The winners and losers of Michelin's 2023 California restaurant guide have recently been revealed with 87 venues now on the list making it the state with the most Michelin-starred restaurants.
To recap on Michelin's categorisation, one star is classed as a venue that's "worth a stop," two stars denotes it being "worth a detour," and three stars is "worth a special journey" as the highest number of stars possible.
Starting with those that lost their stars this year, seven dropped off the list with three of those having closed - Adeda, San Jose; Marlena, San Fran; and Phenakite, LA. The four still open but losing stars are Hatchet Hall, LA; Omakase, San Fran; Spruce, San Fran; and Sushi by Scratch Restaurants: Montecito, Santa Barbara.
In total there are now six restaurants with three, 12 with two and 70 with one. The three star restaurants include three from San Francisco - a hotspot for go-to eateries - including Aterlier Crenn, Benn and Quince. The other venues are SingleThread in Healdsburg, Addison in San Diego, and The French Laundry in Yountville.
Amongst the six new entries to the list, gaining their first stars, include Aphotic, a seafood restaurant led by chef Peter Hemsley in San Fran; Nari, a Thai restaurant based in San Fran's Hotel Nabuki; Auro, another hotel-based restaurant this time in Napa's Four Seasons, serving up a hyper-local and seasonal tasting menu; and Valle, a popular Mexican restaurant based in Oceanside.
Discover the full list of restaurants featured on the latest California Michelin guide here.
Image credit - Nari / Guide.Michelin.com