Orange County’s culinary celestial sky got a touch dimmer after Costa Mesa’s Hana re, noted for its kaiseki-style sushi, lost its 1-star status this year.

California’s culinary sect converged on the Safe Credit Union Performing Arts Center in Sacramento on Wednesday for the annual announcement of the 2025 Michelin stars, revealing which eateries across the Golden State earned, or lost, a celestial honor.

Hana re was awarded its star in 2019 and retained it until this year.

Though no new stars were awarded to Orange County’s food landscape, Knife Pleat in Costa Mesa and R|O-Rebel Omakase in Laguna Beach retained their 1-star rankings.

“We’re grateful to receive a Michelin star for the fifth consecutive year. To be included among the world’s finest establishments receiving this prestigious recognition is an honor,” said Yassmin Sarmadi, co-owner of Knife Pleat with her husband, chef Tony Esnault. “We thank and share this with our passionate, talented and dedicated team, whose hard work and commitment were instrumental in this achievement.”

Two new 3-star restaurants were added to California’s trifecta club, giving Los Angeles its first ever 3-star restaurants: Somni, chef Aitor Zabala’ Spanish tasting menu restaurant in West Hollywood (‘somni” is Catalan for “dream”) and Providence, chef Michael Cimarusti’s California seafood spot in Hollywood, became Los Angeles’s first 3-star Michelin restaurant.

“The tasting menu blends classic technique with a modern sensibility, global inspiration, and sources the freshest and most sustainable seafood, often wild-caught from American waters,” wrote Michelin inspectors of Providence. “At no point during the meal will you doubt its impeccable quality, especially while savoring dishes such as a tart of lobster mousse and box crab set in a crab beurre blanc, or roasted monkfish with cauliflower and shaved black truffles. Longstanding signatures like the soft-poached egg with uni and breadcrumbs or salt-roasted Santa Barbara spot prawns make for luxurious add-ons.”

The inspectors praised Somni’s reawakening (it had shuttered during the pandemic, under a different chef), writing, in part, “Tucked away just off Santa Monica Ave., the dining room’s soothing, creamy palette with light wood and glass is marked by a colorful bull’s head from the original spot, hinting at the Spanish-inflected cuisine. A procession of small bites is meticulously arranged and endlessly creative, sating diners with an abundance of rich flavors and textural interplay (think mussel escabeche, gazpacho, or the iconic shiso tartare tempura).”

California is now home to eight three-starred restaurants — the most of any U.S. state — which include Addison by William Bradley (San Diego), Atelier Crenn (San Francisco), Benu (San Francisco), Quince (San Francisco), SingleThread (Healdsburg), the French Laundry (Yountville) and now Providence (Hollywood) and Somni (West Hollywood).

Other Los Angeles winners included Japanese/sushi spot Mori Nozomi (1 star) and contemporary Korean eatery Restaurant Ki (1 star).

Enclos in Sonoma and Kiln in San Francisco were awarded 2-star status, while Lilo in Carlsbad, Silvers Omakase in Santa Barbara and Sun Moon Studio in Oakland received one-star ratings.

Michelin Guide’s award system is ranked on a three-tier system: 1 star (“high-quality cooking, worth a stop,” according to the official guide), 2 stars (“excellent cooking, worth a detour”) and 3 stars (“exceptional cuisine, worth a journey”).

For nearly a century, the awarding of Michelin stars has been an annual high-stakes moment that, at times, can either make or break a restaurant. Unlike the James Beard Foundation’s annual awards, which only recognize gastronomic talent based in the United States, Michelin bestows its stellar honors globally.

Michelin Guide notes that its anonymous inspectors are “experts in food, dining and hotel sectors with many years of experience working in the hospitality industry.” The unidentified food critics aren’t freelancers; they’re employees of the Michelin Group who pay for their own meals (in other words, no comped meals), with no outside affiliation.

According to Michelin, inspectors rate eateries following five criteria: quality of products, mastery of flavor and cooking techniques, personality of the chef represented in the dining experience, harmony of flavors and consistency between visits.

The Michelin Guide was first published in 1900 as a free booklet created by the Michelin brothers, André and Edouard, to promote car travel and tire sales. The guide started awarding Michelin star ratings in 1926.