Three New LA Restaurants Join The Michelin Guide This May

These are the three newest additions to The Michelin Guide California that you need to book now.

West Hollywood

Somni

Photo Credit: Jill Pader

 

After a four-year, pandemic-induced hiatus, chef Aitor Zabala’s two Michelin-starred Somni is once again welcoming guests, albeit in a new location on Nemo Street. Here, it is still a 14-seat chef’s counter with a $495 tasting menu that balances creativity and innovation via items such as parmesan feather and dashi with caviar, along with a finale dubbed “Sweet Little Things.” Two exceptional wine pairings that reflect Zabala’s culinary journey are on offer in the “Arrels” (Catalan for “roots”), which captures the cultural and historical connections between California and Spain, and the “Calafia,” named after the mythical Queen Calafia, who symbolized beauty and abundance in 16th-century Spanish literature. 9045 Nemo St, West Hollywood, 90069

Los Angeles

Komal

Photo Credit: Frank Lee

Tucked inside Mercado La Paloma, Komal is one of those rare finds that feels both deeply rooted and refreshingly new. It’s part molino, part restaurant, and fully devoted to masa. Chef Fátima Juárez and her partner Conrado Rivera are doing something quietly revolutionary here: grinding heirloom corn from small Mexican farms in-house, nixtamalizing it the traditional way, and turning it into masa that’s the foundation of everything on the menu. The result? Food that’s both grounded in heritage and bursting with life.

Expect dishes that feel like love letters to Mexico City and Oaxaca—like molotes de plátano filled with cheese and finished with black mole, or the show-stopping Taco Sonia, a hulking, flavor-packed homage to a beloved taquera from Juárez’s childhood. Even the quesadillas are next-level, layered with squash blossoms, mushrooms, or chorizo and wrapped in the freshest tortillas you’ve ever tasted.

There’s a warmth here that goes beyond the food. Komal isn’t just about technique—it’s about memory, tradition, and the kind of soul you can taste. Go hungry, and go early—this is one of LA’s most quietly exciting openings. 3655 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90007

Hermosa Beach

Vin Folk

Photo Credit: Ricardo Mora

There’s something about Vin Folk that just works. Maybe it’s the unfussy vibe—equal parts neighborhood cool and low-key elegant—or the fact that everything on the menu feels like something you didn’t know you were craving until the plate hits the table. Chefs Kevin De Los Santos and Katya Shastova are doing something special here: turning Hermosa Beach into a place you’d actually go for dinner. Highlights include the mussels tart (imagine a pot pie on vacation in the South of France) and a half Jidori chicken that somehow always disappears faster than you meant it to. Don’t skip dessert: the goat cheese fromage blanc with pear and honey buckwheat granita is quietly brilliant. 1501 Hermosa Ave, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254