The First-Ever Michelin Guide to Seoul Is Officially Here

Restaurant guidebook purveyor Michelin is continuing its quest for world domination: Today it announced its first ever ratings for the South Korean capital of Seoul.

24 restaurants in all were bestowed with stars. The AFP reports two restaurants achieved Michelin’s top rating of three stars, classifying “exceptional cuisine worth a special journey”: La Yeon in the Hotel Shilla, which serves a contemporary take on traditional Korean food, and tasting menu spot Gaon in the pricey Gangnam district.

Three restaurants received a two-star rating (“worth a detour for excellent cuisine”), and another 19 snagged a single star each (denoting “very good cooking in its category”). According to the Korea Herald, 11 of the 24 restaurants that received stars serve Korean food. Among the non-Korean restaurants honored are Pierre Gagnaire, the acclaimed French chef’s eponymous fine-dining restaurant in Myeongdong’s Lotte Hotel.

Michelin now covers 28 cities and countries, and has been making an especially big push into Asia recently: The inaugural Shanghai guide was published in September, and its first guide to Singapore came out in July.

• Michelin Names Two 3-Star Eateries in First Seoul Guide [Straits Times]
• Michelin Is Launching a Guide to Seoul This Year [E]
• More Michelin Coverage [E]