If you’re a bona fide foodie, you know about the Michelin Guide, the quintessential authority on the best restaurants in the world. For years the guide had been elusive to Florida’s shores until it announced last year that it would include 15 of the state’s restaurants in its repertoire. 

And for the 2023 edition, it included four more, coming to a total of 19 dining establishments. Lucky for us, there are 12 of those Michelin Star restaurants in Miami, so here’s the complete guide to these top-of-the-line places. But first, let’s explain the Michelin Star rating and understand what makes a good restaurant glow. 

— How Does a Restaurant Earn Michelin Stars?

The Michelin Guide has long awarded its coveted Michel Stars to the best of the best in the world of cooking and gastronomic delights. To earn a ranking of either one, two, or three stars, restaurants are judged on five main criteria, all related specifically to the food — the service and the style of the restaurant are not taken into account. According to Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guides, these criteria apply to any restaurant anywhere, and they are:

• The quality of the ingredients
• The mastery of cooking techniques
• The harmony and balance in flavors
• The personality of the chef as expressed on the plate
• The consistency both over time and throughout the menu as a whole

Poullennec emphasized that the ongoing updates and additions to the guide are designed to “highlight the profession and invite everyone to discover and support the restaurants around them.” So without further ado, here is the list of Michelin star restaurants in Miami that conserved their stars from last year and the one that entered the list this year.

— Michelin Star Restaurants in Miami in 2023

L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon, Design District

Michelin Stars: 2

Chef: Alain Verzeroli

While the pinnacle three-star rating is a hard goal to achieve, with the guide having awarded only 13 to restaurants in the United States (all outside of Florida), one Miami spot did garner a coveted two-star rating. In the Design District, Chef Alain Verzeroli, along with a team of protégés and disciples of the late Joël Robuchon, who earned 31 Michelin stars over the course of his career, have created a truly exquisite dining experience emphasizing a contemporary French menu inspired by iconic classics and new, constantly-evolving creations using fresh, local, seasonal ingredients.

Photo courtesy of L’Atelier

Tambourine Room by Tristan Brandt, North Beach 

Michelin Stars: 1

Chef: Tristan Brandt

Set inside the Carillon Miami Wellness Resort, Chef Tristan Brandt, who has developed his skill in many a Michelin star kitchen and has earned Michelin stars for his German restaurants, has created a delectably exclusive dining experience that features two seatings nightly and a menu inspired in classic French cuisine with surprising, bold Asian influences. It constitutes the latest entry in the Michelin-Starred universe, earning its spot in 2023.

Photo courtesy of Tambourine Room

Ariete, Coconut Grove

Michelin Stars: 1

Chef: Michael Beltran

Next in our Michelin guide for Miami, we have a real Coconut Grove gem. Executive Chef Michael Beltran’s signature Coconut Grove spot is inspired by his Cuban heritage, his commitment to sourcing the freshest and finest local ingredients, and his expertise in classic French technique. This combination has produced one of the most Miamiesque culinary experiences in the city and one of the local eateries that Miamians are most proud of. 

Their Versos Sencillos tasting menu, named after the work of Cuba’s most beloved poet, features such iconic signature dishes as wood-grilled oysters in bone marrow butter/uni butter with charred lime and chive, and truffle chicken tamal en cazuela, or specialites such specials as Canard a la Presse with pistachio dukkah.

Photo courtesy of Ariete

Boia De, Buena Vista

Michelin Stars: 1

Chef: Luciana Giangrandi and Alex Meyer

This intimate, chef-driven American restaurant, identified by a large pink exclamation point at its entrance, and a proud Miami Michelin star owner, is the brainchild of Chefs Luciana Giangrandi and Alex Meyer, who bring a strong Italian influence and emphasis on natural wine to the American table. Michelin’s anonymous inspectors were impressed by creations like the Ika Crudo cuttlefish with lima beans, beets, and charred Treviso, Octopus confit with romesco, baby fennel, and watercress, and Pappardelle Alla Lepre, featuring Florida rabbit in rosemary and tomato.

Photo courtesy of Boia De

Cote Miami, Design District

Michelin Stars: 1

Chef: David Shim

One of few Michelin one star restaurants in multiple cities, Cote New York has also earned a star. Cote’s wine list, featuring over 1200 options, was also nominated by the James Beard Foundation for “Outstanding Wine Program” for two consecutive years in a row. 

At Cote Miami, owner Simon Kim has created a sophisticated Korean steakhouse serving premium cuts of USDA prime 45-day dry-aged beef, along with fresh vegetables that you can prepare to your taste at your table on a smokeless tabletop grill, and a Steak Omakase experience. Healthy side dishes are rich in nutrients and probiotics, and the ambiance is intimate, featuring a dry-aging room and two private dining rooms.

Photo courtesy of Cote Miami

The Den at Azabu Miami Beach, South Beach

Michelin Stars: 1

Chef: N/A

Another restaurant with a star in both New York and Miami, this hidden gem located in South Beach at the Stanton Hotel in the South of Fifth neighborhood features a discreet omakase room staffed by Tokyo-trained chefs that flies fresh fish several times a week and embodies the Japanese spirit of omotenashi, or warm and mindful hospitality. The Den offers two seatings nightly, serves classic, authentic Japanese cuisine, and is described by the Michelin Guide as “an intimate temple to sushi.” 

