Food and wine enthusiasts will find even more to love about the Sunshine State now that the MICHELIN Guide has come to town — specifically to Miami, Orlando and Tampa. Travelers can add dozens of Florida restaurants to their must-dine lists, thanks to accolades from the legendary MICHELIN Guide.
The MICHELIN Guide Ratings Explained
The MICHELIN Guide was first published in 1900 by brothers and car tire manufacturers Édouard and André Michelin as ‘Le Guide MICHELIN,’ an information guide for motorists. They hoped it would encourage more French people to use cars and purchase MICHELIN brand tires. The MICHELIN Guide was a huge success, and as its reach expanded to other countries and continents, so too did its prestige.
The Guide evolved to include information about restaurants and awarded ‘stars’ to restaurants they considered fine dining establishments.
Today, the MICHELIN Guide gives honors at several levels. According to MICHELIN, the stars are based on five criteria: quality of the ingredients used, mastery of flavor and cooking techniques, the personality of the chef in the cuisine, value for money and consistency between visits. Inspectors do not include design or service in their assessments.
Three stars: “Exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey.”
Two stars: “Excellent cooking, worth a detour.”
One star: “A very good restaurant in its category.”
Bib Gourmand: You may know him as the MICHELIN Man but the tire company’s mascot’s name is Bibendum, Bib for short. The “Bibs” are given to restaurants that offer “good quality and good value.” This means that in the U.S., diners can get two courses plus a glass of wine or dessert for less than $50, not including tax and tip. They are judged by the same criteria used for star designation.
MICHELIN Recommended: The food at the restaurants in this category is above average, typified by quality ingredients that are well-cooked. This category of honors was established in 2017.
