Valle in Oceanside Recognized as San Diego Area’s 5th Michelin Star Restaurant

Valle, Chef Roberto Alcocer’s modern Mexican restaurant in the Mission Pacific Hotel overlooking the Oceanside Pier, was recognized Tuesday as the San Diego area’s 5th Michelin Star restaurant.

The French gastronomic guidebook gave the restaurant a single star, noting that its menu strikes “a winning balance between tradition with creativity” while the Mexican wine list offers “a plethora of interesting options.”

“Diners can make selections from a four-course prix fixe, or leave things entirely in the kitchen’s hands for an eight-course tasting,” Michelin said.

Alcocer is known for his restaurants in Ensenada and the Guadalupe Valley, for which Valle, which opened in October 2021, is named.

Valle joins three other local single-star restaurants — Jeune et Jolie in Carlsbad, Soichi in University Heights and Sushi Tadokoro in Old Town — and one of California’s handful of three-star restaurants, Addison at the Grand Del Mar.

According to Michelin, a single star is awarded to “restaurants using top quality ingredients, where dishes with distinct flavors are prepared to a consistently high standard.”

The coveted three stars is the highest rating, awarded for the “superlative cooking of chefs at the peak of their profession.”

With the exception of Addison, all of California’s three-star restaurants are in the San Francisco Bay area and adjacent wine country.