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Kassie Borreson

45 Michelin-Starred Restaurants Have Returned in the SF Bay Area

Many of the Bay’s most acclaimed fine dining restaurants have returned to shine again for reopening

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With dining rooms shuttered across the region, restaurants pivoted during the pandemic — even those ritziest, most highly regarded restaurants: the ones with Michelin stars. There were a dazzling 62 restaurants awarded stars in Northern California in 2019, which turned out to be the last time that would happen for quite a while. Once the pandemic hit, the Michelin guide first paused the awards, then decided to cancel them altogether, which means they didn’t give out any stars in 2020, and it remains to be seen when they might resume in 2021.

But for fans of fine dining, many of these starred restaurants remained open, first attempting takeout and delivery, offering a rare chance to see top chefs putting out a humbler, more accessible style of food, and finally now reopening for sit-down dining, bringing back the luxurious tasting menus. Here are 45 Michelin-starred restaurants that are still shining in the San Francisco Bay Area. (Please note, the following list only includes the restaurants that are open at the time of publication — check back as others reopen in coming months.)

The latest CDC guidance for vaccinated diners during the COVID-19 outbreak is here; dining out still carries risks for unvaccinated diners and workers. Please be aware of changing local rules, and check individual restaurant websites for any additional restrictions such as mask requirements. Find a local vaccination site here.

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Harbor House Inn

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For the first half of the coronavirus shutdown, chef Matt Kammerer’s restaurant on the Mendocino coast pivoted to $18-a-person to-go dinners, but the restaurant reopened its back deck in the spring to serve its $220 tasting menu outdoors, and has now resumed the full experience indoors.

SingleThread Farm - Restaurant - Inn

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The Healdsburg hot reservation offered outdoor dining and farm dinners, but it’s now completely reopened and rolling out its usual tasting menu of ten courses for $375.

The Kitchen Restaurant

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The only Michelin-starred restaurant in Sacramento has returned with limited indoor reservations for eight courses starring local, seasonal ingredients. Pre-pandemic, they were known for the “intermission” tour of the kitchen, which isn’t possible at the moment, but regardless, diners are thrilled to be back.

Auberge du Soleil

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The one-star restaurant at this five-star hotel is doing outdoor dining on the terrace with a view over wine country, and they claim to have more than 15,000 bottles of wine in the cellar. 

Modern dessert at Auberge du Soleil Auberge du Soleil

Farmhouse Inn

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The Sonoma County hotel restaurant stayed open for dinner during the pandemic, with seating available on its outdoor patio, and has now reopened the dining room, as well.

The French Laundry

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Thomas Keller’s flagship fine-dining destination in Yountville never jumped into the takeout game, but it is open for service in the outdoor courtyard and indoor dining room, for its $350 tasting menu.

Bouchon Bistro

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Thomas Keller’s one-star French bistro has retired the takeout, and returned to sit-down dining, with brasserie classics like steak frites and roast chicken, served crisp to the table.

La Toque

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Chef Ken Frank’s classic French restaurant in Napa has been offering both tasting menus (omnivore and vegetarian versions) as well as a new a la carte menu for customers that don’t want to commit to a three- or four-hour dinner. It’s now seating diners in the dining room and on its outdoor terrace.

The splashy Napa sushi spot was offering a to-go menu with a selection of bento boxes, rice bowls, and a la carte items like karaage, but has also finally reopened for limited indoor reservations.

Ron Siegel’s San Anselmo restaurant was doing curbside pickup of family-style dinners and bottles of wine, but is now back with indoor and outdoor dining, specifically serving the chef’s tasting menu (no a la carte, for now).

The East Bay’s only Michelin-starred spot — two-starred, to be exact — was offering a to-go menu for a family-style two-person dinner. But the restaurant has returned to indoor and outdoor dining, with a multi-course menu for $189, with a menu that changes every week, and features Commis classics like the house-baked levain bread and the crowd favorite slow-poached egg yolk with smoked dates and alliums.

Gary Danko

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The fine-dining institution near Ghirardelli Square had to fold up the white tablecloths, but it is still in takeout business with a four-course tasting menu to take home, and has opened up the wine cellar.

Terrine from Gary Danko Gary Danko

Atelier Crenn

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The three-star restaurant has gone from take-home “Crenn Kits” to reopening the dining room for the full 14-course pescatarian menu for $365 per person, with desserts by Juan Contreras. 

While unable to open its three-starred Jackson Square dining room, Quince started doing farm dinners — a $325 to $350 fine-dining tasting menu served out in the fields of local farms in Petaluma and Bolinas. And with the reopening of indoor dining, exclusive club members will get those first reservations for tables back in the city.

