The Michelin Guides have been published by the French tire company Michelin since 1900. They were designed as a guide to tell drivers about eateries they recommended to visit and to subtly sponsor their tires, by encouraging drivers to use their cars more and therefore need to replace the tires as they wore out. Over time, the stars that were given out started to become more valuable. [1]
The Michelin Guide debuted in Mexico in 2024. Inspectors visited five states – Baja California, Baja California Sur, Nuevo León, Oaxaca and Quintana Roo – and the capital city, Mexico City. Sixteen restaurants earned one star, and two, Pujol and Quintonil, received two. [2] No restaurant earned three stars. Among the awarded restaurants, Michelin included a taco stand, Taquería El Califa de León. [3] Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guides, said it took them time to choose which restaurants to visit. He added that eleven Mexican food restaurants in other countries had one Michelin star, and two had two as of 2023. [4]
Multiple anonymous Michelin inspectors visit the restaurants several times. They rate the restaurants on five criteria: "quality of products", "mastery of flavor and cooking techniques", "the personality of the chef represented in the dining experience", "value for money", and "consistency between inspectors' visits". [1] [5] Inspectors have at least ten years of expertise and create a list of popular restaurants supported by media reports, reviews, and diner popularity. If they reach a consensus, Michelin awards restaurants from one to three stars based on its evaluation methodology: One star means "high-quality cooking, worth a stop", two stars signify "excellent cooking, worth a detour", and three stars denote "exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey". [6] The stars are not permanent and restaurants are constantly being re-evaluated. If the criteria are not met, the restaurant will lose its stars. [1]
Indicates a restaurant with one Michelin star | |
Indicates a restaurant with two Michelin stars | |
† | Indicates a Mexican street food stand |
The Michelin Guides are a series of guide books that have been published by the French tire company Michelin since 1900. The Guide awards up to three Michelin stars for excellence to a select few restaurants in certain geographic areas. Michelin also publishes the Green Guides, a series of general guides to cities, regions, and countries.
Martín Berasategui Olazábal is a Spanish chef expert in Basque cuisine and owner of an eponymous restaurant in Lasarte-Oria (Gipuzkoa), Spain. Since 2001 it has been awarded three Michelin stars. He holds twelve stars in total, more than any other Spanish chef.
Pujol is a Mexican cuisine restaurant in Polanco, Miguel Hidalgo, Mexico City. The restaurant is owned and headed by chef Enrique Olvera. Pujol's dishes are based on traditional Mexican cuisine, including maize-based food, seafood, and tacos, served in a sophisticated presentation through tasting menus or a taco omakase bar.
Virgilio Martínez Véliz is a Peruvian chef and restaurateur. He is considered one of the new generation of Peruvian chefs promoting the spread of Peruvian cuisine. He is known for his use of applying modern cooking techniques to indigenous Peruvian ingredients. Marie Claire magazine has called him "the new star of Lima's gastro sky." On April 29, 2013, his flagship restaurant, Central, entered as number 50 in The World's 50 Best Restaurants as awarded by the British magazine Restaurant. In 2014, Central jumped 35 places to number 15, winning the "Highest Climber" award, and later that year was named Best Restaurant in Latin America.
Joan Roca i Fontané is a Spanish chef, best known as founder and head chef of El Celler de Can Roca, awarded three Michelin stars in 2009. In 2013 & 2015, it was named the best restaurant in the world by the Restaurant Magazine. It was ranked second by the same magazine in 2011, 2012 & 2014.
Andanada was a Spanish restaurant located at 141 West 69th Street on the Upper West Side in Manhattan, New York City. Opening in 2012 under chef Manuel Berganza, it earned one Michelin star in 2014, which it maintained until its reported closure in 2017.
Pesadilla en la cocina is a Spanish food reality television program hosted by chef Alberto Chicote. It airs on laSexta, and is the Spanish adaptation of the Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares franchise.
Pedro Subijana Reza is a Spanish chef who runs the restaurant Akelarre in San Sebastián, Spain. In 2006 his restaurant received its third Michelin star.
Gabriel Kreuther is a two-Michelin-star restaurant in Manhattan named after its chef and owner, Gabriel Kreuther. It specializes in modern Alsatian food with other French, German, and American influences.
Eneko Atxa Azurmendi is a Spanish Basque cuisine chef, known for his sustainability practices.
Quintonil is a contemporary Mexican restaurant in Polanco, Miguel Hidalgo, Mexico City. Owned by couple Jorge Vallejo and Alejandra Flores, Quintonil started as a menú del día restaurant and progressed to fine dining. With à la carte options and a nine-course tasting menu, the restaurant focuses on using herbs and vegetables that are uncommon in dishes.
Sud 777 is a restaurant in Jardines del Pedregal, Álvaro Obregón, Mexico City. It is owned by chef Edgar Núñez, who founded it in 2008. It has à la carte options and a twelve-course tasting menu. The restaurant serves French food prepared with Mexican ingredients, mainly the country's vegetables.
Esquina Común is a restaurant in Colonia Condesa, Cuauhtémoc, Mexico City. It is co-owned by chef Ana Dolores González and her partner, Carlos Pérez-Puelles. It was first founded in their leased department in the Roma neighborhood in 2021. After being reviewed by The New York Times, the restaurant became popular.
Rosetta is a restaurant in Colonia Roma, Cuauhtémoc, Mexico City, that has served Mexican cuisine with Mediterranean influences since 2010. It serves seasonal à la carte options. It is owned by chef Elena Reygadas, who studied at the International Culinary Center and worked at Locanda Locatelli in London. Food experts have given the restaurant favorable reviews, with plates of pasta and bread receiving the greatest attention. The British magazine Restaurant has ranked the restaurant twice on its list of the World's 50 Best Restaurants and Reygadas received their Best Female Chef of 2023 award. Rosetta was awarded one Michelin star in 2024 in the first Michelin Guide covering restaurants in Mexico.
Em is a fine dining restaurant in Colonia Roma, Cuauhtémoc, Mexico City, Mexico, that serves contemporary Mexican cuisine with Japanese influences. It has daily à la carte options and an eight-to nine-full-course tasting menu. It is owned by chef Luis "Lucho" Martínez, who opened it in 2018 as Emilia in Mexico City's Colonia Cuauhtémoc district. The business was later renamed and relocated to Colonia Roma due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the food industry. Critics have given Em favorable reviews, and in 2024, the restaurant received one Michelin star in the first Michelin Guide covering restaurants in Mexico.
Los Danzantes is a Mexican restaurant chain owned by Grupo Los Danzantes. There are two branches, one in Coyoacán, Mexico City, and one in Oaxaca City, Oaxaca; each one has independent menus. The restaurants serve Mexican and Oaxacan cuisines and the Oaxacan restaurant received a Michelin star in 2024 in the first Michelin Guide covering restaurants in Mexico.
Cocina de Autor is a Mexican restaurant brand within the all-inclusive resort Grand Velas Resorts. The restaurant marque is found at the Riviera Maya and Los Cabos Corridor establishments, in Quintana Roo and Baja California Sur, respectively. Cocina de Autor offers creative cuisine featuring dishes made with ingredients from various regions. In 2024, Nahúm Velasco was the head chef at the Riviera Maya location, while Francisco Sixtos and Sidney Schutte held the position at the Los Cabos resort.