Click here for the complete list of 2024 Michelin guide winners
For months, the local dining scene has been buzzing over the arrival of Atlanta’s first Michelin Guide. Which restaurants would get a coveted star — or two?
Speculation came to an end Tuesday night at the invitation-only Michelin Guide ceremony, officially marking Atlanta as the seventh Michelin Guide destination in the U.S. and one of more than 40 cities worldwide. A crowd packed the Rialto Center for the Arts for the announcement of starred restaurants and other award distinctions.
Atlas, Bacchanlia, Hayakawa, Lazy Betty and Mujo were all awarded one star.
The Bib Gourmand is a Michelin guide category of destinations commended for serving good food at moderate prices. Atlanta restaurants named to the Bib Gourmand list are Antico Pizza Napoletana, Arepa Mia, Banshee, Bomb Biscuit Co., The Busy Bee, Estrellita, Fishmonger, Fred’s Meat & Bread, Heirloom Market BBQ, and Little Bear.
Area restaurants that received Green Stars for sustainable gastronomy include Bacchanalia and The Chastain.
Atlanta restaurants given a Recommended Award distinction for above-average food are The Alden, BoccaLupo, Chai Pani, The Chastain, The Deer and the Dove, Delbar, Food Terminal, The General Muir, Georgia Boy/Southern Belle, Gunshow, Han Il Kwan, Home Grown, Kamayan ATL, Kimball House, LanZhou Ramen, Lyla Lila, Marcel, Miller Union, Nam Phuong, Poor Hendrix, Snackboxe Bistro, Storico Fresco Alimentari, Talat Market, Ticonderoga Club, Tiny Lou’s, Tomo, Twisted Soul Cookhouse & Pours, The White Bull and Xi’an Gourmet House.
In total, 45 restaurants were included in the 2023 Atlanta Michelin Guide. For the 2023 guide, inspectors only evaluated restaurants within the confines of the I-285 perimeter, according to Andrew Festa of Michelin North America. Festa said that the radius for the city’s 2024 guide has yet to be determined, but added that “the coverage area often expands in future editions of the Guide.”
The full Michelin Guide Atlanta will be available on the Michelin website and iOS and Android app. Both are free and include all the Michelin-rated restaurants and hotels around the world.
The 2023 Michelin Guide Atlanta was released in partnership with the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau (ACVB). While the ACVB made a strong push for Atlanta’s inclusion as a Michelin destination and worked with Michelin Guide on marketing and promotion, the organization was not involved in the restaurant selection process, which remains independent.
Daniel Varnado for the AJC
Daniel Varnado for the AJC
Starred restaurants are evaluated by anonymous Michelin inspectors who assess the quality of the cuisine based on quality of products, mastery of cooking technique, harmony and balance of flavors, personality of the chef as expressed in the cuisine, and consistency between visits and throughout the menu.
A one-star rating equates to “high-quality cooking”; a two-star rating denotes “excellent cooking”; and the highest, a three-star rating, indicates “exceptional cuisine.”
Stars are not permanent. Restaurants can acquire or lose stars as part of the evaluation process for issuing a new guide each year.
The Michelin Guide, owned by the French tire manufacturer of the same name, was conceived by brothers André and Edouard Michelin, with the 400-page first edition Guide Michelin France making its debut at the 1900 World’s Fair in Paris. It was a handbook with maintenance guides, maps, petrol stations, hotels, restaurants and even post offices. But its real purpose was to encourage automobile travel that would result in an increase in tire sales.
Nearly 125 years later, the Guide can be an economic driver for Michelin destination cities. According to a 2019 study by Ernst & Young, two-thirds of frequent travelers said they would choose to visit a destination with a Michelin Guide presence over a comparable location without one. Of these travelers, 57% would extend their stay if a Michelin selection was offered and 71% would increase their spending.
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