Lord Stanley

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The Nob Hill restaurant offered a multitude of takeout options during the pandemic, from Taco Tuesdays to fish-and-chip Fridays, heat-and-eat dinner kits and lots of seasonal specials. It’s now mostly back to weekday prix-fixe and weekend tasting menus in the double-decker dining room, although it is still possible to snag a Michelin-starred burger from the hot pink takeout window.

Mister Jiu's

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SF native Brandon Jew’s gorgeous, Michelin-starred flagship restaurant in Chinatown pivoted to groceries, takeout, and outdoor dining during the pandemic. But as of spring 2021, the chef shut it all down, to give his undivided attention to indoor dining. Step back inside the former Four Seas banquet hall for the tea-smoked duck platter, crunch-topped barbecue pork buns, and uni-decked cheong fun.

Kassie Borreson

Angler went from being the splashiest new seafood restaurant in 2019 to swiveling wildly during the pandemic to a takeout barbecue operation called Saison Smokehouse. The pastrami brisket has since left the building, and now Angler is back to serving oysters and tartare, Parker House rolls with nori butter, and woodfire fish.

Acquerello

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The two-star Northern Italian restaurant was offering a variety of coursed meal kits for takeout. But the dining room has reopened, complete with the white table clothes and over-the-top floral arrangements.

Sons & Daughters

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With its intimate dining room at the base of Nob Hill, Sons & Daughters was forced to shutter for many months during the pandemic, finally cracking open to serve just 12 guests at a time back during 25 percent capacity. Thankfully, the dining room has fully reopened now, so more people can experience the farm-to-table seasonal menu. 

Sons & Daughters Eater Archives

The one-star Pac Heights restaurant stocked pantry items during the pandemic (pasta sauces, dried pastas, heat-and-eat lasagna), but it’s now back to indoor and outdoor dining, and exclusively tasting menus.

The white tablecloth spot in Presidio Heights is still offering takeout and delivery, which includes the restaurant’s much-vaunted burger, as well as pricier entrees like a dry-aged ribeye for two. But it’s also back for sit-down brunch, lunch, and dinner.

The Spruce burger Spruce

Known for its fresh pastas, this Lower Pac Heights Italian restaurant served up an Italian takeout menu during the pandemic, dubbed Accarrino’s To Go, featuring baked ziti and meatball dinner. That’s still available, but SPQR is also now taking reservations for indoor and outdoor dining.

Mourad Lahlou first opened Aziza in the Avenues, then Mourad downtown in SoMa. He’s been cooking out of the former for the better part of the pandemic, serving Cal-Moroccan comfort food. But he finally reopened the latter for the full fine-dining experience downtown, bringing back the duck basteeya bundled like a cigar, lamb in pomegranate and shiso, and hand-rolled couscous.

The duck confit basteeya at Mourad

Coronavirus closures meant that Benu was serving as a test kitchen for chef Corey Lee’s forthcoming Korean restaurant San Ho Won. They’ve since paused on takeout, as San Ho Won prepares to open in its own space. And now, the three-Michelin-starred Benu is back to serving its full tasting menu in its own home, starting at $325 per person.

San Ho Won’s spring bibimbap with ramps, fern, cordyceps, and pea leaves San Ho Won

State Bird Provisions

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The original restaurant from husband-and-wife team Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski is now open for indoor and outdoor dining, although tables are in demand as always, for fans who missed the namesake crispy fried quail and other small plates. Sister restaurant Progress next door (also starred) promises to make a comeback in August of 2021. In the meantime, also try the Anchovy Bar just around the corner, their latest project starring our local little fish.

Wako Japanese Restaurant

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The Clement Street sushi restaurant is still offering takeout chirashi bowls, chicken soboro don, karaage, and assorted sushi rolls — plus a big $100 omakase set — while it prepares to reopen for indoor dining on July 8.

The two-starred tasting menu spot has reopened for indoor dining, with nine to 12 courses focused on woodfire cooking, starting at $248. But parklet dining is a little more streamlined, offering five to eight courses for $178.

Birdsong

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Birdsong was selling “Birdboxes” during the pandemic, which included fried chicken and blue cornbread, as well as a fried chicken sandwich with the claw intact. The sandwich was so popular that it’s going to be getting its own home, with the anticipated opening of a fast-casual spinoff. Which leaves Birdsong to return to its usual indoor dining and tasting menus of wild West Coast shellfish.

