Michelin added 11 Los Angeles restaurants to the California Michelin Guide on May 20, 2026, alongside selections in San Diego, Santa Barbara, and Palm Springs. Every restaurant on this list is now in consideration for Michelin stars or a Bib Gourmand at the 2026 ceremony, held in San Diego on June 24, the first time the California Guide star reveal takes place in that city. If you're planning reservations around Michelin momentum, this is the list to work from right now.
All 11 Los Angeles California Michelin Guide Additions, Ranked by Buzz
This is the second California Guide update of 2026. The first, at the end of March, added six LA restaurants and one in Montecito, including Little Fish Melrose Hill, Lapaba, and Lugya'h by Poncho's Tlayudas. The May 20 sweep is larger and covers more ground, Beverly Hills omakase, Arts District pizza, Sawtelle sushi, and a Swedish chef's California tasting menu all land in the same announcement. Here's the full LA roster, with the ones worth prioritizing at the top.
Miura (Beverly Hills): Chef Derek Wilcox's omakase counter is the most anticipated addition on this list. Beverly Hills omakase is a crowded field, but Wilcox's name attached to a dedicated counter earns immediate attention from anyone tracking the format seriously.
Kojima (Sawtelle): Eight seats. Chef Hayato Kojima. This is the kind of sushi counter that fills up the moment reservations open, the seat count alone signals the level of attention each guest receives. If you haven't already tried to book, start now.
Lielle: Marcus Jernmark, described in the source as one of Sweden's most celebrated chefs, leads a California-informed tasting menu here. A European fine-dining pedigree applied to California ingredients is a format the Michelin inspectors have rewarded consistently in this guide. Lielle is a credible star candidate.
Casa Leo (Los Feliz): Joshua Whigham, an alumnus of Bazaar, brings a Spanish restaurant to Los Feliz. The Bazaar connection signals a kitchen with serious technique behind the menu, even if the neighborhood setting reads more relaxed than Beverly Hills.
Alto (Studio City): Live-fire cooking with influence from Argentina and Uruguay. Studio City doesn't get much Michelin attention, so this selection is a sign that inspectors are ranging further into the Valley.
Electric Bleu (Mar Vista): A California French bistro. The format is well-worn, but Mar Vista is an underrepresented neighborhood in the guide, and a well-executed bistro in a residential pocket can punch above its weight for a Bib Gourmand.
The Mulberry (Sawtelle): Korean American cooking in a neighborhood that already has Kojima on this same list. Sawtelle is clearly getting inspector attention this cycle.
Sonoratown: Flour tortillas and tacos. Sonoratown has been a critical favorite for years, its Michelin selection is overdue rather than surprising. Bib Gourmand is the likely outcome here.
Sora Craft Kitchen (Downtown LA): Anatolian and Turkish dishes in Downtown. Turkish cooking is underrepresented in the California Guide, which makes this selection meaningful beyond the restaurant itself.
Good Alley (Rosemead): A modern dumpling destination. Rosemead is deep in the San Gabriel Valley, and its inclusion signals that Michelin's California inspectors are continuing to push east of the 710. Bib Gourmand territory.
Lynx (Arts District): Joshua Skenes' pizza and cocktail destination. The Arts District has been gaining inspector attention, and Skenes is a named chef whose presence in any format draws Michelin interest.
Peer Set Snapshot
Restaurant | Neighborhood | Cuisine / Format | Chef | Predicted Michelin Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Miura | Beverly Hills | Omakase | Derek Wilcox | Star candidate |
Kojima | Sawtelle | Sushi omakase (8 seats) | Hayato Kojima | Star candidate |
Lielle | Beverlywood / West Los Angeles area | California tasting menu | Marcus Jernmark | Star candidate |
Los Feliz | Spanish | Joshua Whigham | Star consideration | |
Alto | Studio City | Live-fire, Argentine/Uruguayan influence | N/A | Star consideration |
Electric Bleu | Mar Vista | California French bistro | N/A | Bib Gourmand candidate |
The Mulberry | Sawtelle | Korean American | N/A | Star consideration |
Sonoratown | Downtown Los Angeles | Tacos, flour tortillas | N/A | Bib Gourmand candidate |
Downtown LA | Anatolian / Turkish | N/A | Star consideration | |
Good Alley | Rosemead | Modern dumplings | N/A | Bib Gourmand candidate |
Lynx | Arts District | Pizza and cocktails | Joshua Skenes | Star consideration |
From Derek Wilcox's Beverly Hills Omakase to Joshua Skenes' Pizza Bar: The Standout Newcomers
Two names on this list carry the most weight for anyone trying to predict June 24 outcomes: Derek Wilcox at Miura and Joshua Skenes at Lynx.
Wilcox's Miura sits in Beverly Hills, where the California Michelin Guide already has a strong presence. Omakase counters in this city have historically performed well in star consideration, the format lends itself to the kind of consistent, inspector-repeatable experience that Michelin rewards. Miura's selection puts it squarely in the conversation for a star in its first eligible cycle.
Skenes is the more unusual case. Lynx is a pizza and cocktail destination in the Arts District, not a fine-dining room. But Michelin has shown, across multiple guides, that it will follow a chef's talent into casual formats when the cooking justifies it. A Bib Gourmand for Lynx is plausible; a star would be a statement.
