(SavorNation) – For 12 California restaurants, last Wednesday morning marked a significant milestone in their culinary journeys — Michelin deemed them worthy to be added to the illustrious Michelin Guide. New restaurants are added to the guide twice a year in a temporary Michelin-recommended s tatus, with higher distinctions (such as Bib Gourmand and Stars) revealed at the yearly ceremony. Six Los Angeles restaurants, four San Francisco restaurants, one Menlo Park restaurant and one Montecito restaurant were added to the guide. Here are the 12 new additions. Corridor 109, Los Angeles This reservation-only 11-seat counter restaurant opened in Melrose Hill in October. Created by chef-owner Brian Baik, Corridor 109 offers a $325 10- to 11-course tasting menu focused on fish, mostly sourced from Japan. Baik previously worked at Michelin-starred restaurants Eleven Madison Park, The Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare and Sushi Noz. How do Michelin-starred restaurants taste in Europe, Asia and America? “The tasting menu’s courses show great care and finesse, with balanced dishes displaying a level of restraint,” the Michelin Guide states. The Michelin Guide’s standout dishes: Santa Barbara spiny lobster tartare in a kombu tartlet with a whitefish mousse Miso-marinated sawara cooked over charcoal Australian wagyu served over an oxtail jus and shisho Corridor 109, 641 N. Western Ave., Ste A, Los Angeles; Instagram: @corridor109. Open Tuesday to Saturday from 6 p.m. to midnight. Firstborn, Los Angeles Chef-owner Anthony Wang’s debut restaurant Firstborn opened in Chinatown’s Mandarin Plaza in March 2025. The Chinese American restaurant offers a $68 four-course prix-fixe menu, with three choices in each course. “I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to build Firstborn as a platform to share my voice and perspective as a Chinese American and to contribute to the legacy of LA’s historic Chinatown,” Wang said in a written statement. “Naturally, our first year as a new business and it being my first has been challenging and this acknowledgement from Michelin is tremendously validating.”  The Michelin Guide’s standout dishes: Tofu dumplings with sauteed shiitake mushrooms Duck sausage Aged duck breast with persimmon and parsnip Vanilla sponge cake with red bean, oolong and berry sauce Firstborn, 978 N. Broadway, Los Angeles; 213-537-0142, Instagram: @firstborn.la. Open Wednesday and Sunday from 5-9 p.m., Thursday from 5-9:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 5-10 p.m. Lapaba, Los Angeles Created in February by restaurateur Robert Kim, with culinary offerings by married chefs McKenna Lelah and Matthew Kim, Lapaba (La(the) Pa(sta) Ba(r)) offers Italian cuisine with a Korean twist. Lelah and Kim met in 2014 while working at Osteria Mozza. “It was honestly a surprise, but such an honor,” Lelah said in a written statement. “We both come from the Michelin world, so it carries a lot of meaning, but what’s been most special is seeing how much it’s meant to our team. A lot of them didn’t come up through fine dining, so watching that sense of pride and excitement build has been really special and inspiring for us.” The Michelin Guide’s standout dishes: Bulgogi meatballs with truffle tomato sauce and milk bread ($17) Radiatore pasta with short rib ragu ($25) Tiramisu with misugaru and makgeolli ($14) Lapaba, 558 S. Western Ave., Los Angeles; 213-513-6426, Instagram: @thelapaba. Open Wednesday to Saturday from 5-10 p.m. and Sunday from 5-9 p.m.  Little Fish Melrose Hill, Los Angeles Little Fish Melrose Hill opened in December, a spiffier version of Anna Sonenshein and Niki Vahle’s Little Fish Echo Park. Little Fish started as a pop-up out of the couple’s home. “The menu is casual in form but precise in execution, with confident seasoning, technique and a clear respect for ingredients,” the Michelin Guide states. The 7 best sandwiches in North America, according to Michelin Guide inspectors The Michelin Guide’s standout dishes: Fried fish sandwich with dill pickles, American cheese and Kewpie mayo ($18) Tuna melt with pepperoncini and cheese on Bub and Grandma’s rye ($20) Seared pork and shellfish sausage with English peas, fava beans and brown sauce ($29) Masa cake with sour cream ice cream, honey and lime ($13) Little Fish Melrose Hill, 5035 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles; 323-376-6728, Instagram: @littlefish_melrosehill. Open Wednesday to Sunday from noon to 9 p.m. Lugya’h, Los Angeles Named after the Zapoetc word for “the face and the hearth of the plaza,” Lugya’h offers Oaxacan tlayudas topped with housemade morcilla, tasajo or chorizo, plus tamales on weekends. Alfonso Martinez and Odilia Romero started Lugya’h as a backyard pop-up in South Angeles before finding a permanent home at Maydan Market. Martinez said the Michelin recognition is not just meaningful for him, but for the indigenous communities he and his cuisine are tied to. “There are countless indigenous people like us across California and the U.S.,” he said in a written statement. “We are the backbone of our food systems, whose contributions and food have long gone unrecognized. To be included in a guide like Michelin is a step toward changing that.” The Michelin Guide’s standout dish: Tlayuda with beans, cheese, shaved cabbage, salsa and moronga (blood sausage) Lugya’h, 4301 W. Jefferson Blvd., Los Angeles; 213-399-4704, Instagram: @lugyah_la. Open