18 LA Restaurants Added To Michelin Guide For 2022

LOS ANGELES, CA — The Michelin Guide California selection got a big boost with the addition of 18 Los Angeles area restaurants serving everything from hearty American breakfasts and steaks, to Thai, Ethiopian and Malaysian cuisine.

"By revealing some of the new additions made by our inspectors throughout the year, we enhance our digital tools to further strengthen the ties that bind us to food lovers," said Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guides.

"We hope that these regular revelations and updates to the selection throughout the year will provide opportunities to highlight the profession and invite everyone to discover and support the restaurants around them."

Here’s the list of additions announced by Michelin last month with inspector notes from the restaurants:

All Day Baby (Northeast)

Anybody can throw together a breakfast sandwich, but few compare to the one served here. A tower of softly scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage and American cheese arrives under a cloak of strawberry jam stacked between a fluffy cathead biscuit.

Antico Nuovo (Hollywood)

A hand-cranked rotisserie grill is the centerpiece of this handsome kitchen, which turns out hearty pastas and big proteins. Focaccia with whipped ricotta and hazelnut pesto is a must, while pasta stuffed with rabbit is a signature.

Chiang Rai (Long Beach)

There is a lengthy Thai menu spotlighting Northern specialties and street food, but skip straight to the Chiang Rai Local Food portion and order away. The kitchen caters to the American palate, so if you’re a heat seeker don’t be shy about speaking up.

Fia Steak (Santa Monica)

It has the classic masculine steakhouse look down pat, complete with dry-aged steaks on full display. The menu is a classic paean to meat with opulent touches (spy the separate sections for caviar and Champagne). Seafood-focused starters kick things off.

Flavors From Afar (Hollywood)

A kitchen on a mission, Flavors from Afar works with refugees, asylum seekers and immigrants to highlight recipes from their native countries over the course of a month. Eritrean, Lebanese, Navajo, Guatemalan, Haitian — the rotation is constant, and the culinary reach of the effort is vast.

Girl & The Goat LA (DTLA)

Chef Stephanie Izard’s West Coast offshoot of her wildly popular Chicago original has made its home in downtown LA’s Arts District. Perpetually full and lively, everyone comes here for a good time. Patrons at the bar sip colorful drinks while perusing the eclectic menu with the chef’s trademark style (read: free-roaming with global inspiration and gutsy flavors).

Horses (Hollywood)

Once home to a storied pub, this veritable hit exudes a members-only charm in a vintage space where banquettes, side rooms and a long bar up front hum with energy. The food offers broad appeal. Endive dressed in a creamy Caesar is one of the best salads in the city, while blood sausage with fried hen’s egg offers heartier satisfaction.

Ipoh Kopitiam (San Gabriel)

Chef Kenji Tang fills a void with a fairly succinct menu of well-known Malaysian favorites that stand out in a region known more for its Chinese restaurants. Everybody orders the tender Hainanese chicken, served with a trio of dipping sauces and a dome of seasoned rice.

Lalibela (Hollywood)

Chef/owner Tenagne Belachew and her daughters are congenial fixtures in this simply adorned setting. They are content to let the food do the talking and offer a dazzling selection of vibrant, colorful Ethiopian classics with vegetables and meat alike arriving on oversized silver platters lined with thin, spongy injera.

Lulu (Westside)

This charming restaurant is nestled within a courtyard at the Hammer Museum and is helmed by David Tanis with a little help from none other than Alice Waters. Fresh produce on display is more than just a design element; it’s a hint at the philosophy of this spot, where the three-course and à la carte menus shift daily.

Lumière (Westside)

Nestled inside the Fairmont Century Plaza, Lumière is a relaxed brasserie-styled spot for French-inspired cooking. Friendly staff are on hand to offer guidance and share their favorite selections, but you’ll certainly want to indulge in a variety of classics like fruits de mer and steak frites.

Manzke (Westside)

This eponymous fine dining concept from Walter and Margarita Manzke is in the same building as their more casual Bicyclette Bistro. Here, you’ll settle in for a ten-course tasting menu boasting a contemporary style that blends French techniques with Californian influences and Asian notes.

Mes Amis (Hollywood)

One of the Thompson Hollywood’s coterie of dining options, this spacious, swanky brasserie happily marks the return of celebrated Chef Lincoln Carson to the LA dining scene. Indeed, a group might be needed to do full justice to the assortment of carefully sourced fruits de mer, and some of the French-meets-Californian offerings.

Moo's Craft Barbecue (San Gabriel)

High school sweethearts Andrew and Michelle Muñoz are living a dream come true at their restaurant in Lincoln Heights. Smoky, salt-and-pepper-crusted brisket and snappy, spicy sausages packed with cheddar and jalapeños pay homage to the barbecue traditions of Austin, Texas. Sides like Mexican street corn are a nod to their heritage.

RYLA (Hermosa Beach)

Husband and wife chefs Ray Hayashi and Cynthia Hetlinger run the show at this splashy and sophisticated spot in Hermosa Beach. Expect contemporary cooking with a Japanese focus and broad Asian elements. The menu offers a panoply of small plates — ideal for sharing.

Shunji (Santa Monica)

Freshly relocated, Shunji lives on as a notable Japanese counter manned by a chef whose experience runs deep. The space features two sections — one is run by Chef Miki Takahiro, while the second, smaller counter is in the hands of Chef Shunji Nakao. Both offer an excellent omakase.

Sushi Nikkei (Long Beach)

Peruvian-born, Long Beach local Daiwa Wong and her husband/chef Eduardo Chang are behind this Bixby Knolls spot starring Nikkei-style sushi that incorporates Peruvian influences.

Sushi Takeda (DTLA)

The fans are here for Chef Hide Takeda, who has worked at some of the city’s top sushi dens. There are two nightly seatings for omakase (one helmed by Chef Takeda), or skip the splurge-worthy dinner and opt for the reasonably priced lunch omakase.

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