The year of Michelin honors is officially under way.
The dining world’s prestigious Michelin Guide on Wednesday named 12 restaurants in the Bay Area and Southern California as “new discoveries” — a prelude to the release later this year of the guide’s California stars.
These “culinary gems” include Yeobo, Darling in Menlo Park, the newest restaurant from the noted husband-and-wife culinary team of Michael and Meicheh Kim. They were the chefs at Palo Alto’s Michelin-starred Maum, a high-end Korean restaurant.
“These establishments are highlighted as “New” on guide.michelin.com to help food lovers enjoy new discoveries before the annual announcement of Bib Gourmands and Stars,” the guide said in a statement.
Michelin highlighted “new discoveries” for the first time in the summer of 2021, and has done so every year since. Of the 12 finds on this list — which could be the first of many early discoveries for 2026 — four are in San Francisco, one is in Menlo Park, one is in Santa Barbara County and six are in the Los Angeles area. On guide.michelin.com, these establishments are listed as “New.”
Will the praise for these restaurants be elevated to Michelin stars when the guide is released later this year? Or become Bib Gourmand honors, the Michelin awards given to restaurants that offer “excellent food at reasonable prices” to diners? It’s a wait-and-see situation for these chefs.
Here is the list of new discoveries. Come back to read dining notes from the Michelin inspectors:
Menlo Park: Yeobo, Darling
San Francisco: Dingles Public House, La Cigale, Naides, Wolfsbane
Montecito: Little Mountain
Los Angeles: Corridor 109, Firstborn, Lapaba, Little Fish Melrose Hill, Lugya’h, Zira Uzbek Kitchen