Why Is Somni Missing From the LA Times 2026 101 Best Restaurants?

Somni is missing from the LA Times 101 Best Restaurants 2026 list for one practical reason: Bill Addison and Jenn Harris could not get a reservation for two during the evaluation period. Lielle is the No. 1 restaurant from the list right now, while Aitor Zabala’s 14-seat Somni in West Hollywood is the restaurant to track if access matters as much as Michelin credibility (LA Times¹). The full list of all 101 restaurants is at the end of the article.

Why Is Somni Missing From the LA Times 101 Best Restaurants List?

Access, not a cooking critique, explains the omission. Somni has three Michelin stars, and chef Aitor Zabala has one of the strongest fine-dining résumés in Los Angeles: El Bulli, Akelarre, Arzak, Alkimia, E by José Andrés in Las Vegas, and the first Somni at the SLS Beverly Hills hotel, which opened in 2018 and earned two Michelin stars. The current Somni received three Michelin stars on June 25, 2025, making Zabala the first Spanish chef to earn three stars outside Spain (Wikipedia²). On The LA Food Podcast, published by Acquired Taste Media on Oct. 26, 2026, Addison and Harris addressed the omission directly. The critics said, “we could not get a reservation for two at Somni,” and, “That is the only reason that Somni is not on this list” (The LA Food Podcast).

A 14-seat tasting counter can win Michelin’s highest rating and still fail a city guide’s practical test if two critics cannot book it during the evaluation window. Somni is less actionable for the LA Times 101 best restaurants format, which is built around where to eat now across Los Angeles County.

The peer comparison is Hayato. On the same podcast, the critics called Hayato an “impossible reservation,” but they noted that chef Brandon Hayato Go tries, through his wait list, to notice names of diners who have not been before and invite them in (The LA Food Podcast). Hayato lands at No. 7 on the 2026 list (LA Times¹). Hayato has list validation and a stated access pathway. Somni has Michelin power, a smaller counter, and a harder practical problem.

Lielle (West Pico Boulevard)

Lielle ranks No. 1 on the LA Times 2026 101 Best Restaurants list. The Times describes it as a fine-dining debut in a subterranean den on West Pico Boulevard, with a concise format, wine-cave design, front-of-house hospitality, and a diverse wine list.

Marcus Jernmark, Lielle's chef, and his team opened Marée, a bistro above Lielle, with mussels gratin and a burger flagged by the Times. The address has two levels of interest: the No. 1 fine-dining room below and a more flexible bistro upstairs.

Somni (West Hollywood)

Scarcity is built into the format: 14 seats and a tasting counter (Somni). Zabala’s background explains why the restaurant draws that level of attention. He began training at the Hoffman School of Gastronomy in Barcelona, worked at Café de La Princesa, Abac and Alkimia, and was offered a chef de partie role at El Bulli when he was 27. He later collaborated on Ferran Adrià’s creative team and worked with José Andrés before opening the first Somni (Voyage LA³).

The restaurant’s working style also separates it from larger fine-dining rooms. In a 2019 Voyage LA interview about the original Somni in Beverly Hills, Aitor Zabala said the restaurant had no distinction between cooks and servers because everyone did everything (Voyage LA). That kind of counter format can make service feel direct and kitchen-led, but it also means the room has very little slack. Fourteen seats leave no easy margin for critics, regulars, first-timers, collectors, visiting chefs, and anyone else trying to book the same nights.

The LA Times list is not proof that the restaurant fell out of the city’s top tier. The critics gave the cleaner answer: they tried and could not get in.

How to Book Somni

Somni takes dinner reservations through Somni's website, where the “Make a reservation” button opens Resy. Dinner is served at a 14-seat communal chef's counter with one seating at 7:30pm. Somni also offers a private Cellar Experience room next to the wine cellar. The Cellar Experience can be booked through Somni's website or OpenTable and seats at 5:30pm. Somni says it is unable to accommodate allergies and dietary restrictions at this time, so guests should review that policy before booking. Pearl members can ask Pearl to help them book.

The 2026 Top 10 Worth Prioritizing

The top 10 on the LA Times 2026 list, in order, are Lielle, Kato, Holbox, Dunsmoor, Baroo, n/naka, Hayato, Providence, Morihiro, and Alta Adams. The top 10 includes a new West Pico fine-dining debut at the top, tasting-menu heavyweights, seafood specialists, Japanese formats, and restaurants with very different levels of formality. Read the full LA Times 101 Best Restaurants 2026 ranking on Pearl for every placement.

Kato at No. 2 is the most obvious comparison to Lielle for a high-end reservation. Kato is the established peer to Lielle’s new No. 1 ranking.

