Michelin adds 11 Los Angeles restaurants

Michelin added 11 Los Angeles-area restaurants to its California Guide on May 20, part of a statewide update that brought 21 California restaurants into the selection ahead of the guide’s annual June ceremony. The additions do not yet carry stars or Bib Gourmand designations, but they place the restaurants in Michelin’s official California lineup and under consideration for further honors. Michelin said stars and Bib Gourmands for the 2026 California Guide will be announced on June 24. ### Which Los Angeles 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, SORA Craft Kitchen in downtown Los Angeles and Good Alley in Rosemead. NBC Los Angeles listed the group after Michelin’s May 20 update. (guide.michelin.com) Michelin’s own write-up described the new class as a mix of formats and price points. The guide highlighted Derek Wilcox’s omakase restaurant Miura in Beverly Hills, Juana Castellanos Lagemann and Esteban Klenzi’s live-fire restaurant ALTO in Studio City, Craig Hopson’s Electric Bleu in Mar Vista, Hayato Kojima’s eight-seat counter in Sawtelle, Marcus Jernmark’s tasting-menu restaurant Lielle and Joshua Skenes’s pizza-focused Lynx. (nbclosangeles.com) ### Why is Sonoratown getting so much attention? Sonoratown was among the most widely noted additions because it is already one of Los Angeles’s best-known casual Mexican restaurants. NBC Los Angeles said Michelin added the taqueria’s locations in downtown Los Angeles, Mid-City and Long Beach as part of the May 20 update. (guide.michelin.com) The inclusion places Sonoratown in the same update as several tasting-menu and omakase restaurants, underscoring Michelin’s practice of adding restaurants to the guide before deciding whether they merit a star or Bib Gourmand. Michelin said new restaurants are added to the selection twice a year and marked with a “New” symbol on its website and app. (nbclosangeles.com) ### Does this mean these restaurants already have Michelin stars? Michelin said no new stars were awarded in the May 20 update. The company’s California additions page said distinctions including Stars and Bib Gourmands will be revealed at the annual ceremony on June 24. NBC Los Angeles said inclusion in the California Guide means the restaurants may later be considered for Michelin stars or Bib Gourmand recognition. (guide.michelin.com) That makes the May additions an early signal of which restaurants inspectors have recently added to the state’s official selection, without resolving what level of recognition each one may receive. ### How broad was Michelin’s California update? Michelin’s May 20 update covered 21 restaurants statewide. Eater San Francisco reported that seven Bay Area restaurants were added in the same round, while Los Angeles accounted for 11 of the 21 additions. Michelin said the additions are published on its website and mobile app before the annual California reveal. (nbclosangeles.com) The company’s California page lists restaurants across categories including starred, Bib Gourmand and selected restaurants, with newly added venues tagged separately. ### What happens on June 24? June 24 is the date Michelin will unveil the full 2026 California Guide at a ceremony in San Diego. (sf.eater.com) Michelin said that is when it will announce this year’s stars and Bib Gourmands for California restaurants. The next public step, then, is not another additions list but the statewide ceremony itself. Restaurants added on May 20, including Sonoratown, Miura, Kojima and Lielle, will learn on June 24 whether they remain guide selections only or move into Michelin’s starred or Bib Gourmand ranks. (guide.michelin.com)