Michelin Designates 29 New 'Bib Gourmand' Restaurants in San Francisco

October 22, 2010

On Oct. 26, Michelin will formally introduce its complete selection for the MICHELIN Guide San Francisco, Bay Area & Wine Country 2011, the company's fifth Bay Area edition. To whet the appetite of Bay Area residents, Michelin has announced its list of 74 "Bib Gourmand" restaurants in its 2011 guide. Also known as the "Inspectors' Favorites for Good Value," Bib Gourmand restaurants offer two courses and a glass of wine or dessert for $40 or less (tax and gratuity not included). Introduced in the 1997 editions of the MICHELIN Guides in Europe, Bib Gourmand restaurants are identified in the guide by a red symbol depicting the head of Bibendum, the Michelin Man.

This year, 29 new restaurants have earned the Bib Gourmand designation. San Francisco boasts 74 Bib Gourmand restaurants in total. The full list of San Francisco Bib Gourmands appears below. The volume of Bib Gourmand restaurants in San Francisco makes the city a global leader in culinary value. No city of comparable size offers as many Bib Gourmands.

The MICHELIN Guide San Francisco, Bay Area & Wine Country 2011 covers a wider geographic region than most of its peers, stretching from Los Gatos in the south to Geyserville in the north. Over the past year, Michelin inspectors have analyzed restaurants throughout Northern California, always anonymously. At the end of their investigative process, they gather to debate the region's restaurants in full, determining which restaurants should be retained in the selection, and which merit one, two or three stars. The inspectors also give a special nod to restaurants that deliver exceptional value. Those restaurants are designated as Bib Gourmands. These restaurants often reflect neighborhood favorites and overlooked gems, and are of particular interest to the full-time residents of a given city.

A full list of Bib Gourmand restaurants can be found here: www.facebook.com/MichelinGuides.

The Bib Gourmand selection includes:

(* denotes new selection for 2011)

To celebrate its fifth year in San Francisco, readers can start enjoying the MICHELIN Guide Bib Gourmands in advance of the Oct. 27 on-sale date. The San Francisco Bib Gourmand selections can be found online at www.facebook.com/MichelinGuides. Michelin inspectors also share insider secrets via Twitter at @MichelinGuideSF and can be seen in a video interview for the first time ever online.

Thanks to a rigorous selection process that is applied independently and consistently around the 23 countries by the MICHELIN Guide, the MICHELIN Guide has become an international benchmark in gourmet dining. The selection is made by anonymous, professional inspectors who are Michelin employees and is based on the same working methods in all countries. They pay all their bills in full. This guarantees a total independence of the Guide regarding the hospitality industry.

The MICHELIN Guide San Francisco, Bay Area & Wine Country 2011 goes on sale Wed., Oct. 27 at $18.99.