The Michelin inspectors giveth and they taketh away in the latest California guide release, which is arriving later in the year than usual. The biggest winners in SF are a handful of new one-star honorees, but the big headline is that SoCal has its first three-star restaurant.
This year's new star rankings were unveiled at an event Monday evening in Los Angeles, and for the Bay Area, there were no dramatic demotions or star-strippings at the two- and three-star level — though Campton Place and Coi fell off the list because they remain closed.
In San Francisco proper, new stars were awarded to Nisei, Osito, San Ho Won, and upscale Korean spot Ssal. With the exception of Ssal, which debuted in 2019, the other three all made their debuts since the pandemic began, and have been generating buzz and accolades — but for many chefs, a Michelin star is a career goal.
Nisei chef David Yoshimura, who came up in the kitchen at two-star Californios, also earned Michelin's Young Chef Award for this year's California Guide, with praise given to his "ambitious and highly personal" cuisine.
Like last year, the Michelin inspectors saw fit to strip stars from a pair of well-loved SF restaurants, both of which have been around for a decade or more: Mourad and SPQR. (Last year it was Octavia and Rich Table, and as is typical with Michelin, there has been no quick comeback and they were not re-awarded stars.) Also losing stars are sushi spots Ju-Ni and Wako, as well as Madera in Menlo Park, and La Toque in Napa.
Elsewhere in the Bay Area, the new incarnation of Cyrus in Geyserville earned a star — and it is likely a candidate for a quick elevation back to the two-star level its earlier Healdsburg incarnation had, by the time next year's guide comes around. And Press in St. Helena earned a star for the first time in its 15 years.
BirdSong held on to the two stars it first earned in 2021, and all of the Bay Area's three-star restaurants remain in place — including Manresa in Los Gatos, despite the fact that it is just three weeks away from an announced closure.
The chef with the most to celebrate on Monday wasn't in the Bay Area — it was Chef William Bradley of San Diego's Addison, which is now the only three-star restaurant in California outside of the Bay Area.
And yes, California now has half of the country's total three-star restaurants, with seven — more than in New York, still.
Below, the full listing for 2022 covering Northern California. See the full ratings and blurbs here.
THREE STARS
Atelier Crenn, San Francisco
Benu, San Francisco
The French Laundry, Yountville
Manresa, Los Gatos
Quince, San Francisco
SingleThread, Healdsburg
TWO STARS
Acquerello, San Francisco
Birdsong, San Francisco
Californios, San Francisco
Commis, Oakland
Harbor House Inn, Elk (Mendocino County)
Lazy Bear, San Francisco
Saison, San Francisco
ONE STAR
Adega, San Jose
Angler, San Francisco
Auberge du Soleil, Rutherford
Aubergine, Carmel-by-the-Sea (Monterey County)
Avery, San Francisco
Barndiva, Healdsburg
Chez TJ, Mountain View
Cyrus, Geyserville (NEW)
Gary Danko, San Francisco
Kenzo, Napa
Kin Khao, San Francisco
The Kitchen, Sacramento
Le Comptoir at Bar Crenn, San Francisco
Localis, Sacramento (NEW)
Madcap, San Anselmo
Madera, Menlo Park
Marlena, San Francisco
Mister Jiu’s, San Francisco
Niku Steakhouse, San Francisco
Nisei, San Francisco (NEW)
O’ by Claude Le Tohic, San Francisco
Omakase, San Francisco
Osito, San Francisco (NEW)
Plumed Horse, Saratoga
Press, St. Helena (NEW)
The Progress, San Francisco
Protégé, Palo Alto
Selby’s, Atherton
The Shota, San Francisco
Sons & Daughters, San Francisco
Sorrel, San Francisco
Spruce, San Francisco
Ssal, San Francisco (NEW)
State Bird Provisions, San Francisco
Sushi Shin, Redwood City
Sushi Yoshizumi, San Mateo
The Village Pub, Woodside
Wakuriya, San Mateo
