In the 2025 Michelin Guide , there are 36 restaurants in Thailand with a Michelin-star rating. [1] The Michelin Guides have been published by the French tire company Michelin since 1900. They were designed as a guide to tell drivers about which eateries they should visit and to subtly sponsor their tires. This was done by encouraging drivers to use their cars more and therefore need to replace the tires as they wore out. Over time Michelin stars became more valuable. [2]
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Before a star is given, 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", "harmony of flavor", and "consistency between inspectors' visits". [2] [3] Inspectors have at least ten years of expertise and create a list of popular restaurants supported by media reports, reviews, and diner popularity, for them to inspect. If the Michelin inspectors who have eaten at the restaurant reach a consensus, Michelin awards the restaurant from one to three stars. 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". [4] The stars are not permanent and restaurants are re-evaluated every year. If the criteria are not met, the restaurant will lose its stars. [2]
The 2018 edition was the inaugural edition of the Michelin Guide in Thailand, initially only covering Bangkok. It was the seventh Asian city or region to have a dedicated Guide. [5] The Guide was funded with 144 million Thai Baht (US$ 4,456,000) over five years by the Tourism Authority of Thailand. [6] The funding was also part of an effort to increase street food's recognition in the guide. [7] Michelin expanded its Thailand coverage over several years: Phuket and Phang-Nga in 2019, [8] Chiang Mai in 2020, [9] Ayutthaya in 2022, [10] four northeastern provinces (Nakhon Ratchasima, Ubon Ratchathani, Udon Thani, and Khon Kaen) in 2023, [11] and most recently Chonburi in the 2025 edition. [12] [a]
