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Assorted fish crudo dishes at Heritage Farm in Long Beach
Photograph: Courtesy Sterling ReedHeritage

All 24 of L.A.’s Michelin star restaurants, updated for 2024

Starstruck? Get the rundown on L.A.’s newest Michelin star restaurants in our handy au courant guide.

Patricia Kelly Yeo
Written by
Patricia Kelly Yeo
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Let’s be real: Could a French tire company really encapsulate what good dining in Los Angeles entails? Apparently, they’re still going to try. After taking a yearlong hiatus in 2020, the largely Eurocentric international guide has released its third post-pandemic guide for California, and thus the City of Angels. In 2023, Michelin has yanked a star from Culver City’s Hatchet Hall (just seven months after awarding it) and Minh Phan’s now-closed Phenakite tasting pop-up. With all its picks this year in the three dollar sign range and above, the nearly century-old Big Red Book is proving to us all that while age is just a number, culinary elitism is timeless.  

For those blissfully unaware of what the Michelin Guide is, here’s how it all goes down: The star ratings, while not universally celebrated, are considered the most prestigious award any restaurant could ever receive. One star denotes “a very good restaurant,” two signifies “excellent cooking that is worth a detour” and three stars, most coveted of all, translates to “exceptional cuisine that is worth a special journey.” A newer Bib Gourmand category, added to their 2019 guide to California, also recognizes more affordable spots, with four new L.A. area additions in 2023.

To determine these ratings, the guide’s anonymous inspectors visit and judge restaurants according to quality, atmosphere, service and even nominal details, such as how far apart the tables are spaced. With a clear bias towards fine dining and blatant roots in a culture of Western imperialism, the Michelin Guide is just one measure of excellence in food and hospitality among many—particularly in a city as rich in amazing street food and multicultural cuisine such as L.A.

However, if you still have (French multinational tire brand) stars in your eyes, look no further: We’ve updated our list of the city’s Michelin-starred restaurants for 2024. Of note: L.A. has zero three-star spots, the highest award the guide confers, though you can drive down to Addison in San Diego if you’re interested in that sort of thing.

March update: We've updated our guide to reflect the closure of Manzke, and fact-checked all current tasting menu prices. 

Two Stars

  • Restaurants
  • Japanese
  • Downtown Arts District
  • price 4 of 4

Year first granted: 2021 (one star in 2019)

Despite being in a city with its fair share of haute Japanese cuisine, there's something special happening at Hayato. Tucked behind traditional noren that hang over the door, chef-owner Brandon Go prepares a multicourse, traditional kaiseki dinner ($350 per person) every night of service. The space is intimate, the ceramics are handcrafted and imported from Japan, and Go’s precision and technique come by way of training under Michelin-starred Japanese chefs. Artful simplicity is the name of Go’s kaiseki game, by way of dishes like steamed abalone with an unctuous liver sauce, an owan course of delicate crab meatball soup, and fresh fruit coated in a salted sake jelly. Note: These stunningly artful kaiseki dinners typically fill up a month in advance after going live on Tock on the first of every month, so plan ahead.

  • Restaurants
  • French
  • Santa Monica
  • price 4 of 4

Year first granted: 2008 (previous Michelin iteration), then again in 2021

Over a decade after its first starred recognition by the guide, Josiah Citrin’s Santa Monica fine dining stalwart is back to two-star status after being rebuffed in 2019 and undergoing a pre-pandemic pivot away from an ultra-formal white tablecloth experience. Now seating only 14 diners at a time in a hidden alcove within the more casual (but still upscale) Citrin, Mélisse continues to deliver one of the city’s best—and most expensive— tasting menus ($400), with luxurious, detail-oriented dishes like caviar in chawanmushi topped with imported Hokkaido uni and a rich chestnut soup with even more decadent truffle foam.

