The Michelin Guide and its coveted stars represent the highest honor for restaurants around the globe—think of them as the Oscars of the culinary world. Only the best of the best can dream of being recognized by the French company.
The good news for California travelers is this: Dozens of those dreamers and achievers operate in the Golden State. As of 2026, the full California selection of restaurants, including Bib Gourmands and recommended restaurants, totals 521 eateries spanning 54 cuisines. The list includes ten three-star restaurants—the most of any state in the U.S.
While Michelin has been around for 130-plus years, the very first Michelin Guide California was published in 2019. After a brief pandemic hiatus, the guide now publishes annually, covering the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles County, San Diego County, Orange County, Santa Barbara, Monterey, Sacramento, Mendocino, and Greater Palm Springs.
From history-making Mexican cuisine that beautifully pairs delicately placed caviar with black masa to zero-waste menus from Santa Barbara, here's a look at where you can find a coveted Michelin-starred dining experience in the Golden State.
Casey Robinson
The Elite Three-Star Destinations
Restaurants can be designated with one, two, or three Michelin stars. (Of course, the vast majority receive no stars at all.) Three stars mean a restaurant is nearly perfect, or in Michelin’s words “exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey.” This restaurant isn’t a vacation stop; it’s the destination. From the quality of the food to the precision of plating, everything served needs to be flawlessly executed.
This year, Enclos, a modern California coastal restaurant in Sonoma, and Californios, a contemporary fine dining Mexican restaurant in San Francisco, have both been awarded three Michelin stars for the first time, thereby joining the exclusive ranks of Michelin’s top-rated establishments.
Chef Brian Limoges of Enclos, which opened in 2024 and earned two stars in 2025, expressed his gratitude to the owners during the official ceremony for their early support. “They gave me an opportunity and [I] took advantage of the opportunity,” Limoges said. “Much like I tell the team every day, take advantage of the opportunity. And it starts with the team.”
Chef Val M. Cantú of Californios achieved a historic milestone as the first Mexican cuisine restaurant in the world to receive three Michelin stars. “I was first exposed to cooking in my dad’s restaurant,” Cantú said of the honor. “This is all about the culture…This is for Mexican people, this is for all Latin people who are struggling right now, we have so much to be proud of.”
The full list of three-star California restaurants include:
• Addison, San Diego
• Atelier Crenn, San Francisco
• Benu, San Francisco
• Californios, San Francisco (promotion)
• Enclos, Sonoma (promotion)
• Providence, Los Angeles
• Quince, San Francisco
• SingleThread, Healdsburg
• Somni, West Hollywood
• The French Laundry, Yountville
Colleen O'Brien
The Excellent Two-Star Winners
“Excellent cooking, worth a detour,” according to Michelin, is on the menu at esteemed two-star restaurants. California is home to 13 of them, concentrated largely in Los Angeles County and the San Francisco Bay Area. One notable exception is Harbor House. Perched on a rocky oceanside cliff in Elk, the restaurant is marked by sweeping dining room views thanks to floor-to-ceiling windows and hyper-local cuisine, almost entirely harvested from the Mendocino coast.
More: Hear from the Harbor House chef on the California Now podcast.
Heading south, Oakland’s Commis puts the focus on California-grown ingredients alongside nods to Chef James Syhabout’s Thai and Chinese heritage, while in Carmel, the daily changing eight-course tasting menu at Aubergine earned that longtime Central Coast institution two-star status in 2024. One of the many Michelin-recognized Los Angeles establishments is the 10-seat Hayato, where modern Japanese cuisine from Chef Brandon Hayato Go (think grilled Hokkaido scallop shioyaki) is celebrated.
The newest addition to the two-star club is Chef Jonathan Yao of Kato in Los Angeles. A previous winner of the Michelin California Young Chef Award in 2021, Yao pulls from his Taiwanese background and L.A. upbringing at his super-sleek restaurant. “This [honor] is really for everybody,” Yao said onstage, accepting his second star. “It takes a lot of people and a lot of diligent work and persistence to make our guests happy.” (The 2026 Young Chef honorees were Anna Sonenshein and Niki Vahle of Little Fish in Echo Park,)
The two-star standouts include:
• Acquerello, San Francisco
• Aubergine, Carmel-by-the-Sea
• Birdsong, San Francisco
• Commis, Oakland
• Harbor House Inn, Elk
• Hayato, Los Angeles
• Kato, Los Angeles (promotion)
• Kiln, San Francisco
• Lazy Bear, San Francisco
• Mélisse, Santa Monica
• Saison, San Francisco
• Sons & Daughters, San Francisco
• Vespertine, San Francisco
Pete Lee
Stunning One-Star Restaurants
Michelin defines its one-star winners as “high-quality cooking, worth a stop.” But don’t be fooled by this seemingly humble designation. Receiving a single star is an extremely elite honor. Of the hundreds of thousands of restaurants in the world, only a few thousand have ever received a star.
