TAMPA, Fla. — With two new Michelin Star restaurants, Tampa is continuing to make its mark as a fine-dining destination.
The Michelin Guide announced its 2024 restaurant selections Thursday night at an exclusive ceremony at the Tampa EDITION hotel — home to Lilac, a Mediterranean restaurant that earned a Michelin Star last year.
Michelin inspectors, who spent the past year dining incognito at highly acclaimed restaurants in Tampa, Orlando and Miami, awarded stars to nine new restaurants.
In total, Florida now has an impressive 26 Michelin Star restaurants, with L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon Miami remaining at the top of the list as the only spot with two stars.
Of the nine new starred restaurants, two are in Tampa, four are in Orlando and three are in Miami. All but two of the restaurants that were awarded stars in 2022 and 2023 successfully maintained their stars for this year.
Here's a look at Tampa's new Michelin Star restaurants.
Named after Chef Ebbe Vollmer, this restaurant is described as sleek, contemporary and hyper-focused with just a single tasting menu. According to the Michelin Guide, the chef, who has a Swedish background, infuses Scandinavian elements into his food artfully and confidently.
The inspectors' standout dishes include beet roulade with brown butter and black cherry sauce and braised oxtail with seared foie gras.
Ebbe
While Kōsen does offer a traditional multi-course Japanese dinner, Chef Wei Chen's skills shine in his omakase, according to the Michelin Guide. This minimalist restaurant is said to balance "showmanship and style" without "a lot of fuss."
The inspectors' standout dishes include sea bream wrapped around sprouts with shaved black truffle and tempura-fried kamasu served with myoga and chilled, roasted sweet eggplant.
Kōsen
In addition to the stars, Michelin awarded a Bib Gourmand to Streetlight Taco. Named after Bibendum, the big, white Michelin Man, the award is given to restaurants that offer "exceptionally good food at moderate prices."
And while it may seem confusing, this actually is the same Michelin that makes the tires.
A quick history lesson — restaurants were first included in a small red travel guidebook created in 1889 in France by brothers Andre and Edouard Michelin to get more drivers on the road, and in turn, sell more tires. Over time, it has evolved into a guide recognizing restaurants worth traveling to across the world.