By Kate Krader | Bloomberg
In the last several weeks, a handful of big businesses have announced they’re leaving California, namely Chevron and Elon Musk’s SpaceX and X.
Likewise, the state’s restaurants have taken a little hit in the latest Michelin Guide release. The number of starred dining rooms has continued to drop; there are now 85, compared with 87 in 2023 and 89 in 2022.
RELATED: Michelin California 2024 results: Which restaurants won stars, which lost stars?
Nothing changed at the top of the list: there are still six 3-star restaurants, the highest ranking, designated as “exceptional cuisine.” Five of those top-of-the-line spots are in Northern California, including SingleThread Farms in Healdsburg and San Francisco’s Atelier Crenn. “With each Guide reveal, we have the opportunity to come together with our colleagues throughout California to celebrate the advancement of gastronomy in our great state,” said William Bradley, chef and director of Addison in San Diego, the only three-star restaurant in southern California, after the announcement.
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This year’s list features three new two-star spots, serving “excellent cuisine.” The Scandi-accented Sons & Daughters in San Francisco features a $295 tasting menu, with dishes such as cured trout in fish bone broth, while Aubergine, in scenic Carmel, has an internationally influenced menu and a 4,500-bottle-strong wine list. Both were upgraded from one star.
A new showing on this year’s list is the reopened Vespertine in Los Angeles, where chef Jordan Kahn has diners move across floors over the course of a meal. The restaurant also received a Green star, Michelin’s designation for an eco-minded establishment.
It was a good night for Kahn. His live-fire-focused Meteora was one of seven new one-star spots (a “very good restaurant”) in California. Another is San Francisco’s 7 Adams, from chefs Serena and David Fisher, who manage to serve a five-course, Cal-Italian menu in San Francisco for $87. There are 66 one-star spots this year; last year there were 69.
More notable than the new additions, though, were the places that dropped, particularly in Los Angeles. N/naka, chef Niki Nakayama’s inspired Japanese restaurant, may have garnered a cult following, but dropped from two stars to one; so did the revered Sushi Ginza Onodera, one of the few outposts of the famed Tokyo counter.
“It’s important for restaurants to maintain consistent quality,” said the chief inspector for Michelin Guide North America, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of his job. “If a restaurant’s culinary standards are observed to no longer be aligned with its current distinction, this could impact their retention the following year.” He added that the decision to demote a restaurant comes only after multiple visits.
In fact, in years past, having the word “sushi” in your restaurant name practically guaranteed a star—last year eight spots had sushi in their title, and at least one star to their credit. This year it’s down to five. Besides the demotion of Ginza Onodera, places that fell off the starred list entirely include the revered eight-seat Sushi Yoshizumi in San Mateo and Sushi Takodoro in San Diego; both specialize in Edomae sushi, a traditional style, with fish flown in from Japan, particularly Tokyo Bay.
Another famed restaurant that suffered in this year’s rankings is Gary Danko, a Bay Area institution almost since it opened in 1999; it’s held a Michelin star since they were first awarded in San Francisco in 2008. This year, that star was taken away.
In Los Angeles, a couple of high-profile spots have closed or are closing and were cut from the list. Earlier this year, Walter and Margarita Manzke shut down their lauded, extravagant tasting-menu spot Manzke, citing financial issues. Later this year, star chef Curtis Stone will transform his small, stylish dining room Maude into a bakery, the Pie Shop; in a statement he said it was to make room “for new endeavors.” These closures come as the state is dealing with a $27 billion-plus deficit, driven in part by the exodus of some tech jobs.
California restaurateurs have been hard hit by increased operating costs from rent to food costs and especially labor. In January, the state’s minimum wage was raised to $16 per hour, one of the highest in the country; fast food workers wages were set at a minimum of $20 per hour, making salaries even more competitive. In the Los Angeles area, there’s also been an ongoing impact from last year’s long-lasting Hollywood strikes.
It’s not just high-end tasting-menu spots that were hit on this year’s list; in fact, the news was worse for lower priced spots. At the event, Michelin also announced its Bib Gourmand, or cheap eats picks. There are 132; a year ago there were 142.
Michelin has been giving out stars statewide since 2019; this year’s awards took place at the Ritz-Carlton in Half Moon Bay.
A month ago, the guide announced it’s latest expansion, an inaugural guide in five Texas cities—Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio. A representative for Houston First, the city’s tourism board, revealed it was paying the guide $270,000 for three years of coverage, according to Eater.
As it happens, Chevron, SpaceX and X are all headed to Texas.
Following is a list of this year’s starred restaurants.
Three Stars
Addison, San Diego
Atelier Crenn, San Francisco
Benu, San Francisco
The French Laundry, Yountville
Quince, San Francisco
SingleThread Farms, Healdsburg
Two Stars
Acquerello, San Francisco
Aubergine, Carmel-by-the-Sea
Birdsong, San Francisco
Californios, San Francisco
Commis, Oakland
Harbor House, Wine Country
Hayato, Los Angeles
Lazy Bear, San Francisco
Mélisse, Los Angeles
Providence, Los Angeles
Saison, San Francisco
Sons & Daughters, San Francisco
Vespertine, Los Angeles
One Star
7 Adams, San Francisco
715, Los Angeles
Angler SF, San Francisco
Aphotic, San Francisco
Auberge du Soleil, Rutherford
Auro, Calistoga
Bell’s, Central Coast
Camphor, Los Angeles
Caruso’s, Montecito
Chez Noir, Carmel-by-the-Sea
Chez TJ, Mountain View
Citrin, Los Angeles
Cyrus, Geyserville
Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura, Los Angeles
Gwen, Los Angeles
Hana Re, Orange County
Heritage, Long Beach
Hilda & Jesse, San Francisco
Holbox, Los Angeles
Jeune et Jolie, San Diego
Kali, Los Angeles
Kato, Los Angeles
Kenzo, Wine Country
Kiln, San Francisco
Kin KhaoThe Kitchen, Sacramento
Knife Pleat, Orange County
Le Comptoir at Bar Crenn, San Francisco
Localis, Sacramento
Madcap, Marin
Meteora, Los Angeles
Mister Jiu’s, San Francisco
Morihiro, Los Angeles
n/naka, Los Angeles
Nari, San Francisco
Niku Steakhouse, San Francisco
Nisei, San Francisco
Nozawa Bar, Los Angeles
O’ by Claude le Tohic, San Francisco
Orsa & Winston, Los Angeles
Osito, San Francisco
Osteria Mozza, Los Angeles
Pasta | Bar, Los Angeles
Plumed Horse, Saratoga
Press, St. Helena
The Progress, San Francisco
Protégé, Palo Alto
R | O-Rebel Omakase, Laguna Beach
The Restaurant at Justin, Paso Robles
San Ho Won, San Francisco
Selby’s, South Bay
Shibumi, Los Angeles
Shin Sushi, Los Angeles
The Shota, San Francisco
Six Test Kitchen, Central Coast
Soichi, San Diego
Sorrel, San Francisco
Ssal, San Francisco
State Bird Provisions, San Francisco
Sushi Ginza Onodera, Los Angeles
Sushi l-Naba, Los Angeles
Sushi Kaneyoshi, Los Angeles
Uka, Los Angeles
Valle, Oceanside
The Village Pub, Peninsula
Wakuriya, Peninsula
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