Michelin Announces 2019 Stars for France

Yesterday, Michelin announced its starred restaurant selections for France. And in 2019, the fine dining guide to the tire company’s home country grew by a massive 75 new starred restaurants, “a record level never seen before,” according to a press release. The biggest news for French fine-dining aficionados: The list includes two new three-star establishments.

Chef Mauro Colagreco’s Menton restaurant Mirazur was bumped up to three stars this year. The seasonal tasting menu venue is steadily rising in the ranks of fine-dining awards — it currently sits at no. 3 on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, and given changes to the voting guidelines, may move even further up the list this year. Joining Mirazur with three stars for the first time is Le Clos des Sens, a restaurant in Annecy-Le-Vieux that focuses on lake fish. The two new additions bring France’s three-star total to 27 restaurants, one fewer than last year.

There are also five new two-star restaurants this year, including essential Paris restaurant David Toutain and Paris restaurant La Scène, helmed by chef Stéphanie Le Quellec. It’s one of 11 new additions to the guide run by women, as Michelin points out in the press release, seemingly in response to a frequent criticism of Michelin guides. The other women-led restaurants have one star in new guide. The other 58 new one-star restaurants are run by men, including Thai restaurant L’Orchidée and Le Sarkara, the first Michelin-starred restaurant to only serve dessert.

Check out the full press release and list of Michelin stars for France below.