Sonoma and Napa counties have an abundance of excellent restaurants. Here are the ones the Michelin Guide ranks supreme.
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The famed Michelin Guide has long been affirming what locals have known for years — the Bay Area is a food mecca. Residents and national publications alike rave about the area’s acclaimed chefs and their award-winning restaurants.
Sonoma County alone has an abundance of excellent restaurants, from fine dining bistros to casual community hubs. Some of our favorites earned stars in the recent 2025 Michelin Guide awards ceremony, including two stars for the new Enclos in Sonoma. It’s the first and only Michelin-starred restaurant in the city.
Below are all the Michelin-starred restaurants in Sonoma and Napa counties, as well as the rest of the Bay Area.
Sonoma County
New Two Stars
Enclos, Sonoma
Enclos has been eyeing a Michelin star since it opened late last year. Last week, the Michelin Guide awarded it two stars for its “opulent tasting menu,” featuring locally sourced contemporary cuisine. Enclos also received a green star, Michelin’s sustainability award. 139 E. Napa St, Sonoma, 707-387-1724, enclos-sonoma.com
Three Stars
SingleThread, Healdsburg
Repeatedly named among the world’s best restaurants, SingleThread retained its three Michelin stars for “exceptional cuisine.” It’s the only restaurant in Sonoma County with three stars. The farm-to-table restaurant also has a green star. Additionally, SingleThread’s five-room inn has three Michelin keys representing an extraordinary stay. 131 North St., Healdsburg, 707-723-4646, singlethreadfarms.com
One Star
Cyrus, Geyserville
Chef and author Douglas Keane reopened his Cyrus restaurant (formerly of Healdsburg) in Geyserville in 2022, and it promptly earned a Michelin star. 275 Highway 128, Geyserville, 707-723-5999, cyrusrestaurant.com
Napa County
Three Stars
The French Laundry, Yountville
Despite recent lukewarm reviews, The French Laundry’s three Michelin stars, as well as its green star, were safe from the chopping block. It remains the only restaurant in Napa County with three stars. 6640 Washington St., Yountville, 707-944-2380, thomaskeller.com/tfl
One Star
Auberge du Soleil, Rutherford
Credited as Napa Valley’s first fine dining establishment, Auberge du Soleil has maintained its one Michelin star for 18 consecutive years, since the coveted guide was established in 2007. The restaurant’s hotel of the same name, part of the Auberge Resorts Collection, holds three Michelin keys. 180 Rutherford Hill Road, Rutherford, 800-348-5406, aubergeresorts.com/aubergedusoleil
Auro, Calistoga
Auro earned its one Michelin star in 2023, just eight months after opening. It’s located in Napa Valley’s Four Seasons Resort, which also has one Michelin key. 400 Silverado Trail N., Calistoga, 707-709-2160, auronapavalley.com
Kenzo, Napa
Kenzo and Natsuko Tsujimoto’s serene Japanese restaurant in Napa Valley holds one star for its traditional, high-quality cuisine. 1339 Pearl St., Napa, 707-294-2049, kenzonapa.com
Press, St. Helena
Napa Valley’s Press restaurant earned its Michelin star in 2022 for its contemporary, Californian dishes. 587 St. Helena Highway, St. Helena, 707-967-0550, pressnapavalley.com
Greater Bay Area
Three Stars
Atelier Crenn, three stars. 3127 Fillmore St., San Francisco, 415-440-0460, ateliercrenn.com
Benu, three stars. 22 Hawthorne St., San Francisco, 415-685-4860, benusf.com
Quince, three stars. 470 Pacific Ave., San Francisco, 415-775-8500, quincerestaurant.com
Two Stars
Acquerello, two stars. 1722 Sacramento St., San Francisco, 415-567-5432, acquerellosf.com
Birdsong, two stars. 1085 Mission St., San Francisco, 415-369-9161, birdsongsf.com
Californios, two stars. 355 11th St., San Francisco, 415-757-0994, californiossf.com
Commis, two stars. 3859 Piedmont Ave., Oakland, 510-653-3902, commisrestaurant.com
Kiln, two new stars. 149 Fell St., San Francisco, 415-982-9722, kilnsf.com
Lazy Bear, two stars. 3416 19th St., San Francisco, 415-874-9921, lazybearsf.com
Saison, two stars. 178 Townsend St., San Francisco, 415-828-7990, saisonsf.com
Sons & Daughters, two stars. 708 Bush St., San Francisco, 415-391-8311, sonsanddaughterssf.com
One Star
7 Adams, one star. 1963 Sutter St., San Francisco, 415-655-9154, 7adamsrestaurant.com
Angler SF, one star. 132 The Embarcadero, San Francisco, 415-872-9442, anglerrestaurants.com
Hilda and Jesse, one star. 701 Union St., San Francisco, 415-872-7023, hildaandjessesf.com
Kin Khao, one star. 55 Cyril Magnin St., San Francisco, 415-362-7456, kinkhao.com
Le Comptoir at Bar Crenn, one star. 3131 Fillmore St., San Francisco, 415-440-0460, barcrenn.com
Mister Jiu’s, one star. 28 Waverly Place, San Francisco, 415-857-9688, misterjius.com
Nari, one star. 1625 Post St., San Francisco, 415-868-6274, narisf.com
Niku Steakhouse, one star. 61 Division St., San Francisco, 415-829-7817, nikusteakhouse.com
Nisei, one star. 2316 Polk St., San Francisco, 415-827-6898, restaurantnisei.com
O’ by Claude Le Tohic, one star. 165 O’Farrell St., San Francisco, 415-814-8888, one65sf.com
Protégé, one star. 250 California Ave., Palo Alto, 707-312-0931, protegepaloalto.com
San Ho Won, one star. 2170 Bryant St., San Francisco, 415-868-4479, sanhowon.com
Sorrel, one star. 3228 Sacramento St., San Francisco, 415-525-3765, sorrelrestaurant.com
Ssal, one star. 2226 Polk St., San Francisco, 415-814-2704, ssalsf.com
State Bird Provisions, one star. 1529 Fillmore St., San Francisco, 415-795-1272, statebirdsf.com
Sun Moon Studio, one new star. 1940 Union St., Suite 21, Oakland. sunmoonstudio.com
The Progress, one star. 1525 Fillmore St., San Francisco, 415-673-1294, theprogress-sf.com
The Shota, one star. 115 Sansome St., San Francisco, 628-224-2074, theshotasf.com *Temporarily closed
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New study reveals the pressures and challenges that can follow a Michelin award.