Kojima's eight-seat counter on Sawtelle is the third addition worth watching closely. Small-format sushi counters with a named chef at the helm are among the most reliable star earners in the California Michelin Guide. The seat count at Kojima, just eight, means every service is effectively a private tasting. That level of control over the guest experience is exactly what inspectors value.
Lielle, with Marcus Jernmark leading a California-informed tasting menu, rounds out the group of realistic star candidates. Tasting menu restaurants with a clear culinary point of view and a chef with an established European reputation tend to move quickly through Michelin consideration. Jernmark's background gives Lielle a credential that most new LA openings don't have at this stage.
For the Los Angeles California Michelin Guide overall, this second wave of 2026 additions accelerates a trend that's been building for several cycles: the guide is getting more granular about neighborhoods, more willing to select casual formats alongside fine dining, and more attentive to the San Gabriel Valley and the Valley proper. Alto in Studio City and Good Alley in Rosemead are the clearest evidence of that geographic expansion.
Beyond LA: Lucien, Monte's, and Alice B. Round Out the Southern California Sweep
The May 20 announcement extends beyond Los Angeles to three other Southern California markets, each worth a closer look.
Lucien (La Jolla, San Diego): Chef Elijah Arizmendi's tasting menu restaurant opened in July 2025 and joins the guide less than a year after opening. La Jolla has a thin Michelin presence relative to its dining ambition, and a tasting menu restaurant from a named chef is exactly the kind of addition that can convert to a star quickly. With the June 24 ceremony taking place in San Diego, Lucien's timing is significant, inspectors are clearly paying attention to the city hosting the ceremony.
Monte's (Santa Barbara): A contemporary Korean restaurant in Santa Barbara. Korean cooking has been one of the most active categories in the California Guide over recent cycles, and a Santa Barbara selection in this format is a first worth tracking. Santa Barbara's guide presence has been limited; Monte's could open the door to more attention for the region.
Alice B. (Palm Springs): From chefs Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger, Alice B. brings two of the most recognized names in California cooking to the Palm Springs guide entry. Milliken and Feniger built their reputations over decades in Los Angeles, and their Palm Springs project carries that history into a market that has been growing in dining ambition. Alice B. is the Palm Springs addition most likely to convert to a Bib Gourmand or star.
Taken together, the Southern California additions span four distinct markets: Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Barbara, and Palm Springs. That geographic spread is the clearest signal yet that the California Michelin Guide is treating Southern California as a region with multiple distinct dining identities, not just an LA-centric list with occasional outliers.
What Michelin Selection Means, and Who Could Earn a Star on June 24 in San Diego
Being added to the California Michelin Guide is a prerequisite for star consideration, not a guarantee of one. Of the 11 new LA additions and the Southern California selections, only a fraction will receive stars or a Bib Gourmand at the June 24 ceremony. The selection itself is meaningful, it confirms that at least one Michelin inspector has visited and found the restaurant worth recommending, but the gap between selection and star is where the real sorting happens.
For practical purposes, the selection list is still useful before June 24. These are restaurants that Michelin inspectors have already vetted. If you're building a reservation list for the next few months, every restaurant on this list has cleared a baseline quality threshold. The ones most likely to earn stars, Miura, Kojima, Lielle, and Lucien, based on format and chef credentials, are also the ones most likely to become harder to book after June 24 if stars are awarded.
The Bib Gourmand candidates, Sonoratown, Good Alley, Electric Bleu, The Mulberry, are worth booking now, before any ceremony attention drives up demand. Bib Gourmand recognition tends to create a sustained reservation surge at value-oriented restaurants, and all four of these fit the profile.
This is also the second California Guide update in 2026, following the March additions. Two updates in under three months suggests Michelin is running a more active inspection cadence in California this cycle than in prior years. That pace matters for anyone tracking the guide: more frequent additions mean more opportunities for newer restaurants to enter consideration, and a larger pool of selections heading into the June ceremony.
The June 24 ceremony in San Diego is the moment this list resolves. Between now and then, the restaurants above are the ones to prioritize, particularly Kojima, where eight seats and a named chef make reservations the actual constraint, and Lynx, where Skenes' profile makes even a casual pizza bar worth experiencing before the ceremony changes the conversation around it.
Frequently Asked Questions
When were the 11 new Los Angeles restaurants added to the California Michelin Guide?
Michelin added 11 Los Angeles restaurants to the California Guide on May 20, 2026. This was the second California Guide update of 2026, following a smaller March update that added six LA restaurants.
Which Los Angeles California Michelin Guide additions are most likely to receive stars?
Miura in Beverly Hills, Kojima in Sawtelle, and Lielle are considered the strongest star candidates from the May 2026 additions. Chef Derek Wilcox's omakase counter at Miura and Marcus Jernmark's California tasting menu at Lielle are particularly well-positioned given their format and pedigree.
When and where is the 2026 California Michelin Guide star ceremony?
The 2026 California Michelin Guide star reveal is scheduled for June 24, 2026, in San Diego. This marks the first time the California Guide ceremony has been held in that city.
Which Los Angeles California Michelin Guide newcomers are likely Bib Gourmand candidates?
Sonoratown, Good Alley in Rosemead, and Electric Bleu in Mar Vista are flagged as likely Bib Gourmand candidates. Sonoratown in particular is described as overdue for recognition given its long-standing critical reputation.
How hard is it to get a reservation at Kojima, the new Sawtelle sushi addition?
Kojima seats only eight guests, making reservations extremely competitive. The article advises that if you haven't already tried to book, you should start immediately.
