We've already released a few teasers of the 2022 MICHELIN Guide California, and now the full guide is rolling out, starting with 15 new Bib Gourmands. From an LA kitchen run by refugees, asylum seekers, and immigrants to a Malaysian cafe in Alhambra, these are the newest Bib Gourmands in California. The entire MICHELIN Guide California 2022 selection will be available on December 5th at 8:45pm PST/11:45pm EST.
Los Angeles
All Day Baby
Cuisine: AmericanAnybody can throw together a breakfast sandwich, but few compare to the one served here. A tower of softly scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage and American cheese arrives under a cloak of strawberry jam stacked between a fluffy cathead biscuit.
Caboco
Cuisine: BrazilianThis airy, industrial-chic space welcomes guests with a well-rounded menu of deeply flavorful and thought-provoking modern Brazilian dishes.
Chulita
Cuisine: MexicanTacos are served all day at this spot where Oaxacan-style, California-influenced Mexican food rules.
Flavors From Afar
Cuisine: InternationalA kitchen on a mission, Flavors from Afar works with refugees and asylum seekers to highlight recipes from their native countries over the course of a month. Eritrean, Lebanese, Navajo, Guatemalan, Haitian – the rotation is constant, and the culinary reach of the effort is vast.
Lalibela
Cuisine: EthiopianChef-owner Tenagne Belachew and her daughters offer a dazzling selection of vibrant, colorful Ethiopian classics with vegetables and meat alike arriving on oversized silver platters lined with thin, spongy injera.
Moo's Craft Barbecue
Cuisine: BarbecueSmoky, salt-and-pepper-crusted brisket and snappy, spicy sausages packed with cheddar and jalapeños pay homage to the barbecue traditions of Austin, Texas.
Pijja Palace
Cuisine: Fusion“Indian Sports Bar” is not a phrase you hear often, if at all, and so it’s no surprise that this quirky hotspot defies labels. Onion rings are coated in dosa batter. Wings are marinated in cilantro-mint chutney. Rigatoni comes tossed in a creamy tomato masala that evokes a vodka tomato sauce.
Pizzeria Bianco
Cuisine: PizzaThose who think Los Angeles can't compete with New York when it comes to pizza obviously haven't been to Pizzeria Bianco. There is a reason long lines snake through ROW DTLA and queue up at the takeout window with diners hankering for a taste of Chef Chris Bianco's pizza.
Saffy's
Cuisine: Middle EasternFrom the hitmakers behind Bavel and Bestia comes this breezy space awash in shades of Starburst pink and orange marmalade. Lamb and pork kebabs cooked on long metal skewers are the main event, but appetizers easily hold their own.
San Francisco Bay Area
Good Good Culture Club
Cuisine: Southeast AsianThe vibrantly flavorful cooking here highlights Southeast Asian flavors and unique Californian expressions in dishes like a signature adobo-glazed fried chicken wing stuffed with garlic rice.
Hilda and Jesse
Cuisine: AmericanYou’ll find no basic benedicts here, but rather an assortment of original, ingredient-driven dishes that change with the seasons, and even sweet standbys like pancakes and French toast are whimsically reimagined.
Jo's Modern Thai
Cuisine: ThaiThe menu here displays the bold, balanced flavors typical of Thai cuisine, but isn’t overly concerned with hewing to tradition. That approach is exemplified in dishes like a take on drunken noodles, which features smoky barbecue brisket, or a pork burger seasoned to resemble the complex herbaceous flavors of laab.
Solvang
peasants FEAST
Cuisine: AmericanIt may seem impossible to be even more charming than its Solvang surroundings, but peasants FEAST doubles down, and delivers. This daytime-only café from Sarah and Michael Cherney spotlights the seasons on its sandwich-driven menu.
Alhambra
Ipoh Kopitiam
Cuisine: MalaysianChef Kenji Tang fills a void with a fairly succinct menu of well-known Malaysian favorites that stand out in a region known more for its Chinese restaurants. Everybody orders the tender Hainanese chicken, served with a trio of dipping sauces and a dome of seasoned rice.
Buena Park
Ramen & Tsukemen TAO
Cuisine: Japanese-RamenThis unassuming spot in an easy-to-miss location in an open-air mall belies the wondrous steaming bowls found within.
Hero image: All Day Baby © Natasha Lee/All Day Baby