Michelin stars are now considered a hallmark of fine dining by many of the world’s top chefs — not to mention restaurant patrons. The stars are not easy to obtain and are awarded to the best restaurants in each particular city in the guide. Star recipients gain immense prestige and exposure along with the honor, and many restaurant owners also see an increase in business after receiving Michelin stars https://guide.michelin.com/us/san-francisco
REPORTJoe Bihl
Owner22 items 13 followers 255 votes 12.31k views2023 Michelin Star Restaurants | San Francisco Bay Area
Listly by Joe Bihl
This year Michelin Star recipients are awarded for their finest culinary creativity and exceptional cuisine. When visiting the SF Bay Area, please explore these fine dining venues.
Source: https://guide.michelin.com/us/en/california/restaurants/3-stars-michelin/2-stars-michelin
Jun 18, 2023 - ateliercrenn.com - 2Driven by her passion to create a deeply personal project, Dominique Crenn opened Atelier Crenn in January 2011, a place to express her heritage as well as an ode to “poetic culinaria.”It is truly an homage to Chef Dominique’s father, Alain Crenn, with his paintings adorning the walls of the dining room. The menu is focused on seafood and vegetables.
163UpvoteReact with Emoji0Jun 19, 2023 - protegepaloalto.com - 2Expect edgy cooking with panache. The dining room's seven-course tasting menu proffers the likes of kataifi-wrapped langoustine; Pacific sablefish with yuzu tapioca and dashi; as well as lamb loin with a swipe of vadouvan-infused sauce, falafel and sweet pepper confiture. A keen attention to detail and well-balanced flavors continue through to dessert—dulce de leche mousse shines.
15UpvoteReact with Emoji0Jun 18, 2023 - thomaskeller.com - 1A destination for fine French cuisine in the Napa Valley
1421UpvoteReact with Emoji0Jun 18, 2023 - quincerestaurant.com - 1Situated in San Francisco's historic Jackson Square, Lindsay and Chef Michael Tusk's celebrated Quince features Californian contemporary cuisine, serving a nightly tasting menu that highlights the best of Northern California's seasonal bounty and the restaurant's unique partnership with Fresh Run Farm.
141UpvoteReact with Emoji0Jun 19, 2023 - birdsongsf.com - 0Birdsong offers heritage cuisine inspired by the Pacific Northwest.
141UpvoteReact with Emoji0Jun 19, 2023 - cheztj.com - 1Chef Christopher Lemerand, a single tasting menu is offered, which weaves together classic French elements with contemporary flavors.
131UpvoteReact with Emoji0Jun 19, 2023 - aphoticrestaurant.com - 1Focused primarily on fish and local vegetables, diners can enjoy a seasonal curation of ingredients sourced from some of the top purveyors in the region.
131UpvoteReact with Emoji0Jul 20, 2023 - one65sf.com - 1Chef Claude Le Tohic at O'Farrell created a refined culinary concept based on water, fire, and earth elements, offering modern French cuisine with elegant and attentive service.
1311UpvoteReact with Emoji0Jun 18, 2023 - commisrestaurant.com - 1Open-kitchen experiments with unique ingredients to craft inspired New American fixed-price dinners. The only two-starred restaurant in the East Bay is chef James Syhabout’s minimalist tasting menu restaurant, Commis.
121UpvoteReact with Emoji0Jun 19, 2023 - kenzonapa.com - 1(日本語) In Downtown Napa. The True Essence of Excellence in Japanese Cuisine Arrives in Napa Valley this Fall as Highly acclaimed Chef
122UpvoteReact with Emoji0Jun 19, 2023 - lazybearsf.com - 1The best dining experiences are the ones in which we’re seated around a table sharing food and stories with others. We hope Lazy Bear is the best dinner party you’ve ever attended.
1211UpvoteReact with Emoji012Saison | SF
Jun 19, 2023 - saisonsf.com - 1Saison is an American restaurant located in San Francisco, California. Our menu is constantly evolving, yet always abides by a few simple constants.
121UpvoteReact with Emoji0Jun 27, 2023 - wakuriya.com - 1Wakuriya is a well-established restaurant that combines kaiseki tradition with a contemporary touch. Chef Katsuhiro Yamasaki, along with his wife, manages the dining room and creates a refined menu each month. The menu features unique courses like poached lobster with dashi gelée, soft-boiled Jidori egg, and fried kombu, as well as excellent sashimi courses like Alaskan black cod with fluffy turnip and shirako tofu with kabocha squash tempura.