Photo courtesy of The Den at Azabu Miami Beach

Elcielo Miami By Juan Manuel Barrientos, Brickell

Michelin Stars: 1

Chef: Juan Manuel Barrientos

Set at the entrance to Brickell, adjacent to Downtown Miami and the Miami River, Elcielo provides a chic ambiance with relaxing river views on an expansive waterfront terrace. The brainchild of globally renowned, Colombian-born chef Juan Manuel Barrientos, Elcielo also has locations in Washington, D.C., as well as Bogota and Medellin.  

Elcielo serves Latin American cuisine inspired by the chef’s Colombian roots and other Latin American influences, with the surprise infusion of molecular gastronomy techniques and neuroscience, and a heavy emphasis on local organic ingredients. The tasting menu of this Michelin star Miami restaurant features delightful, unforgettable experiences such as the Chocola-therapy, which involves washing your hands with chocolate and enjoying it through all senses, as well as iconic dishes such as The Tree of Life, which features a freshly baked yuca bread served on a wire bonsai tree as a symbol of the Amazon rainforest.

Photo courtesy of Elcielo Miami By Juan Manuel Barrientos

Hiden Miami, Wynwood

Michelin Stars: 1

Chef: Shingo Akikuni

Chef Shingo Akikuni keeps it traditional at this classic Japanese restaurant that seats only eight guests at a time. The unique omakase experience features an eight-to-ten-course chef’s choice menu with cold and hot dishes, a selection of fresh sushi, and a dessert inspired by the legends and folklore associated with small, secret omakase restaurants in Japan. Sourcing the majority of ingredients directly from Japan, signature dishes also feature fresh, local, seasonal ingredients.

Photo courtesy of Hiden

Le Jardinier, Design District

Michelin Stars: 1

Chef: Alain Verzeroli 

Michelin inspectors were delighted with this light-filled French outdoor dining spot in the Design District, calling it “stylish from head to toe” and adding that the menu “is a study of vibrant tastes and smart compositions that pack big flavor minus the heaviness.” 

A self-described vegetable-driven restaurant, among their favorite dishes were summer gazpacho with avocado, and tortellini with chanterelles and hazelnuts, while locals love the corn ravioli with roasted tomatillos, or try one of their seasonal tasting menus.

Photo courtesy of Le Jardinier

Los Félix, Coconut Grove 

Michelin Stars: 1

Chef: Sebastián Vargas

The servers at Los Félix, named for the iconic María Félix, come prepared to explain the legacy of the food they are serving, as the Miami Michelin star restaurant pays homage to the indigenous traditions of Mexico by supporting the ancient Milpa farming tradition of cultivating crops while honoring the sacred connection between humans and the land. 

Emphasizing native ingredients such as heirloom corn, cacao, chiles, and squash, tortillas are made from scratch using house-ground corn daily. Michelin inspectors especially praised the pork cheek carnitas with a variety of salsas and snapper crudo with shavings of jicama and avocado aioli.

Photo courtesy of Los Félix

Stubborn Seed, South Beach

Michelin Stars: 1

Chef: Jeremy Ford

Set in South Beach’s beloved South of Fifth neighborhood, Chef Jeremy Ford, a Top Chef Season winner, has executed a restaurant that Michelin inspectors describe as “sexy and sleek” while noting his cooking as “ambitious and brashly creative.” The menu includes such surprises as Crunchy truffle bravas with soppressata ham sofrito, truffle aioli, and parmesan, and Koji Westholme Ranch wagyu with sage braised rutabaga, pine nut dukkah, Meyer lemon, and champagne leeks.

Photo courtesy of Stubborn Seed

The Surf Club Restaurant, Surfside 

Michelin Stars: 1

Chef: Thomas Keller

Our Miami Michelin guide couldn’t be complete without the Surf Club Restaurant. Among Miami’s most celebrated star chefs, Thomas Keller has seven Michelin stars under his belt, including three stars each at Per Se in New York City and French Laundry in Napa County, California. The Surf Club, the first of two house restaurants at Surfside’s recently renovated Surf Club to win a Michelin star, represents Keller’s first Florida project. The Michelin Guide praises it for its sauces, particularly the scallop crudo with buttermilk-basil dressing and the updated Maine lobster Thermidor with sauce Américaine.

Photo courtesy of The Surf Club Restaurant

— More Miami Michelin-Rated Restaurants to Love

Besides these starred restaurants, Michelin also awards other eateries with its Bib Gourmand badge, which recognizes amazing food at great value, highlighting “simple yet skillful cooking at an affordable price.” In this category, the guide included 18 Miami restaurants, featuring Jaguar Sun, DOYA, and Zak the Baker, Niu Kitchen’s delicious Spanish food, among others. 

Speaking on behalf of the Michelin Guide, Poullennec said he expects to see more Miami restaurants earning Michelin stars yearly, and that “Miami will be recognized as a global culinary hot spot.” So get your belly ready and start crossing names off this list before they add more Michelin Star restaurants in Miami!