The California MICHELIN Guide 2024 reveals seven innovative one MICHELIN Star restaurants and three new two MICHELIN Star locations. This entire collection was announced at the Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay on Monday, August 5.
Eggplant, Offspring & Offspring, and Vesper have all been awarded two MICHELIN Stars, with Vesper being recognized as the latest environmentally conscious restaurant in the selection. California now proudly presents 13 two MICHELIN Star eateries and 16 Environmentally Friendly Stars.
“California continues to shine as an outstanding destination for culinary excellence, showcasing emerging talents and diverse cuisines,” stated Gwendal Poullennec, the International Director of the MICHELIN Guides. “This year, we are thrilled to welcome 10 new restaurants into the MICHELIN Star family, including one that has received an Environmentally Friendly Star.”
“Our Inspectors are impressed by this year’s choices and raise a glass to the exceptional chefs and restaurant teams being recognized. The diverse range of culinary offerings will delight food enthusiasts locally and globally, ensuring California remains in the spotlight.”
A total of eighty-five MICHELIN Starred restaurants make up the 2024 edition of the California MICHELIN Guide. Below are the recent MICHELIN Starred restaurants, along with detailed assessments from each Inspector (For full comments from Inspectors, visit the MICHELIN Guide website and mobile app):
Two MICHELIN Stars
Eggplant (Carmel-by-the-Beach; Modern/Californian)
An ambience of casual luxury and finesse resonates charmingly at L’Auberge Carmel, where every detail seems tailored to delight. Chef Justin Cogley blends traditional techniques with a sleek, contemporary approach, infusing his cuisine with a sense of belonging that is truly unique. Exceptional ingredients are expertly prepared and artistically presented, such as a surprising ‘cabbage’ taco filled with shallot jam, Madeira-braised treviso, Kaluga queen caviar, and cabbage chips. Culinary delights continue with dishes like the rice roulade with Dungeness crab in a white dashi and butter sauce or the triple-seared dry-aged ribeye with wagyu XO.
Offspring & Offspring (San Francisco; Modern)
A chic minimalist Scandinavian influence is evident in Chef Harrison Cheney’s refined tasting menu that seamlessly blends preserved fruits and vegetables, exquisite seafood, and aged meats. The meal starts with impressive creations like cured California trout with chilled fish bone broth topped with herb oil. Rutabaga is transformed into delicate pasta-like strands dressed with a creamy smoked pork fat sauce. The applewood roasted quail features a crisp-skinned breast with a luxurious jus and a medley of Napa Valley greens, while the leg and thigh are covered in fermented blueberry.
Vesper (Culver City; Modern)
Embarking on a new journey, Chef Jordan Kahn’s distinctive establishment returns from a long break with a refreshed creative direction. Diners are treated to an exceptional menu that unfolds across different levels as the dining experience progresses. Each dish is visually stunning, showcasing daring innovation and finely balanced flavors, as seen in dishes like scallop with passionfruit, ají amarillo, and horseradish tuile petals, or a ‘smoked mussel cream obsidian mirror’ with salted plum. The meal ends as impressively as it begins, with a captivating dessert boasting a myriad of flavors. Together with their affiliated restaurants, Vesper ensures maximum use of all ingredients.
One MICHELIN Star
Harold and Jessica (San Francisco; American)
Offering possibly the most creative brunch experience in the Bay Area, this charming project by co-owners Kristina Compton and Rachel Sillcocks benefits from their extensive fine dining backgrounds—each also contributing a grandparent’s name to the restaurant. The food here is bold and assertive, a fusion of flavors with top-quality ingredients, and dishes are both surprising and highly satisfying. The dinner menu features a rotating, seasonal multi-course experience with optional add-ons.
Sea Monster (Los Angeles; Mexican)
Chef Gilbert Cetina draws inspiration from Mexican coastal cuisine, creating dishes that are deceptively simple but bursting with flavor. Fresh and exceptional seafood takes center stage, whether in vibrant agua chiles and ceviches, delicious tacos on homemade heirloom corn tortillas, or expertly grilled lobster, enhanced by various house salsas. The menu, frequently updated, offers a wealth of delights, and the sought-after tasting menu, available by reservation on Thursdays and Fridays, is highly anticipated.
Oven (San Francisco; Modern)
Veterans of the industry Chef John Wesley and General Manager Julianna Yang collaborate at Oven, where the warehouse setting is warmed by friendly service and skilled culinary creations. The tasting menu leans towards Scandinavian cuisine, focusing on preservation techniques like curing, drying, and fermentation in seemingly simple yet intricately crafted dishes with captivating flavor combinations. Opening bites like a crispy spiral of puffed beef tendon embody this philosophy, while other dishes, such as squab breast glazed with burnt honey and truffled jus, showcase a classical touch.
Monastery (Los Angeles; Creative)
This enchanting setting with its lush greenery, moody lighting, and mesmerizing soundtrack captivates visitors as they savor Chef Jordan Kahn’s unique creations. Live-fire cooking combines with a zero-waste approach and a selection of sustainably sourced wild and organic ingredients to produce unforgettable and delectable dishes. Charred yam with buttery smoked trout roe sauce and grilled hazelnuts transcends expectations, while a plate of raw scallops with vivid macadamia nut tiger’s milk, banana, and crispy kelp mesmerizes.
R|O-RebelOmakase (Laguna Beach; Japanese)
At this omakase dining spot, two seatings are offered each night for reservations, curated by Chef Jordan Nakasone. The culinary experience, rooted in tradition, presents a modern twist with seasonal variations and premium ingredients. In addition to outstanding sushi options like Japanese white salmon and shima aji, the menu includes a variety of kitchen creations such as gindara, a delightful cod dish with cauliflower dashi topped with tonburi, and a comforting chawanmushi with firefly squid and shaved bottarga.
7 Adams (San Francisco; Californian)
In the bustling city of San Francisco, finding a five-course meal under a hundred dollars is a challenge, but Chefs Serena and David Fisher effortlessly achieve this in their chic new venue. The cuisine exudes unpretentious Californian elegance, with impeccable culinary skills and thoughtful flavor pairings that let seasonal ingredients shine. Picture meticulously crafted caramelle pasta filled with sweet kabocha squash and buttery chanterelles, or crispy-skinned black cod with sunchoke confit and exquisite shellfish broth. The meal always concludes with delights like a perfectly moist apple crumb cake with orange bay leaf ice cream and satsuma granita.
Uka (Los Angeles; Japanese)
In the Japanese House at Ovation Hollywood, Chef Yoshitaka Mitsue and Chef Shingo Kato, assisted by two attentive servers, meticulously attend to every detail at this modern and sophisticated haven. Premium fish from Japan, flown in every other week and cured or aged on-site, sets the stage for the kaiseki dining experience at Uka, offering six or nine-course menus. While the menu leans towards traditional dishes like kabutamushi—dumplings filled with Japanese sea bream—French influences subtly appear in dishes like grilled abalone with butter ponzu sauce, and wagyu with red wine jus and miso butter sauce.
MICHELIN Green Star
Vespertine (Culver City; Contemporary)
Highlighted features: responsible ingredient sourcing from biodynamic, organic, or wild sources; collaboration with two local farms practicing biodynamic agriculture; inclusion of locally foraged herbs; sustainable seafood from indigenous fishing communities or local fishermen; dedication to sustainability in the dining room with wool carpeting, recycled glassware, and ceramic serving pieces sourced from the wild.
Image Source: Pawel Michalowski / Shutterstock
