Michelin Highlights Four More 'New Discoveries' In SF, Including Maria Isabel and Kitchen Istanbul

Michelin released a second set of “new discoveries” ahead of the June release of the updated 2026 California guide. The guide now issues multiple updates per year for cities and regions, including semiannual announcements that preview restaurants inspectors are considering for higher honors such as stars or Bib Gourmand. The Bay Area additions include Maria Isabel, Kitchen Istanbul, Via Aurelia, and Minnie Bell’s Soul Movement. Minnie Bell’s is notable for maintaining strong fried chicken and soul food quality since opening, suggesting inspectors may not have visited earlier. Kitchen Istanbul has received buzz and a formal rave review before being added. Via Aurelia opened shortly before the previous additions, and Oakland’s Joodooboo and Popoca are also included.

"The Michelin Guide has put out a second list of "new discoveries" ahead of the release of the updated 2026 California guide in June, including 21 restaurants across the state. In keeping with the world's insatiable need for content updates, the esteemed Michelin Guide now releases multiple updates per year for each of the cities and regions for which it now publishes guides. These include semiannual announcements about "new discoveries" to the upcoming guide, which can serve as a preview of the new restaurants that inspectors are considering for higher honors like stars or Bib Gourmand inclusion."

"For the Bay Area, the latest additions by Michelin inspectors deemed "culinary gems" are Maria Isabel which had just opened when the last additions to the guide were announced Kitchen Istanbul, Via Aurelia, and Minnie Bell's Soul Movement. Minnie Bell's is notable because it likely shows that inspectors hadn't made it there yet in the two years that it's been open. The quality of fried chicken and soul food dishes like braised oxtail has remained great and unchanged over that span."

"And Kitchen Istanbul has been buzzed about for several years, in the Chronicle and elsewhere, getting a formal, rave review back in October, so maybe the inspectors only recently took notice and got over there. Via Aurelia, the upscale Mission Bay restaurant from the Che Fico team, had been open for six months when the last batch of guide additions was announced in March, so it also could be a case of inspectors only recently making it there."

"Additionally, Oakland's Joodooboo and Popoca are among the "discoveries," along with the new high-end tasting menu s"

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