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  • Restaurants
  • Japanese
  • Palms
  • price 4 of 4
Year first granted: 2019

Netflix’s first season of Chef’s Table (2018) may have shone a national spotlight on n/naka, but the Palms restaurant—which opened in 2011—has long been front and center in the L.A. food world. Chef-owner Niki Nakayama is a former protégé of the legendary Morihiro Onodera, whose current and former sushi bars are also on this list. Unlike her omakase-specialized mentor, Nakayama focuses on kaiseki: a classical style of Japanese cooking that dictates a specific progression of tastes, textures and temperatures while incorporating seasonal ingredients. Both running 13 courses, the chef’s $310 modern kaiseki and vegetarian tasting menus change regularly, but there’s always something to delight in: a glass filled with sea urchin and lobster in a bath of chilled dashi, maybe, or a seared diver-harvested scallop cuddled next to a warm okra pod.

  • Restaurants
  • Seafood
  • Hollywood
  • price 4 of 4
Year first granted: 2008 (previous Michelin iteration)

For serving a city next to the Pacific, Michael Cimarusti’s fine-dining experience ($295) somehow still manages to surprise and reinterpret seafood. His mostly-aquatic menu deftly showcases the bounty of the West Coast, as well as the globe: Big Island abalone, Santa Barbara spot prawns and steelhead trout from the Quinault River in Washington are among the varied choices, though the menus change seasonally. An L.A. fine dining institution, Providence carries all the hallmarks of a modern white tablecloth experience: top-notch service, delicate amuse-bouches and excellent pastry and other housemade sweets. In 2023, the spot also earned also earned a Green Star, a newer designation recognizing industry-leading sustainability practices.

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  • Restaurants
  • West Hollywood
  • price 4 of 4
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Year first granted: 2019 

At this point, Edomae-style sushi isn't particularly hard to come by, but you'd be hard pressed to find it at the same level of renown as this West Hollywood sushi bar named for (and originating from) the most exclusive neighborhood in Tokyo. The $400 nigiri-forward omakase—the most expensive per head in Los Angeles—climbs past 20 courses, each bite focused on incredibly high-quality fish that's been brushed with soy, lightly tempura-battered or served in a pool of ponzu. Located next to the popular combination nightlife spot E.P. & L.P., you'll be whisked worlds away from the drunken superficiality just outside Ginza's doors.

One Star

  • Restaurants
  • Japanese
  • Downtown Arts District
  • price 4 of 4

Year first awarded: 2022

715's Seigo Tamura has sushi in his blood. The Osaka-born chef's grandfather owned a restaurant in their native Sakai City, where Tamura watched him hone his craft as a child. At this high-end Arts District sushi bar, Tamura and his younger brother offer an ever-changing 20-course menu of Edomae-style nigiri and kaiseki dishes, sourcing all seafood from Japan and dry-aging several types in-house. Clocking in at $350 before tax and tip, the omakase experience here doesn't come cheap, but the little details, like Tamura's blend of Hitomebore and Koshihikari rice, and 715's laidback atmosphere make for one of the city's best new high-end sushi meals.

  • Restaurants
  • French
  • Downtown Arts District
  • price 3 of 4

Year first awarded: 2022

At Camphor, light-as-a-cloud French cuisine feels more than apt within the restaurant’s airy white and blue dining room, where old-school touches and a featherweight culinary approach combine in a stunning blend of elegant, yet nontraditional, fine dining. Inside the former Nightshade space, Alain Ducasse veterans Max Boonthanakit and Lijo George offer what looks like the usual French bill of fare, albeit with subtle nods to Asian cuisine. A delicate amuse bouche pays homage to the South Asian street snack pani puri, while the gunpowder anchovies call to mind the tiny, salty fried fish favored in the Philippines and South Korea. Phenomenal desserts round out the Camphor experience, whether you're digging into a vanilla ice cream-topped bread pudding or breaking the kiwi trompe l'oeil atop a delicate, refreshing glacée.

