San Francisco Michelin Announcement Marks Landmark Achievement for Dominique Crenn

Currently, only four U.S. cities are graced with Michelin Guides: New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. Though the addition of D.C. in 2016 no longer means that San Francisco is the smallest U.S. city to have a guide (and to be fair, San Francisco’s guide includes the entire Bay Area and wine country), the fact that the city has kept up its Michelin cred while Los Angeles has not is a testament to just how strong the region’s culinary scene is. This week, Michelin announced the stars for San Francisco’s 2019 guide, and suddenly, the city has even more bragging rights than before.

The biggest news from the new guide is that San Francisco has two new three-starred restaurants: Single Thread and Atelier Crenn. The area now has significantly more three-starred restaurants than any other U.S. city – yes, even New York. (The count is eight in the Bay Area compared to only five in NYC – thanks to the 2018 guide’s downgrading of Jean-Georges.) Meanwhile, Atelier Crenn’s elevation to its new three-star status comes with another noteworthy first: Chef Dominique Crenn is now the first female chef to have a three-Michelin starred restaurant in America – and one of just a handful of women to have that distinction worldwide.

Crenn’s achievement is likely especially satisfying as she’s been an active advocate for women in the restaurant business. “I’ve been vocal for many years about the need for inclusion in many things we do in my industry,” she told us earlier this year. “It’s taken such a long time for people to understand that maybe it’s the right thing to do.”

In total, the Bay Area now has 57 starred restaurants – its most ever. Here is the entire list…

Three Stars

Atelier Crenn

Benu

The French Laundry

Manresa

Quince

The Restaurant at Meadowood

Saison

Single Thread Farm

Two Stars

Acquerello

Baume

Californios

Coi

Commis

Lazy Bear

One Star

Al’s Place

Aster

Auberge du Soleil

Bar Crenn

Birdsong

Bouchon

Campton Place

Chez TJ

Commonwealth

Farmhouse Inn & Restaurant

Gary Danko

Hashiri

In Situ

Ju-Ni

Keiko a Nob Hill

Kenzo

Kin Khao

Kinjo

La Toque

Lord Stanley

Luce

Madera

Madcap

Madrona Manor

Michael Mina

Mister Jiu’s

Mourad

Nico

Octavia

Omakase

Protegé

Plumed Horse

The Progress

Rasa

Rich Table

Sons & Daughters

SPQR

Spruce

State Bird Provisions

Sushi Yoshizumi

Terrapin Creek

The Village Pub

Wako

Wakuriya