Asian Food And Tacos Dominate Michelin’s New Bib Gourmand List In LA

Maybe the Michelin Guide is starting to get it. The Los Angeles dining scene is largely powered by Mexican food and Asian food, and this year’s list of the city’s new Michelin Bib Gourmands reflects that.

The Bib additions (given to what Michelin sees as “best value for money” restaurants) include Lincoln Heights birria-and-barbacoa slinger Carnes Asadas Pancho Lopez. This isn’t the first time the Michelin Guide has given love to Lincoln Heights, a densely populated but often overlooked neighborhood that’s largely Latino and Asian and near Dodgers Stadium. Last year Moo’s Craft Barbecue, a stellar purveyor of Texas-level brisket, short ribs, sausages and sides with Mexican-Angeleno influences, received a Bib. (The full list of Los Angeles restaurants in this year’s Michelin Guide for California will be announced next week.)

Another Los Angeles Bib recipient this year is Highland Park’s Villa’s Tacos, an Instagram sensation which excels at mesquite-grilled meats and its beloved queso taco on handmade blue corn tortillas. Villa’s Tacos was featured on season three of Netflix’s Taco Chronicles.

Over in Rowland Heights, new Bib recipient Eat Joy Food dazzles crowds in search of Taiwanese dishes like three-cup casseroles and lobster salad with tropical fruits. This restaurant is a favorite of industry heavyweights like Jon Yao, who has a Michelin star (and hopes for more) at Taiwanese tasting-menu destination Kato downtown. Other fans of the restaurant include Lydia Lin and Samuel Wang, who run modern teahouse Steep in Chinatown. And Eve Lin of Astrea Caviar (the caviar served at Kato and many other restaurants) and dry-aged fish guy Liwei Liao of The Joint are among the ballers who have had private back-room banquet dinners with an array of high-end seafood at Eat Joy Food.

In Santa Monica, new-school Southeast Asian restaurant Cobi’s has earned a Bib designation after lighting up the Westside with its uncompromising devil chicken curry, pork dumplings with chili crunch and dry-aged branzino (supplied by The Joint). Cobi’s has a beautiful and transporting indoor-outdoor layout that feels like a beach house in a Wes Anderson movie. Fire and vibes.

Meanwhile, Michelin previously announced a list of exciting Los Angeles restaurants that will be in the new guide. Whether spots like Dunsmoor, Leona’s Sushi House, Dear Jane’s and Juliet end up with stars or less prestigious plates will be revealed next week, but either way it’s a honor (and usually a business boost) to be mentioned.