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<\/p>\nDanny Hernandez couldn\u2019t believe it.<\/p>\n
When the Michelin Guide on Thursday afternoon announced its annual star reveal, the chef and owner of Tampa\u2019s The Brisket Shoppe was watching the livestream with bated breath.<\/p>\n
Then, the big news: His restaurant, a West Tampa barbecue spot, would be added to the guide as one of the \u201crecommended\u201d selections.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m ecstatic,\u201d Hernandez said when reached by phone Thursday. \u201cAnd I\u2019m not ready \u2014 what a wave of emotion.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Michelin\u2019s announcement Thursday spurred mixed reactions around Tampa Bay, though. Not a single restaurant in the region received a new star or a Bib Gourmand. And in Tampa, one restaurant \u2014 Lilac, inside the Tampa Edition \u2014 actually lost its star. It was downgraded to \u201crecommended\u201d status, something that so far in Florida has been rare.<\/p>\n
Hernandez\u2019s restaurant and five other Tampa Bay eateries were added to the guide as new recommended selections. The others were Fat Beet Farm Kitchen and Bakery, Bar Terroir and Kinjo in Tampa; and Elliott Aster and In Between Days in St. Petersburg.<\/p>\n
Fat Beet Farm Kitchen and Bakery also received the guide\u2019s Green Star award, which is bestowed onrestaurants that lead \u201cthe way in mindful gastronomy.\u201d And chef Jada Vidal, of Tampa\u2019s Kinjo, was awarded the Michelin Young Chef Award.<\/p>\n
For several chefs, like Hernandez, the guide\u2019s selection was met with enthusiasm. Vidal said she was surprised and grateful. Zach Ashton, owner of St. Petersburg\u2019s In Between Days, a Tokyo-inspired sake bar and restaurant, echoed similar sentiments. He said the experience of being added to the guide felt surreal and a little \u201cweird.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sure it will change a lot,\u201d Ashton said.<\/p>\n
But Thursday\u2019s big reveal was experienced differently across Tampa Bay.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt hurts a little bit that Ash didn\u2019t get any recognition,\u201d chef Ferrell Alvarez said during an Instagram feed he posted after the announcement. \u201cWe didn\u2019t even get a recommendation. I mean, I think it\u2019s Bib-worthy \u2014 I think that\u2019s realistic.\u201d<\/p>\n
Restaurants that are chosen for the Michelin Guide often attract international accolades, in particular the ones that receive its highest three-star rating. Stars are the most prestigious designations Michelin bestows, but in the absence of stars, restaurants are also eligible for Bib Gourmands \u2014 given to spots that present a meal for the \u201cbest value\u201d \u2014 and \u201crecommendations,\u201d which recognize \u201cabove average\u201d food that\u2019s not quite at the star or Bib Gourmand level.<\/p>\n
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Tampa restaurants that retained their one-star designations are Rocca, Ebbe, Koya and Kosen, bringing the number of starred restaurants in the Tampa Bay region from five to four.<\/p>\n
Alvarez, whose Proper House Group owns Tampa restaurant Ash and the Bib Gourmand-rated Rooster & The Till, said he was proud of his team.<\/p>\n
\u201cArguably, we\u2019re putting out some of the best food in Tampa Bay right now,\u201d Alvarez said. \u201cBut we don\u2019t need an award to remind us of that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thursday\u2019s biggest upset came for Pinellas County restaurants, which have only been eligible for the guide\u2019s star ratings since last year, after the region\u2019s tourism marketing agency Visit St. Pete-Clearwater agreed to a paid partnership with the guide.<\/p>\n
St. Petersburg\u2019s Il Ritorno, which received a recommendation last year, was widely considered the region\u2019s front-runner for a star. During Michelin\u2019sYouTube livestream, commenters flocked to the feed to cheer on the restaurant.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s go Tampa Bay!!!\u201d @niajae wrote. \u201cPatiently waiting to see Il Ritorno receive a star!\u201d<\/p>\n
But when the guide\u2019s new one-star ratings were announced, only two Florida restaurants made the cut: Mutra in Miami and Emelina in West Palm Beach. Il Ritorno retained its recommendation, but didn\u2019t get a star.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis doesn\u2019t define us,\u201d Il Ritorno owner David Benstock wrote in a text message to the Tampa Bay Times. \u201cWe\u2019ve been around almost 13 years, before Michelin ever thought about coming to Florida. (I\u2019m) proud of our team and everything we\u2019ve done.\u201d<\/p>\n