122UpvoteReact with Emoji0Jul 20, 2023 - selbysrestaurant.com - 1This Hollywood-inspired restaurant boasts a sophisticated service team and a kitchen that excels at modern American cuisine. SMIP Ranch, their private farm, adds an extra boost to the menu. The menu includes dishes like fresh-baked Gruyère popovers, elegant vichyssoise, and Maine lobster vol-au-vent. Desserts include midnight chocolate cake and cinnamon-dusted crullers.
1211UpvoteReact with Emoji0Jul 20, 2023 - plumedhorse.com - 1The Plumed Horse restaurant offers elegant yet comfortable settings with upscale modern cooking. The duck consommé, topped with mushrooms and English pea flan, is visually impressive. Locally sourced abalone is finished with XO sauce for a pop of flavor. The black pepper-and-parmesan-soufflé with uni petal is a dive-right-in option. The almond cake with cocoa-nib mousse and orange foam is decadent.
111UpvoteReact with Emoji0Jul 20, 2023 - narisf.com - 0The Hotel Kabuki retreat offers a dramatic setting and accomplished cooking by Chef Pim Techamuanvivit. The dishes use Californian ingredients and a contemporary Thai lens, resulting in family-style dishes with a touch of refinement. Examples include brick red bumbai curry with crispy fried eggplant, yum sum-o with crisp shallots and peanuts, and grilled Monterey squid with sticky-sweet pork jowl.
101UpvoteReact with Emoji0Jun 18, 2023 - acquerello.com - 0High-end Italian cuisine & wines served in a converted chapel with vaulted, wood-beam ceilings.
92UpvoteReact with Emoji0Jun 18, 2023 - garydanko.com - 0Seventeen years after opening its doors. Restaurant Gary Danko continues to refine its award-winning combination of inventive dining and impeccable service.
92UpvoteReact with Emoji0Jun 18, 2023 - exploretock.com - 1Hidden inside a dark black building in San Francisco’s Mission district, Californios is a family owned and operated modern Mexican restaurant. The cuisine is a contemporary expression of Mexican cuisine, using the bountiful ingredients of the Bay Area.
91UpvoteReact with Emoji020Benu | SF
Jun 18, 2023 - benusf.com - 0We offer a tasting menu that features a wide variety of seafood and vegetables, a few meat courses, and some sweets. Please plan three hours for your dinner.
81UpvoteReact with Emoji0Jun 18, 2023 - singlethreadfarms.com - 1SingleThread Farm Restaurant Inn Healdsburg California. We offer an eleven-course tasting menu customized to our guests' dietary preferences and restrictions.
611UpvoteReact with Emoji0Jun 18, 2023 - thekitchenrestaurant.com - 1Like nothing you've ever experienced, The Kitchen prepares and serves a five-course prix fixe demonstration dinner menu right before your eyes, based on a monthly seasonal framework that features the best and freshest ingredients available daily, mostly procured locally and regionally. Dinner service also includes an interactive intermission featuring chefs’ tasting stations, as well as a fresh herb tea service and artisan coffee served with dessert. A Selland Family Restaurant
52UpvoteReact with Emoji0
HOW ARE MICHELIN STARS AWARDED?
Restaurants can receive one to three Michelin stars, and it’s important to remember that even one Michelin star is considered an honor. A one-star review is not meant to criticize a restaurant’s dishes, but rather to praise them.
The star ratings are defined as follows:
One star: The restaurant is considered very good in its category but is limited in some way. This restaurant has a quality menu and prepares cuisine to a consistently high standard, but it may lack a unique element that would bring people back over and over again.
Two stars: The restaurant has excellent cuisine delivered in a unique way. This restaurant has something exceptional to offer and is worth a detour to visit while traveling.
Three stars: The restaurant has exceptional cuisine and is worth a special trip just to visit. Rather than being a stop on the way to a destination, this restaurant is the destination. This restaurant serves distinct dishes that are executed to perfection.Michelin’s reviewers (called “inspectors”) are completely anonymous and must share a passion for food and an eye for detail. Inspectors are prohibited from speaking to journalists, and are encouraged to keep their line of work secret even from family members.
When an inspector visits a restaurant, he or she writes a comprehensive report about the dining experience, including factors such as the quality of the food, the presentation of the dishes and the mastery of culinary techniques (while ignoring elements such as décor, table setting and quality of service). The inspectors then come together to discuss the reviews and decide which restaurants should receive stars.