Once again, Pinellas County restaurants got snubbed by the Michelin Guide.
For the second year in a row, not a single restaurant across the entire county — from St. Petersburg to Tarpon Springs — received a Michelin star during the guide’s annual reveal ceremony.
Over in Tampa, there were no new stars either. In fact, one restaurant — Lilac, inside the Tampa Edition — lost its star, which is rare. Tampa restaurants that retained their one-star designations include Rocca, Ebbe, Koya and Kosen, bringing the total number of starred restaurants in the Tampa Bay region from five to four.
Only two restaurants in Florida received new one-star ratings this year, Mutra in Miami and Emelina in West Palm Beach, despite this being the first year restaurants across the entire state were eligible for inclusion.
The highly anticipated announcement came during a livestream presentation Thursday afternoon, hosted by local emcee and television personality Java Ingram. The broadcast, which lasted a short 30 minutes, marked a significant detour from the big blowout bashes held at luxury hotels in the past.
While no new restaurants in the Tampa Bay area received a star or a Bib Gourmand, four restaurants in Tampa received new recommendations: Fat Beet Farm Kitchen and Bakery, Bar Terroir, The Brisket Shoppe and Kinjo. Lilac, which lost its star, is now listed as a recommended restaurant as well. In St. Petersburg, Elliott Aster and In Between Days received recommended status.
Additionally, Fat Beet Farm Kitchen and Bakery in Tampa was awarded a Green Star, which the guide bestows to restaurants that lead “the way in mindful gastronomy.” And chef Jada Vidal, of Tampa’s Kinjo, was awarded the Michelin Young Chef Award.
Neither the Green Star award or the the Young Chef award were mentioned during the livestream, but they were included in a news release Michelin sent out afterward. Because of this, Vidal said, she was completely surprised by the news.
“I had no idea,” Vidal said. “I was not expecting this.”
Vidal said she was grateful, both for her award and that Kinjo received the guide’s recommended distinction.
This year marked the second time Pinellas County restaurants were eligible for the prestigious awards: Before 2025, only restaurants in Tampa, Orlando and Miami were in the running, the result of a paid partnership between the guide and tourism agencies in those cities. Last year, Visit St. Pete-Clearwater, announced they, too, had entered into a marketing deal with the brand and would pay Michelin $180,000 over two years.
This year’s upset mirrors the guide’s decision last year, when not a single Tampa or Pinellas County restaurant received new stars or Bib Gourmand status.
Arguably the most well-known and respected restaurant ratings system, the Michelin Guide is known for attracting international accolades, in particular for restaurants that receive its highest three-star rating.
In the absence of stars, restaurants are eligible for slightly less prestigious awards: Bib Gourmands, which are given to restaurants that present a meal for the “best value”; and “recommendations,” which recognize “above average” food that’s not quite at the star or Bib Gourmand level.
Last year, several local spots received “recommended,” including four Pinellas County restaurants: The Tides Market in Safety Harbor and Fortu, Il Ritorno and Sushi Sho Rexley in St. Petersburg.
The four Tampa restaurants that already had Bib Gourmands held onto their distinctions: Gorkhali Kitchen, Psomi, Rooster & The Till and Streetlight Taco.
The Michelin inspection process is notoriously secretive. Inspectors do their visits anonymously and judge restaurants on five criteria. Generally, chefs, restaurateurs and diners across the world have welcomed the guide’s presence wherever it lands. But until just a few years ago, that didn’t include Florida.
In 2022, Michelin published its first-ever guide in the state after locking in a lucrative deal with Visit Florida and tourism agencies in Orlando, Tampa and Miami. Collectively, the agencies shelled out at least $1.5 million over three years.
Over the past few years, the guide’s revamped funding structure has favored these kinds of partnerships, and Michelin’s expansions are now frequently due to hefty investments. It’s a shift from when the guide, founded by a French tire company in 1900, would rate restaurants in places on its own dime.
In 2025, the guide announced it had secured partnerships with Pinellas, Broward and Palm Beach counties, at the behest of yearly buy-ins. Visit Florida, for its part, paid $90,000 for 2025 and $150,000 for 2026, when restaurants across the entire state became eligible for inclusion.
During a livestream of the Visit Florida board of directors meeting on Thursday, Craig Thomas, the chief marketing officer and general counsel for Visit Florida, praised the statewide expansion, calling it a “big milestone.”
“We’ve been working towards statewide coverage since the guide first came to Florida five years ago, and today we’re finally here,” Thomas said.
“Michelin recognition is a big deal in the culinary world and having that presence helps the Florida culinary brand,” he said. “It’s good for our tourism, especially internationally, and it also helps us recruit new chefs to open new businesses.”
Tourism officials in Tampa Bay have touted the area’s rapidly expanding culinary footprint and said that Michelin recognition can help attract visitors from across the globe in search of a good meal.
In a prepared statement, Visit St. Pete-Clearwater president and CEO Brian Lowack congratulated the restaurants who were recognized by the guide Thursday.
“We have seen demonstrable growth among visitors who are seeking out our dining scene as a reason to visit our destination, and we will continue to showcase our award-winning culinary excellence and amazing cultural experiences that help define our amazing beach culture,” Lowack said.
Visit Tampa Bay president and CEO Santiago Corrada said his team was thrilled that Tampa restaurants received a Green Star and Young Chef award but “disappointed” that Lilac lost its star.
“You never want to see any of your friends go through that,” he said. “We hate losing a star, but then again, we don’t know the process but we know it’s very rigorous. You’ve got to stay positive.”
In recent years, the guide has ramped up its recommended distinctions. In 2025, Michelin invited recommended restaurants to the award ceremony in Orlando and sent them the company’s signature bright red plaques.
It’s unclear what will happen now that the additional two-year contracts with Michelin are reaching their end, but representatives for Michelin have said in the past that once a guide has established itself in a destination, the “intent is for it to remain there,” with continued financial investments.
Jason Latimer, the director of public relations for Visit St. Pete-Clearwater, said there has “not yet been any conversations with the Michelin Guide beyond the 2026 announcement.”