Holbox at No. 3 gives the list a different kind of pressure point: a seafood-driven restaurant that outranks several higher-formality dining rooms.

Dunsmoor at No. 4 and Baroo at No. 5 show that the Times is not building its top 10 around one service model.

n/naka at No. 6 and Hayato at No. 7 remain the Japanese-format anchors for diners who plan months around a counter or tasting menu.

Providence at No. 8 brings another fine-dining benchmark into the top 10, while Morihiro at No. 9 keeps sushi in the conversation.

Alta Adams at No. 10 rounds out the group with a different neighborhood and cultural register from the tasting-counter names above it.

The LA Times 101 best restaurants list also includes two Hall of Fame inductees for 2026 and 31 new additions. It is mixing debut energy, returning names, long-running anchors, and restaurants that serve specific communities across Los Angeles County.

Vinfolk (Hermosa Beach)

Vinfolk is the second omission that explains how the Times’ evaluation works. On The LA Food Podcast, the critics said Vinfolk in Hermosa Beach had changed its whole menu after a meal they loved, moving into “a fancier tasting menu” format. They did not have the time or budget to return and evaluate the new experience, so they left it off the list.

That is a useful caution for South Bay diners. A restaurant can remain personally liked by a critic and still miss the 101 if the format changes before publication and the new version cannot be assessed. Vinfolk is a restaurant to reassess under its current tasting-menu identity, not a place rejected on merit.

Use the guide as a booking filter

The 2026 list tells where Addison and Harris could eat, evaluate, debate, and recommend across a county with tens of thousands of restaurants. It does not tell you every restaurant with high technical merit. Somni proves that distinction. A restaurant that cannot be booked by two major critics during a months-long evaluation period creates a reader problem, even if the room is operating at a three-star level. Los Angeles rankings now turn on access, format changes, and critical re-evaluation as much as chef pedigree. Lielle gets the No. 1 slot because the critics could evaluate the restaurant. Somni stays outside the list because the reservation problem remained.

The Full LA Times 2026 101 Best Restaurants List

The ranking below comes from Los Angeles Times critics Bill Addison and Jenn Harris.

1. Lielle
2. Kato
3. Holbox
4. Dunsmoor
5. Baroo
6. n/naka
7. Hayato
8. Providence
9. Morihiro
10. Alta Adams
11. Restaurant Ki
12. Anajak Thai
13. Seline
14. Funke
15. Henrietta
16. Antico Nuovo
17. Perilla L.A.
18. Broken Spanish Comedor
19. Quarter Sheets
20. Komal
21. Sushi Kaneyoshi
22. Mélisse
23. Azizam
24. Orsa & Winston
25. Vespertine
26. Darling
27. Sora Craft Kitchen
28. Baby Bistro
29. Little Fish Melrose Hill
30. Electric Bleu
31. République
32. Saffy’s
33. Sonoratown
34. Bavel
35. Pasjoli
36. Camélia
37. Kismet
38. Chi Spacca
39. Sushi Inaba
40. Damian
41. Darkroom
42. Destroyer
43. Le Dräq
44. Knife Pleat
45. Fat + Flour
46. Holy Basil Santa Monica
47. Ammatolí
48. Evil Cooks
49. Bar Etoile
50. Yerord Mas
51. Moo’s Craft Barbecue
52. Pizzeria Sei
53. A Tí
54. Bistro Na’s
55. Lucia
56. Majordomo
57. Taquearte
58. Tsubaki
59. Mini Kabob
60. Wilde's
61. Bridgetown Roti
62. Tacos Los Cholos
63. Yang’s Kitchen
64. Two Hommés
65. Budonoki
66. Aunt Yvette’s Kitchen
67. Rustic Canyon
68. Olive & Rose
69. RVR
70. Petit Trois
71. Lugya'h
72. Osteria Mozza
73. Kuya Lord
74. Mae Malai
75. Sqirl
76. Tacos La Carreta
77. Stir Crazy
78. Lorenzo California
79. Badmaash Venice
80. Barra Santos
81. Barbacoa Ramirez
82. Delmy’s Pupusas
83. Bao Kee Cafe
84. Found Oyster
85. Cosetta
86. Tainos L.A.
87. Perse
88. Saqartvelo
89. Biriyani Kabob House
90. Jacaranda
91. Phởholic
92. Macheen
93. Borit Gogae
94. Lum-Ka-Naad
95. Al Baraka Restaurant
96. Colossus Harbor
97. Barsha
98. Mario’s Butcher Shop
99. Loli Farms
100. Jade Rabbit
101. Mish Delicatessen