The post Is There a ‘Michelin Curse’? Nearly a Dozen Wine Country Restaurants Feel the Strain of the Award appeared first on Sonoma Magazine.
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In chef circles, it’s long been known that winning a Michelin star — once considered the ultimate accolade — can also be the kiss of death for a restaurant. Higher expectations from diners, increased pressure on chefs, and the poaching of workers and suppliers hiking up costs are the dark side of the prestigious spotlight.
A recently released study by University College London (UCL) has borne out the assumption, at least statistically, after tracking the success or failure of hundreds of highly rated New York City restaurants between 2000 and 2019. It found that 40% of the restaurants had closed by 2019, while only one out of every five highly rated but non-Michelin restaurants had closed over the same time period.
“While restaurateurs frequently reflected on a feeling of achievement after receiving a Michelin star and highlighted that this led to a heightened focus on their restaurant, their staffs, and themselves, the consequences of Michelin stars were not all necessarily favorable,” said author Daniel B. Sands in the report, released in September.
Public notice of the 124-year-old French arbiter of outstanding cooking remains highly coveted in the restaurant world. However, nearly a dozen Michelin-starred Wine Country restaurants have closed or significantly changed their format since receiving the award.
The former K&L Bistro in Sebastopol and Mirepoix in Windsor, for example, both struggled to meet customers’ exacting demands after receiving Michelin stars. Mirepoix closed just a year after winning a Michelin star in 2012. Other restaurants, including Applewood (Guerneville), Redd (Yountville), Ubuntu (Napa), Etoile (Yountville) and Martini House (St. Helena), have also closed despite critical acclaim.
After receiving its first Michelin star in 2021, Barndiva abandoned its complex, multicourse menu in early 2024, replacing it with a more casual, community-minded focus. Michelin two-star winner Cyrus closed in Healdsburg in 2012 following a lease dispute. The new Cyrus, which opened a decade later in Geyserville, received a Michelin star just months after opening in 2022.
According to the exhaustive UCL study, restaurateurs “at risk” of receiving a Michelin star should plan for the inevitable disruptions.
“Not all the effects of Michelin stars are bad,” author Sands said. “Some (restaurants) perform fine and are successful post-Michelin star, but in the end, sometimes these stressors are too much for a restaurant to withstand.”
You can reach Dining Editor Heather Irwin at heather.irwin@pressdemocrat.com. Follow Heather on Instagram @biteclubeats.
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No stars and no Bib Gourmands will be announced for 2020. There are currently three restaurants in Sonoma County that have Michelin stars. Do you know which ones?
The post Amid Pandemic and Wildfires, Michelin Guide Postpones Announcing California Awards appeared first on Sonoma Magazine.
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The Michelin Guide has postponed naming its 2020 restaurant selections for California. No stars and no Bib Gourmands will be announced for this year due to the ongoing pandemic and — most notably for California — the wildfires. With most of the state’s restaurants still limited to outdoor dining and takeout due to COVID-19 restrictions, Michelin representatives said the decision was made after talking to chefs and considering their feedback.
Michelin stars are among the most influential awards a restaurant can receive. Healdsburg’s Single Thread Restaurant and Farm is one of just a handful of California restaurants to win the coveted three-star award, the highest award given. Madrona Manor, also in Healdsburg, has one star. Farmhouse Inn & Restaurant in Forestville also got one Michelin star. The Restaurant at Meadowood in St. Helena, another three-star winner, was destroyed in the recent Glass fire.
Insiders are saying that “postponing” doesn’t necessarily mean the awards will be shelved altogether for this year. Although the usual October announcement won’t be made, the guide may be released sometime in early 2021 as many reviews already had been completed for this year before restaurants were forced to shutter and then limit services.
Guide organizers will host a virtual Family Meal event to support California restaurants at 4 p.m. Oct. 27. Both diners and chefs are invited to attend. (Details at guide.michelinman.com).
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