Philadelphia is FINALLY a true foodie city. After years of waiting, three Philadelphia restaurants each won Michelin Stars at a ceremony held last night (Tuesday, November 18). The honors mark the first Michelin Stars to be awarded to Philadelphia restaurants.
The Michelin Guide is considered the premier food guide for travelers and locals alike. These are truly the most prestigious honors. In fact, only 223 restaurants in the entire U.S. have earned at least one star.
These Philly Restaurants Just Won Michelin Star Honors
The honors for this year’s Michelin Guide (for the Northeast) were held in Philly last night as the guide launched its Philly list for the first time. The ceremony was held at the Kimmel Center on Broad Street.
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Let’s take a look at which three restaurants in Philly won the honors:
Composite via Google Maps
Composite via Google Maps
Her Place Supper Club – A French restaurant located on Sansom Street. Here’s their website.Â
Have you ever been? Their menu essentially changes weekly. Diners rush to OpenTable to book their reservations when they open for the next month (and they immediately fill up). If you ever want to visit Her Place Supper Club, you’ll likely have to wait a while.
Friday Saturday Sunday – A New-American restaurant located on South 21st Street. Here’s their website.
This restaurant is celebrating its 10th anniversary. What does everyone love there? Their tasting menu (which costs about $185 per person) so it’s actually quite a steal. Their menu as a whole is revered by diners for their “ever-evolving seasonal dishes like sweetbreads with plantains and mushrooms” which are described as “elegant but never fussy.”
Provenance – A French restaurant located on South 2nd Street. Here’s their website.
This is another insanely popular restaurant in Philly with an evolving menu. They say that Provenance brings subtle Korean influence to classic French cuisine to create a four-course, seafood-focused tasting menu comprised of 20-25 dishes. Much like the other two restaurants listed above, good luck if you’re planning on visiting. Reservations are booked solid for the foreseeable future.
Even More Wins for Philly Eateries
Meanwhile, Pietramala, a vegan restaurant located on North 2nd Street, was awarded a Green Star from the Michelin Guide. That honors a restaurants efforts in sustainability.
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Plus, a few of our favorites won special recognition with the Michelin Bib Gourmand. Bib Gourmand honors “exceptionally good food at moderate prices”, according to the guide. These eateries offer a combination of menu items priced below a maximum determined by local economic standards.
Those restaurants were:
Angelos (9th Street)Del Rossi’s (N 4th Street)Dalessandro’s (Wendover Street in Manayunk)Dizengoff (Sansom Street)El ChignonFiorella (Christian Street)Famous 4th Street Delicatessen (S. 4th Street)Pizzeria Beddia (North Lee Street)Royal Sushi & Izakaya (South 2nd Street)Sally (Spruce Street)What Is a Michelin Star?
The Michelin Guide is published by the tire manufacturer. Yes, the Michelin man was at last night’s ceremony. It was created years ago as a way to promote travel (and therefore to sell more tires). Their process is quite secretive and their judges aren’t usually identified (have you watched that plot on Emily in Paris)? But we do know what criteria they evaluate. According to their website, they reportedly look to honor the following:
Quality productsThe harmony of flavorsThe mastery of cooking techniquesThe voice and personality of the chef as reflected in the cuisineConsistency between each visit and throughout the menuPhilly Chefs Basically Shut Out From Michelin Awards
As for individual honors, no Philly chef took home an individual honor during the ceremony last night. Which sort of came as a surprise to many.
RANKED: Every Philadelphia Pizzeria Barstool’s Dave Portnoy Has Reviewed
Dave Portnoy, commonly known as El Presidente, is the founder of Barstool Sports (and now living in Philadelphia). So it’s fair to say that he’s visited his fair share of Philly pizza shops for his iconic One Bite Pizza Reviews with Barstool Sports. We dug in and ranked all 38 that he’s visited in Philly (so far) for the series.
Gallery Credit: Joe, 94.5 PST