The 2026 Michelin Guide Florida was unveiled today via a YouTube announcement, saving us the ignominy of enduring yet another cringe yawner of an awards ceremony.
And unlike guides of years past, the 2026 edition isn’t restricting its selections to South Florida, Tampa Bay and Orlando but, rather, all across the Sunshine State, skidmarking into such hamlets as Destin, Seaside and Lakeland.
Closer to home, the French interloper with a loose handle on our very diverse, eclectic and thriving restaurant scene bestowed Michelin stars on every single Japanese and tasting menu restaurant in the city. OK, no, it didn’t, but every restaurant that did receive a star (or two stars) fell into either, or both, categories.
Camille, Kadence, Ômo by Jônt, Soseki and Victoria & Albert’s retained their previous 1-star ratings.
In the case of Kadence, the OG omakase house in Audubon Park, today’s star marks their their fifth Michelin star earned in a row.
“Oh shit … another addition to the bathroom,” says Kadence chef-owner Mark Berdin about today’s accolade. Berdin, you see, proudly displays Michelin’s red plaques inside Kadence’s bathrooms.
Capa Steakhouse at the Four Seasons Resort Orlando and Curry Ford Peruvian fave Papa Llama lost their stars and were downgraded to Michelin’s “Recommended” list.
William Shen’s high-concept stunner, Sorekara, retained its 2-star rating, joining L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon as the only two 2-Michelin star restaurants in Florida.
Juan Valencia of Ômo by Jônt earned a special Michelin Sommelier Award.
Bib Gourmand recognitions, given to restaurants serving “great food at a great value,” went to Bánh Mì Boy, Bombay Street Kitchen, Coro, Domu, Isan Zaap, Norigami, Otto’s High Dive, Palm Beach Meats (in West Palm Beach), Smokemade Meats + Eats, The Strand, Sushi Saint, Taste of Chengdu, Ravenous Pig, UniGirl and Zaru.
Read the full list here.
As we’ve previously reported, Visit Orlando paid Michelin $800,100 to publish guides for 2022, 2023 and 2024, with an option to publish guides for 2025 and 2026 for an additional $533,400.
It’s no secret I’ve been highly critical of the shadowy manner in which Michelin hands out their paid-for awards, not to mention the cadre of presumed humans carrying out these evaluations. What are their credentials? What’s their cultural makeup? Does their participation present any conflicts of interest? Are any of them on the Epstein list?
By comparison, the James Beard Foundation has made an effort to make their processes and procedures public, and even goes so far as to publish the names of their inspectors, er, judges at the end of every awards cycle.
Michelin, however, seems to feel they’re above being transparent, opting instead to brandish their inspectors’ anonymity like a lug wrench.
The late, great Anthony Bourdain had long grown tired of Michelin’s antics, calling its inspectors “utterly useless.” About the guide itself he remarked, “Who needs that kind of validation?! I think it’s meaningless. We’ve moved way beyond that.”
Maybe it’s time to change the tires.
Related Stories
Milk Mart happens this weekend, as the community market turns 10
Six Orlando-area restaurants retain their stars in 2026 Michelin Guide Florida
Lawmakers restore funding for Central Florida Zoo in state budget proposal
Subscribe to Orlando Weekly newsletters.
Follow us: Apple News | Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Bluesky | Or sign up for our RSS Feed
