As a hub of culture and cuisine, it’s no surprise that renowned chefs from around the world land in Los Angeles to open their restaurants. As a result, there are plenty of MICHELIN-Star restaurants in Los Angeles to try, no matter what kind of food you’re in the mood for.
Head to Santa Monica for some of the freshest Californian cuisine in the city. Or make the trip to Culver City to discover award-winning food as part of a multisensory experience incorporating music, art, and architecture. Downtown is a hub for Asian cuisine, while Hollywood hosts some of the best American food in Los Angeles.
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These are the 11 best MICHELIN-Star restaurants in Los Angeles.
For fresh Californian cuisine in one of the best MICHELIN-Star restaurants in Los Angeles: Melisse (Santa Monica)
LA star chef Josiah Citrin has earned two MICHELIN Stars for Melisse’s Californian tasting menus in an intimate setting since 1999. Current chef Ken Takayama collaborates with local farmers from San Diego to Napa Valley to create menus with fresh ingredients, including items like caviar and A5 Wagyu. It’s a 2.5-hour guided culinary experience, combining kitchen and dining room elements to create an immersive, 18-serving symphony.
For a meal that’s about more than just the food: Vespertine (Culver City)
Vespertine is more than just a two-MICHELIN-Starred restaurant—it’s a multisensory experience. Chef Jordan Kahn’s restaurant is located inside a twisted steel and glass building designed by architect Eric Owen Moss. Each element is carefully curated to provide a mix of food, art, and architecture. Throughout the 16-course meal, diners are taken through different levels of the building for an immersive and memorable experience. The menu pays homage to California’s four regions.
For stunning seafood in one of the MICHELIN-rated restaurants in Los Angeles: Providence (Hollywood)
Chef Michael Cimarusti’s two-MICHELIN-Starred Providence spotlights sustainable seafood—Santa Barbara spot prawns and Golden Kaluga caviar star on the menu and are prepared with the utmost respect. The upscale interior with dark green walls, stylish black carpet, and intimate lighting at each table provides a memorable finishing touch, elevating this restaurant to the highest level in fine dining.
For an approachable experience and high-quality food: Citrin (Santa Monica)
Acclaimed chef Josiah Citrin’s one-MICHELIN-Starred Citrin brings fine-dining-quality food to a comfortable setting with signature dishes like lobster bolognese, truffle risotto, and “dirty” roast chicken served in either an a la carte or four-course tasting menu form. For a more low-key time, head to the large bar to sample drinks and dishes at a more accessible price during happy hour.
For a family-owned and operated experience in one of the best MICHELIN Star restaurants in Los Angeles: Gwen (Beverly Hills)
One-MICHELIN-Starred Gwen comes from acclaimed brothers Curtis and Luke Stone and is named after their maternal grandmother, who lived on a livestock farm just outside of Melbourne. Gwen turns that heritage into an upscale butcher shop with a fine-dining restaurant focused on fire-cooking techniques. The a la carte menu or five-course tasting option serves up items like housemade charcuterie, 30-day aged ribeye, and bacon Bolognese pasta.
For MICHELIN-rated Californian cuisine in a casual setting: Kali (Hollywood)
Lifelong friends Kevin Meehan and Drew Langley dreamed of bringing fine dining to a more casual and enjoyable environment, and the one-MICHELIN-Starred Kali is the brilliant result. The comfortable interior emulates a living room, where many of the Californian dishes served either a la carte or in tasting menu format are organic and locally sourced, such as sea urchin pasta and dry-aged duck.
For contemporary Taiwanese at a DTLA MICHELIN Star restaurant: Kato (Downtown)
Renowned Kato chef Jon Yao is known for putting an LA twist on classic Taiwanese and Asian American dishes, such as roasted scallops with cured pork jowl in an XO-like sauce. The one-MICHELIN-Starred result also landed the restaurant the title of World’s 50 Best’s One to Watch in 2024. Pair it all with a creative alcohol-free flight, which contains non-alcoholic wine and some of the best zero-proof beverages in LA.
For food prepared with innovation and sustainability in mind: Meteora (Hollywood)
Vespertine chef Jordan Kahn works exclusively with local California farmers, fishers, ranchers, and foragers to provide a creative and sustainable seasonal menu at the one-MICHELIN-Starred Meteora. Aged Pacific moonfish, avocado and caviar, and sweet potato ice cream are served in an otherworldly environment, done up in neutral tones with all-natural materials (without a hint of plastic to be found, anywhere).
For upscale, MICHELIN-Star Japanese and Italian fusion: Orsa & Winston (Downtown)
Orsa & Winston from chef Josef Centeno is known for blending the best of Italian and Japanese cuisines. The menu changes nightly based on available fresh ingredients, resulting in a five-course omakase tasting menu that’s largely pescatarian, with past dishes including hamachi crudo with heirloom tomatoes, sweet potato ricotta raviolo, and seared duck with black truffle and tonnato. Plus, an entirely vegetarian tasting menu can be prepared upon request, along with beer, sake, and wine pairings.
For LA’s top Italian cuisine: Osteria Mozza (Hollywood)
Legendary James Beard Award-winning chef Nancy Silverton presides over the one-MICHELIN-Starred Osteria Mozza. The menu features seasonal pasta dishes, such as orecchiette with fennel sausage and Swiss chard, best enjoyed as part of the five-course tasting menu, plus bites from the famous mozzarella bar, which is the restaurant’s centerpiece. Don’t miss the impressive Old World wine list to match.
For Japanese cuisine in the heart of Los Angeles at one of the best MICHELIN Star restaurants in Los Angeles: Shibumi (Downtown)
Shibumi is known for producing stellar umami flavors in an intimate 40-seat restaurant. Head chef David Schlosser was trained by sushi master Masa Takayama, and his menu celebrates Kappo cuisine, so diners can find something raw, grilled, boiled, fried, and steamed on the omakase tasting menu. Stars of this Japanese menu include grilled bamboo shoots and eel tempura, but the menu can change seasonally. You can supplement your meal with extras and pair it with wine, whiskey, or sake.
These MICHELIN-Star restaurants in Los Angeles are the cream of the crop. Serving up a variety of cuisines from Japanese and Italian to contemporary American and Californian, it’s hard to go wrong with any of these choices. Whether you’re looking for high-quality food in an upscale environment or to enjoy a meal in a more casual setting, there’s a MICHELIN-Star restaurant in Los Angeles for you.
