In recent years, Miami has dominated much of the national restaurant conversation. It has become the city of choice for operators from world-renowned chef Massimo Bottura to the party-starting Tao Hospitality Group.
But today, it’s not the most news-making food city in Florida. That distinction goes to Tampa.
On May 11, the Michelin Guide announced its second annual star rankings for Florida, focusing on Miami, Orlando and Tampa. Last year, no Tampa restaurants received stars; Three eateries in the Gulf Coast city were awarded one this year (high-quality cooking; worth a stop).
Those restaurants include Adriana’s Ambitious Japanese Counter Koya and Eric Fralick, who add unlikely ingredients to staples, like wasabi-guacamole-stuffed chutoro handrolls and yuzu ice cream with Hokkaido uni. The menu at Rocca is Italian, and there’s a cart for mozzarella that’s hand-pulled tableside (costing $44), and expertly made pastas like tortello all’ uovo with an egg-yolk center. Lilac was also garnering a star from notable New York chef John Fraser. This version is located in the hotel, which opened last fall.
“The culinary scene in Florida, especially in Tampa, has evolved,” the chief inspector for North America said in an email on condition of anonymity. “We’ve had our eye on Koya and Rocca for the past year.”
Only one Miami restaurant has a new star, Tristan Brand’s Tambourine Room, which specializes in French-accented tasting menus that combine unlikely ingredients like beets, citrus and coffee. Surprisingly, Orlando’s four one-star restaurants remained unchanged, even though the home of Disney World was the top U.S. travel and tourism destination in 2022, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council. Tourism brought more than $31 billion to the city last year; Perhaps money that could be spent on dining rooms goes beyond family-friendly fare.
The entire Sunshine State has seen an increase in the number of potential diners — data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that Florida was the fastest-growing state in the country in 2022. It now has 19 starred restaurants, four more than last year. Florida’s top Michelin-rated restaurant is the two-star L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon in Miami; There are also outposts of the highly elegant French dining room in Paris, Tokyo and Hong Kong. (Two stars are defined as “excellent cooking; worth a visit.”)
There are no three-star restaurants in Florida.
The guide also highlighted 33 Bib Gourmands, or cheap eats, for the region in 2022, from 29 restaurants. Michelin loosely defines the category as where you can have two courses and a glass of wine or dessert for about $50.
Among the new Bib Gourmands is Jaguar Sun, a destination for small plates in downtown Miami. The bar team there was also awarded the Michelin Exceptional Cocktail Award. At Greek dining venue Psomi in Tampa, another newly minted Bib Gourmand location, Christina Theofiles was awarded the Michelin Young Chef honor.
Among the Miami spots that didn’t fare well in this year’s rankings was Itamai, a classic Nikkei spot in the Design District, which lost its Bib Gourmand ranking but didn’t gain a star. For the second year in a row, Carbone’s Miami outpost didn’t even receive a star. In October, Michelin stripped the New York flagship of its star. “We continue to track Carbone’s progress with repeated visits between different inspectors,” the chief inspector said.
French-based Michelin introduced the guides in 1900 and began awarding stars in 1926. The inaugural Florida Guide was announced in the fall of 2021 in partnership with Florida Travel. Here are the Michelin-starred restaurants in the state. An asterisk indicates a new entry.
two stars
L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon Miami
a star
MiamiArieteBoia DeCote MiamiThe Den at Sushi Azabu Miami BeachElcieloHidenLos FélixLe JardinierStubborn SeedThe Surf Club Restaurant (Surfside)*Tambourine Room by Tristan Brandt
OrlandoCapaKadenceKnife & SpoonSoseki
Tampa*Koya*Lilac*Rocca
Bib Gourmands
MIAMIBACHOUR (CORAL GABLES) CHUG’S DINERDOYAGHI INDIAN KITCHEN (KENDALL) HOMETOWN BARBECUE MIAMI *JAGUAR SUNLUKALILUNG YAI THAI TAPSMANDOLIN AEGEAN BISTRO MICHAEL’S REAL FOOD & DRINK LA NATURALPHUK YEAH* ROSSI’JAMMY’JAMMY’JAMMY’JANCYFABLE BAKERJITZ SUMM (CORAL GABLES)
Orlando Bombay Street Kitchendomu*Isan Jap*Norigami*Otoko High DivePapa Llama The Ravenous Pig (Winter Park)Strandswine & Sons (Winter Park)*Chengdu’s Taste of Asia
Tampa*Gorkhali KitchenIchikoro Ramen*Somerooster and the Teal
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