Michelin adds 11 L.A. restaurants

Michelin added 21 restaurants to its California Guide on May 20, including 11 in the Los Angeles area, as the company began rolling out selections ahead of its 2026 awards ceremony. The new Southern California entries span Beverly Hills, Studio City, Los Feliz, Mar Vista, Sawtelle, Pico-Robertson, downtown Los Angeles and Rosemead, with additional picks in La Jolla, Palm Springs and Santa Barbara. Michelin said new restaurants are added to the selection twice a year, while stars and Bib Gourmand awards are saved for the annual reveal. The full California ceremony is scheduled for June 24 in San Diego. ### Which Los Angeles-area restaurants were added this time? The 11 Los Angeles-area additions were Miura in Beverly Hills, ALTO in Studio City, Casa Leo in Los Feliz, Electric Bleu in Mar Vista, Kojima in Sawtelle, Lielle in Pico-Robertson, Lynx in the Arts District, The Mulberry in Sawtelle, Sonoratown in Los Angeles and Long Beach, SORA Craft Kitchen in downtown Los Angeles, and Good Alley in Rosemead. (guide.michelin.com) Michelin’s May additions also included Lucien in La Jolla and Alice B. in Palm Springs, along with other restaurants outside Los Angeles. ### What does Michelin mean by a “new addition”? Michelin said the restaurants added in May are part of its California selection, not yet a list of new star winners. The company said stars and Bib Gourmands will be revealed at the annual ceremony, while these interim updates flag places its inspectors have recently added to the guide and mark them with a “New” symbol on Michelin’s website and app. (nbclosangeles.com) The Michelin Guide says its inspectors assess restaurants using factors including ingredient quality, harmony of flavors, mastery of technique, the chef’s personality in the cuisine and consistency over time. The guide’s distinctions include one to three stars, Bib Gourmand recognition for value and green stars for sustainability. (guide.michelin.com) ### Which additions stand out most from the list? Sonoratown was one of the longest-running additions in the Los Angeles group, entering the guide after about 10 years in operation, according to the Los Angeles Times. Co-owner Jennifer Feltham told the paper she hoped the taqueria’s inclusion signaled more attention for Mexican regional cooking and street-style taquerias in Los Angeles. “I want to see them get street taquerias on there because that’s a huge part of what it means to eat in Los Angeles,” she said. (yahoo.com) Kojima is one of the smallest new entries. Michelin described it as an eight-seat Sawtelle restaurant from chef Hayato Kojima where diners are seated and served together. Miura, another sushi-focused addition, features an omakase led by chef Derek Wilcox in Beverly Hills, according to Michelin and local coverage. (yahoo.com) ### How new are some of these restaurants? LAist reported that some of the Los Angeles additions are barely a year old. Michelin’s own descriptions emphasize that several are recent openings, including Lynx, which it called a new pizza-focused spot from Joshua Skenes, and Electric Bleu, chef-owner Craig Hopson’s Mar Vista bistro. (guide.michelin.com) March 25 was the date of Michelin’s previous California update, when the guide added six Los Angeles restaurants including Corridor 109, Firstborn, Lapaba, Little Fish Melrose Hill, Lugya’h and Zira Uzbek Kitchen. That means Michelin has now made two California selection updates in 2026 before the annual awards announcement. (laist.com) ### What happens on June 24 in San Diego? June 24 is when Michelin plans to unveil the full 2026 California Guide at a ceremony in San Diego, according to Michelin and the Los Angeles Times. That event is where the company is set to announce this year’s stars and Bib Gourmand selections for California restaurants, including whether any of the newly added Los Angeles-area restaurants move beyond the “New” designation. (guide.michelin.com 1) (guide.michelin.com 2)