Healdsburg restaurant receives Michelin love ahead of 2024 awards

Just weeks before the announcement of California’s 2024 Michelin-star winners, Healdsburg restaurant Molti Amici was named one of the state’s 13 culinary gems deemed “too good to keep secret” by the prestigious restaurant guide.

While the recognition won’t necessarily translate into a coveted star or Bib Gourmand award (for inexpensive restaurants) at the August 5 ceremony in Half Moon Bay, it’s still a nice accolade. Molti Amici will now be listed in the “Recommended” section of the 2024 guide.

“The Molti team couldn’t be more excited and honored to receive this recognition. (We) are very grateful to everyone who has been a part of this special journey, past and future employees, guests and our community. We look forward to a bright 2025,” said owner Jonny Barr.

Also included in the current list of notable restaurants were restaurants in Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Oakland (Burdell) and San Francisco (Azalina’s, Hed 11, Tiya). Ten more restaurants – mostly in Southern California – were added to the guide in March and five in May. This is the first mention of the North Bay this year.

“There is certainly no shortage of these types of casual Italian restaurants in Wine Country, with the expected wood-fired pizzas and homemade pastas on the menu – but few manage to capture their tastes as perfectly as this one,” Michelin inspectors said in a press release on Wednesday.

“They may not be reinventing the wheel, but these pizzas are ideally blistered and feature simple but compelling toppings like squash blossoms with fontina and balsamic, and the pastas, like a satisfying version of bucatini amatriciana topped with crispy breadcrumbs, offer an ideal bite,” the press release continued. “On one of Healdsburg’s not-infrequently mild days, the enclosed patio with bocce ball court is actually an excellent place to gather with ‘lots of friends,’ as the name suggests.”

Molti Amici opened last July in the former Campo Fina space with former SingleThread employee Jonny Barr and chefs Sean McGaughey and Melissa Yanc at the helm. McGaughey and Yanc, who are married, own Healdsburg’s Quail & Condor Bakery, Troubadour and Le Diner, a prix fixe dinner at Troubadour.

The restaurant was named one of the “Best Openings of 2023” by sonomamag.com for its outstanding offering of wood-fired pizza, fresh pasta and craft cocktails.

330 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg, 707-756-3169, moltiamici.com