Methodology Behind the Michelin Stars
The MICHELIN Guide is much more than a listing or directory of restaurants. It is a professional rating of quality restaurants based on a unique, time-tested methodology that ensures that a Michelin star stands for the highest quality.
We employ full-time professional inspectors who anonymously visit restaurants and hotels, and evaluate them on a range of criteria. Our evaluation process has been honed over time to identify consistently high-quality establishments to suit a range of budgets and across a range of styles and cuisines. All evaluations involve anonymous test meals or overnight stays at each establishment to assess the quality and the reliability of the experience.
If our inspectors are impressed by a restaurant or hotel, they visit the establishment again. And again. It is this sort of obsessive research that makes the Michelin Guide such a reliable source of recommendations. Today, the Michelin Guide collection is comprised of 27 Red Guides that cover 23 countries and include 45,000 establishments.
What are the criteria for receiving Michelin stars?
The star symbols judge only what’s on the plate, meaning the quality of products, the mastering of flavors, mastering of cooking, personality of the cuisine, value for the money and the consistency of what the restaurant offers to its customers both throughout the menu and the year.
One star indicates a very good restaurant in its category, offering cuisine prepared to a consistently high standard. A good place to stop on your journey.
Two stars denote excellent cuisine, skillfully and carefully crafted dishes, with specialties and wines of first-class quality. Worth a detour.
Three stars reward exceptional cuisine where diners eat extremely well, often superbly. Distinctive dishes are precisely executed, using superlative ingredients. The wine list features generally outstanding vintages and the surroundings and service are part of this unique experience, which is priced accordingly. Worth a special journey.
In addition to the awarding of stars, the Michelin Guide provides a written description of each locale and a variety of other symbols to give readers further insight into an establishment’s ambiance, type of cuisine and specialties, and wine list, among other factors. In addition, the guide provides a comfort rating represented by the use of one to five forks and spoons for restaurants and one to five pavilions for hotels. These symbols take into consideration the decor, service, cleanliness and upkeep of the surroundings.