California Has Only 6 New Starred Restaurants in the State’s Latest Michelin Guide
California is relatively stagnant when it comes to Michelin-starred restaurants.
The state’s 2023 awards were announced Tuesday night in Oakland, and just six new restaurants were added to the list. They all received just one star, meaning there are no new two-star or three-star entries for the Golden State. In total, California now has six three-star restaurants, 12 two-stars, and 69 one-stars.
“California is spectacular year-round, but we are thrilled to announce the 2023 edition in the summertime,” Gwendal Poullennec, the international director of the Michelin Guides, said in a statement. “This year we welcome six newcomers to the family of Michelin-starred restaurants. These are truly world-class establishments serving outstanding cuisine.”
The new one-star restaurants are Aphotic, Auro, Chez Noir, Heritage, Nari, and Valle. Notably, many of the spots serve Californian or contemporary cuisine, with the inspectors praising people like Chez Noir’s Johnny Black for his “spot-on sea bass and swoon-worthy abalone” and Auro’s Rogelio Garcia for his “au courant embodiment of classic Wine Country fine dining.” Nari (Thai) and Valle (Mexican) are the only new spots taking a more global approach: The Michelin inspectors honored the chefs Pim Techamuanvivit and Roberto Alcocer, respectively, for their refined and creative fare.
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Elsewhere, eight establishments were demoted from the California guide altogether. While that happened due to some permanently closing (the formerly three-starred Manresa and the one-starred Phenakite), others were simply deemed to be no longer up to snuff. That includes Adega, Hatchet Hall (which only joined the list last year), Marlena, Omakase, Spruce, and Sushi by Scratch, which has been on an expansion spree around the country.
At its awards ceremony, the Michelin Guide hands out a number of other accolades, such as its Bib Gourmand designation (for restaurants that offer good food at a good value) and Green Stars (which recognize restaurants with a bent toward sustainability). Notably, Austin Hennelly of Kato received the Exceptional Cocktails Award, for the bar program he’s devised at the Michelin one-star spot.
Given that the 2022 Michelin Guide wasn’t released until December of last year, the 2023 list perhaps encompasses an abbreviated taste of California’s restaurants. Maybe next year, then, we’ll see a bit more movement within the state’s culinary scene.
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