California Takes the Top Spot as the U.S. State with the Most Michelin Star Restaurants
Explore the 18 Golden State restaurants with two and three Michelin stars.
Courtesy of Single Thread
We all know how much weight the prestigious Michelin stars hold. The Michelin judges only award one, two, or three stars to restaurants with exceptional cooking based on five universal criteria: the quality of the ingredients, the harmony of flavors, the mastery of techniques, the personality of the chef as expressed through their cuisine, and just as importantly, consistency both across the entire menu and over time. There are currently 3,471 restaurants worldwide with at least one Michelin star, and in the U.S., the most Michelin-starred restaurants are concentrated in the Golden State.
A research team at Restaurant Furniture recently found that California has more Michelin stars than any other state with 18 two- or three-starred restaurants. New York came in second place, and Illinois took third, likely because of the robust culinary scenes in New York City and Chicago. The researchers analyzed the location and menu of all 45 restaurants in the U.S. that have two or three Michelin stars to determine which state produces the best food, with California coming out on top. They also determined the most and least expensive Michelin-starred restaurants in the U.S. based on the price of their tasting menu.
If you’re interested in tasting the food deemed outstanding by world-class experts, check out the 18 California restaurants with two or three Michelin stars, listed from least to most expensive.
1. Commis
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Led by chef-owner James Syhabout, Commis serves an elegant, new American menu inspired by Syhabout’s Thai and Chinese heritage. In their changing menu, the Michelin Guide says you might find scallops with crème fraîche, poached asparagus, and charred lemon granité or slow-poached egg yolk sitting in a bed of onion and malt-infused cream. Commis is known for its use of local ingredients, and in the dining room, you’ll find a cool—but not casual—ambiance.
Michelin Stars: 2
Location: Oakland
Tasting Menu: $225
2. Acquerello
Since 1989, chef-owner Suzette Gresham has been serving wow-worthy Italian cuisine at Acquerello. The sample tasting menu includes handmade pastas like the tagliatelle with Monterey Bay abalone and burro bianco and a ridged pasta with faux “foie gras,” black truffle, and Marsala. According to the Michelin Guide, friendly sommeliers will guide you through one of the deepest Italian wine and Champagne cellars in the country.
Michelin Stars: 2
Location: San Francisco
Tasting Menu: $275
3. Harbor House
Courtesy of Harbor House
Off the rugged Mendocino coastline and inland forests, you’ll find a worthwhile detour to Harbor House, led by chef Matthew Kammerer. The daily changing menu focuses on seafood and vegetables, many of which are grown next door at the Harbor House Ranch. The Michelin Guide says Kammerer elevates delicacies like sea urchin while utilizing more humble ingredients, like seaweed harvested from the nearby coastline or lace lichen plucked from overhanging trees.
Michelin Stars: 2
Location: Elk
Tasting Menu: $285
4. Lazy Bear
What began in 2009 as dinner parties in chef-owner David Barzelay’s apartment is now a renowned, contemporary restaurant inspired by American nostalgia and the wild. The common thread in Lazy Bear’s changing tasting menus is bold flavors presented with flair, says the Michelin Guide. Recent menus featured cauliflower with California White Sturgeon caviar and wild foraged greens and a seafood tower with Foxley River oysters, Bay scallops, and Dungeness crab dip.
Michelin Stars: 2
Location: San Francisco
Tasting Menu: $285
5. Providence
Chef-owner Michael Cimarusti commands the modern American seafood restaurant Providence. With an environmental focus, Cimarusti only serves sustainably-sourced fish, often wild-caught from American waters. You can taste the fish quality for yourself in their Icelandic cod served with fennel, kumquat, zucchini, and saffron or their Alaskan King Salmon with hakurei turnip, daikon, and black truffle. The Michelin Guide also praises the delectable desserts, such as the house-made chocolate and exquisite mignardises.
Michelin Stars: 2
Location: Hollywood
Tasting Menu: $295
6. n/naka
Using the Japanese culinary art of kaiseki, chef-owner Niki Nakayama presents the very best seasonal ingredients from both California and Japan’s land and sea at n/naka. You can expect to taste small bites, sashimi courses, and heartier fare like grilled fish in what the Michelin Guide calls one of the most warm and graceful dining experiences in L.A.
Michelin Stars: 2
Location: Los Angeles
Tasting Menu: $310
7. Californios
Chef-owner Val M. Cantú of Californios promises to wow diners with a contemporary expression of Mexican cuisine using ingredients from the Bay Area. The Michelin Guide says Cantú turns familiar Mexican fare into complex and deliciously unique dishes, such as the beer and mezcal-battered black cod served in a tortilla with sour cherry tamarind salsa. The review also says the patio area is especially pleasant with lush gardens and heat lamps.
Michelin Stars: 2
Location: San Francisco
Tasting Menu: $314
8. Birdsong
Named in part for the song by the Grateful Dead, contemporary restaurant Birdsong features ingredients in the most whole form the chefs can find, like local vegetables and whole animals. Chef-owner Christopher Bleidorn and his team present an impressive variety of techniques, says the Michelin Guide, as exhibited through dishes like the creek trout, presented as roe with kelp kombucha sabayon.
