The dining world’s prestigious Michelin Guide on Wednesday named 13 more restaurants in California as “new discoveries” — a prelude to the release of its 2025 guide for the golden state. The additions come two months month after 15 restaurants in the state were honored as new finds.
These latest “culinary gems” include a Palo Alto chef’s culinary homage to his grandmother, a Cal-Indian dining palace in Menlo Park, a Korean standout in San Francisco’s Tenderloin and three restaurants in Sacramento, where the Michelin ceremony will be held June 25.
Michelin highlighted “new discoveries” for the first time in the summer of 2021 to generate year-round interest in Michelin-quality dining, and has done so every year since. Of the 13 finds on this list, six are in Northern California and seven in Southern California.
Will the praise for these restaurants, which are listed as “new additions” on the guide’s website, be elevated to Michelin stars? 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, along with edited versions of the dining notes from the Michelin inspectors:
BAY AREA
Ethel’s Fancy, Palo Alto: “Honoring the shared name of his mother and grandmother, chef/owner Scott Nishiyama has taken off his fine-dining toque to don more casual garb at this Palo Alto charmer, and thankfully he hasn’t missed a stitch. Appropriately, the space has a rustic-meets-elegant vibe, mirrored in eclectic, down-to-earth Californian cuisine that showcases peak-season ingredients prepared with care and refinement. A small menu, geared towards sharing, exemplifies this creative ethos with dishes like a beautifully fried “katsu-style” cutlet of swordfish matched with spiced kumquats and tangy dijonnaise. Intriguing desserts like a hojicha tapioca pudding topped with a rice cracker bark are hard to resist, and the friendly, professional service sweetens the pot even further.”
Eylan, Menlo Park: “Chef Srijith Gopinathan has struck gold once again with this swanky Menlo Park sensation, drawing in crowds with his inventive blend of regional Indian cuisine with a fresh Californian twist. To illustrate this singular approach, take a flaky, paratha-like flatbread filled with Dungeness crab and paired with a rich, complex sauce featuring fennel, poppy seeds, and mint. Wood-fired grills add an additional layer of interest, providing a robust char to the likes of lemon-grass scented gulf shrimp, chili-glazed celeriac and pineapple kebabs, and whole sea bream, as well as lending a subtle smoke to sauces. The compelling balance of flavors makes each dish stand on its own, but an assortment of carefully chosen wines and clever cocktails certainly doesn’t hurt matters.”
SAN FRANCISCO
Sungho, San Francisco: “Devotees of Korean cuisine will be gratified to find this refuge within the Tenderloin, which highlights a number of homey dishes seldom found in Bay Area. The chef drew inspiration from the memory of his grandmother’s kitchen for a collection of hearty slow-simmered meat stews, including a gukbap that boasts fall-off-the-bone pork and tender rice. Similarly comforting is the kalguksu, a mild soup featuring hand-cut noodles made with rich galbitang beef broth. The generous portions are meant for sharing, including in the case of the jeon, crisp savory pancakes studded with seafood or kimchi, or yangnyeom-gejang, a spicy dish of raw marinated crab for bolder tastes. Excellent house-made kimchi, friendly service, and a lively K-pop playlist seal the deal.
SACRAMENTO
Kin Thai, Sacramento: “Sisters and co-owners Napis Lindley and Napak Kongsitthanakor have brought the vibrant, punchy flavors of Thai street food to this modern converted warehouse space in Midtown. The menu spans a wide array of regional specialties, running the gamut of flavors from sweet and sour to funky and hot—and diners seeking heat will get their wish with a request of “Thai spicy.” Approachable favorites like pad Thai (served wrapped in a thin egg crepe) and flaky potato-filled curry puffs share space with lesser-known delicacies like clay-pot shrimp and Isaan sausage. Sweets like mango sticky rice and roti with condensed milk hit their marks, but a Thai tea slushy (topped with brown sugar boba or grass jelly) is especially worthwhile.”
Majka, Sacramento: “Husband-and-wife team Alex Sherry and Chutharat Sae Tong are the driving force behind this charming neighborhood spot, which has risen to the forefront of the Sacramento pizza scene, thanks to excellent ingredient-driven pies with naturally leavened crusts. The standout offering is an ever-changing daily creation highlighting seasonal toppings — as in the inspired combination of white asparagus, English peas, and ramps with peppery pecorino Calcagno. Better yet, Friday and Saturday evenings come with specials like lemony Ora king salmon crudo, crisp-skinned roast chicken and skillfully made agnolotti with a silky filling of fava beans and mint. An exceptional assortment of natural wines (notably, grower Champagnes) further gilds the lily.”
Pho Mamma, Sacramento: “It may not look like much from the outside, but there’s a reason that pho lovers flock to this unassuming strip-mall operation. The staff and ambience do offer an above-average level of charm, but it’s the cooking, made with apparent care and high-quality ingredients, that really sets it apart. Naturally, pho is the main event here, offered in a variety of sizes and featuring either chicken or beef broth, both long-simmered and deeply flavorful, to be decked out with accompaniments ranging from tender meats to house-made pork wontons. Fried crab and cream cheese wontons are also offered as appetizers, though diners are better steered towards fresh spring rolls, like a signature offering filled with crispy pork sausage and served with a tangy peanut dipping sauce.”