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  • Restaurants
  • Contemporary American
  • Santa Monica
  • price 3 of 4

Year first awarded: 2022

When Josiah Citrin reimagined his Michelin-starred Santa Monica fine dining menu, he carved out space for another, slightly more casual affair. At his eponymous eatery, you'll find comforting but wholly gourmet takes on classics we could eat every night: pitch-perfect roast chicken coated in garlic and breadcrumbs; refreshing oysters under sorrel and cucumber; and, of course, Josiah Citrin's cult-classic lobster bolognese under truffle foam.

  • Restaurants
  • Italian
  • Beverly Hills
  • price 4 of 4

Year first granted: 2021

At the intersection of fine dining and fashion lies Beverly Hills’ Gucci Osteria, a shiny new Italian restaurant created with guidance from world-famous chef Massimo Bottura, who runs the original in Florence (which also has a Michelin star). Sitting above Rodeo Drive, with a view of the shoppers and luxury cars down below, a meal here by head chef Mattia Agazzi is the epitome of opulence and excess. Whether you’re partaking in the $195 or $285 tasting menu, expect what Michelin calls a "whimsical and grounded" take on modern Italian cuisine. Incorporating uniquely California ingredients like Santa Barbara uni and Monterey seaweed, Agazzi's food combines with a beautifully designed indoor-outdoor dining room to produce an opulent, over-the-top experience fit for Rodeo Drive. 
 

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  • Restaurants
  • American
  • Hollywood
  • price 3 of 4

Year first awarded: 2022

The meat-oriented sibling to Beverly Hills' Maude (also on this list), Gwen greets you with a butcher case as soon as you open the door, tempting you with coils of lamb sausage or hefty cuts of steak to take home. But not everyone is a wiz when it comes to cooking their own meat, which is why celebrity chef Curtis Stone's evening restaurant component is always worth a visit. The glitzy dining room, where chandeliers dangle above, also features an open kitchen for an entirely elegant, modern steakhouse experience.

  • Restaurants
  • Californian
  • Long Beach
  • price 3 of 4

First awarded: 2023

Run by siblings Philip and Lauren Pretty, Heritage serves a classically Californian tasting menu ($120) from a converted Craftsman bungalow in Long Beach’s Rose Park. High-quality seasonal ingredients, including produce sourced from Heritage’s namesake urban farm, sets the restaurant apart, as does memorable dishes like six-hour-smoked pork belly, pavlova with parsnip pastry cream and preserved kumquats paired with roasted beets.

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  • Restaurants
  • Californian
  • Central LA
  • price 3 of 4
Year first granted: 2019

Formerly known as the supper club pop-up Kali Dining, chefs Kevin Meehan and Drew Langley turned their sporadic dining experience into a neighborhood brick-and-mortar in Larchmont Village, offering fresh and simple Californian cuisine in a casual setting. Made exclusively with locally sourced ingredients, the $140 tasting menu ranges from dishes like prawn crudo and olives and nasturtium for a light appetizer, to more hearty protein plates such as beef tenderloin with onion and fingerling potatoes. The seasonality extends to the à la carte options, too, both at lunch and dinner. An equally extensive beverage menu is available, with global wines, inspired cocktails, a selection of craft beer and even Meehan’s house-made kombucha.

  • Restaurants
  • Japanese
  • Little Tokyo
  • price 4 of 4

Year first granted: 2022

For all the warm sushi rice and dragon rolls, L.A. boasts plenty of excellent Edomae-style sushi bar, with perhaps no better example than this relative newcomer hidden away in the basement of a Little Tokyo office building. Run by veteran sushi chef Yoshiyuki Inoue, Sushi Kaneyoshi tops out in luxury, refinement and overall wow factor. The exact seafood used in Kaneyoshi’s approximately 20 courses changes seasonally, but diners are likely to dig into a delicate Hokkaido crab chawanmushi, along with one of the city’s best preparations of ankimo (monkfish liver) and nodoguro (blackthroat sea perch) for the cool price of $300 per person. A word of warning: Tock reservations here are tough to snag, but the eventual outcome is well worth the time and effort.

