Is Los Angeles the culinary capital of the world
With Michelin Stars awarded to 26 Los Angeles restaurants, including 7 new Honourees, it is a fair question to ask.
The city celebrates the release of the 2022 edition of the MICHELIN Guide California with 26 Los Angeles restaurants awarded one or more MICHELIN Star and 56 Bib Gourmand recognitions, underscoring the city’s status as one of the world’s leading dining capitals.
Ten restaurants made their debut on the Bib Gourmand list and seven received their first MICHELIN Star. Los Angeles’s diverse array of cuisine types are reflected in the 2022 selection, including modern French at Camphor, Southern-inspired American at Hatchet Hall, contemporary fare at Manzke, and European-style Gwen. The awards were announced at California’s MICHELIN Star Revelation event earlier this week at Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.
“Los Angeles is truly a global dining capital and continues to captivate the imagination of the culinary world, offering world-class cuisine from our ever-evolving street food to fine dining in iconic settings,” said Adam Burke, President & CEO of the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board. “The many diverse flavors found throughout the City of Angels are a result of the unique fusion of cultures and traditions that call LA home. Our city is truly a melting pot of culinary creativity, and we are so pleased MICHELIN has recognised the city’s many talented chefs on a global stage.”
In the inspector-informed MICHELIN Guide selections, one MICHELIN Star signifies high quality cooking worth a stop, two Stars signify excellent cuisine worth a detour, and three Stars signify exceptional cuisine worth a special journey all its own. Across Los Angeles County, 21 restaurants were awarded one MICHELIN Star and five restaurants were awarded two, including female chef-led tasting concept n/naka and Omakase-style Hayato.
The city’s latest MICHELIN Star and Bib Gourmand recipients represent the next generation of culinary talent making their mark on Los Angeles. New chef talents are taking traditional, nostalgic flavors from their unique backgrounds, delivering them to diners with a contemporary spin, and producing impressive new flavors that have become emblematic of what is exciting about the Los Angeles dining scene. With these new MICHELIN Stars awarded to Los Angeles restaurants, the city continues reinforce its position as a celebrated dining destination on a competitive international stage.
The MICHELIN Guide inspectors also found ten new Los Angeles area restaurants worthy of the Bib Gourmand designation, which recognises exceptional food at a great value. Bib Gourmand restaurants offer a full menu comprising a starter, main course and dessert, making it possible to order two courses and a glass of wine or dessert for $49 USD (£39) or less (tax and gratuity not included). Los Angeles honorees include modern diner All Day Baby in Silver Lake, Oaxacan taco spot Chulita in Venice, and refugee and asylum seeker-fuelled kitchen Flavors from Afar in Little Ethiopia.
Celebrated Chef Nancy Silverton’s restaurants Chi Spacca and Osteria Mozza were awarded MICHELIN Green Stars, an annual recognition of restaurants at the forefront of sustainable practices. MICHELIN Green Starred restaurants hold themselves accountable for both their ethical and environmental standards, and work with sustainable producers and suppliers to avoid waste and reduce or even remove plastic and other non-recyclable materials from their supply chain.