Michelin sets California awards June 24

Michelin said its 2026 California awards ceremony will be held on June 24 at EVE, an event space in downtown San Diego. The guide said the ceremony will announce new and retained Michelin stars as well as Bib Gourmand selections, the value-focused designation Michelin uses for restaurants it considers notable for quality and price. The date gives California restaurants a fixed point after a fresh round of additions to the state guide in May. It also puts San Diego at the center of this year’s state reveal after Michelin expanded its California selection in the days leading up to the event. ### Why is June 24 the date restaurants are watching? Michelin said on its official California update page that stars and Bib Gourmands will be revealed at the annual ceremony on June 24. The guide also said inspectors add new restaurants to the selection twice a year, separate from the star and Bib Gourmand announcements. That means a restaurant can be newly listed now without yet knowing whether it will receive a star or Bib Gourmand at the June event. (guide.michelin.com) KOGO reported on April 17 that the ceremony will be invitation-only and held at EVE, a bay-facing venue across Harbor Drive from the USS Midway Museum. The station said this is the first time San Diego will host the California Michelin awards event since local restaurants became eligible in 2019. (guide.michelin.com) ### What did Michelin add before the ceremony? The Michelin Guide said in its May 2026 California update that new establishments were added to the selection and marked with a “New” symbol on its website and app. Eater Los Angeles reported on May 21 that Michelin had just added restaurants in Los Angeles, San Diego, Palm Springs and Santa Barbara to the California Guide, part of a broader statewide refresh. (kogo.iheart.com) The Mercury News reported on May 20 that Michelin named 21 restaurants in the Bay Area and Southern California as “new discoveries.” The report described the additions as a prelude to the late-June California stars release, giving diners and restaurant operators an early list of places Michelin inspectors have recently flagged. (guide.michelin.com) ### Where does Lucien fit into the picture? The San Diego Union-Tribune reported on May 20 that Lucien in La Jolla received a Michelin Guide recommendation. The newspaper said the 30-seat tasting-menu restaurant opened last July and became the first San Diego County restaurant this year to earn a Michelin nod. (mercurynews.com) Lucien is not yet listed in the reporting as a starred restaurant. A Michelin recommendation places it in the guide ahead of the June 24 ceremony, when Michelin is expected to decide which California restaurants receive stars and which receive Bib Gourmand honors. ### How broad is Michelin’s California footprint now? (sandiegouniontribune.com) Michelin’s official California restaurant page shows hundreds of listed restaurants across the state, including starred restaurants, Bib Gourmands and other recommended spots. The guide’s San Diego page separately lists the city and county’s existing Michelin-recognized restaurants, underscoring how the June ceremony affects a statewide field rather than a single metro area. (sandiegouniontribune.com) Michelin’s 2025 California awards added new three-star, two-star and one-star restaurants, according to the guide’s official recap of last year’s ceremony. That recent history is part of why this year’s June 24 event is being watched closely by chefs and diners across the state. (guide.michelin.com) ### What happens next in San Diego? June 24 is the next public milestone in Michelin’s California cycle. Michelin has said the San Diego ceremony will reveal the 2026 state stars and Bib Gourmand selections, and restaurants already added to the guide in May — including newly recommended places such as Lucien — will be among the names to watch. (guide.michelin.com 1) (guide.michelin.com 2)