Miami went on to host 11 Michelin-starred restaurants. The international guide that makes the list of the most prestigious restaurants in the world, Michelin, revealed for the first time its selected establishments in the Florida peninsula, concentrating on three cities: Miami, Orlando and Tampa.

Inspectors evaluate restaurants under five categories: quality of the dishes, harmony in the composition of the dish and the menu, high skill in culinary techniques, personality of the chef and consistency over different visits.

Here are the local Michelin star winners, along with notes from the inspectors:

1. L’Atelier: The Miami restaurant that got two stars is Joël Robuchon’s L’Atelier, and it’s located in the Design District. Robuchon was a French chef who had 31 Michelin stars in his lifetime. The restaurant inspired by him in Miami is led by French chef and Robuchon disciple Alain Verzeroli, who leads a team integrated entirely of Robuchon students.

About this restaurant, the inspectors highlighted that the combination experience between the neighborhood, the atmosphere of the place and the food made for perfect evenings. They also praised the high quality of the dishes, starting with “the bread basket which is a lovely opener, coming before such exciting bites as a seared scallop with toasted spices.” In turn, they also highlighted that “the environment of the Design District has all the beloved hallmarks with its counter and open kitchen.”

2. Ariete: Chef Michael Beltrán’s Coconut Grove spot “is immediately welcoming with a menu that weaves together Cuban and French influences to stunning effect.”
3. Boia De: The pink exclamation point above the front door caught the eye of Michelin inspectors: “Amazing is certainly an apt description of chefs Luciana Giangrandi and Alex Meyer’s distinctive and impressive menu.” Boia De is located in Buena Vista, and it stands out because far from being an elegant and expensive place, it is a very casual restaurant located in a shopping center next to a laundromat.
4. Cote Miami: There has been high praise for this Design District spot and owner Simon Kim: The Korean steakhouse “almost feels like a temple to beautifully marbled, aged beef, much of it on display in a room nearby”.
5. The Den at Sushi Azabu Miami: This hidden omakase room at the Stanton South Beach hotel is an “intimate sushi temple.” Fish that arrive several times a week are minimally treated and prepared, often with a single nikiri brushing.”
6. Elcielo Miami: With locations in Washington, D.C., Bogotá, and Medellín, this restaurant led by internationally renowned Colombian chef Juan Manuel Barrientos offers “a taste of Colombian cuisine presented in a modern and spectacular way,” giving a modern twist to traditional country cuisine located in the Brickell neighborhood.
7. Hidden: it is a restaurant behind closed doors, with only eight tables, whose service is Omakase-style, that is, the chef sends Japanese dishes to diners without them asking for anything in particular. Wynwood chef Shingo Akikuni “sticks to tradition and sources most of his product from Japan: beautiful chunks of tuna, sweet botan ebi, and generous servings of uni are highlights on a tasting menu that never feels stifling or too reverent”.
8. Le Jardinier: Michelin inspectors called this French spot in the Design District “elegant through and through,” adding that the menu “is a study in vibrant flavors and clever compositions that pack great flavor without the heaviness.” .
9. Los Félix: The servers at this Coconut Grove Mexican restaurant come “armed with extensive information on where each ingredient comes from.” Highlights include “hearty pork cheek carnitas with myriad sauces and raw snapper topped with jicama shavings and avocado aioli.”
10. Stubborn Seed: Chef Jeremy Ford’s restaurant is “sexy and chic with its industrial-chic decor and glass-front show kitchen,” the notes say, adding that “his ambitious and unabashedly creative cuisine” stands out best on the tasting menu.
11. The Surf Club Restaurant: Thomas Keller’s first Florida venture is praised for its sauces, “what this team does best, starting with raw scallops with buttermilk-basil dressing; followed by the brilliantly reinvented Maine lobster Thermidor with Américaine sauce. Chef Thomas Keller now has seven Michelin stars, including three at Per Se and three at French Laundry.

With a Michelin star, The Surf Club Restaurant, the first restaurant of famous chef Thomas Keller in Florida, was highlighted. The restaurant is located in the seaside resort of Surfside and specializes in sauces, such as the butter and basil sauce that accompanies a seafood dish, or the American sauce they use for lobster. Keller already had seven Michelin stars to his credit, in restaurants he owns around the world.