Last week’s prestigious 2023 MICHELIN Guide California awards made one thing clear: San Francisco remains the culinary capital of California

The City by the Bay is home to 27 Michelin-starred restaurants and the wider San Francisco Bay Area is now home to 50 of California’s 87 restaurants awarded Michelin stars.

Two San Francisco restaurants – Aphotic, a restaurant specialising in sustainable and dry-aged seafood, and Nari, a Thai restaurant – earned their first Michelin stars, and all of the city’s previous two-star and three-star recipients retained their honours. Aphotic was also honoured with a Michelin Green Star in recognition of its commitment to sustainability. San Francisco is home to half of California’s three-star restaurants and five of its 12 two-star establishments, plus three of its 15 Green Star restaurants. The wider San Francisco Bay Area also shined with new stars. Calistoga’s Auro and Carmel-by-the-Sea’s Chez Noir each earned one Michelin Star, while Pomet in Oakland was honored with a Green Star.

Michelin also rewarded the city’s rising culinary talent for the second year in a row. Chef Harrison Cheney, the Executive Chef at Sons & Daughters, received the prestigious Michelin Young Chef Award, which was awarded to Chef David Yoshimura of San Francisco’s Nisei last year.

Earlier this month, Michelin added four Bay Area restaurants to its Bib Gourmand roster, which recognises restaurants with great food at an affordable price point. The additions include San Francisco’s Bansang, Oakland’s Snail Bar and Bombera, and San Jose’s Petiscos. Sixteen San Francisco restaurants are designated Bib Gourmands, and 70 are featured as Michelin Selects in the 2023 MICHELIN California guide.

“For a small city only seven-by-seven square miles in size, San Francisco is truly one of the world’s great gastronomic hubs,” said Joe D’Alessandro, President and CEO of the San Francisco Travel Association. “We are thrilled to see the city’s incredible culinary scene recognised again by Michelin.”

Laurie Thomas, Executive Director of the Golden Gate Restaurant Association and CEO of Nice Ventures added: “This year’s new Michelin Guide highlights the diversity and quality of our San Francisco restaurant community. With our access to the highest quality local ingredients, regional wines, and highly dedicated chefs, our local culinary scene continues to be a highlight for locals and tourists alike.”

For information on visiting San Francisco go to https://www.sftravel.com

About San Francisco Travel

The San Francisco Travel Association is the official destination marketing organisation for the City and County of San Francisco. Tourism is San Francisco’s largest industry. More than 25.8 million people visited the destination in 2019, spending more than $10 billion, and over 86,000 jobs are supported by tourism in San Francisco.