Tuesday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Zira Uzbek Kitchen, Los Angeles Founded by brothers Azim and Azam Rahmatov in November 2024, Zira offers popular Uzbek dishes such as plov, laghman noodles, manti dumplings and samsa. The name translates to cumin, an essential spice in Uzbek cuisine and a symbolic nod to the Silk Road’s culinary heritage. “Zira is more than a restaurant — it’s our way of sharing Uzbek culture, hospitality, and flavors with Los Angeles,” Azim Rahmatov said in a written statement. “Every dish tells a story from where we come from.” The Michelin Guide’s standout dishes: Lagman soup with beef, assorted Central Asian vegetables and spices ($16) Beef shashlik ($10) Manti ($18-$20) Pelmeni ($17) Zira Uzbek Kitchen, 7422 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles; 213-332-4086, Instagram: @zirauzbek. Open Monday to Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday to Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Yeobo, Darling, Menlo Park Married chefs Meichih and Michael Kim are no strangers to the Michelin Guide – their now closed Maum held a Michelin star. The Kims opened Yeobo, Darling, a Korean Taiwanese fine-dining restaurant, in June, offering a succinct a la carte menu in an affluent Bay Area town. The Michelin Guide’s standout dishes: Bite-sized potato “jeon” topped with Santa Barbara uni and prosciutto ($28) Lu rou lasagna ($34) Wagyu kalbi served with housemade banchan ($76) Soft serve with seasonal fruit Yeobo, Darling, 827 Santa Cruz Ave., Menlo Park; 650-665-7799, Instagram: @yeobodarlingrestaurant. Open Tuesday to Thursday from 5-9 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 5-9:30 p.m. Little Mountain, Montecito Born in Chile and raised in New York, chef Diego Moya opened Little Mountain in November with the goal to highlight the Central Coast’s agricultural bounty. The cuisine is globally-influenced Californian with an a la carte menu that changes monthly. Only 1 US restaurant landed on latest list of ‘World’s 50 Best’: Where is it? The Michelin Guide’s standout dishes: Tile fish ceviche with yuzu kosho and sweet peppers ($27) Mt. Lassen trout with wild mushrooms and beurre blanc ($46) Cherimoya panna cotta with candied kumquats ($14) Little Mountain, 516 San Ysidro Road, Unit A, Montecito; 805-679-5857, Instagram: @littlemountainsb. Open Wednesday to Monday from 5-9 p.m. Dingles Public House, San Francisco Named after owners Anissa and George Dingle, this gastropub offers modern British pub fare. It opened in November inside the Inn at the Opera. The Michelin Guide’s standout dishes: Beer-battered fish and chips with mushy peas and curry sauce ($36) Scotch egg with pork sausage and English mustard mayo ($15) Welsh rarebit with Jasper HIll Farm cheddar ($14) Sticky toffee pudding with stout caramel and brown butter ice cream ($16) Dingles Public House, 333 Fulton St., San Francisco; 415-322-9565, Instagram: @dingles.sf. Open Wednesday and Thursday from 5-9:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 5-10 p.m. and Sunday from 12:30-2 p.m. and 5:30-8 p.m. La Cigale, San Francisco Chef Joseph Magidow opened La Cigale in August, inspired by his time cooking in Southwest France. The wood-fired Occitan restaurant offers a $140 three-course prix-fixe menu, with three choices in each course. The menu changes daily, and the restaurant does not accept reservations but has an online waitlist. “Chef Magidow’s commitment to carefully sourced ingredients and diligent technique (including nose-to-tail, whole animal butchery) sets it apart as more than just a neighborhood spot,” the Michelin Guide states. The Michelin Guide’s standout dish: Rabbit saddle stuffed with pork belly and chestnut La Cigale, 679 Chenery St., San Francisco; Instagram: @la_cigale_sf. Open Wednesday to Saturday with first seating at 6 p.m. and second at 8:30 p.m. Naides, San Francisco Naides, named after Chef Patrick Gabon’s mother, offers a $205 11- to 13-course modern Filipino tasting menu. Gabon previously worked at two-Michelin-starred Restaurant Milka and Sons Daughters. “Pulling together Californian ingredients (including foraged herbs and flowers), traditional flavors and bold creativity, the dishes are as pleasing to look at as they are to eat,” the Michelin Guide states. The Michelin Guide’s standout dishes: Brioche “pandesal” with braised chicken gizzards Dry-aged duck breast “adobo” with soy jus and horseradish Naides, 708 Bush St., San Francisco; Instagram: @restaurantnaides. Wolfsbane This contemporary Californian restaurant opened in October, offering $248 12-course tasting menus in the Dogpatch. Chef Rupert Blease is behind the culinary program and his wife Carrie Blease runs the front of house. The couple’s now shuttered restaurant Lord Stanely held a Michelin star for five consecutive years. ‘We are so incredibly honored to be mentioned alongside such amazing establishments in the Bay Area,” Carrie Blease said in a written statement. “This has been so rewarding for the team who have all worked so hard since we opened in October.  Everyone is feeling quite proud to be recognized amongst such incredible company.” The Michelin Guide’s standout dishes: Dungeness crab with sweet potato, sauce Maltaise, blood orange and beets Wolfsbane, 2495 3rd St., San Francisco; Instagram: @wolfsbane_sf. Open Tuesday to Saturday from 5:30-10 p.m. SavorNation is reader-supported and may earn an affiliate commission. ...read more read less