For what it's worth, the Michelin Guide is the most respected and comprehensive guide to local dining curated and edited by a non-local entity, and the go-to source for restaurant picks for globe-trotting foodinistas. The updated Bay Area guide for 2016 the 10th edition published for the Bay Area arrives next week, on Thursday, October 22, and chances are there won't be any exciting headlines to come out of this one like there were last year. In 2014, San Francisco proper got its first two three-star restaurants in the guide's nine-year history here, with Saison and Benu joining the ranks of The French Laundry and Meadowood among the highest rated restaurants in the world. Also, sad that it is that we still have to call out such gender milestones, Acquerello chef Suzette Gresham became the first American-born female chef to earn two Michelin stars, and only the third female chef in the country to get this honor so far.
Likely candidates to possibly achieve three-star status include Manresa, Coi, and Quince, all three of which have held on to two stars for a while now, though Michelin tends to be pretty conservative with such elevations.
But we may see some new spots like AL's Place or The Progress garner one star out of the gate, which will further cement their popularity with food-hungry tourists AL's Place got the Best New Restaurant honor from Bon Appetit over the summer, and this week The Progress landed on Esquire's list of best new spots in the country too.
As per the usual procedure, Michelin unveiled their Bib Gourmand picks from the new guide this week, as a little teaser these being, theoretically, value-driven spots that aren't quite up to one-star status, where you can (maybe) get two courses and a glass of wine for $40 or less (before tax and tip). There are now 74 in total, dropping from 78 last year, with a dozen new picks added and a few notables dropped among the cuts are Flour + Water, Kin Khao, and Perbacco, with the caveat that they could have been elevated to one-star status. (Kin Khao in particular was a favorite of Michelin Guide director Michael Ellis last year.)
2016 Bib Gourmand Picks for the Bay Area
Anchor Oyster Bar, San Francisco
A16, San Francisco
Backyard, Wine Country
Bar Tartine, San Francisco
Bistro Aix, San Francisco
Bistro Jeanty, Wine Country
Bistro 29, Wine Country
Brick & Bottle, Marin
Chalkboard, Wine Country
Chapeau! San Francisco
Chevalier, East Bay
China Village, East Bay
Chino, San Francisco
Comal, East Bay
Contigo, San Francisco
Cook, St. Helena Wine Country
Coqueta, San Francisco
Corso, East Bay
Cotogna, San Francisco
Delfina, San Francisco
Diavola, Wine Country
Dosa, San Francisco
Evvia, South Bay
Farmhouse Kitchen Thai, San Francisco
Farmstead, Wine Country
FIVE, East Bay
Fringale, San Francisco
Gather, East Bay
Glen Ellen Star, Wine Country
Grace’s Table, Wine Country
Great China, East Bay
Hong Kong Lounge II, San Francisco
Insalata’s, Marin
Ippuku, East Bay
Izakaya Rintaro, San Francisco
Kappou Gomi, San Francisco
Kokkari Estiatorio, San Francisco
La Costanera, Peninsula
La Perla, Wine Country
Le Garage, Marin
Mamacita, San Francisco
Marinitas, Marin
Mason Pacific, San Francisco
Michel Bistro, East Bay
Millennium, East Bay
Monti’s Rotisserie, Wine Country
M. Y. China, San Francisco
Oenotri, Wine Country
Orchard City Kitchen, South Bay
Poggio, Marin
Ramen Gaijin, Wine Country
Redd Wood, Wine Country
Rich Table, San Francisco
Risibisi, Wine Country
Rivoli, East Bay
Sazón, Wine Country
Scopa, Wine Country
Sichuan Home, San Francisco
Sir and Star, Marin
1601 Bar & Kitchen, San Francisco
Sociale, San Francisco
Starbelly, San Francisco
Sushi Ran, Marin
Thai House, East Bay
The Farmer & The Fox, Wine Country
Trestle, San Francisco
Vesta, Peninsula
wonderful, Peninsula
Wood Tavern, East Bay
Yank Sing, San Francisco
Yuzuki, San Francisco
Zero Zero, San Francisco
Zola, South Bay
Z & Y, San Francisco
Previously: Michelin Guide 2015: Saison and Benu Become The First Three-Star Restaurants In The City
