Nine restaurants joined the sought-after group of MICHELIN-Starred restaurants in Florida, as the 2024 selection of the MICHELIN Guide Miami, Orlando and Tampa was announced Thursday night at the Tampa EDITION hotel.
In total, 26 restaurants were awarded Stars by the anonymous MICHELIN Guide inspectors, with L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon Miami remaining atop the list with two MICHELIN Stars. This year’s selection includes 149 restaurants and 38 types of cuisine with the new Stars including Japanese, Peruvian, Vietnamese and Scandinavian.
“Since the arrival of the MICHELIN Guide to Florida in 2022, there has been significant growth in the state’s local culinary scene, proving Florida is a leading gastronomic destination for travelers near and far,” said Gwendal Poullennec, the International Director of the MICHELIN Guides. “In addition to the nine new restaurants awarded one MICHELIN Star, we are thrilled to announce Green Star restaurants in the selection for the first time, showcasing these restaurants’ commitment to a more sustainable gastronomy.”
Here are the new MICHELIN-Starred restaurants, with inspector notes from each (inspectors’ comments in full on the MICHELIN Guide website and mobile app):
Orlando
Camille (Vietnamese cuisine)
Chef Tung Phan has taken the pop-up and given it permanence at this space just off Lake Baldwin. Seats at the counter feature the ten-course Vietnamese-French tasting menu, while booths offer an abbreviated version. Rooted in French techniques, Vietnamese flavors are given a refined twist here. The Dungeness crab curry arrives with a tartlet shell, filled with crab meat and mixed with lime, served atop the lid, which when removed, reveals a deliciously hearty curry. Salmon over king trumpet noodles in a tamarind and pineapple sauce is creative, but the best may be saved for last. The sweet potato brioche topped with a “gold” chocolate ice cream and Vietnamese coffee sauce is an elegant finale.
Natsu (Japanese cuisine)
At Natsu, there are just two seatings a night at this intimate omakase where a 10-seat counter dominates a spartan-styled room. Meals begin with four dishes from Chefs Stone and Sky, including chawanmushi and truffle kampachi, served with crispy potato straws and a yuzu truffle vinaigrette for an unexpected flavor combination that is especially memorable. The sushi is impressive and doesn’t gild the lily, as in skin-on barracuda with a dynamic char or soy-marinated salmon that finishes ever-so-sweetly. Supremely buttery toro needs no flourish and is melt-in-your-mouth tender. It all rounds out with a hand roll and ice cream.
Papa Llama (Peruvian cuisine)
Husband-and-wife duo Kevin and Maria Ruiz prepare modern Peruvian cuisine full of bright ingredients with a bit of polish, and the multicourse tasting menu is an approachable (and affordable) way to sample their sincere cooking. Nigiri kicks off the meal with a smart nod to the Peruvian tradition of Japanese fusion, delivering dialed-in flavors with confidence. Bok choy is elevated with bold, contrasting textures, while chicken thigh roulade with aji amarillo aioli is simply spectacular. For dessert, sweet potato donuts over a blueberry compote seal the deal.
Victoria & Albert’s (Contemporary cuisine)
Nestled within Disney’s crown jewel, the Grand Floridian Resort, this restaurant is by no means an easy reservation. The setting is intimate, and the pacing is that of a leisurely, three-hour waltz orchestrated by a gracious brigade of veteran servers. Chef Matthew Sowers cooks with contemporary verve and draws on influences spanning from Asia to the Nordics. Think delicate tarts set with New Zealand langoustine, striking “sandwiches” made with venison carpaccio and red cabbage, and bold sauces like cherry-cola bordelaise. Other details like water lists, an ornate coffee and tea service, and a serious wine program further impress.
Miami
EntreNos (Contemporary cuisine)
Chefs Evan Burgess and Osmel Gonzalez are at the helm of this dinner-only spot where a tightly edited à la carte menu puts the spotlight on Florida’s seasons (and almost everything is sourced from the Sunshine State). The eclectic space has an inviting feel, and the high dining counter offers a prime view of the open kitchen.
High-quality ingredients meet serious skill here. The smoked dry-aged cobia is a perfect example of what this place does so well. Dry-aged for one week in-house, then smoked and finished over the grill, it’s served with a Moujean tea beurre blanc sauce. Pumpkin flan is churned into ice cream and topped with pepita granola and coffee espumita for a dessert that is as unexpected as it is delightful.
Ogawa (Japanese cuisine)
Chef/co-owner Masayuki Komatsu commands a presence with an omakase that stuns with a series of enticing cooked dishes and a procession of focused and skillful nigiri. From baby sea eels with a soy-cured quail egg and bigfin reef squid in a shiso-miso sauce to baby snow crab and Japanese-style herring roe, this appetizer of four bites is the first sign that this isn’t your typical sushi counter. Then, lotus root, wild yam and langoustine tempura is sided by a thick sauce made from roasted langoustine shells. After the cooked dishes, nigiri comes next with bright and balanced kisu, creamy ebodai, squid topped with osetra caviar and anago dusted with sansho pepper exemplifying the chef’s skill.
Shingo (Japanese cuisine)
Chef Shingo Akikuni, ever gracious and welcoming, has returned, now back in action behind a spacious, 14-seat counter in Coral Gables. Chef Akikuni and his second-in-command handle the crowd without breaking a sweat and even switch sides midway through the meal. Once the room fills with the sharp smell of vinegar to mix into the sushi rice, it’s off to the races. Fish is sourced almost entirely from Japan, sliced in uniform fashion, and dressed with little more than a swipe of nikiri. They keep a close eye on the seasons too, evidenced by a recent special of high-grade tuna from Aomori prefecture and an indulgent chawanmushi with matsutake.
Tampa
Ebbe (Contemporary cuisine)
Chef Ebbe Vollmer’s eponymous downtown dweller isn’t your typical Tampa restaurant. Scandinavian elements make their way onto the dishes here, hinting at the chef’s Swedish background, and the cooking is both clever and confident without superfluous fuss. Artful plating takes center stage in dishes like the beet roulade with a brown butter and black cherry sauce. Fermented white asparagus beurre monté and sautéed spinach make a beautiful base for tender turbot that comes alive with a quenelle of sturgeon caviar. Braised oxtail with seared foie gras and a brunoise of sunchoke is equally rich and tender.
Kōsen (Japanese cuisine)
Though a two-concept spot (Kō is a separate space for kaiseki), all eyes should be on the omakase, which Chef Wei Chen runs with skill and precision. Delicate sea bream wrapped around sprouts with shaved black truffle delivers dialed-in flavors, while tempura-fried kamasu, served with myoga and chilled, roasted sweet eggplant, is smart and spot on. After a handful of dishes from the kitchen, they progress into the nigiri. There’s plenty of showmanship and style, but the sushi leans traditional without a lot of fuss, as in the kinmedai, seared, then hit with a squeeze of lime.
