Starr Restaurants, stylized as STARR Restaurants, is a restaurant group headed by founder and CEO Stephen Starr, with restaurants in Philadelphia, New York City, Washington D.C., South Florida, and Paris, France.
Starr Restaurants, stylized as STARR Restaurants, is a restaurant group headed by founder and CEO Stephen Starr, with restaurants in Philadelphia, New York City, Washington D.C., South Florida, and Paris, France.
Starr Restaurants has been recognized as "one of the largest multiconcept operators in the country, with restaurants up and down the Eastern Seaboard, from New York to Miami" by the magazine Restaurant Hospitality. [1] The restaurants have been noted as having an emphasis on "theatrical details, like music, lighting and backdrops." [1] The magazine Travel + Leisure noted that "Starr [Restaurants] creates complete environments with an artistic, almost cerebral approach". [2] The majority of Starr Restaurants are distinct concepts, but some restaurants are reproduced in different cities, such as Buddakan and El Vez. [1]
In 1995, Stephen Starr founded Starr Restaurants, [3] and the company opened its first restaurant, "Continental Restaurant & Martini Bar" in September of that year in Center City, Philadelphia. [4] Mayor Ed Rendell said, "It was like a shock of electricity for the development of Old City and led the way for the restaurant revolution down there." [4] In the following years, Starr opened several more restaurants in Philadelphia. [5]
In 2006, Starr Restaurants expanded to New York and Atlantic City. [6] By 2009, there were 18 restaurants in the Starr portfolio, including one in Florida. [7] In 2013, Starr expanded to Washington, D.C., growing to 30 restaurants. [8] In 2016, Starr opened their first restaurant outside the United States, Chez La Vieille in Paris. [9] Starr Restaurants acquired New York City Italian restaurants Lupa and Babbo in 2025. [10]
Starr's catering operation, Starr Events, was sold to TrustHouse Services in August 2015 for $40 million. [11]
The head of Starr Restaurants, Stephen Starr, has been named "Restaurateur of the Year" by both Bon Appétit and Zagat ." [6] [12] Starr was named the Richard Melman Innovator of the Year by Restaurant Hospitality in 2013. [1] In 2017, Starr won the James Beard Award for "Outstanding Restaurateur." [13]
The Starr Restaurant Le Coucou with chef Daniel Rose was named 2017 "Best New Restaurant" by the James Beard Foundation. [13] Le Coucou was also one of Food & Wine magazine's 2017 Restaurants of the Year. [14] The Clocktower with Jason Atherton received the first star for the Starr Restaurant group in the 2018 Michelin Guide. [15]
As of 2019, there were twenty Starr Restaurants in Philadelphia; seven in New York City; five in South Florida; two in Atlantic City, New Jersey; two in Washington, D.C.; and one in Paris, France. [16] [1] [14] The Atlantic City Restaurants closed in 2020. [17]
The majority of Starr Restaurants, twenty, are located in Philadelphia. These restaurants include:
, 2018 Michelin Guide. [25] 
Mario Francesco Batali is an American chef, writer, and former restaurateur. Batali co-owned restaurants in New York City; Las Vegas; Los Angeles; Newport Beach, California; Boston; Singapore; Westport, Connecticut; and New Haven, Connecticut, including Babbo in New York City, which received a Michelin star for several years. Batali has appeared on the Food Network, on shows such as Molto Mario and Iron Chef America, on which he was one of the featured "Iron Chefs". In 2017, the restaurant review site Eater revealed multiple accusations of sexual misconduct against Batali and, in March 2019, he sold all his restaurant holdings.
Thomas Aloysius Keller is an American chef, restaurateur and cookbook author. He and his landmark Napa Valley restaurant, the French Laundry in Yountville, California, have won multiple awards from the James Beard Foundation, including Best California Chef in 1996 and Best Chef in America in 1997. The restaurant was a perennial winner in the annual Restaurant list of the Top 50 Restaurants of the World; the voting process has since been changed to disallow previous winners from being considered.
