Michelin Guide – Couple cheering glasses at dinner table – Courtesy: Shutterstock – Image by Aleksandar Milutinovic
Ahead of the big star show next month, Michelin has added four additional Tampa restaurants to its Florida guide.
Orlando, Tampa, and Miami were among the 14 new “recommended” restaurants in the state that were added to the guide on Wednesday morning.
Big Ray’s Fish Camp, Cousin Vinny’s Sandwich Co., Fisk, and Mad Dogs & Englishmen are the four Tampa eateries that made the cut. Additionally, six restaurants from the broader Orlando area and four from Miami were added.
The suggestions, which join ten additional eateries that were revealed in January, are only intended to “highlight as new” specific additions to a city’s culinary scene; they are not the same as stars or Bib Gourmand certification. However, it seems that a restaurant’s chances of later receiving one of the coveted star ratings are improved by being listed in the guide.
Strangely, despite the guide’s announcement in February that it would start rating restaurants and awarding stars in Pinellas as part of a two-year contract between Visit St. Pete-Clearwater and the prestigious restaurant ranking system, no eateries in Pinellas County were added. The tourism industry spends $90,000 year to have the guide’s inspectors visit and rate local eateries, though stars are not a given. In February, the book also stated that it would begin recognizing restaurants in Palm Beach and Broward counties in 2025; however, neither of those counties were mentioned in the statement on Wednesday.
Through a sponsored collaboration with Visit Florida, the state’s tourism marketing organization, and the tourism boards of Tampa, Orlando, and Miami, the Michelin Guide made its debut in Florida in 2022. Together, the organizations have spent over $1.5 million over the last three years to pay Michelin to issue guides in the cities.
Streetlight Taco, Supernatural Food & Wine, Predalina, The Pearl, Kosen, and Ebbe are the six new Tampa eateries that Michelin added to its list of recommended restaurants last year. During the guide’s annual star ceremony, Kosen and Ebbe received one-star ratings, but Streetlight Taco went on to receive a Bib Gourmand. There are five Michelin-starred restaurants in Tampa, including Rocca, Lilac, and Koya, all of which have star ratings.
At a ceremony in Orlando on April 17, the complete list—which includes new Michelin stars and Bib Gourmand distinctions for 2025—will be revealed.
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Born and raised in South Florida, Krystal is a recent graduate from the University of Miami with professional writing experience at the collegiate and national news outlet levels. She’s a foodie who loves all things travel, the beach, & visiting new places throughout Florida.