Michelin Stars Awarded to Central Coast Chefs

That’s right! Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties are the most recent additions to the revered Michelin Guide California with newly rated restaurants. There are 3 restaurants on the Central Coast who were awarded 1 Michelin star, making them all the very first to get any stars. There are also new ratings of the Bib Gourmand distinction and restaurants listed in the guide, making a total of 27 Michelin approved restaurants in SLO & SB Counties.

Ratings Explained

• Three MICHELIN Stars: Exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey!
• Two MICHELIN Stars: Excellent cooking, worth a detour!
• One MICHELIN Star: High quality cooking, worth a stop!
• Bib Gourmand: good quality, good value cooking
• Listed/recommended · fresh ingredients, carefully prepared: a good meal

San Luis Obispo County Michelin Ratings

San Luis Obispo’s first Michelin star restaurant is Six Test Kitchen in Paso Robles. Read all about it at this link.

There are also 7 listed restaurants, which make the total of Michelin-approved dining destinations at 8 in SLO County. The additional named restaurants are below.

Paso Robles:

• Restaurant at Justin Winery
• The Hatch
• in bloom
• Les Petites Canailles

San Luis Obispo & Arroyo Grande:

• Nate’s on Marsh
• Ox + Anchor
• Ember

Santa Barbara County Michelin Ratings

Santa Barbara’s first Michelin star restaurants are Bell’s in Los Alamos and Sushi | Bar Montecito. (Read all about Bell’s and get their recipe for Moules Frites.)

There were also 3 restaurants added with the Bib Gourmand distinction, for a total of 5:

• Bettina Pizzeria
• Corazon Cocina
• Loquita
• Mesa Verde (Read about Mesa Verde, get their Spring Pea Salad recipe).
• Sama Sama Kitchen

The additional named restaurants are below.

Santa Ynez Valley:

• Bar Le Côte in Los Olivos
• First & Oak in Solvang (read about First & Oak, and get their Braised Short Rib with Oyster Mushroom recipe)
• peasants FEAST in Solvang (read about peasants FEAST and get their Buttered Popcorn Ice Cream recipe.

Santa Barbara Area:

• AMA Sushi, Rosewood Miramar Resort (Montecito)
• Barbareño (get their Hive & Honey Coconut Panna Cotta recipe)
• Bibi Ji (get their Chicken Tikka recipe)
• Blackbird at Hotel Californian
• Caruso’s, Rosewood Miramar Resort (Montecito)
• The Lark
• Los Agaves
• Stonehouse at the San Ysidro Ranch (get their Classic Lemon Tart recipe)
• Yoichi’s

Add these up with all the additional named restaurants, and Santa Barbara County has a total of 19 Michelin approved restaurants.

Congratulations to all 19 restaurants mentioned in this year’s Michelin Guide California!