Thirty-two Central Coast restaurants made the cut in the 2023 edition of the MICHELIN Guide — the century-old prestigious restaurant rating system coveted by chefs around the world.
Four of those 32 received a one-MICHELIN-star rating. (The star rating system only goes up to three.) There are 69 restaurants in California that have one-MICHELIN-star rating.
Editor's Note: View the full list at the bottom of this page.
Eight of the 32 are in SLO County, five of those in Paso Robles.
Twenty are in Santa Barbara County, with the City of Santa Barbara claiming the highest total with 12.
Two are in Big Sur in Monterey County and two are in Ojai in Ventura County.
Two of the 32 received a MICHELIN Green Star for sustainability, a designation that highlights restaurants at the forefront of the industry when it comes to their sustainable practices, according to the MICHELIN Guide website. Those two are The Restaurant at JUSTIN in Paso Robles and Caruso’s in Montecito.
Five restaurants on the Central Coast received the Bib Gourmand Award which highlights restaurants offering good quality eats at a good value.
For the past five years, MICHELIN has released a California-oriented guide called the MICHELIN Guide California. The fifth edition lists 614 restaurants across the state.
The 32 of the Central Coast represent roughly 5% of the state’s total MICHELIN restaurants.
California’s 614 is the most of any state.
The latest selections were revealed July 18 at the MICHELIN Guide Revelation at the Chabot Space & Science Center in Oakland.
The MICHELIN Guides judge restaurants based on the quality of the products, the mastery of flavor and cooking techniques, the personality of the chef in the cuisine, harmony of flavors and the consistency between visits, according to the organization’s website.
“California has always had a trendsetting dining scene, from our legendary chefs and cutting-edge restaurants to our abundance of local, fresh ingredients and a global flair reflective of our diverse culture,” Visit California President & CEO Caroline Beteta said in a statement announcing the awards. “The MICHELIN Guide California further shines a spotlight on this one-of-a-kind culinary culture and provides global recognition for each chef and restaurant included.
“From three-star restaurants to Bib Gourmands and the incredible Green Star restaurants leading in sustainable gastronomy, there is so much for visitors from around the world to experience, and taste, in the Golden State,” Beteta continued.
Full list
San Luis Obispo County
San Luis Obispo
Arroyo Grande
Paso Robles
- Six Test Kitchen (1 MICHELIN star)
- Les Petites Canailles
- The Hatch
- in bloom
- The Restaurant at JUSTIN (1 MICHELIN star; Green Star)
Santa Barbara County
Los Alamos
- Bell’s (1 MICHELIN star)
Los Olivos
Solvang
- peasants FEAST (Bib Gourmand)
- Coast Range
- First & Oak
Santa Barbara
- Yoichi’s
- Corazon Cocina (Bib Gourmand)
- Sama Sama Kitchen (Bib Gourmand)
- Barbareño
- Bibi Ji
- Los Agaves
- Loquita (Bib Gourmand)
- The Lark
- Blackbird
- The Stonehouse
- Bettina (Bib Gourmand)
- Sushi by Scratch Restaurants: Montecito
Montecito
Ventura County
Ojai
Monterey County
Big Sur