In California, you can find 60 Michelin one-star restaurants. As of 2026, newly awarded winners include Lucien in La Jolla, French restaurant Troubadour in Healdsburg, the contemporary space Wolfsbane in San Francisco, modern Filipino cuisine from Naides in San Francisco, Edomae-style sushi kappo and Japanese fine dining restaurant Muira from Beverly Hills, and Seline in Santa Monica, which was recently featured in the Apple TV+ documentary series Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars.
Here’s the full list:
• 7 Adams, San Francisco
• Angler, San Francisco
• Auberge du Soleil, Rutherford
• Auro, Calistoga
• Bell’s, Los Alamos
• Caruso’s, Montecito
• Chez Noir, Carmel-by-the-Sea
• Citrin, Santa Monica
• Corridor 109, Los Angeles (new)
• Cyrus, Geyserville
• Heritage, Long Beach
• Hilda and Jesse, San Francisco
• Holbox, Los Angeles
• Jeune et Jolie, Carlsbad
• Kali, Los Angeles
• Kin Khao, San Francisco
• Kojima, Los Angeles (new)
• Lielle, Los Angeles (new)
• Lilo, Carlsbad
• Localis, Sacramento
• Lucien, La Jolla (new)
• Madcap, Marin
• Meteora, Los Angeles
• Miura, Beverly Hills (new)
• Mister Jiu’s, San Francisco
• Mori Nozomi, Los Angeles
• n/naka, Los Angeles
• Naides, San Francisco (new)
• Nari, San Francisco
• Niku Steakhouse, San Francisco
• Nisei, San Francisco
• Nozawa Bar, Los Angeles
• Orsa & Winston, Los Angeles
• Osteria Mozza, Los Angeles
• Pasta Bar, Los Angeles
• Plumed Horse, Saratoga
• Press, Santa Helena
• Protégé, Palo Alto
• R|O-Rebel Omakase, Laguna Beach
• Restaurant Ki, Los Angeles
• San Ho Won, San Francisco
• Selby’s, Redwood City
• Seline, Santa Monica (promotion)
• Shin Sushi, Los Angeles
• Silvers Omakase Santa Barbara
• Six Test Kitchen, Paso Robles
• Soichi, San Diego
• Sorrel, San Francisco
• Ssal, San Francisco
• State Bird, San Francisco
• Sun Moon Studio, Oakland
• Sushi lnaba, Los Angeles
• Sushi Kaneyoshi, Los Angeles
• The Kitchen, Sacramento
• The Progress, San Francisco
• The Restaurant at Justin, Paso Robles
• The Village Pub, Woodside
• Troubadour, Healdsburg (promotion)
• Wakuriya, San Mateo
• Wolfsbane, San Francisco (new)
Green Stars & Bib Gourmands
Alongside the classic one-, two-, and three-star ratings, Michelin has a few other honors as well. Awarded for the first time in 2021, Green Stars recognize restaurants leading the way in sustainable gastronomy.
Three new restaurants were highlighted for their commitment to sustainability: Monte’s in Santa Barbara, where Chef Daniel Kim’s seasonal, zero-waste menus feature what he has described as "Californian New American with Korean flair;” Sierra Mar at Post Ranch Inn in Big Sur, which practices onsite regenerative farming: and the 12-seat, Six Test Kitchen in Paso Robles, which is almost entirely solar-powered.
Here is the full list of Green Star Restaurants:
• Atelier Crenn, San Francisco
• Caruso’s, Montecito
• Chez Panisse, Berkeley
• Chi Spacca, Los Angeles
• Enclos, Sonoma
• Harbor House, Elk
• Heritage, Long Beach
• Monte’s, Santa Barbara (new)
• Osteria Mozza, Los Angeles
• Pomet, Oakland
• Providence, Hollywood
• Quince, San Francisco
• Sierra Mar, Big Sur (new)
• SingleThread, Healdsburg
• Six Test Kitchen, Paso Robles (new)
• Sons & Daughters, San Francisco
• The French Laundry, Yountville
• Vespertine, San Francisco
Also noteworthy, Michelin’s Bib Gourmand recognition puts the spotlight on restaurants where guests can enjoy an excellent meal at a comparatively modest price. To qualify for a Bib Gourmand, diners must be able to order two courses plus a dessert or glass of wine for $49 or less. The 2026 edition of the Michelin Guide California includes 117 Bib Gourmands.