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  • Restaurants
  • Taiwanese
  • Downtown Arts District
Year first granted: 2019

With each passing year, Jon Yao's tasting menu reaches new heights. The lauded self-taught chef—and native Angeleno—blends his Taiwanese and San Gabriel Valley roots to create a tasting menu that’s something new entirely: Asian-inflected fine dining that’s almost too pretty to eat. (We said almost.) Now firmly ensconed in a larger, sleeker space at ROW DTLA, Yao's former strip mall restaurant has evolved to a new—and much more expensive—level. Expect the city's best milk bread and artful, refined takes on Asian classics like Taiwanese beef noodle soup in a tasting experience ($275 per guest) that just might strike a chord of nostalgia. 

  • Restaurants
  • Contemporary European
  • Beverly Hills
  • price 4 of 4
Year first awarded: 2019

Beverly Hills is full of high-profile restaurants perfect for an expense-account or date-night splurge, but one of the finest and most memorable is Curtis Stone's ambitious temple to the tasting menu. Maude first gained buzz for its ingredient-driven concept but the restaurant's since flipped to a newer, more seasonal format. As of 2022, new chef de cuisine Osiel Gastelum is on hand to oversee delicate, thoughtful and intricate courses  inspired by Stone's travels and California's eternally seasonal meat, seafood and produce. For $215 per person, expect dishes that range from reverent to cheeky: You might be sampling traditional house-made boudin on one menu, and potato chips with Aussie beer at another. 
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  • Restaurants
  • Japanese
  • Atwater Village

Year first granted: 2021

This omakase-only Michelin-starred sushi bar in Atwater Village is the latest eponymous venture of esteemed local chef Morihiro Onodera, whose previous time at Mori Sushi on Pico Boulevard also helped propel the latter toward one star in 2019. With nearly four decades of experience and full control over every aspect of the sushi-making process at Morihiro, Onodera’s legendary craftwork shines at this tiny space—which has just six seats at the counter and a handful of tables. With a sushi bar omakase that tops out at $400 per person (and a $250 experience at tables), this isn't your everyday sushi meal, but the serene ambience, artisanry and diverse array of fish make a meal at Morihiro absolutely unforgettable.

  • Restaurants
  • Japanese
  • Beverly Hills
  • price 4 of 4
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Year first granted: 2019

The crown jewel of Jerry Greenberg's Sugarfish empire, Nozawa Bar bears the family name of Kazunori Nozawa, the sushi chef whose Studio City restaurant started it all. Tucked inside the Beverly Hills Sugarfish, the chef has resurrected his L.A. institution with the same elements: impeccably fresh fish served on warm, loosely packed rice. By omakase standards, the $225 per head price here is a steal, with generous cuts of fish and nigiri graced by prodigious amounts of salmon roe and uni. The decadence continues with hand rolls, enormous rectangles of tamago, and rich monkfish liver dressed with miso. The only catch? There are merely 10 seats at this 20-plus course experience, so you need to make a reservation—and also get there on time. Much like in the Studio City original, tardiness is a huge no-no.

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  • Restaurants
  • Contemporary Asian
  • Downtown Historic Core
  • price 3 of 4
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Year first granted: 2019

The pandemic may have shrunk chef Josef Centeno's Downtown  restaurant empire, but his Italian-Japanese concept Orsa & Winston, has survived the worst crisis the restaurant industry has seen in living history and kept its Michelin star to boot. On the Fourth Street restaurant's $125 tasting menu, expect hyper-creative, genre-bending dishes like scallops and uni in a flower-dotted rice porridgr or tempura-like fried shiso leaf under abalone. Across every dish, you'll find lots of L.A. love, global inflection and a deep understanding of balance that make every meal here enjoyable. Even factoring in the 20% mandatory service charge (tip not included), it's still one of the less eye-poppingly expensive fine experiences around town.

