Michelin adds 11 L.A. restaurants; June 24

Michelin added 21 restaurants to its California selection in a May update, expanding the field of contenders ahead of the state guide’s June 24 awards ceremony in San Diego. The new group includes 11 Los Angeles-area restaurants and seven Bay Area properties, according to Michelin’s official California additions list and regional coverage published on May 20. (guide.michelin.com) Restaurants added to the guide are newly recommended by Michelin’s inspectors, but they have not yet been assigned stars or Bib Gourmand status. Michelin said those distinctions will be announced at the annual California ceremony on June 24. ### Which Los Angeles restaurants were added this time? Los Angeles-area additions included ALTO in Studio City, Casa Leo, Electric Bleu in Mar Vista, Kojima in Sawtelle, Lielle, Lynx, Sonoratown and SORA Craft Kitchen in Beverly Hills, according to Michelin’s May California update and local reports. Michelin’s official write-up also listed Miura in Beverly Hills among the Southern California additions, alongside Lucien in La Jolla, Alice B. in Palm Springs, Good Alley in Rosemead and Monte’s in Santa Barbara. Michelin described Miura as “a highly tuned omakase” led by chef Derek Wilcox, while its note on ALTO said chefs Juana Castellanos Lagemann and Esteban Klenzi center the Studio City restaurant on live-fire cooking. (guide.michelin.com) The guide’s listing for Lynx said chef Joshua Skenes’ restaurant is focused on pizza, with refined toppings and thin pies with crisp centers and puffy edges. ### Which Bay Area restaurants made the new list? Seven Bay Area restaurants were added, with four in San Francisco, two in Oakland and one in Los Gatos, SFGATE reported on May 20. The Bay Area group includes Kitchen Istanbul, Maria Isabel, Minnie Bell’s Soul Movement and Via Aurelia in San Francisco; Joodooboo and Popoca in Oakland; and Vicinity in Los Gatos. (guide.michelin.com) SFGATE said Michelin’s inspectors praised Kitchen Istanbul’s hummus, chicken legs over pearl couscous and künefe kadayif, while Maria Isabel drew notice for cooking that uses Californian ingredients and flavors of Guerrero. The report said Vicinity was recognized for a modern tasting menu served from the back room of wine bar Tasting House. (guide.michelin.com) ### Does a new addition mean a Michelin star? Michelin said new restaurants are added to the selection twice a year and marked with a “New” symbol on its website and mobile app. The company said stars and Bib Gourmands are held back for the annual ceremony, where inspectors reveal which restaurants receive distinctions. (sfgate.com) Eater Los Angeles reported that the newly added restaurants are now in consideration for further recognition, including stars or Bib Gourmands, at the June 24 California ceremony. That means the additions function as an early signal of which restaurants inspectors have recently elevated into the statewide guide, without guaranteeing any later award. (sfgate.com) ### Why are some of the additions outside Los Angeles and San Francisco? California’s Michelin guide is statewide, and Michelin’s May update mixed restaurants from several regions rather than issuing separate city lists. The official additions include Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, Rosemead, La Jolla, Palm Springs and Santa Barbara in Southern California, along with Bay Area entries farther north. (guide.michelin.com) The regional split mattered because local outlets counted the additions differently. Los Angeles-area coverage focused on 11 local entrants, while Bay Area coverage highlighted seven northern California restaurants, both drawn from Michelin’s broader 21-restaurant update. (la.eater.com) ### When will Michelin reveal the actual awards? June 24 is the next milestone for all of the newly added restaurants. Michelin said California’s stars and Bib Gourmands will be revealed at its annual ceremony that day, and KOGO reported the 2026 event will be held in San Diego, the first time the city has hosted the California awards since becoming eligible in 2019. (guide.michelin.com) (sfgate.com)