The MICHELIN Guide, the iconic red pocketbook, has been guiding readers on exceptional culinary and travel experiences since 1900. Carefully curated by its famously anonymous inspectors, the Guide rates and recommends the world’s most outstanding restaurants and hotels, establishing itself as one of the most trusted voices in the industry. Today, the MICHELIN Guide restaurant selection is available in almost 60 destinations, while its hotel selection spans over 120 countries.
From MICHELIN Stars to MICHELIN Keys, here’s everything you need to know about the MICHELIN Guide!
Jump to:
- What is the MICHELIN Guide?
- What is a MICHELIN Guide Inspector?
- What is a MICHELIN Star?
- What is a MICHELIN Bib Gourmand?
- What is a MICHELIN-Selected Restaurant?
- What is a MICHELIN Special Award?
- What is a MICHELIN Guide Hotel?
- What is a MICHELIN Key?
- How does a restaurant/hotel apply to be in the MICHELIN Guide?
- Is there a MICHELIN Guide App?
What is the MICHELIN Guide?
Published by French tire company, Michelin, The MICHELIN Guide has been around since the 1900s and is one of the oldest and most respected restaurant guides in the world.
The Guide anonymously rates and reviews restaurants using its in-house team of independent inspectors, who are full-time employees of Michelin. Restaurants are rated according to the quality of their cuisine. The Guide uses its famous One-to-Three-MICHELIN Star system to highlight those offering exceptional cooking; while the Bib Gourmand shines a light on quality cooking at reasonable prices.
Today, the MICHELIN Guide is present in 60 destinations around the world, providing travelers and diners with recommendations for different cuisines and type of restaurant, along with hotels across all styles and budgets through its app and website, digital articles, travel guides, wish lists and newsletters.
What is a MICHELIN Guide Inspector?
Having had an integral role in MICHELIN Guide publications since 1933, the MICHELIN Guide’s famously anonymous Inspectors are a group of professionals and explorers with a passion for gastronomy and travel. They are the sole decision makers when it comes to rating restaurants in the MICHELIN Guide.They spend their days and nights dining everywhere from grand hotel dining rooms to local restaurants, urban eateries to cozy bistros, pubs to street food stands. They have more than 250 anonymous meals per year, which are documented in detail in their reports.
The Inspectors — a selection of experienced hospitality and restaurant professionals, employed by the Michelin group — behave like any other customer, to ensure that readers will have the same experience as they did. Anonymity and independence are therefore their most useful weapons! So, they book a table — always under one of their assumed names — order, eat lunch or dinner, and pay their bill in full, just like everyone else.
MORE: Everything You Want to Know About the MICHELIN Guide Inspectors
What is a MICHELIN Star?
The most coveted accolade of the MICHELIN Guide. A MICHELIN Star is awarded annually to restaurants that offer incredible food. The Inspectors around the world use five universal criteria:- the quality of the ingredients
- the harmony of flavors
- the mastery of techniques
- the personality of the chef as expressed through their cuisine
- consistency both across the entire menu and over time
Restaurants are evaluated and reassessed on a yearly basis to ensure that Starred establishments maintain their high cooking standards. There are three types of MICHELIN Stars:
- One MICHELIN Star: awarded to restaurants using top quality ingredients, where dishes with distinct flavors are prepared to a consistently high standard. These restaurants are worth a stop.
- Two MICHELIN Stars: awarded when the personality and talent of the chef are evident in their expertly crafted dishes; their food is refined and inspired. These restaurants are worth a detour.
- Three MICHELIN Stars: our highest award is given for the superlative cooking of chefs at the peak of their profession; their cooking is elevated to an art form and some of their dishes are destined to become classics. These restaurants are worth a special journey.
RELEVANT: Read more about the famous MICHELIN Star
What is a MICHELIN Bib Gourmand?
Named after the iconic Michelin Man, known as Bibendum, MICHELIN’s Bib Gourmand distinction first appeared in 1997 and honors restaurants that simply offer good quality, good value cooking. The price limit for Bib Gourmand consideration varies from country to country, depending on the cost of living, but MICHELIN Guide Inspectors are all searching for the same reasonably priced quality, wherever they happen to be in the world.As with MICHELIN Stars, a Bib Gourmand is an annual award based on the Inspector’s evaluations during their anonymous visits.
What is a MICHELIN-Selected Restaurant?
