15 CA Eateries Make 'Affordable' Bib Gourmand Ranking For The 1st Time

CALIFORNIA — While Michelin is known for recommending well known and high-heeled fine dining establishments, the Bib Gourmand list recognizes affordability as well as quality.

Since 1997, the list has ranked restaurants by considering a price limit, which varies from country to country, depending on the cost of living. The quality metric, however, remains the same.

This year, the list has recognized 141 California restaurants on the affordable list, but the names will not be released until Dec. 5.

On Tuesday, the Michelin Guide released the names of the newest honorees to make the list and 15 California eateries made the list for the first time.

Across the the state, 12 honorees were named in Southern California, while three establishments were recognized in the Bay Area. The 15 newly recognized restaurants will join dozens more across the state next week when the full list is published.

Here are the California restaurants that will join the affordability list:

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Pizzeria Bianco - Los Angeles

In 1988, Chris Bianco opened the first location of Pizzeria Bianco in the back corner of a Phoenix grocery store. Now the pizzeria has five locations in Arizona and one extremely popular location in Los Angeles.

Bianco won the James Beard Award for Best Chef Southwest in 2003, the first pizziaolo to receive the honor, according to his website.

MICHELIN: Those 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.

All Day Baby - Silver Lake

A fresh coat of red paint splashed on a building in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles signaled the arrival of what was about to become a new beloved eatery, bakery and cocktail bar with "the soul of a diner."

Chef Johnathan Whitener and Lien Ta, who first started Here's Looking At You in Koreatown, opened the neighborhood fixture in November of 2019.

MICHELIN: Anybody 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 - Los Angeles

The "Caboco Project" unfolded in 2014, when restauranteur Bill Chait first was sent to South America by food writer Bill Esparza on a mission to find a talented Brazilian chef. There, Chait met Rodrigo Oliveira, owner of restaurant Mocotó.

Chait attempted to get Oliveira to move to L.A. several times, but it wasn't until Oliveira finally consulted his friend and partner chef Victor Vasconcellos that he finally said yes. After finding a suitable location, the trio — Chait, Oliveira and Vasconcellos — decided to debut Caboco in the Arts District of Los Angeles.

MICHELIN: This airy, industrial-chic space welcomes guests with a well-rounded menu of deeply flavorful and thought-provoking modern Brazilian dishes.

Chulita - Venice Beach

Chulita prides itself as an "Alta California-style" Mexican restaurant and mezcal/tequila cocktail bar in the heart of Venice beach. It's where the tortillas are hand made with Mesienda Heirloom Corn from farmers in Oaxaca and house-made tepache finds its match with their infused Serrano Mezcal.

MICHELIN: With its mod Mexican good looks and its Venice location not far from the beach, Chulita is primed for sunny SoCal days. Tacos are served all day at this spot where Oaxacan-style, California-influenced fare rules. Slake your thirst with a tequila or mezcal, then tuck in to a starter, such as the quesadilla de calabaza, made from dark masa, filled with Oaxacan queso and garnished with pipián de calabaza.

Flavors From Afar - Los Angeles

It's all in the name. A hodgepodge of cuisine comes from fourteen different chefs from around the world and they are the pillars that make Flavors from Afar what it is. They are the reason cuisine from Eritrean to Lebanese to Kenyan and beyond was able to reach Los Angeles.

The restaurant's mission is to work with refugees and asylum seekers who bring recipes from their native countries over the course of a month.

MICHELIN: Eritrean, Lebanese, Navajo, Guatemalan, Haitian – the rotation is constant, and the culinary reach of the effort is vast. A recent feature on Indo-Fijian cuisine included a creamy onion and coconut milk stew followed by a finely spiced goat pulao enlivened with cardamom, cloves and star anise. This is authentic homestyle cooking in the best of ways, a spotlight on undiscovered talent and a striking reminder of the many flavors the world has to offer. A portion of proceeds benefit the Tiyya Foundation, which supports immigrants and displaced Indigenous communities.

Lalibela - Los Angeles

This family owned restaurant offers a beloved assortment of freshly made juices, a traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony and thoughtfully selected ingredients for breakfast, lunch and dinner items. Lalibela also provides plenty of vegan and vegetarian items.

MICHELIN: Chef-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 - Lincoln Heights

Moo's began in 2017 as an underground BBQ popup, mostly hidden away in a small East Los Angeles backyard. Now, they're drawing long lines in Lincoln Heights.

MICHELIN: Smoky, 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 - Silver Lake

From Dodgers to Knicks fans, the owner of Indian sports bar Pijja Palace, wants everyone to feel at home under his roof. You might find some familiar foods — wings, sliders, tenders, thin-crust pizzas, pasta — but they're all served with an Indian twist.

MICHELIN: “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.

Saffy's - Los Angeles

Ori Menache and Genevieve Gergi's latest restaurant, Saffy's, offers flavors and dishes reminiscent of Middle-Eastern home-style cooking, with some unexpected takes.

MICHELIN: 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.

BAY AREA

Jo's Modern Thai - Oakland

This family-owned restaurant in Oakland's Laurel district pays tribute to the Isaan region of northeastern Thailand.

MICHELIN: The 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.

Good Good Culture Club - San Francisco

This family-owned eatery serves Southeast Asian cuisine in San Francisco's Mission District.

MICHELIN: The 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 - North Beach/San Francisco

Hilda and Jesse, owned Kristina Liedags Compton and Rachel Sillcocks, has been dubbed as one of the area's most "fun and charming restaurants, taking the luxury of brunch to new heights," according to Resy.

MICHELIN: You’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.