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 taco stand or other Mexican street food stand |
A taco is a traditional Mexican dish consisting of a small hand-sized corn- or wheat-based tortilla topped with a filling. The tortilla is then folded around the filling and eaten by hand. A taco can be made with a variety of fillings, including beef, pork, chicken, seafood, beans, vegetables, and cheese, and garnished with various condiments, such as salsa, guacamole, or sour cream, and vegetables, such as lettuce, onion, tomatoes, and chiles. Tacos are a common form of antojitos, or Mexican street food, which have spread around the world.
The cuisine of California reflects the diverse culture of California and is influenced largely by European American, Hispanic American, East Asian and Oceanian influences, and Western European influences, as well as the food trends and traditions of larger American cuisine.
The Michelin Guides are a series of guide books that have been published by the French tyre 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.
The Ledbury is a restaurant located on Ledbury Road, Notting Hill, London, England. It held two Michelin stars from 2010 until 2021, when it lost them as it shut due to Covid-19 restrictions being impractical for the restaurant, making it ineligible for assessment by Michelin inspectors. It has also been featured in S.Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants. The restaurant reopened in February 2022, after being closed for almost 2 years. It regained both Michelin stars in the 2023 Michelin Guide and was promoted to three Michelin stars in the 2024 Michelin guide.
Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, also known as Gordon Ramsay at Royal Hospital Road, is the signature restaurant of the British celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay at Royal Hospital Road, in Chelsea, London. It opened in 1998 and was Ramsay's first solo restaurant.
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.
Taco María was a Michelin Guide-starred Mexican restaurant in Costa Mesa, California.
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.
Taquería El Califa de León is a taqueria in Colonia San Rafael, Cuauhtémoc, Mexico City. It was founded in 1968 by Juan Hernández González. Its menu is limited to a small variety of beef tacos made with hand-made tortillas. The restaurant received a Michelin star in 2024, the first Mexican taco stand so awarded.
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, 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 Colonia Cuauhtémoc. It was later renamed and relocated to Colonia Roma due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the food industry. Critics have given the restaurant favorable reviews, and in 2024, Em 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.