Miami is not the most talked about gastronomic city in Florida, according to the stars of the Michelin Guide Tampa | Journey

In recent years, Miami has dominated much of the national restaurant conversation. It has become the city of choice for operators ranging from world-renowned chef Massimo Bottura to Tao Hospitality Group, the initiator of the party.

But today, it is not the gastronomic city that is most talked about. Florida. That distinction goes to Tampa.

On May 11, the Michelin Guide announced its second annual star ranking for Florida, focusing on Miami, Orlando and Tampa. Last year, no Tampa restaurant received a star; This year, three restaurants in the Gulf Coast city received an award (high-quality cuisine; worth a stop).

These restaurants include Koya, an ambitious Japanese counter from Adriana and Eric Fralick, which adds unlikely ingredients to staples, like a wasabi-guacamole-stuffed chutoro roll and yuzu ice cream with uni Hokkaido. At Rocca, the menu is Italian, and there’s a hand-pulled mozzarella cart (costing $44), and expertly prepared pastas like tortello all’ uovo with an egg yolk center. Lilac, from renowned New York chef John Fraser, also won a star. It is located in the Edition Hotel, which opened last fall.

“The culinary scene has evolved in Florida, particularly in Tampa,” the chief inspector for North America, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said in an email. “We have been monitoring Koya and Rocca since last year.”

Only one Miami restaurant earned a new star, Tristan Brand’s Tambourine Room, which specializes in French-inflected tasting menus combining unlikely ingredients like beets, citrus and coffee. Surprisingly, there have been no changes to Orlando’s four one-star restaurants, despite the home of Disney World being the top travel and tourism destination in the United States in 2022, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council . Tourism brought in more than $31 billion for the city last year; presumably money that could be spent on dining facilities beyond family fare.

The entire Sunshine State has seen a surge in potential diners: U.S. Census Bureau data shows Florida was the fastest-growing state in the country in 2022. It now has 19 Michelin-starred restaurants, up four more than last year. The highest Michelin-rated restaurant in Florida is the two-star Atelier de Joël Robuchon in Miami; there are also outposts of the very elegant French dining room in Paris, Tokyo and Hong Kong. (Two stars is defined as “excellent food; worth a detour.”)

There are no three-star restaurants in Florida.

The guide also highlighted 33 Bib Gourmands, or cheap eats, for the region, up from 29 restaurants in 2022. Michelin defines the category loosely as places where you can have two courses and a glass of wine or dessert for around $50.

New Bib Gourmands include Jaguar Sun, a destination for small plates in downtown Miami. The bar team was also recognized with the Michelin Exceptional Cocktails Award. At Psomi Greek Restaurant in Tampa, another new Bib Gourmand location, Christina Theofiles received the Michelin Young Chef honor.

Miami spots that didn’t fare as well in this year’s rankings included Itamae, a stunning Nikkei spot in the Design District, which lost its Bib Gourmand ranking but didn’t earn a star. For the second year in a row, Miami outpost Carbone also did not receive a star. In October, Michelin withdrew its star from the New York flagship. “We continue to monitor Carbone’s progress with repeated visits between different inspectors,” the chief inspector said.

The French company Michelin introduced guidebooks in 1900 and began awarding stars in 1926. Florida’s first guidebook was announced in fall 2021 in partnership with Visit Florida. Here are the Michelin-starred restaurants in the state. An asterisk indicates a new entry.

Two stars

L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon Miami

A star

MiamiArieteBoia DeCote MiamiThe Den at Sushi Azabu Miami BeachElcieloHidenLos FélixLe JardinierStubborn SeedThe Surf Club Restaurant (Surfside)*Tambourine Room by Tristan Brandt

OrlandoCapaKadenceKnife & SpoonSoseki

Tampa*Koya*Lilac*Rocca

Bib Gourmands

MiamiBachour (Coral Gables)Chug’s DinerDoyaGhee Indian Kitchen (Kendall)Hometown Barbecue Miami*Jaguar SunLucaliLung Yai Thai TapasMandolin Aegean BistroMichael’s Genuine Food & Drink La NaturalPhuc Yea*Rosie’sSanguich de MiamiTinta y Cafe (Coral Gables)Zak the BakerZitz Sum (Coral Gables)

OrlandoBombay Street KitchenDomu*Isan Zaap*Norigami*Otto’s High DivePapa LlamaThe Ravenous Pig (Winter Park)StrandSwine & Sons (Winter Park)*Taste of ChengduZ Asian

Tampa*Gorkhali KitchenIchicoro Ramen*PsomiRooster & the Till

This story was published from a wire feed without modifications to the text. Only the title has been changed.