Lilo

The Best New Restaurants in San Diego | Eater San Diego

"San Diego’s foray into the fine dining scene reached a new level when Lilo opened in Carlsbad on April 17. The ambitious restaurant from chef Eric Bost and John Resnick, tucked behind their all-day restaurant, Wildland, serves a 12-course tasting menu. With 22 diners seated around an open kitchen, meals start with littleneck clam alongside Buddha’s hand and tomatillo granita before dishes like a Kaluga caviar tartellette and a 40-day-aged rib-eye come out. Pair the meal with wine and cocktails from wine director Savannah Riedler (previously of Saison in San Francisco) and beverage director Andrew Cordero (who manages the other three Bost-Resnick restaurants)." - Helen I. Hwang

Overheard at the 2025 California Michelin Guide Ceremony | Eater LA

"Lilo took home its first-ever Michelin star, giving chef Eric Bost and partner John Resnick their second after their other restaurant, Jeune et Jolie, both in Carlsbad. Bost described the feeling of being at the ceremony with his team: "I’m super happy to be here, happy to have the crew with us, happy to be in town for a night. Feel good, some butterflies. Nobody knows what they’re getting." - Matthew Kang

Lilo in Carlsbad Earns San Diego’s Only New Michelin Star for 2025 | Eater San Diego

"Awarded the San Diego area’s only Michelin star in the 2025 California guide, this intimate tasting-room concept from the Jeune et Jolie/Campfire team of chef Eric Bost and partner John Resnick opened roughly 10 weeks before the announcement. The 22-seat service is centered on mostly counter seating that wraps a fully open cooking area (with two four-top tables available), and offers a 12-course menu with counterside flourishes. Housed in a striking, architecturally notable space, guests are also guided to nearby lounge areas for pre-dinner snacks and post-meal drinks. The multi-faceted, more ambitious dinner program—positioned as a complement to the team’s other Michelin-starred operation—suggests potential to earn additional stars in future years." - Matthew Kang

All The Stars From The MICHELIN Guide California 2025

"Operating like a moveable feast that begins on a heated patio before moving into a petite dining room, this Carlsbad spot delivers an attentive, carefully executed experience where small bites give way to composed plates such as dry-aged Japanese kinmedai paired with a ragout of geoduck and bone marrow or a 40-day dry-aged beef ribeye with preserved gurumelo mushrooms, seaweed, and bordelaise. The meal shifts midcourse from savory to sweet with a one-off orgeat ice cream topped with celery root bushi and Ossetra cavia, and concludes with desserts like sweet cream gelato crowned with hoja santa and finger lime." - The MICHELIN Guide

"Good things often come in small packages, and it's certainly true of Lilo, where guests are welcomed to a moveable feast beginning on the heated patio with an array of small bites before moving into the petite dining room. Chef Eric Bost and his team take clear pride in providing an extra level of care in their dishes, evidenced in plates like dry-aged Japanese kinmedai paired with a ragout of geoduck and bone marrow or 40-day dry-aged beef ribeye with preserved gurumelo mushrooms, seaweed, and bordelaise. Halfway through, the dishes shift from savory to sweet for a one-off orgeat ice cream topped with celery root bushi and Ossetra cavia, and later concludes with a myriad of desserts like sweet cream gelato topped with hoja santa and finger lime." - Michelin Inspector