A little under a week before the December 5 stars ceremony, Michelin is back with California's Bib Gourmand picks for 2022—including ten new restaurants in Los Angeles. Regular readers of Time Out will recognize quite a few of them, including Flavors From Afar from our hidden dining gems guide (now sorely in need of an update!) and Pijja Palace, Pizzeria Bianco and Saffy's from our monthly best new restaurants updates.
For those unfamiliar with how Michelin restaurants are selected, here's how it works: Anonymous Michelin inspectors travel across a given region, awarding the best of the best anywhere from one to three stars. Here in L.A., that’s meant both ultra-special occasion meals like Vespertine and Sushi Ginza Onodera, as well as more date-night friendly restaurants like Orsa & Winston and Osteria Mozza. Bib Gourmand makes up a second category of budget-friendly restaurants considered notable by inspectors.
RECOMMENDED: All of L.A.'s Michelin star restaurants
In order to be considered for the more affordable category of the French tire company's world-renowned dining guide, Bib Gourmand restaurants must offer a full menu that makes it possible to order two courses and drink or dessert for under $49 (sans tax and gratuity). These days, of course, that's a tall order, particularly when you factor in rising inflation.
Across California, Michelin added 15 new restaurants (out of a total of 141 statewide), with ten of them being in the greater Los Angeles area. Other nearby notables include the Solvang's Peasants Feast—which we visited last spring on a Central Coast food getaway—and Buena Park's Ramen & Tsukemen TAO down in Orange County.
Here in Los Angeles, there's plenty to work through if you haven't already tried these new Bib Gourmands. Spanning from the Westside to the San Gabriel Valley, these new picks acknowledge the more diverse cuisines of Los Angeles beyond the French and Japanese fine-dining spots typically favored for awarded stars. A few weeks ago, we recapped the 34 new L.A. area restaurants that would be included in the 2022 California Michelin guide—nine of which also received Bib Gourmands as of this morning.
Find the full list below; any spots that are linked reflect that we've previously covered them at Time Out—and we've included call-outs of our own starred reviews (out of 5) if you'd like a more locally informed dive than than the short description offered by the Michelin Guide.
- All Day Baby
- Caboco (now closed)
- Chulita
- Flavors From Afar
- Ipoh Kopitiam (Alhambra)
- Lalibela
- Moo’s Craft Barbecue
- Pijja Palace
- Pizzeria Bianco
- Saffy's [4 stars]