Not all restaurants recommended in the MICHELIN Guide have a distinction. MICHELIN Guide Inspectors also include establishments that fully merit being included in the Guide but don’t warrant the award of a Star or a Bib Gourmand. However, this doesn’t mean the establishment won’t be a Starred or Bib Gourmand restaurant in the future, as MICHELIN Selected restaurants are sometimes promoted to Stars or Bib Gourmand in subsequent years.What is a MICHELIN Special Award?
MICHELIN Special Awards were first introduced in 2017 and aim to recognize the professionalism and hard work of those involved in the food and beverage industry. The awards recognize men and women, in the kitchen or ‘front of house’, who bring their passion for the profession and their know-how to ensure diners enjoy an unforgettable gastronomic experience.These prizes are also annual but sometimes differ depending on the country. In contrast to The Guide’s culinary distinctions, such as MICHELIN Stars and Bib Gourmand which highlight the gastronomic work of a whole restaurant, these awards honor individuals, no matter the distinction of their restaurant.
Some of the Special Awards include:
- Service Award: it recognizes professionals in the restaurant business who have the dedication, personality and ability to make all customers feel welcome and comfortable, thus ensuring any visit to their restaurant will be a truly memorable experience.
- Young Chef Award: it recognizes a young chef who has proven over the past 12 months that he/she has special potential and is already making waves in the culinary world.
- Opening of the Year Award: it recognizes outstanding new restaurants over the past 12 months and is awarded to a restaurant team for the successful opening of a restaurant that has made quite an impact on the local dining scene.
What is a MICHELIN Guide Hotel?
A MICHELIN Guide hotel represents the intersection of style and service. The design has a clear, compelling personality, and the staff are dedicated to your comfort. It’s a cultural ambassador; a place in harmony with its surroundings and reflective of the local identity. It’s reliable, consistent, and delivers on the promise of both its price and its menu of amenities. It’s a destination unto itself, offering not just a room, but a unique and lasting memory. It’s a break from the everyday; a chance to try on a new life, if only for a night.
The MICHELIN Guide Hotel selection is carefully curated by a team of independent, passionate experts, aka the counterparts of the legendary MICHELIN Guide restaurant inspectors. While the selection includes established hotels with international reputations, it also includes more recent discoveries and new openings.
Regardless of age or profile, all have been approved by our experts for meeting the MICHELIN Guide’s five quality criteria for hotels:
- Excellence in interior design and architecture
- Individuality, reflecting personality and authenticity
- Quality and consistency in service, comfort, and maintenance
- An open door to the destination
- Ability to deliver an extraordinary experience for its price
In addition, special attention is given to establishments that offer first-rate food experiences, as noted by MICHELIN Guide inspectors. Commitments to sustainability and social responsibility are also greatly valued.
Hotels are also bookable through the MICHELIN Guide App.
SIMILAR: Find out more about what it means to be part of the MICHELIN Guide hotel selection
What is a MICHELIN Key?
April 2024 saw the debut of the MICHELIN Key, the distinction aimed to highlight outstanding stays around the world. The same way the MICHELIN Star recognizes restaurants for excellent cooking, the MICHELIN Key recognizes hotels for excellent stays.Similar to the MICHELIN Stars, hotel inspectors use five universal criteria when selecting hotels:
- excellence in architecture and interior design
- quality and consistency of service
- overall personality and character
- value for the price
- a significant part of the neighborhood or setting
Our Key hotels don’t just fulfill one of these criteria. These are the best of the best in all categories. And just like a MICHELIN-recommended restaurant, a MICHELIN-recommended hotel can earn One, Two, or Three Keys.
One Key: a very special stay.
Two Keys: an exceptional stay.
Three Keys: an extraordinary stay.
How does a restaurant/hotel apply to be in the MICHELIN Guide?
Restaurants and hotels can easily apply to be visited by our famously anonymous MICHELIN Guide Inspectors through the “Contact Us” section of our website. The application will then be passed on to the team of Inspectors who will first review the application before making a visit to your establishment next time they are in your area.Our visits are carried out anonymously, we do not introduce ourselves, we always pay our bill; and we will only contact you directly should we find we require more information about your establishment.
Publication in the MICHELIN Guide is free of charge.
Is there a MICHELIN Guide App?
Yes, there is! The MICHELIN Guide App is available for download worldwide on Android’s Playstore and iOS’s App Store. Users can also create a free account to stay up to date with the latest news on MICHELIN Guide hotel and restaurant selections around the world.
