San Diego’s Addison by William Bradley named to ‘Greatest’ American restaurants list

Addison by William Bradley, San Diego’s only Michelin three star restaurant, has been ranked 34th on Robb Report’s list of the “The 100 Greatest Restaurants of the 21st Century,”  a tally that notably recognizes dining establishments that have had a major influence on American cuisine since 2000.

In ranking Bradley’s Carmel Valley fine-dining restaurant, Robb Report’s 250-member voting panel spotlighted Bradley’s transition in 2021 from modern French cuisine to a concept he calls California gastronomy, which celebrates this state’s fresh produce and other ingredients, local seafood and regional food culture.

Addison by William Bradley is the only San Diego County restaurant to make Robb Report’s “Greatest” list.

Michelin-starred Addison unveils culinary evolution to California gastronomy

In a phone interview Friday morning, Addison chef-director Bradley said he’s honored to “share this moment with these great restaurants,” and grateful for this type of recognition because it helps tell the ongoing story of the restaurant, which will turn 20 next year.

“This reflects the vision and allows us to look back to how we evolved and where we’re at today,” said Bradley. “It tells the story of Addison and San Diego and the goal that we had together as a city and as a restaurant and where we are today. It’s because of how the city embraced us and how we always stayed committed to a place that’s special and unique, and it’s finally showing.”

.The signature dish on Addison by William Bradley’s menu is nicknamed “eggs and rice.” It features warm koshihikari rice, topped with smoked sabayon sauce, crispy sesame seeds and Regiis Ova Reserve caviar. (Eric Wolfinger)Raised in Chula Vista, trained by French chefs in California and Arizona and mentored by America’s most revered chef, Thomas Keller, Bradley opened his tasting-menu-only restaurant in 2006 on the grounds of what is now the Fairmont Grand Del Mar resort.

After San Diego restaurants finally became eligible for Michelin recognition in 2019, Bradley gathered three Michelin stars, one by one, in 2019, 2021 and 2022.

Addison by William Bradley is one of just 14 Michelin three star restaurants in America. This time last year, Bradley renamed the restaurant from Addison to Addison by William Bradley. And last month, Bradley was awarded, for the second year in a row, the top tier honor of Three Knives in the international Best Chef Awards.

San Diego’s Michelin three-star restaurant Addison has a new name, and here’s why

In celebration of the restaurant’s 20th anniversary, Bradley said Friday that the restaurant will undergo a renovation during the second quarter of 2026 to give it a more modern look more in keeping with what’s coming out of the kitchen.

“Structurally, the restaurant is gorgeous, but in 2006, the beauty of the interior looked very current. Time has moved on and we need to get that beauty back. The cuisine and room go hand in hand and we have the opportunity to have that synergy,” Bradley said.

“It will be a very beautiful look. Very current with lots of soft tones and beautiful textures. And we’ll be reimagining the bar space to unveil a beautiful Champagne lounge.”

The “100 Greatest” list was created by Robb Report to assess how the American restaurant scene has evolved over the past 25 years. The 100 awardees on the list were ranked by a jury of 250 chefs, restaurant owners, sommeliers, ingredient purveyors and well-traveled diners from across the United States.

Each juror surveyed was asked to name their picks for the 10 best restaurants that have operated since 2000. Factors to be considered were, according to Robb Report, “the quality of the dining experience, influence, staying power, and other factors they deemed important in making a place truly great.”

The voters were encouraged to consider the restaurants at their peak moment, not just where they are today, because many great American restaurants have closed for a number of factors, such as chef retirements or pandemic-related losses.

Jurors were also asked when assessing older restaurants to take note on whether the chefs’ greatest achievements took place after 2000, rather than before.

The No. 1 restaurant on the “100 Greatest” list is Alinea in Chicago, whose creative chef-owner Grant Achatz was a pioneer in the boundary-pushing genre of molecular gastronomy. But Michelin Guide inspectors must believe Alinea has peaked, since it was stripped of its third star on Nov. 12.

Other California restaurants that scored in the top 35 of the “100 Greatest” list are The French Laundry in Yountville (No. 2), Benu in San Francisco (6), SingleThread in Healdsburg (7), Saison in San Francisco (9), Chez Panisse, Berkeley (12), Providence, Los Angeles (16), the now-shuttered Manresa in Los Gatos (20), State Bird Provisions in San Francisco (22), Zuni Café in San Francisco (25), Quince, San Francisco (26), Somni in West Hollywood (28) and Atelier Crenn in San Francisco (31).

For the full list, visit robbreport.com/food-drink/dining/lists/best-restaurants-america-21st-century-1237256635/.