The dining world’s prestigious Michelin Guide on Wednesday named 21 restaurants in the Bay Area and Southern California as “new discoveries” — a prelude to the release in late June of the guide’s 2026 California stars.
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These “culinary gems” include the recently opened Vicinity, an exclusive 16-seat Los Gatos restaurant from chef Julian Silvera and owners Denise and Michael Thornberry; two Oakland restaurants, Joodooboo and Popoca; and four in San Francisco, including Minnie Bell’s Soul Movement.
Michelin highlighted “new discoveries” for the first time in the summer of 2021 and has done so every year since. Of the 21 finds on this list — the second round of early discoveries for 2026 — nine are in Los Angeles, one is in Beverly Hills, one is in Santa Barbara, one in La Jolla, one in Palm Springs and one in Rosemead. No additional restaurants north of SF were featured.
On guide.michelin.com, these establishments are listed as “New.”
Will the praise for these restaurants be elevated to Michelin stars when the guide is released later this year? Or become Bib Gourmand honors, the Michelin awards given to restaurants that offer “excellent food at reasonable prices” to diners? It’s a wait-and-see situation for these chefs.
Here is the list of new discoveries. Come back to read dining notes from the Michelin inspectors:
Los Gatos: Vicinity
Oakland: Joodooboo, Popoca
San Francisco: Kitchen Istanbul, Maria Isabel, Minnie Bell’s Soul Movement, Via Aurelia
Los Angeles: ALTO, Casa Leo, Electric Bleu, Kojima, Lielle, Lynx, The Mulberry, Sonoratown, SORA Craft Kitchen
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Beverly Hills: Miura
La Jolla: Lucien
Palm Springs: Alice B.
Rosemead: Good Alley
Santa Barbara: Monte’s
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