Californios Is the World’s First Michelin 3-Star Mexican Restaurant

Michelin history was made last night in San Diego. Californios, chef Val Cantu’s San Francisco tasting menu destination, became the first Mexican restaurant in the world to earn three Michelin stars.

The French gastronomic guide revealed all the restaurants earning stars across the Golden State in a ceremony that also saw Sonoma’s Enclos by chef Brian Limoges rocket to three stars after only being open for around 18 months.

For Californios, it was a much longer journey to the top. Cantú, a Texas native who’d worked in kitchens from Uchi in Austin, Texas, to Sons & Daughters in San Francisco, had noticed the lack of Mexican fine dining and set out to change that. He spent time at Pujol in Mexico City and returned to San Francisco to host pop-ups starting in 2013. In 2015, the brick-and-mortar Californios was born in the City by the Bay, earning a Michelin starMichelin StarA prestigious rating awarded by the Michelin Guide to restaurants of exceptional quality, with one, two, or three stars. A Michelin star confers global recognition and can transform a restaurant'sGo to Michelin Star Glossary in its first year. A few years later, it became the first Mexican restaurant in America to earn a second Michelin star. In 2020, Cantú moved his restaurant to a larger space in San Francisco and reopened in 2021 to serve his 10-course menu. Last year, it came in at No. 51 on our rankings of the 100 Greatest American Restaurants of the 21^st Century.

Enclos, built inside an old Victorian home at Stone Edge Farm Vineyards and Winery, ascended to two stars in 2025, just a few months after opening. At the restaurant Limoges serves contemporary Californian cuisine, inspired by ingredients from Stone Edge Farm and seafood from the nearby Pacific.

Enclos in Sonoma has quickly made its mark on the culinary world. *Photo: Adahlia Cole*

One of the other big winners of the night was Kato, Jon Yao’s exquisite Taiwanese tasting menu in Downtown Los Angeles, which was promoted to two stars. And nine other restaurants earned their first Michelin star: Corridor 109, Kojima, Lielle, Lucien, Miura, Naides, Seline, Troubadour, and Wolfsbane (Both Lielle and Wolfsbane made our 2026 list of the 10 Best New Restaurants in America).

For some restaurants it was a tougher night, as a handful of establishments lost their star: 715, Camphor, Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura (closed last fall), Gwen, Kenzo, Knife Pleat, Le Comptoir at Bar Crenn (Bar Crenn will remain open, but Dominique Crenn announced Le Comptoir would close), Morihiro (moved to a new location), O’ by Claude Le Tohic, Shibumi (closed last summer), Uka (temporarily closed), and Valle all fell out of the rankings. While these restaurants lost their stars, no restaurants in the three- or two-star ranks were demoted in 2026.

Check out the full list of starred restaurants in the list below.

Every Michelin-Starred Restaurant in California for 2026

FAQs

What Mexican restaurant earned three Michelin stars for the first time?
Californios in San Francisco became the first Mexican restaurant in the world to earn three Michelin stars.

Who is the chef behind Californios?
Californios is led by chef Val Cantú, a Texas native who previously worked at Uchi in Austin and Sons & Daughters in San Francisco before opening his own Mexican fine-dining restaurant.

Where is Californios located?
Californios is located in San Francisco. The restaurant moved to a larger space in 2020 and reopened in 2021.

When did Californios first open?
Californios opened as a brick-and-mortar restaurant in San Francisco in 2015, after Val Cantú began hosting pop-ups in 2013.

Why is Californios’s third Michelin starMichelin StarA prestigious rating awarded by the Michelin Guide to restaurants of exceptional quality, with one, two, or three stars. A Michelin star confers global recognition and can transform a restaurant'sGo to Michelin Star Glossary historic?
The award is historic because Californios is now the first Mexican restaurant anywhere in the world to receive Michelin’s highest three-star rating.

Which California restaurants earned three Michelin stars in 2026?
The 2026 three-star Michelin restaurants in California are Addison, Atelier Crenn, Benu, Californios, Enclos, Providence, Quince, SingleThread, Somni, and The French Laundry.

What other restaurant was promoted to three Michelin stars in California in 2026?
Enclos in Sonoma was promoted to three Michelin stars after being open for around 18 months.

What kind of food does Enclos serve?
Enclos serves contemporary Californian cuisine, with menus inspired by ingredients from Stone Edge Farm and seafood from the nearby Pacific.

Which California restaurant was promoted to two Michelin stars in 2026?
Kato, Jon Yao’s Taiwanese tasting menu restaurant in Downtown Los Angeles, was promoted to two Michelin stars.

Which restaurants earned their first Michelin starMichelin StarA prestigious rating awarded by the Michelin Guide to restaurants of exceptional quality, with one, two, or three stars. A Michelin star confers global recognition and can transform a restaurant'sGo to Michelin Star Glossary in California in 2026?
The new one-star restaurants are Corridor 109, Kojima, Lielle, Lucien, Miura, Naides, Seline, Troubadour, and Wolfsbane.

Did any two- or three-star California restaurants lose stars in 2026?
No restaurants in California’s two- or three-star Michelin ranks were demoted in 2026.

Which California restaurants lost their Michelin starMichelin StarA prestigious rating awarded by the Michelin Guide to restaurants of exceptional quality, with one, two, or three stars. A Michelin star confers global recognition and can transform a restaurant'sGo to Michelin Star Glossary in 2026?
The restaurants that fell out of the starred rankings include 715, Camphor, Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura, Gwen, Kenzo, Knife Pleat, Le Comptoir at Bar Crenn, Morihiro, O’ by Claude Le Tohic, Shibumi, Uka, and Valle.

This article originally appeared in Robb Report US.