Lucien, a California-inspired tasting menu restaurant that opened last July in La Jolla, was crowned Wednesday night as San Diego’s newest Michelin-starred restaurant at the Michelin Guide’s 2026 California star awards ceremony in downtown San Diego.
A crowd of 400 chefs and restaurateurs packed the EVE event center on the Embarcadero, marking the first time San Diego has hosted the annual ceremony since California restaurants outside the Bay Area became eligible for Michelin recognition in 2019.
Lucien joins four other San Diego County Michelin-starred restaurants: three-starred Addison by William Bradley in Carmel Valley, one-starred sister restaurants Lilo and Jeune et Jolie in Carlsbad, and Soichi in North Park.
While it was exciting news for Lucien to add a new star to San Diego County’s galaxy of 43 Michelin-recognized restaurants, there was also disappointing news Wednesday night. Valle, a contemporary Mexican restaurant in downtown Oceanside that first earned a star in 2023, did not have its star renewed this year. It remains in the guide as a Michelin selection.
Elijah Arizmendi smiles as he receives his chef’s coat during the California Michelin awards ceremony at Eve on Wednesday, June 24, 2026 in San Diego, California. Arizmendi was awarded a Michelin star earlier in the evening. (Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Lucien restaurant is named after executive chef and partner Elijah Arizmendi’s 3-year-old son. Arizmendi co-owns the 30-seat restaurant with partners Brian Hung and Melissa Lang of Rancho Santa Fe. Before moving to San Diego two years ago, the Sacramento-raised Arizmendi spent much of his career cooking in Michelin-starred restaurants in New York City, working under celebrated chefs Thomas Keller (at Per Se), Daniel Boulud (Restaurant Daniel) and Günter Seeger (Günter Seeger).
In 2022, Arizmendi was serving as chef de cuisine under executive chef Mitsunobu Nagae at the French-Japanese restaurant l’Abeille in Manhattan’s Tribeca neighborhood when it earned a Michelin star just seven months after it opened. After that, Arizmendi felt he was ready to strike out on his own.
In an interview after the ceremony on Wednesday, Arizmendi said he felt extremely grateful to his mentors, his team at the restaurant and his business partners who believed in his vision. “It’s definitely a very special evening and a day I won’t forget.”
Arizmendi said his future plans are to continue evolving the restaurant, keep pushing for the highest standards, focus on finding and using the best ingredients San Diego has to offer and continue building his customer base, which he said has grown lately with the arrival of the summer season.
Expect the delicious and unexpected at Lucien restaurant in La Jolla
In selecting Lucien for a star, Michelin’s anonymous inspectors wrote of the restaurant:
“Chef Elijah Arizmendi cut his teeth in New York kitchens before returning home to open this sophisticated tasting menu concept on the third story of La Plaza La Jolla. Whether it’s California-raised Iberico pork or locally caught fish, the region’s bounty is celebrated on a menu that reflects French and Japanese influences. A meal could begin with canapes like tempura-fried sweet potato topped with caviar; yellowtail in a crispy nori tube; and a rose meringue with beets and green yogurt, before moving into impressive dishes like crisp-skinned ocean tilefish with petite fennel and pomegranate, or poussin with a chicken mousse and truffle stuffing. Desserts are creative, as in the cinnamon caramel-braised pineapple roasted over the live-fire hearth for hours.”
Savannah Riedler smiles after being awarded the Michelin Sommelier Award during the California Michelin awards ceremony at Eve on Wednesday, June 24, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Another big win for San Diego County on Wednesday was the announcement that Lilo restaurant’s wine director, Savannah Riedler, won the 2026 Michelin Sommelier Award for California. The San Diego native started her wine career locally at Vino Carta and Juniper & Ivy before moving to Los Angeles and San Francisco for several years. She moved back last year to join the opening team at Lilo.
“I’m beyond the moon,” Riedler said of the award. “I was born and raised here in San Diego and this is where I cut my teeth in hospitality and wine. To come full circle, I’m tearing up just thinking about it.”
One of the evening’s biggest surprises was the announcement that two more California restaurants have ascended to the rank of three Michelin stars. Now 10 of the 16 Michelin three-star restaurants in the United States are in California. The two new three-star honorees are Enclos in Sonoma and Californios in San Francisco. Californios is the first Mexican restaurant in the United States to earn three Michelin stars.
San Diego’s own culinary ambassador, chef-director William Bradley of three-star Addison by William Bradley, said last week that he believes California dominates the three-star ranks simply because it’s such a large and populous state with a great diversity of chefs and restaurants.
Michelin’s new lineup of three-star California chefs onstage during the California Michelin awards ceremony at Eve on Wednesday, June 24, 2026 in San Diego, California. Fourth from left is San Diego’s own William Bradley, chef-director of Addison by William Bradley in Carmel Valley. (Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Here are all 43 of the current Michelin Guide honorees in San Diego County:
Michelin starred: five
Stars honor outstanding cooking, based on the five criteria of ingredient quality, harmony of flavors, the mastery of culinary techniques, how the chef’s personality shines through their cuisine and consistency across the entire menu and over time. Restaurants can earn up to three stars. There are just 16 Michelin three-star restaurants in the U.S.
Addison by William Bradley, Carmel Valley – three stars
Jeune et Jolie, Carlsbad – one star
Lilo, Carlsbad – one star
Lucien, La Jolla – one star
Soichi, North Park – one star
Bib Gourmand: nine
A Bib Gourmand honors great cooking at great value — simple, skillful dishes that don’t compromise on quality.
Atelier Manna, Leucadia
Callie, East Village
Cesarina, Point Loma
Ciccia Osteria, Barrio Logan
Cucina Urbana, Bankers Hill
Dija Mara, Oceanside
Lola 55, East Village
Mabel’s Gone Fishing, North Park
Morning Glory, Little Italy
Selections: 29
This represents high-quality food.
Artifact at Mingei, Balboa Park
A.R. Valentien, La Jolla
Born & Raised, Little Italy
Catania, La Jolla
Campfire, Carlsbad
Coasterra, Harbor Island
Cloak & Petal, Little Italy
Craft & Commerce, Little Italy
The Fishery, Pacific Beach
Fort Oak, Mission Hills
Great Maple, Hillcrest
Herb & Wood, Little Italy
Hidden Fish, Convoy District
Himitsu, La Jolla
Juniper & Ivy, Little Italy
Kingfisher, Golden Hill
Market Restaurant + Bar, Del Mar
Menya Ultra, Convoy District
Nine-Ten, La Jolla
Paradisaea, Bird Rock, La Jolla
Siamo Napoli, North Park
Seréa Coastal Cuisine, Coronado
Solare, Liberty Station
Sushi Tadokoro, Old Town
Tanner’s Prime Burgers, Oceanside
Trust, Hillcrest
24 Suns, Oceanside
Sovereign, East Village
Valle, Oceanside
For the complete list of all California Michelin Guide honorees, visit guide.michelin.com/us/en/california/restaurants.