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The Michelin Guide, founded by a French tire company in 1900, for years mostly existed in Europe and a few American cities. But over the last few years, the company has been rapidly expanding its footprint through financial investments with tourism bureaus in the regions where it lands, a business model that\u2019s received some criticism.<\/p>\n
The guide first came to Florida in 2022, the result of a pricey partnership between Visit Florida and tourism marketing agencies in Tampa, Orlando and Miami. This year marked the first year that restaurants in the entire state of Florida were eligible for inclusion, and Thursday\u2019s reveal featured a long list of recommended selections from St. Augustine to Sarasota to Lakeland.<\/p>\n
Over the years, the guide has ramped up the fanfare surrounding its \u201crecommended\u201d selections, inviting recipients of those distinctions to award ceremonies and sending them the company\u2019s signature cherry-red plaques, the internationally recognized symbol of culinary excellence.<\/p>\n
Some have wondered whether Michelin\u2019s increased presence is confusing diners or even diluting the brand, which historically has favored expensive tasting-menu restaurants over more casual spots.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat separates a recommendation from a star is still pretty ambiguous,\u201d said Nathan Howey, the executive chef for Asian restaurants Fortu and Isu, both in St. Petersburg. Fortu was added to the recommended list in 2025 and has maintained that distinction, though Howey has said he is hopeful for a star.<\/p>\n
\u201cI see more folks come in \u2026 seeing the plaque on the wall and (they) just assume we have a Michelin star, rather than just a recommendation,\u201d Howey said. \u201cHonestly, I don\u2019t think your average guest in this area understands the difference.\u201d<\/p>\n
Still, Howey said, the plaque has been a strong driver ingetting diners in the door.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously, it\u2019s great marketing for us; having the plaque on the door is huge. But I\u2019m not sure that it\u2019s been here long enough for folks to understand its meaning.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tourism agencies in the state have not yet signed a new contract with the Michelin Guide, and it\u2019s unclear what that might entail. A spokesperson for Michelin has said in the past that once the guide has established itself in a destination, the \u201cintent is for it to remain there,\u201d with continued financial investments.<\/p>\n
Santiago Corrada, the president and CEO of Visit Tampa Bay, said his organization hasn\u2019tfigured out yet what those agreements might look like, or how much the agency will have to pay to keep Michelin here.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe started conversations with Visit Florida since it\u2019s now a statewide program to see how that can be equitable for everybody,\u201d Corrada said. \u201cWe want everybody to contribute.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite the mixed emotions following the guide\u2019s selection this year, most chefs and restaurateurs have said they are happy to have Michelin\u2019s presence in the state and are grateful for the increased attention Florida restaurants have received. And, stars or no stars, restaurant owners who receive the guide\u2019s bright red plaques are hanging them with pride outside their businesses.<\/p>\n
\u201cA red plaque in West Tampa on a one-way street in a Cuban neighborhood?\u201d said Hernandez of The Brisket Shoppe. \u201cIt\u2019s beyond exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022 \u2022 \u2022<\/p>\n
The Tampa Bay Times Food Hub launched in 2026, a four-person team covering Tampa Bay\u2019s dynamic and expanding food scene. You can contribute to the hub through our journalism fund by clicking here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Want food news weekly in your inbox? Sign up for our newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Top 50 Restaurants: Check out our food critic\u2019s list<\/a> of the area\u2019s best spots.<\/p>\n Follow our updates on the local restaurant landscape on Instagram at @tampabaytimesfood<\/a>.<\/p>\n