One of the world’s most prestigious culinary guides continues to broaden its North American reach.
The Michelin Guide announced this week it will be expanding its selection in Florida with three new destinations in 2025.
Restaurants in greater Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach County and Pinellas County, home to Clearwater and St. Petersburg, will be added this year — joining the Miami, Orlando and Tampa areas.
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The Florida expansion will grow further to become a statewide selection starting in 2026.
“Florida continues to raise the bar with its emerging culinary talent, international influences and the palpable passion of its local restaurant communities,” Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guide, said in a news release.
The Michelin Guide continues to broaden its reach in North America with the addition of three new Florida destinations in 2025. (iStock)
“Over the past three years, we’ve seen the Florida selection grow and strengthen as our inspectors shined a spotlight on their discoveries. We look forward to exploring these new destinations and highlighting the excellence of their local restaurant scene.”
The first Michelin Guide in North America was released in 2005 for New York. In the 20 years since, 14 more guides have followed – most of them in the post-pandemic era.
Guides were added for San Francisco in 2007, Chicago in 2011, Washington, D.C., in 2017 and California in 2019.
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Five regions – three in Florida and two in Canada – got their own guides in 2022.
Miami, Orlando and Tampa were the first cities to represent Florida, while Canada made its debut with Toronto and Vancouver.
“Inspectors evaluate the main major culinary hot spots for the inaugural selection.”
Colorado and Atlanta were added in 2023. Texas was added last year, along with Mexico and Quebec.
“Before a new guide is established in a given state or country, the inspection team conducts an initial study of the area,” Michelin Guide spokesperson Carly Grieff told Fox News Digital. “During that destination assessment, the inspectors evaluate the main major culinary hot spots for the inaugural selection.”
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Grieff added that “as the Michelin Guide works on a long-term scale, we observe very often the extension of its geographical scope within a country, a region or a state over time, which is evident in the expansion to three new destinations for the 2025 Florida selection.”
The Michelin Guide is expanding its selection to three new Florida locations in 2025. It will expand statewide in 2026. (Michelin Guide)
The latest expansion gives restaurants in these areas a chance to earn a coveted Michelin star.
Michelin stars are considered one of the most respected and influential restaurant rankings, along with Zagat.
A three-star rating is the best.
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Michelin Guide inspectors visit restaurants anonymously and judge them based on the following criteria: quality of the ingredients used, mastery of flavor and cooking techniques, personality of the chef in the cuisine, value and consistency between visits, according to the website.
Restaurants in greater Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach County and Pinellas County will now have the opportunity to receive Michelin stars. (iStock)
Inspectors are already scouting locations and making dining reservations in the new territories, according to a news release.
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“We are always evaluating exciting new destinations for the guide around the world,” Grieff told Fox News Digital.
“Once all the conditions are present to highlight the quality of the culinary scene in a given city, region or country, the Michelin Guide begins its process.”
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While the Michelin Guide has an eye toward further expansion, Grief said, “we don’t have any news to share about new guide destinations in North America at this time.”
