Michelin Guide reveals latest Bib Gourmand restaurants, with California stars next week

Ahead of the annual announcement of its top restaurants across California, the Michelin Guide – one of the world’s most recognized restaurant and bar compendiums – unveiled this week the 10 new restaurants it described as “great value.” , four of which are in the LA area.

Michelin’s 2023 California Guide is scheduled to be released Tuesday after a ceremony in Oakland. It lists restaurants deserving of stars (the most coveted category and rated from one to three stars), as well as new additions and those with the Bib Gourmand designation. The last category recognizes restaurants and food vendors that “offer a good quality meal at great value for money”. The Bib Gourmand follows criteria that the anonymous Michelin inspectors look for, such as offering three-course meals for less than a set amount (cost varies by country and is determined by the cost of living). According to the company, which also makes tires, the 2023 California Guide lists 143 bib-gourmand restaurants.

Some of these restaurants were are touted as new arrivals throughout the year, although their appearance in the Guide was unspecified at the time. Cobi’s in Santa Monica, which offers Southeast Asian curries, grilled meats and snacks like larb and curry puffs, is a 2023 Bib Gourmand winner, as is Lincoln Heights’ Mexican restaurant Carnes Asadas Pancho Lopez, a specialist in Jalisciense cuisine dated Breakfast until afternoon Birria, Tuetanos, Queso Fundido and more. Eat Joy Food in Rowland Heights – a cozy Taiwanese restaurant on last year’s LA Times 101 list – is another addition to Bib Gourmand. The Michelin guide recommends readers to order the three-cup chicken, chicken fried rice, seasonal dragon mustache and more. The fourth new LA Bib Gourmand recipient is another LA Times 101 restaurant pick for 2022: Villa’s Tacos, the family-run street shack and taqueria in Highland Park that prides itself on quality, generational recipes and neighborhood care.

“That’s why we became a company: to deliver an exceptional product at a reasonable price and to share it with pretty much everyone,” said founder Victor Villa. “It’s great to be recognized by one of the most elite food companies in the world.”

Standing out as an LA taqueria can be a tough task, he admits, pointing to the fact that there are thousands of incredible booths and storefronts throughout the region. But he said the nod to Bib Gourmand – given the Michelin guide’s international audience – could help companies thrive in the competitive arena and potentially attract visitors from around the world.

California’s other new 2023 Bib Gourmand winners include San Diego seafood and gin restaurant Mabel’s Gone Fishing; Seaside’s European and American-influenced seafood specialty Maligne on the Central Coast; Oakland wine bar and modern snack restaurant Snail Bar; Oakland’s Bombera, with Mexican dishes that evoke history and tradition; San Jose, Portuguese small plate destination, petiscos; and Korean tapas restaurant Bansang in San Francisco.

Villa doesn’t know when the inspector came to visit and only found out about the nod when his father sent him a Michelin Guide social media post. The taquero said he was delighted with the award but wasn’t surprised: “We gave it our all,” Villa said. “We put a lot of love, energy and not only that, but also quality ingredients, quality products.”

Both at the booth and in the restaurant, the fresh, chewy blue corn tortillas are made to order. The meat is all marinated and sliced ​​in-house, then grilled over mesquite wood. The guacamole brings together fresh-squeezed citrus, salt and extra virgin olive oil, while the salsa bar offers a rainbow of 10 options, spanning multiple generations and representing Villa, his grandmother, father and others.

He knows the stars – Michelin’s most coveted award of all – will be unveiled on Tuesday but said he was hoping for the Bib Gourmand all along. “It’s affordable for the average person,” Villa said. “Low-income families can still enjoy quality, fine dining without breaking the bank or just going there for their birthdays or special occasions.”

The affordability criterion means the award is a sign of accessibility, and Villa hopes that given the accolades from this year’s Bib Gourmand and the overall trend for tacos to be included in the Michelin Guide, not just in California but on the around the world more taquerias will end up on the lists in the future.

For the owners of Lincoln Heights’ Moo’s Craft Barbecue, which won a Bib Gourmand Award last year, the recognition not only meant the promise of more affordable restaurants that went beyond the realm of delicatessens – typically those that deserve stars in North America – but also the prospect of more restaurants is a way to include regions that don’t typically get the spotlight.

“LA is such a big city and when you think of LA, if you’re not from here, you think of the big names – you think of Hollywood, Santa Monica – but LA has so much more to offer,” said Michelle Muñoz, who runs Moss with her husband Andrew Muñoz. “The fact that these inspectors are coming into downtown areas and places like Lincoln Heights and Boyle Heights is so cool to really notice and see there’s so much more to there than just good food.”

When their grill restaurant — which embodies the taste of East LA with esquites, chili verde sausages and more — was named a Bib Gourmand last year, they loved it and still do. They care about bringing business to Lincoln Heights and helping shine a spotlight on East LA’s small businesses and community. Although the Muñozes said it’s difficult to say exactly how much of their business contributed to their inclusion in the Michelin Guide, they are determined to remain a Bib Gourmand choice.

“It’s not automatic that you keep your name in the guide,” said Andrew Muñoz. “It kind of gives us a purpose to say, ‘Okay, well, we finally made that list.’ How do we stick with it?’”

Until the full California list is released on Tuesday, they remain bullish – and keep an eye on the guide.