  • Restaurants
  • Italian
  • Hancock Park
  • price 3 of 4
Year first granted: 2008 (previous Michelin iteration)

Since opening its doors in 2007, Nancy Silverton’s Melrose-and-Highland Italian bistro has grown into a multiplex that spans a pizzeria, a to-go counter, a steakhouse and a tiny corner retail shop. The fine-dining star, Osteria, continues to pack tables and churn out some of the city’s best Italian food (and an encyclopedic wine list), not to mention the mozzarella bar showcasing the handcrafted varieties of specialty cheese. Load up on antipasti to share, then pace yourself through courses of handmade pastas and rustic, meat-heavy main plates, cooked to perfection in the wood-burning oven. Don’t even think about skipping dessert, which always includes at least a few rotating flavors of the chef’s famous “Nancy’s Fancy” gelato and sorbet.
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  • Restaurants
  • Italian
  • Encino
  • price 3 of 4

After a decade and a half of hard work, Valley native chef Phillip Frankland Lee and co-owner, pastry chef and wife Margarita Kallas-Lee have finally achieved their Michelin star dreams twice over, if one includes the star given to their other restaurant, Santa Barbara’s Sushi | Bar Montecito. At Encino’s Pasta | Bar, a multi-course $225 Italian-inspired tasting menu with locally sourced Californian meat, seafood and produce showcases the best the state has to offer, from a Michelin-commended lobster sauce cavatelli pasta with spring peas to a recent fig and bergamot semifreddo dessert.

  • Restaurants
  • Japanese
  • Downtown Financial District
  • price 4 of 4
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A post shared by Q DTLA (@qdtla)

Year first granted: 2019

From the moment you enter Q's doors, refinement is all you can hear, see, and taste. Classical music drifts through the elegant space, a formal dining room with a handful of tables and the center of the action—a 10-seat sushi bar where Hiroyuki Naruke, quietly steals the spotlight. The focus here is Edomae sushi, a style that highlights vinegar-seasoned rice and high-quality, fresh cuts of fish; just note the portions here are smaller than other omakase spots we've tried around town. At $300 per person for dinner and $150 at lunch, you still might leave hungry, but that hasn't stopped plenty of people from stopping in for a (literal) taste of Naruke's artisanry.

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  • Restaurants
  • Japanese
  • Downtown
  • price 3 of 4
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Year first granted: 2019

Most dishes require extreme, almost obsessive effort at Shibumi, a kappo-style Japanese restaurant by chef David Schlosser—the only one of its kind in the city. This sort of Japanese tasting menu might serve bites of prawn ripened and fermented—for months—in their own juices, or slow-smoked salmon that cooks over cherry bark. In an almost-hidden dining room in DTLA, Schlosser grinds nubs of fresh wasabi and steams pork jowl with California-grown rice in a heavy iron pot, and experiments and waits, patiently, to create some of the most intricate flavors that can take weeks to develop. These days, Schlosser only offers an omakase, which starts at $125 per guest.

  • Restaurants
  • Japanese
  • Encino
  • price 4 of 4
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Year first granted: 2019

Hidden strip mall gems might be a regular hallmark of L.A. dining, but even within this realm, Encino's Shin Sushi punches above its weight class. Taketoshi Azumi's cozy omakase den serves seasonal, a variety of delicately aged and seasoned fish—about 18 courses' worth—in a casual setting, where guests can keep them coming if they so wish. With only 30-ish seats in the whole restaurant (eight of them at the counter, the best seat in the house), reservations are all but required.

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  • Restaurants
  • Japanese
  • Torrance
  • price 4 of 4

Year first granted: 2021

Currently operating out of sister restaurant Inaba in Torrance, this intimate sushi bar experience manned by Yasuhiro Hirano offers an ultra-premium omakase made with aged fish and exotic ingredients like mantis shrimp and plump Japanese oysters. This is the kind of place where you can expect a crash course in the art of sushi from the chef himself—plus the appropriate tuition and fees ($280 per person) to match. For a taste of Inaba closer to L.A. proper, head to Sushi Kaneyoshi in the Arts District on Tuesday nights, where Hirano pops up for a reservation-only collaborative dinner that runs $400 per head. 

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