The Michelin-starred omakase spot went from selling takeout chirashi bowls, beer, and cookies to opening a creative parklet set up like an outdoor omakase counter, where the sushi chefs are still sliding bites under the plexiglass for now.

Rich Table

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After a long hiatus at the beginning of the shelter in place, Evan and Sarah Rich opened up their flagship Hayes Valley restaurant for takeout, including heat-and-eat oxtail bucatini, but reservations are now open for indoor and outdoor dining.

Californios

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Chef Val M Cantu is back with his creative, ambitious, and all Mexican tasting menu that won two Michelin stars in 2019. During the pandemic, Californios shuttered its original location in the Mission, and made the move to a much larger space in SoMa. The restaurant reopened for outdoor dining in spring of 2021, and will debut indoor dining later this summer, so stay tuned.

Omakase

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The Design District sushi spot is still serving takeout chirashi bowls, donburi, and luxe uni and caviar packages, but it’s also reopened for indoor dining.

Lazy Bear

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While Lazy Bear’s dining room went into hibernation, it launched what it called Camp Commissary, offering breakfast (biscuit sandwiches), lunch (duck banh mi), and cookie dough and cocktails. But done with takeout, the supper club is now back with indoor and outdoor dining.

AL's Place

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Chef Aaron London’s Michelin-starred, vegetable-focused restaurant is open for dine-in service, offering an $85-per-person family-style feast and a full a la carte menu in the dining room and on the outdoor patio.

Rasa Contemporary Indian

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Burlingame’s high-end, one-star Indian restaurant is still offering a full a la carte takeout menu, with options ranging from Bombay sliders to entrees like chicken biryani and Chettinadu lamb curry, as well as sit-down dining.

Sushi Yoshizumi

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The legendary sushi restaurant offered chirashi bowls and nigiri sets to go during the pandemic, but now it’s back to being an omakase-only affair — per usual.

Wakuriya

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San Mateo’s one-star Japanese restaurant, dedicated to the fine art of kaiseki-style dining, is offered takeout for the first time during the pandemic: a $50 three-course menu — featuring dishes like assorted sashimi and grilled eel over rice.

The Village Pub

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Like its sister restaurant Spruce, the Village Pub offered a full a la carte takeout menu, with an option for “luxury additions” like caviar and dry-aged steaks. But reservations are back for indoor and outdoor dining.

The two-starred Palo Alto fine-dining restaurant is still offering takeout, in the form of a $98 four-course prix fixe, as well as having reopened for sit-down wagyu and pescatarian tasting menus (starting at $398 or $298 per person, respectively).

Protégé

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The one-star Cal cuisine tasting menu spot in Palo Alto wound down their takeout offerings, such as short rib pithivier. It’s now open for indoor and outdoor dining, with a full tasting menu in the dining room and a la carte for the lounge.

The swanky, high-ceilinged Silicon Valley New American restaurant is now open for indoor and outdoor dining, with a full a la carte menu. And chef Ravi Kapur from Liholiho Yacht Club is popping up at the bar for summer of 2021, promising his Cal-Hawaiian dishes.

Chez TJ

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Mountain View’s starred French tasting menu spot is serving both a four-course and a seven-course tasting menus.

Plumed Horse

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The Saratoga fine dining restaurant is open for indoor and outdoor service, with tables available on three separate heated outdoor dining areas.

Manresa

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David Kinch’s restaurant was serving three-Michelin-starred family meals throughout the pandemic. But fans were thrilled when Manresa reopened the dining room for the full tasting experience in spring of 2021.

Aubergine the restaurant at L'Auberge Carmel

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The glitzy Monterey resort restaurant is open for outdoor dining in its flower-filled courtyard. It’s also still offering to-go menus on the weekends.

Harbor House Inn

For the first half of the coronavirus shutdown, chef Matt Kammerer’s restaurant on the Mendocino coast pivoted to $18-a-person to-go dinners, but the restaurant reopened its back deck in the spring to serve its $220 tasting menu outdoors, and has now resumed the full experience indoors.

SingleThread Farm - Restaurant - Inn

The Healdsburg hot reservation offered outdoor dining and farm dinners, but it’s now completely reopened and rolling out its usual tasting menu of ten courses for $375.

The Kitchen Restaurant

The only Michelin-starred restaurant in Sacramento has returned with limited indoor reservations for eight courses starring local, seasonal ingredients. Pre-pandemic, they were known for the “intermission” tour of the kitchen, which isn’t possible at the moment, but regardless, diners are thrilled to be back.