New inclusion brings outside customers<\/p>\n
Majka Pizzeria<\/a> learned firsthand what a Michelin mention can do for a restaurant. Walk into the Midtown eatery in Sacramento most nights now and the room is packed, dishes moving fast between a small open kitchen and a dining room that barely seats more than a few dozen people.<\/p>\n Co-owner Alex Sherry has watched the energy shift since Michelin took notice, estimating roughly a 20% increase in traffic since the recognition.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were already getting busier with our expanded small plates and pasta menu, and then when we were recognized by Michelin it put that momentum into overdrive,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n New customers are driving in from outside the city. Some are coming from outside the region just to eat there. But Sherry said the attention hasn\u2019t changed how Majka actually cooks.<\/p>\n \u201cWe source the very best ingredients we can find, cook them well, treat them with respect, and try not to over complicate anything,\u201d he said. \u201cNow with the recognition, it is important that we stick to our principles and continue to provide this type of food even with the increased traffic.\u201d<\/p>\n Asked about Michelin\u2019s impact on Pho Momma<\/a>, co-owner My Le pointed to the crowds. After the restaurant earned a Bib Gourmand designation, given to restaurants that serve excellent food at moderate prices, she saw waits stretching past half an hour most nights.<\/p>\n \u201cSo many new faces, friends and families are gathering here to try our food,\u201d Le said. \u201cThe best part about the waves of new customers was all the appreciation for food they\u2019ve never had or tried before.\u201d<\/p>\n With only 12 tables, Pho Momma was already running at 80-90% capacity before the recognition, leaving little room to grow in covers. The rush filled in the midday gap instead, with customers waiting 90 minutes or more and stretching service deep into the afternoon, pushing sales up roughly 30% on those days.<\/p>\n The pressure showed up too. \u201cOnce being recognized as a Michelin restaurant, the standards have to stay consistent and high,\u201d Le said. \u201cEveryone is watching and critiquing all the time.\u201d Pho Momma\u2019s menu prices have held steady since the award, resisting customers who\u2019ve said Le should charge more.<\/p>\n Recognition given, then rescinded<\/p>\n Frank Fat\u2019s<\/a> and Mulvaney\u2019s B&L<\/a> were both previously Michelin recommended, a tier below Bib Gourmand and two below starred restaurants, and neither was included in the 2025 guide.<\/p>\n Frank Fat\u2019s has been a fixture in Downtown Sacramento since 1939, and Kevin Fat, the founder\u2019s grandson and now CEO of the Fat Family Restaurant Group, isn\u2019t especially bothered that the restaurant isn\u2019t currently on the list.<\/p>\n What he notices instead is who\u2019s coming through the door. Multigenerational regulars are still showing up, he said, but now they\u2019re bringing their kids and grandkids along too.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re getting a very different crowd in these days,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re more diverse as far as agewise. We\u2019re getting a lot of younger generations.\u201d<\/p>\n Fat sees Michelin\u2019s larger value less in what it\u2019s done for his own restaurant and more in what it\u2019s done for Sacramento as a whole. \u201cThe benefit of having Michelin come in is really putting Sacramento on the map, on a global stage,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have great talent here. We\u2019ve got great food here. We have diversity here as far as cuisine.\u201d<\/p>\n Patrick Mulvaney has spent decades as one of Sacramento\u2019s most visible advocates for the Farm-to-Fork movement, and he co-founded Mulvaney\u2019s B&L in 2006, years before the restaurant earned its own spot on the Michelin list.<\/p>\n Asked about the restaurant\u2019s Michelin status at last year\u2019s Tower Bridge Dinner, Mulvaney said it hasn\u2019t changed much either way. \u201cIt hasn\u2019t made that much difference for us since. The original recognition probably didn\u2019t help that much either.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey choose who they choose, and that\u2019s fine,\u201d he said. \u201cBut look at how much more there is to choose from in Sacramento now. We used to be just Applebee\u2019s, and look at where we are today.\u201d<\/p>\n A benefit to Sacramento at large<\/p>\n Of the Sacramento region\u2019s 15 Michelin-recognized restaurants, just two have stars: The Kitchen<\/a> and Localis<\/a>. While chef Kelly McCown of The Kitchen said he appreciated Michelin\u2019s recognition, he also noted that the fine dining restaurant has been a Sacramento draw since 1991, long before the guide came to town.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Kitchen restaurant is proud to be able to serve our community for the last 35 years,\u201d McCown wrote in an email. \u201cWe are extremely proud of our team and we are honored to be recognized in the California Michelin Guide and look forward to being a part of the rich culinary community of the Sacramento region.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Pasta\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Pasta-scaled-e1782182107916-1024x578.jpg\")
Pasta dish at Majka Pizzeria. (Alex Sherry)<\/p>\n![\"Pho\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/PhoMamma3-1024x645.jpg.webp\")
Dishes from Pho Momma in Sacramento. (My Le)<\/p>\n![\"Inside](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/P1024308-scaled-e1760213549828-1024x577.jpg.webp\")
Inside Frank Fat\u2019s at 806 L St. in Sacramento. (Shelley Ho)<\/p>\n![\"storefront\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/DSC04379-1024x576.jpg.webp\")
The Kitchen Restaurant on June 22, 2026. (Tyler Bastine)<\/p>\n