Michelin Stars: 2
Location: San Francisco
Tasting Menu: $325
9. Saison
Chef Richard Lee helms the open wood fire restaurant Saison, with a warm, rustic atmosphere surrounding the roaring hearth. Lee’s Chinese heritage and passion for the Bay Area influence the dishes on the changing tasting menu. According to the Michelin Guide, this may include an 18-day, dry-aged antelope medallion served with a jus made from dried cherry leaf, kumquat, and bone broth.
Michelin Stars: 2
Location: San Francisco
Tasting Menu: $328
10. Hayato
At the intimate, seven-seat Japanese restaurant Hayato, chef-owner Brandon Hayato Go prepares kaiseki-style dishes right before your eyes, explaining each course as he goes. The Michelin Guide says Go starts off with a small plate—like chilled, charred eggplant with ginger and dashi—then launches into a beautiful seasonal menu served on vintage Japanese pottery and porcelain collected by Go himself.
Michelin Stars: 2
Location: Los Angeles
Tasting Menu: $350
11. Addison
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Since 2006, chef William Bradley has crafted contemporary, Southern California cuisine at Addison. The Michelin Guide says Bradley’s dishes are playful yet polished, such as the chicken liver churros or Koshihikari rice finished with applewood-smoked sabayon and Regiis Ova caviar. All of the plates in the 10-course tasting menu are designed to highlight the beauty and allure of California cooking.
Michelin Stars: 3
Location: San Diego
Tasting Menu: $375
12. Quince
The contemporary, California fare served at Quince is elevated with locally sourced, seasonal products from their network of Northern California suppliers, including the restaurant’s own farm. Pasta is chef-owner Michael Tusk’s forte, says the Michelin Guide, as evidenced by dishes like the agnolotti verdi filled with smoked squab. If you’re hesitant about the 10-course menu, you can try the four-course or à la carte menus offered in Quince’s bar and salon.
Michelin Stars: 3
Location: San Francisco
Tasting Menu: $390
13. The French Laundry
Chef-owner Thomas Keller established The French Laundry to bring fine French cuisine to wine country. When he found the Napa Valley inn in 1992, he realized his dream would be actualized, eventually creating what the Michelin Guide calls the “greatest cooking space in America.” A recent version of the daily changing menu offers a variety of seafood and meat dishes, including a pearl tapioca sabayon with oysters and Regiis Ova caviar and a 100-day, dry-aged American wagyu wrapped in a crisp layer of Yukon Gold potatoes and served with caramelized cipollini onions and watercress leaves.
Michelin Stars: 3
Location: Yountville
Tasting Menu: $390
14. Atelier Crenn
At French eatery Atelier Crenn, chef-owner Dominique Crenn serves a dairy-free, pescatarian menu built around produce from a partner farm in Sonoma, according to the Michelin Guide. In 2011, Crenn became the first female chef in the U.S. to receive two Michelin stars, then became the first to receive three stars in 2018. As far as the menu, the Michelin Guide says you’ll find unique bites, like celtuce paired with caviar or Monterey Bay abalone dressed with mustard seeds and braised cabbage.
Michelin Stars: 3
Location: San Francisco
Tasting Menu: $395
15. Mélisse
Described on its website as “a restaurant within a restaurant,” Mélisse’s 14-seat dining room is tucked in an enclosed space within Citrin, chef-owner Josiah Citrin’s other restaurant with one Michelin star. At Mélisse, Citrin and chef-partner Ken Takayama serve up whimsical French cuisine, like their coffee-rubbed venison with swiss chard, chanterelles, parsnip, molasses, and poivrade. The Michelin Guide also commends their charming service and wine selection, full of rarities at reasonable prices.
Michelin Stars: 2
Location: Santa Monica
Tasting Menu: $399
16. Sushi Ginza Onodera
At Japanese eatery Sushi Ginza Onodera, chef Yohei Matsuki serves Edomae-style, traditional sushi with fish imported from Toyosu Fish Market in Japan. Their changing seasonal menu is prepared right at the sushi counter with dishes like the tiger shrimp nigiri with miso, according to the Michelin Guide. The review also praises the delightful matcha and coconut-panna cotta for dessert.
Michelin Stars: 2
Location: West Hollywood
Tasting Menu: $400
17. Benu
Eric Wolfinger/OpenTable
Influenced by the cuisine of his hometown, Seoul, Korea, chef-owner Cory Lee crafts contemporary Asian dishes at Benu. The Michelin Guide praises Lee’s highly technical small bites, like faux shark-fin soup, as well as his imaginative nightly offerings, such as barbecued quail with house-made XO sauce.
Michelin Stars: 3
Location: San Francisco
Tasting Menu: $420
18. SingleThread
Courtesy of Single Thread
Married couple Kyle and Katina Connaughton run the SingleThread venture, with Kyle heading up the kitchen and Katina leading the 24-acre farm. Together, they create a culinary experience of contemporary Japanese fare influenced by the Sonoma farm’s locally grown bounty, which accounts for 70% of the restaurant’s ingredients, according to the Michelin Guide. You can also stay at the SingleThread Inn, which includes breakfast with options like Japanese pancakes, cedar roasted salmon, and a squash blossom and negi omelet with black truffle.
Michelin Stars: 3
Location: Healdsburg
Tasting Menu: $495
