Chef Yoshitaka Mitsue and Chef Shingo Kato (both formerly of the Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations) and two waiters take great care with the details at this sleek hideaway nestled within Japan House at the Ovation Hollywood. Here, the fish is sourced from Japan and flown in twice weekly, then cured or aged in-house. Products are sourced locally for the best quality. It's all part of the kaiseki dining experience at Uka, where guests are invited to savor six or nine courses. Most of the menu leans traditional, as in the kabutamushi, a dumpling made with shredded turnip and filled with Japanese sea bream, while French influences make their way into dishes like grilled abalone with a butter ponzu sauce and wagyu with a red wine jus and miso butter sauce."

Also awarded stars this week were Vespertine in Culver City and Holbox in Historic South Central.