Two Long Beach newcomers have joined three other local restaurants in Michelin’s 2022 guide to the state of California: Sushi Nikkei, the rightfully lauded Peruvian sushi restaurant in Bixby Knolls, and the still-flying-under-the-radar Thai space that is Chiang Rai in Central Long Beach.
Each have received the guide’s “Michelin Plate” status, meaning it offers “good cooking” (and just that, with no more criteria offered), joining Long Beach restaurants Heritage and The Attic (both of which I featured on my 2022 Essential Long Beach Restaurants list and maintain their statuses from last year, when they debuted).
Sushi Nikkei was described as a place with “creative rolls that pop with unexpected flavor combinations but the highlight of the menu is certainly the Nikkei nigiri, which flaunts Japanese techniques and Peruvian flavors in equal measure.”
“We are very proud of this recognition and little by little the world can get to know Nikkei cuisine,” said co-owner Daiwa Wong.
Chiang Rai was cutely noted as being “why you don’t judge a book by its cover. You could easily walk by its generic-looking facade, but that would be such a shame indeed. Inside, it’s delightfully quirky and colorful with a contemporary vibe.
“And then there’s the food,” they noted, saying to skip the Street Food section and go directly for the Local section.
The Attic was again described as a place “gorgeous and decidedly Southern plates, but not without a twist or two” while Heritage was again described as “a sandwich shop, but fine dining is the norm come nightfall—with a menu of contemporary, seasonal dishes.”
HiroNori has maintained its “Bib Gourmand” status restaurants with “good cooking at a good value,” with the guide only noting HiroNori’s Irvine location and not specifically its Bixby Knolls location, a recognition it has held for four years running.
For the full guide to California by Michelin, click here.