Daniel Boulud is a French chef and restaurateur with restaurants in New York City, Palm Beach, Miami, Toronto, Montréal, Singapore, the Bahamas, and Dubai. He is best known for his eponymous restaurant Daniel, opened in New York City in 1993, which currently holds one Michelin star.
Daniel Meyer is a New York City restaurateur and the founder and executive chairman of the Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG).
Jean-Georges is a two-Michelin-star restaurant at 1 Central Park West, on the lobby level of the Trump International Hotel and Tower, on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, New York City, named after its owner Jean-Georges Vongerichten.
Le Bernardin is a three-Michelin star French seafood restaurant in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Eric Ripert is the executive chef, and he is co-owner along with Maguy Le Coze.
The James Beard Foundation Awards are annual awards presented by the James Beard Foundation to recognize chefs, restaurateurs, authors and journalists in the United States. They are scheduled around James Beard's May 5 birthday. The media awards are presented at a dinner in New York City; the chef and restaurant awards were also presented in New York until 2015, when the foundation's annual gala moved to Chicago. Chicago will continue to host the Awards until 2027.
Stephen Starr is an American restaurateur and former entertainment promoter based in Philadelphia. He owns the Starr Restaurants group which operates over thirty restaurants. He has restaurants in many different areas both in the United States as well as overseas. These restaurants include Barclay Prime, Buddakan, Butcher and Singer, The Continental Mid-town, The Dandelion, El Rey, El Vez, Fette Sau, Frankford Hall, Jones, Morimoto, Parc, Pod, Serpico, Stella, Talula's Daily, Talula's Garden, and The Love in Philadelphia with Aimee Olexy. Starr has been recognized for his work, and has received awards from the James Beard Foundation among others.
Christopher Lee is a chef who specializes in New American cuisine.
Daniel Rose is an American-born chef with restaurants in Paris and New York City.
Justin Bogle is an American Chef. He was the executive chef at Gilt restaurant in New York. In 2009, Bogle became the youngest American chef, at age 28, to earn two Michelin stars. Bogle has been described as a quiet, but equally talented version of chef Paul Liebrandt of Corton.
Buddakan is a restaurant chain serving Pan-Asian fusion cuisine owned by STARR Restaurants with locations in Philadelphia and New York City.
The Clocktower is an English cuisine restaurant at the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower in the Flatiron District of Manhattan, New York City, United States. Despite its name it is on the second floor of the building, not in the structure's clock tower. The Clocktower received a Michelin star in the 2018 Michelin Guide for New York City. The restaurant lost the star in 2022.
The Love is an American restaurant located in Philadelphia. It is the third collaboration between Philadelphia-based restaurateurs Stephen Starr and Aimee Olexy, and Starr's twentieth restaurant in the city. The interior was designed by Roman and Williams. The firm also designed Starr's restaurants Upland and Le Coucou.
Upland is a restaurant located in the Manhattan borough of New York City. It opened in 2014 and is owned by Philadelphia-based restaurateur Stephen Starr. The interiors were designed by Roman and Williams. The firm also designed the interiors of Starr restaurants Le Coucou and The Love. There is also an Upland location in Miami.
The James Beard Foundation Awards are annual awards presented by the James Beard Foundation to recognize culinary professionals in the United States. The awards recognize chefs, restaurateurs, authors and journalists each year, and are generally scheduled around James Beard's May birthday.
Le Coucou is a French restaurant in the 11 Howard hotel in New York City. Opened in 2016, the restaurant is owned by Stephen Starr, with Daniel Rose as its chef.
Bâtard was a French restaurant in New York City. The restaurant opened in 2014, replacing French restaurant Corton. In May 2023, it was announced Bâtard would close on May 20, 2023.
Le Veau d'Or is a restaurant on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, serving traditional French cuisine since 1937. As of 2015, it was considered the oldest French bistro in New York City.
Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca is an Italian restaurant in New York City. Opened in 1998 by Mario Batali, the restaurant received the James Beard Foundation Award for Best New Restaurant in 1999. Batali sold his ownership stake in the restaurant in 2019 after being embroiled in misconduct claims. The restaurant received a Michelin star for several years and was featured in the book Heat by Bill Buford.