2021 MICHELIN Guide to California Recognizes 114 Bay Area Restaurants
* The San Francisco Bay Area has the most Michelin three-star restaurants in the U.S.
* Fifty of California’s 90 Michelin-starred restaurants are in the San Francisco Bay Area
* Michelin awards Bib Gourmands to 64 Bay Area restaurants for “great food and value”
* Three Bay Area restaurants land on “The World’s 50 Best Restaurants” list
San Francisco,6th December 2021:
The San Francisco Bay Area retained its distinction as the top destination in the U.S. for fine dining following the long-awaited unveiling of the 2021 MICHELIN Guide to California this month. The Bay Area enjoys the greatest concentration of Michelin three-star restaurants in the U.S. and the most Michelin-starred restaurants in California.
Six Bay Area restaurants received the coveted three Michelin stars in the 2021 MICHELIN Guide: Atelier Crenn, Benu, Quince, The French Laundry, SingleThread and Manresa. Eight restaurants were awarded two Michelin stars, including Birdsong, which added a second star.
Altogether, 50 Bay Area restaurants were awarded one or more Michelin stars in 2021, accounting for 56% of California’s90 Michelin-starred restaurants.
Sublime Doesn’t Always Mean Expensive
While the Bay Area’s fine dining options standout, visitors can experience plenty of mouthwatering cuisine at easily digestible price points. Michelin bestowed 64 Bay Area restaurants with its Bib Gourmand designation. This category celebrates restaurants offering “great food and value,”where a three-course meal can be enjoyed for around $40 or less, excluding tax and gratuity.
Out of the 147 restaurants in California receiving a Bib Gourmand, nearly 44% are in the San Francisco Bay Area, including 18 newcomers to the list such as Routier, Um.Ma and Dumpling Home.
The World’s 50 Best Restaurants
Only six U.S. restaurants landed on “The World’s 50 Best Restaurants” list in 2021 and three of them are in the San Francisco Bay Area. Benu and Atelier Crenn in San Francisco and SingleThread in Healdsburg ranked 28th, 48th and 37th, respectively.
San Francisco-based chef Dominique Crenn, owner of Atelier Crenn, Petit Crenn and Bar Crenn, also received this year’s Icon Award as “a true culinary leader giving a voice to the under-represented.”
New and Notable in San Francisco
The City by the Bay is a leader in culinary creativity, with chefs such as Dominique Crenn, Corey Lee, Brandon Jew, Ho Chee Boon, Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski leading the way. San Francisco’s innovative and diverse food scene is why the city is hailed as the “best foodie city” in the country by U.S. News & World Report.And even with the challenges of the pandemic, the city’s seen a slew of exciting restaurant openings in the last 18 months and many more are debuting soon.
The Most European of American Cities Embraces Al Fresco Dining
San Francisco’s outdoor dining scene blossomed with the creation of “parklets” over the last 18 months. Over 2,100 permits for in-street dining, sidewalk tables and other outdoor setups have been issued since early 2020 as part of a larger Pavement to Parks Program, which repurposes underutilized street space into neighborhood amenities. A vibrant success, the parklets will now become permanent fixtures.Given the city’s year-round temperate climate, it’s a boon for diners.
Eat Drink SF and SF Restaurant Week Run
The Golden Gate Restaurant Association announced 2021 Eat Drink SF(EDSF) and SF Restaurant Week from Oct.15 through Oct. 24. The concurrent program explored San Francisco through both indoor and outdoor dining and imbibing featuring prix fixe menus, chef collaborations, cocktail events and ticketed experiences.More than 150 restaurants participated in SF Restaurant Week.
