San Diego Earns More Michelin Restaurant Honors in 2026

Another San Diego restaurant has earned a prestigious Michelin star, as Lucien in La Jolla received the coveted honor June 24 at the 2026 Michelin California awards event.

Michelin stars are the highest honor in the dining world, and Lucien joins four other San Diego restaurants that currently boast that top global distinction. One of them, Addison by William Bradley at the Fairmont Grand Del Mar, has the top honor of three Michelin stars, while three others — Soichi in University Heights and Lilo and Jeune et Jolie, both in Carlsbad — have one star each.

The awards event was also a significant honor for the San Diego dining scene as a whole: This was the first time Michelin held the ceremony in San Diego.

Lucien has rocketed to success, landing in Michelin's California Guide in 2025 less than a year after opening. The La Jolla restaurant, named for chef and co-owner Elijah Arizmendi's young son, offers a tasting menu of California cuisine. Arizmendi already had a strong Michelin pedigree, having worked in multiple New York kitchens run by Michelin-honored chefs.

Here's what Michelin's inspectors said of Lucien:

"Chef Elijah Arizmendi cut his teeth in New York kitchens before returning home to open this sophisticated tasting menu concept on the third story of La Plaza La Jolla. Whether it's California-raised Iberico pork or locally caught fish, the region's bounty is celebrated on a menu that reflects French and Japanese influences.

"A meal could begin with canapes like tempura-fried sweet potato topped with caviar; yellowtail in a crispy nori tube; and a rose meringue with beets and green yogurt, before moving into impressive dishes like crisp-skinned ocean tilefish with petite fennel and pomegranate, or poussin with a chicken mousse and truffle stuffing. Desserts are creative, as in the cinnamon caramel-braised pineapple roasted over the live-fire hearth for hours."

Along with the five Michelin-starred restaurants, San Diego also has nine restaurants that have earned Michelin's Bib Gourmand distinction for great food at a good value, plus 29 additional restaurants that are included in the California Guide, an honor in itself.

Additional Michelin recognition went to Savannah Riedler, Lilo's wine director, who won the 2026 Michelin Sommelier Award for California. The San Diego native previously was part of the team at San Diego's Juniper & Ivy, one of the local restaurants in the California Guide.

To view a complete guide to San Diego's Michelin honors, click here.