California Gets 6 New Michelin-Starred Restaurants For 2023

Roll out the red carpets and get ready to celebrate the newly announced additions of Michelin-starred restaurants in California. Long considered the top achievement for chefs, Michelin stars are the Oscars of the culinary world. Michelin awards the stars to the best of the best, and California celebrates the addition of 6 new-starred restaurants to the list for 2023.

Michelin’s 2023 California Guide was announced this week following a ceremony in Oakland, listing the restaurants worthy of stars, with the most important category ranked from one to three stars. Eighty-seven restaurants in California have achieved MICHELIN-Star status, including 6 with three stars (Addison/San Diego, Atelier Crenn/SF, Benu/SF, The French Laundry/Yountville, Quince/San Francisco, and SingleThread/Healdsburg).

California currently has 12 two-MICHELIN-Star restaurants (Acquerello/SF, Birdsong/SF, Californios/SF, Commis/Oakland, Harbor House/Elk, Hayato/LA, Lazy Bear/SF, Melisse/Santa Monica, n/naka/LA, Providence/Hollywood, Saison/SF, Sushi Ginza Onodera/West Hollywood.)

Surprisingly, there is only one three-MICHELIN-Star restaurant in Southern California (Addison/San Diego), and no Los Angeles restaurants were newly awarded two stars. California certainly needs more “anonymous” inspectors. Five California restaurants lost their stars this year; Hatchet Hall in Los Angeles, Adega in San Jose, Spruce in San Francisco, Omakase in San Francisco, and Sushi by Scratch Restaurants in Montecito.

Here are the new one-MICHELIN-Star restaurants, with inspector notes from each:

“Aptly named after the ocean’s sunless depths, this vast, tenebrous space is leagues away from the mundane, offering a rarefied pescatarian tasting menu that abounds with personality. Chef Peter Hemsley takes full advantage of California’s coastal bounty, sourcing exceptional seafood from small sustainable purveyors and utilizing techniques like dry aging and fermentation to maximum effect.” (Also awarded a Michelin Green Star for Sustainability.)

“Soak up the bucolic splendor of Napa’s northern reaches at the Four Seasons resort, the ideal setting for this au courant embodiment of classic Wine Country fine dining. Thanks to skills honed in some of the Bay Area’s most notable kitchens, Chef Rogelio Garcia displays a distinctly Californian perspective, using precise technique in order to highlight exceptional ingredients — most of which are sourced locally, including from on-site gardens.”

“If Chef Jonny and his wife, Monique Black (who oversees the service team), make you feel as if you’re being invited into their own home, well, that’s because the second floor of this Craftsman-style residence is their home. The two have an abundance of fine dining bona fides, but here they aim for a more approachable feel. The cooking draws upon French bistro fare and showcases the bounty of the California coast, with seafood, like spot-on sea bass and swoon-worthy abalone, making a big impression.”

“Set in a converted Craftsman in the historic Rose Park neighborhood, this inviting locale is removed from the hustle and bustle of Long Beach. Brother-and-sister duo Philip and Lauren Pretty run the kitchen and front of house, respectively, curating an experience that’s relaxed, but gets the details just right. On offer is a single multicourse tasting (priced quite reasonably) that highlights top-notch ingredients, including produce sourced from their nearby farm.” (Also awarded a Michelin Green Star for Sustainability.)

“This sleek retreat located within Hotel Kabuki delivers a one-two punch with a dramatic setting and accomplished cooking. Chef Pim Techamuanvivit’s personality and laser-focused palate come through in dishes that utilize fantastic Californian ingredients through a distinct, contemporary Thai lens. Dishes are family style, albeit with a touch of refinement. Intensely aromatic curries achieve a marvelous complexity, as in a brick red bumbai curry with crispy fried eggplant, served with an ethereally flaky roti bread.”

“Celebrated chef Roberto Alcocer brings his refined, modern expression of Mexican cuisine stateside at this elegant space in the Mission Pacific Hotel, overlooking the scenic Oceanside Pier. Diners can make selections from a four-course prix fixe, or leave things entirely in the kitchen’s hands for an eight-course tasting. Dishes strike a winning balance between tradition and creativity, as in a tetela made with heirloom corn masa and hoja santa, filled with juicy chanterelle mushrooms and creamy goat cheese, and paired with a complex salsa of morita chiles — at once earthy and bright.”

Michelin also presented several special awards including; Exceptional Cocktails Award to Austin Hennelly of Kato in Los Angeles, Michelin Sommelier Award to John Haffey of Aubergine in Carmel, and Michelin Young Chef Award to Harrison Cheney of Sons & Daughters in San Francisco.