San Francisco Bay Area Now Home to Seven Three-Starred Michelin Restaurants

Fiona Chandra

Michelin announced their 2018 star selection for the San Francisco Bay Area and Wine Country on Oct. 25, giving the Bay Area more three-starred restaurants than New York City, with a total of seven in the area. This year, Coi from owner Daniel Patterson and new Chef Matthew Kirkley is upgraded to a three star. Coi joins the ranks alongside culinary giants Thomas Keller’s The French Laundry and Christopher Kostow’s The Restaurant at Meadowood in Napa Valley, Corey Lee’s Benu, Joshua Skenes’ Saison, and Michael Tusk’s Quince in San Francisco, as well as David Kinch’s Manresa in Los Gatos.

Also new this year are two new two-starred restaurants, with a total of seven restaurants. The new selection includes Californios from chef Val Cantu, which is the first US restaurant serving Mexican cuisine to gain two stars from the Michelin inspectors. The other new selection is SingleThread from Kyle and Katina Connaughton in Sonoma. The region’s other favorites including Atelier Crenn, Commis, Acquerello, Baume, and Lazy Bear maintains their two star designation.

There are a total of forty one restaurants in the Bay Area with one star, which includes four new entries. The popular Rich Table finally garners one star after a long stint on the Bib Gourmand list. In Situ at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Arts from chef Corey Lee of the three-starred Benu is also awarded one star. Two new Japanese restaurants entered the ranks this year. The first is Kenzo in Napa Valley, a 27-seat sushi bar and kaiseki-style restaurant headed by Chef Hiroyuki Kanda, whose Tokyo restaurant Kanda has earned three Michelin stars nine years in a row. The other is Kinjo, the Edomae-style sushi spot in Russian Hill, headed by chef Takatoshi Toshi from the Michelin-starred Sushi Ran in Sausalito.

Rounding up the guide is a list of 67 restaurants with a Bib Gourmand designation.

Michelin 2018 Bay Area and Wine Country Starred Restaurants:

Three Stars

Benu

Coi (new)

The French Laundry

Manresa

Quince

The Restaurant at Meadowood

Saison

Two Stars

Acquerello

Atelier Crenn

Baume

Californios (new)

Commis

Lazy Bear

Single Thread (new)

One Star

Adega

Al’s Place

Aster

Auberge du Soleil

Bouchon

Campton Place

Chez TJ

Commonwealth

Farmhouse Inn & Restaurant

Gary Danko

Hashiri

In Situ (new)

Ju-Ni

Keiko a Nob Hill

Kenzo (new)

Kin Khao

Kinjo (new)

La Toque

Lord Stanley

Luce

Madera

Madrona Manor

Michael Mina

Mister Jiu’s

Mourad

Octavia

Omakase

Plumed Horse

The Progress

Rasa

Rich Table (new)

Sons & Daughters

SPQR

Spruce

State Bird Provisions

Sushi Yoshizumi

Terra

Terrapin Creek

The Village Pub

Wako

Wakuriya