71 Bay Area Restaurants Make the Cut for 2019 Michelin Guide California Bib Gourmand List
Today, Michelin released their list of Bib Gourmand establishments in the very first Michelin Guide California. Made up of 151 restaurants from all over California, the list covers 36 different types of cuisine, and the restaurants are all affordable (depending on your budget). Michelin's Bib Gourmand restaurants are all "restaurants that serve high-quality meals which include two courses and a glass of wine or dessert for $40 or less".
A few Check, Please! Bay Area restaurants—featured in the past or coming up this season—made it onto the list, like Pausa, Z & Y Restaurant and more. Diners might not be too surprised to see other much talked about names picked out like Thomas Keller's La Calenda (an inspector praised it saying "The chef’s Oaxacan upbringing shines through in regional Mexican cuisine") and Nyum Bai (owner Nite Yun was nominated for a James Beard Award, was a 2018 Eater Young Gun and her restaurant made it onto Bon Appetit's Hot Ten list).
See the full list of Bay Area restaurants who made the cut below (the new additions are bolded). You can read the inspectors' notes from their visit on Michelin's website, but you can also rewatch our guests' reviews for some of these restaurants on Check, Please! Bay Area. If they appeared on the show, we linked to the respective episode or written review.
NOTE: Restaurants who earn a Bib Gourmand are not eligible for a star in the same year, so any of the restaurants you see below will not be getting any Michelin stars in 2019.
- Anchor Oyster Bar // San Francisco, Castro (Watch the CPBA review)
- A16 // San Francisco, Marina
- Backyard // Sonoma County, Forestville
- Bistro Aix // San Francisco, Marina
- Bravas // Sonoma County, Healdsburg
- Bywater (The) // South Bay, Los Gatos
- Canon // Sacramento
- Chalkboard // Sonoma County, Healdsburg
- China Village // East Bay, Albany (Watch the CPBA review)
- Ciccio // Napa Valley, Yountville
- Comal // East Bay, Berkeley
- Cook St. Helena // Napa Valley, St. Helena
- Coqueta // San Francisco, Financial District
- Corso // East Bay, Berkeley
- Cotogna // San Francisco, North Beach
- Delfina // San Francisco, Mission
- Del Popolo // San Francisco, Financial District
- Diavola // Sonoma County, Geyserville
- Dosa // San Francisco, Marina
- Dyafa // East Bay, Oakland
- El Molino Central // Sonoma (Watch the CPBA review)
- Farmhouse Kitchen Thai // San Francisco, Mission (Watch the CPBA review)
- Farmstead // Napa Valley, St. Helena (Watch the CPBA review)
- Frank Fat’s // Sacramento
- Glen Ellen Star // Sonoma County, Glen Ellen (Watch the CPBA review)
- Grace’s Table // Napa Valley, Napa
- Gran Electrica // Napa Valley, Napa
- Great China // East Bay, Berkeley
- Harborview // San Francisco, Financial District
- Insalata's // Marin, San Anselmo (Read the CPBA review)
- Ippuku // East Bay, Berkeley
- Izakaya Rintaro // San Francisco, Mission
- Kokkari Estiatorio // San Francisco, North Beach (CPBA alum)
- La Calenda // Napa Valley
- Lai Hong Lounge // San Francisco, North Beach
- Luna Mexican Kitchen // South Bay, San Jose
- Millennium // East Bay, Oakland
- Mother // Sacramento
- M.Y. China // San Francisco, SoMa (Watch the CPBA review)
- Nopalito // San Francisco, Civic Center
- Nyum Bai // East Bay, Oakland
- Oenotri // Napa Valley, Napa
- Okane // San Francisco, SoMa
- Orchard City Kitchen // South Bay, Campbell
- Pausa // Peninsula, San Mateo (Watch the CPBA review)
- Pig in a Pickle // Marin, Corte Madera
- Playa // Marin, Mill Valley
- Poggio // Marin, Sausalito (Watch the CPBA review)
- Ramen Gaijin // Sonoma County, Sebastopol (Watch the CPBA review)
- Redd Wood // Napa Valley, Yountville
- Risibisi // Sonoma County, Petaluma (Watch the CPBA review)
- Royal Feast // Peninsula, Millbrae
- Sichuan Home // San Francisco, Richmond & Sunset
- 1601 Bar & Kitchen // San Francisco, SoMa (Watch the CPBA review)
- Soba Ichi // East Bay, Oakland
- Sociale // San Francisco, Marina (Watch the CPBA review)
- Starbelly // San Francisco, Castro
- Stockhome // Sonoma County
- Sushi Ran // Marin, Sausalito
- Teni East Kitchen // East Bay, Oakland
- Thai House // East Bay, Danville
- Trestle // San Francisco, Financial District
- Tsubasa // San Francisco, Civic Center
- Vesta // Peninsula, Redwood City
- Village Sake // Marin, Fairfax
- wonderful // Peninsula, Millbrae
- Wood Tavern // East Bay, Oakland (Watch the CPBA review)
- YAFA // Monterey, Carmel-by-the-Sea
- Yank Sing // San Francisco, SoMa
- Z & Y Bistro // San Francisco, Nob Hill
- Z & Y // San Francisco, Nob Hill (Watch the CPBA review)
- Zero Zero // San Francisco, SoMa