New restaurants earn Michelin distinctions in Santa Monica, Melrose Hill, Sawtelle, and Beverlywood.
By Dolores Quintana
The Michelin Guide announced its restaurant selections for 2026 in San Diego on Wednesday night. Los Angeles restaurants were awarded Michelin stars, promoted with additional stars, and added to the Bib Gourmand List, and Seline, the restaurant whose chef, Dave “DC” Beran, recently won Best Chef: California from the James Beard Foundation, also won a distinction from the Michelin Guide.
Gwendal Poullennec, International Director of the Michelin Guide, said, “As one of our legacy destinations in the U.S., California helped set the standard for exceptional dining experiences worth traveling for. This year is no different as California continues to be a pace setter for the industry based on our Inspectors’ brilliant discoveries. A heartfelt congratulations to all of the chefs and restaurant teams represented in this year’s selection for another tremendous year of achievements, which is representative of both talent and inspiration.”
California’s New 2026 Bib Gourmand restaurants, which are awarded to restaurants that provide great food at reasonable prices :
Lapaba at 558 S. Western Ave., Los Angeles, California 90020
Little Fish, which is temporarily closed, at 1606 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, California 90026
Little Fish Melrose Hill at 5035 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, California 90038
Lugya’h by Ponchos Tlayudas at the Maydan Market at 4301 W Jefferson Blvd
Sonoratown 208 E. 8th Street, Los Angeles.
Michelin Young Chef Award Sponsored by OpenTable Anna Sonenshein and Niki Vahle Little Fish Melrose Hill
California’s 2026 MICHELIN-Starred restaurants:
Kato, in Los Angeles; Asian cuisine, has been promoted and awarded a second Michelin star. The Michelin Guide said of the restaurant: Chef Jonathan Yao has found a grand stage in this cool enclave of polished concrete in the Row DTLA. Here, he and his team have worked diligently to hone an inspired tasting menu, drawing deftly from his Taiwanese background and LA upbringing, threading a path between boldness with refinement. Gently cooked Mt. Lassen trout is bathed in a vibrant, complex fish broth bolstered with fermented Napa cabbage tingling spice, while crisp-skinned Peking-style duck breast is matched with a sesame ball filled with juicy confit and a rich jus flavored with citrusy magao pepper, at once comforting and excitingly original. Long forgotten are the BYOB days: the list now boasts an impressive wine list, enticing cocktails, and exceptional spirit-free creations.
The following restaurants have been awarded one Michelin star for 2026:
Corridor 109, Los Angeles; Asian Contemporary cuisine: The Michelin Guide said of the restaurant, “Good things come in small packages, especially at Corridor 109, an intimate 11-seat counter restaurant in Melrose Hill, where reservations are a must. Chef/owner Brian Baik honed his skills in New York before returning to Los Angeles. Tucked behind a door at their sister concept, Bar 109, Corridor 109 is focused on fish, largely sourced from Japan, with much of it served raw. The tasting menu shows great care and finesse, with balanced dishes displaying a level of restraint. Dishes to remember include Santa Barbara spiny lobster tartare in a kombu tartlet with a whitefish mousse and miso-marinated sawara cooked over charcoal. End with their only non-seafood item: Australian wagyu served over an oxtail jus and shiso.”
KOJIMA, Los Angeles, Sawtelle District; Japanese cuisine: The Michelin Guide said of the restaurant, “KOJIMA is truly a hidden gem, poised on the second story of a Sawtelle strip mall. The homey space seats a handful of diners at a counter wrapped around the open kitchen where Chef Hayato Kojima works wonders. There is no fixed or printed menu, however the warm staff explains every dish with enthusiasm. The menu changes daily, dictated by sourcing for peak freshness and quality, but could include dishes like fried longtooth grouper, or gently poached Japanese clam served over springy kudzu starch sōmen. Crispy grilled unagi is a delight, and a final savory course of rice accented with shirasu and dried shiso, served with miso soup and daikon pickles, is a thoroughly satisfying conclusion. Reservations are called for, as is a prompt arrival, since all guests are served together.”
Lielle, Los Angeles, Beverlywood District; Californian cuisine. The Michelin Guide said of the restaurant: “Some reservations feel like a victory, and scoring a table at Chef Marcus Jernmark’s white-hot Lielle is exactly that. Everyone is here for a taste of his Californian cuisine, where the concise product-focused tasting menu may be supplemented by the likes of agnolotti del plin with Gruyère cheese custard, black truffles, and beurre noisette. Jernmark’s cooking is precise and skillful yet far from fussy, as in aged shima aji crudo with cool, grilled sweet peas and cucumber brunoise or California squab grilled over pine and accompanied by a crisp salad dressed with a vinaigrette of miso made from the leftover house-baked bread.”
Miura, Beverly Hills; Sushi cuisine. The Michelin Guide said of the restaurant, “Miura ushers in a reinvention and a fresh start for an address long revered as a destination for outstanding sushi. Its second-floor perch set among the pedestrian-only Two Rodeo Drive shopping galleria is a soothing and serene room with a satin-smooth wood counter. One’s attention is squarely on the personable American-born Chef Derek Wilcox, who has trained extensively in Japan and worked in New York City. His attention to detail and level of refinement are evident throughout the omakase, as he grills snow crab over charcoal and lightly smokes wild bluefin tuna over rice straw. The nigiri is the highlight of the impressive multicourse experience, with a preponderance of product sourced from Japan, such as creamy cuttlefish from Kagoshima and needlefish from Miyagi.”
Seline, Santa Monica; Californian cuisine. The Michelin Guide said of the restaurant, “You might not expect to be served ice cream in the middle of savory courses, but at Chef Dave Beran’s Seline, surprises are the hallmark of a deeply personal meal. His ambitious tasting menu has high-concept underpinnings, meditating on themes like the progression of the seasons. A meal may begin with the likes of a miniature garden of edible succulents in a “soil” of caraway rye crumbs, dusted with a fine cauliflower snow. Black cod infused with wild bay laurel, paired with mussel cream and fennel, offers classic sophistication, while lamb loin with burnt strawberry jus and wild greens shows a playful edge, made even better with a house-made brioche brushed with pork fat. The chef’s signature Osetra caviar served atop toasted hazelnuts and a coffee anglaise is pure indulgence.”
