Casa Juani is the only Boulder County restaurant making its Michelin Guide debut in 2026.
Michelin added the Spanish restaurant at 901 Pearl St. to its recommended list Monday alongside 10 other restaurants statewide. The designation does not carry a Michelin star or Bib Gourmand, but it identifies restaurants Michelin’s anonymous inspectors consider worthy of inclusion.
Sous chef Sonny Viaggiano, left; chef and co-owner Eduardo Valle Lobo, center; and chef and co-owner Kelly Jeun pose inside Casa Juani on Pearl Street in Boulder. (Casey Wilson/Courtesy photo)
“Recognition from the Michelin Guide is a dream come true after working many years in Michelin-starred restaurants across Spain, Italy and New York City,” co-chef and co-owner Eduardo Valle Lobo said in a statement.
Casa Juani has joined the Michelin Guide as Boulder County’s only new addition to the 2026 Colorado selection. (Casey Wilson/Courtesy photo)
Michelin inspectors highlighted the restaurant’s Ibérico ham croquetas, arroz con setas made with wild mushrooms, seared duck with Colorado cherries and almond torta with Palisade peaches.
Valle Lobo and his wife, co-chef and co-owner Kelly Jeun, opened Casa Juani on Feb. 26. The couple came to Boulder in 2017 to lead the kitchen at Frasca Food and Wine as co-executive chefs. Casa Juani, named for Valle Lobo’s mother, Juanita, is their first independent restaurant.
The Michelin recognition comes three weeks after Bon Appétit named Casa Juani one of the 19 best new restaurants in America and the only Colorado restaurant on its 2026 list.
“We want to show that you can do something big in a small town, and we truly love being part of this community,” Valle Lobo said.
Casa Juani was Boulder County’s only new addition to the 2026 Michelin Guide, joining 10 Boulder restaurants that had previously earned recognition. Those include Frasca Food and Wine, which has one star; Bib Gourmand recipients Basta and Cozobi Fonda Fina; and seven recommended restaurants. They are Blackbelly Market & Restaurant, Boulder Dushanbe Tea House, Bramble & Hare, Oak at Fourteenth, Santo, Stella’s Cucina and Zoe Ma Ma.
Dining and Cooking