Days before the July 18 ceremony, Michelin is back with 10 new Bib Gourmand picks for 2023—including four new restaurants in Los Angeles County: Cobi’s, a grandma-chic Southeast Asian eatery in Santa Monica; Villa’s Tacos, a L.A. style taqueria in Highland Park; Carnes Asadas Pancho Lopez, a Lincoln Heights restaurant specializing in dishes from Jalisco, including birria; and Eat Joy Food, a Taiwanese restaurant in Rowland Heights.
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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 Hayato and Providence, as well as more date-night friendly restaurants like Orsa & Winston and Hatchet Hall. Bib Gourmand makes up a second category of budget-friendly restaurants considered notable by inspectors. These new picks generally acknowledge the more diverse cuisines of Los Angeles beyond the French and Japanese fine-dining spots typically favored for awarded stars (Michelin will announce those as well as more Bib Gourmands on July 18).
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.
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, they include additions from 2022 and 2021, plus 2019. (Michelin skipped handing out awards in 2020 due to the pandemic.)