San Francisco’s Bay Area has earned a well-earned place in the Michelin rankings with eight of its restaurants earning three Michelin stars, more than any other region in the country. The Bay Area was recognised for its standout star rating following Michelin’s recent announcement on the release of its first statewide Michelin Guide for California which will likely be released in June. This is one of the reasons why San Francisco has a a successful business environment and why the city attracts a lot of businesses.
San Francisco and the surrounding region has a total of 80 stars among the 58 venues listed in the 2019 Michelin Guide. The area’s Bib Gourmands, ‘restaurants that offer high-quality food at pocket-friendly prices’ also increased by one this year to 68 while two restaurants were given three-star rankings for the first time: Atelier Crenn (San Francisco) and Single Thread (Healdsburg).
San Francisco’s Dominique Crenn at Atelier Crenn is the first female chef in the U.S. to achieve three Michelin stars and her latest restaurant, Bar Crenn, received its first Michelin star in the 2019 guide and was named one of the best new restaurants in the U.S. by Esquire Magazine.
San Francisco is also home to one of the least expensive Michelin-starred restaurants in the U.S., Al’s Place, where meals cost from around $18 USD. Other affordable restaurants with Michelin stars in the region include Kin Khao, Commonwealth, State Bird Provisions and Terrapin Creek. Beyond the city, The French Laundry (Yountville), Manresa (Los Gatos) and The Restaurant at Meadowood (St. Helena) in the wider region are also listed in the guide.
Founded in 1889, the guidebook and rating system were invented by brothers Andre and Edouard Michelin, of the eponymous tire company. To help boost the number of motorists on the road, the brothers created a small guidebook filled with useful traveller information. Today, the guide covers more than 30,000 establishments in more than 30 cities and regions.
San Francisco’s reputation as a culinary hub has attracted many chefs from the UK who have arrived on the west coast to make their mark on the city’s food scene. These include British chef, April Bloomfield, who is credited for saving North Beach’s now Michelin-starred Tosca Café.
Meanwhile, projects like The Manufactory Food Hall which arrived at San Francisco International Airport at the beginning of the year offering a first or last taste of San Francisco’s favourite breads and pastries, Michelin-starred Thai food, and Mexico City-inspired tacos, are ensuring the city’s food offering continues to evolve.
So there has never been a better time for foodies to indulge their taste buds in San Francisco, and for a mouth-watering list of the city’s restaurants to watch this year click the link here!
