San Francisco Michelin-Star Restaurants 2018

The area now has the most three-star spots in the country

After postponing the release of its highly anticipated San Francisco guide, Michelin has finally revealed its listing of the Bay Area's best restaurants.

Seven newcomers have joined the prestigious ranking this year, including—and not surprisingly—Kyle Connaughton's Healdsburg restaurant, SingleThread, which jumped onto the list with two stars. (Connaughton earned a "flawless" four-star review earlier this year from San Francisco Chronicle critic Michael Bauer, and many have dubbed his restaurant the new French Laundry.) Meanwhile, Californios from chef Val Cantu is now North America's first and only two-star restaurant that specializes in Mexican cuisine, Eater reports. In addition, Rich Table, a longtime resident of the guide's Bib Gourmand list, which highlights a city's noteworthy but more affordable restaurants, has finally been added to the guide with its first star.

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The biggest upset continues to be Dominique Crenn's exclusion from the three-star club. Her flagship restaurant, Atelier Crenn, has sat in the two-star category since 2013, while fellow male-run restaurants in the same position have mostly been upgraded to three stars during that time.

One of those restaurants is Coi, which earned its last star thanks to Matthew Kirkley, who took over the role of executive chef after chef/owner Daniel Patterson stepped down. The restaurant now joins the ranks of other legendary fine dining destinations, including The French Laundry, Manresa and Saison, for a total of seven three-star restaurants in San Francisco, the most of any other American city.

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According to the guide's director, Michael Ellis, there are a few reasons why San Francisco can lay claim to this title: "You have incredible products from the area and beyond, an open international city, a vibrant and affluent audience in the Bay Area that is interested in trying new things. We're really excited by what we see," he tells Eater.  

So while NYC may take most of the credit when we think of fine dining, for now, San Francisco officially takes the trophy—that is, unless there are big surprises waiting when the NYC guide comes out next week.

Here's the full list:

Three Stars

Benu 
Coi (previously two-star)
The French Laundry
Manresa
Quince
Restaurant at Meadowood
Saison 

Two Stars

Acquerello
Atelier Crenn
Baumé
Californios (previously one-star)
Commis
Lazy Bear
SingleThread (new)

One Star

Adega
Al's Place
Aster
Auberge du Soleil
Bouchon
Campton Place
Chez TJ
Commonwealth
Farmhouse Inn & Restaurant
Gary Danko
Hashiri
In Situ (new)
Ju-Ni
Keiko a Nob Hill
Kenzo (new)
Kin Khao
Kinjo (new)
La Toque
Lord Stanley
Luce
Madera
Madrona Manor
Michael Mina
Mister Jiu's
Mourad
Octavia
Omakase
Plumed Horse
The Progress
Rasa
Rich Table (new)
Sons & Daughters
SPQR
Spruce
State Bird Provisions
Sushi Yoshizumi
Terra
Terrapin Creek
The Village Pub
Wako
Wakuriya 

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