Michelin Is Launching a Guide to Brazil in 2015

Congratulations, Brazil, you're getting a Michelin guide. Michelin announced today that the first ever Michelin Guide to Brazil will be published in March 2015. More specifically, the guide will focus on the cities of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. In the press release below, Michelin Guide international director Michael Ellis says: "The Brazilian gourmet dining scene has been developing steadily in recent years, led by particularly creative chefs ... Spearheading this development, the cities of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo today rank among the world's leading fine dining centers. Both share a creativity, curiosity and cultural openness that constantly nurture one of the world's most dynamic gourmet dining scenes." The Brazil guide will be Michelin's first in South America.

While the timing of the guide is a bit too late to be of use to travelers in town for the 2014 World Cup, the guide will presumably be in its second edition before the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio. And Michelin isn't the only restaurant ranking organization turning its attention to South America and to Brazil in particular. Last September, S. Pellegrino announced its inaugural Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants list, with two of the top five restaurants coming from Brazil: Alex Atala's restaurant D.O.M. and Helena Rizzo's restaurant Maní, both in Sao Paulo. And on the 2014 World's 50 Best list, D.O.M. is ranked at #7 and Maní at #36. Both restaurants are likely candidates for inclusion in the guide, though whether either will win three stars remains to be seen of course.

For more on the upcoming Brazil guide, check out the press release below.

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