In 2022, The Michelin Guide launched in Florida, exciting news for food-focused diners and the Tampa restaurants that serve them. Is there a Michelin-star restaurant in Tampa? Let's find out.
Orlando and Miami are the other Florida cities covered by the guide, and as of its second year, the three have a combined 19 restaurants with Michelin stars.
They join a growing number of cities and states covered by The Michelin Guide in the United States:
- New York City (2006)
- San Francisco and Northern California (2007)
- Los Angeles and Southern California (2008)
- Chicago (2011)
- Washington, DC (2017)
- California - the entire state (2019)
- Colorado: Denver, Boulder, Aspen, Snowmass Village, Vail, Beaver Creek Resort - late 2023
- Atlanta, Georgia - late 2023
- Texas: Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio - late 2024
Before I delve into the Tampa restaurants in the Florida edition of The Michelin Guide, I'd like to briefly introduce their rating system.
Table of Contents
Michelin Guide Ratings
Star Ratings
The Michelin star rating was first used in 1926 by anonymous restaurant inspectors working for The Michelin Guide, a travel guide published by French brothers Andre and Edouard Michelin to promote their tire company.
Ten years later, they expanded the concept by adding two and three-star awards.
- 3-star - "Exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey." (e.g., Geranium, Le Bernardin, and Eleven Madison Park)
- 2-star - "Excellent cooking, worth a detour." (VUN Andrea Aprea, L'atelier de Joël Robuchon Miami)
- 1-star - "High-quality cooking, worth a stop." (Pasjoli)
The Michelin Guide's anonymous inspectors pay for their meals and visit the same restaurant several times. If all goes according to plan, the restaurants won't know if an inspector has seen them until they receive an award or recommendation.
According to The Michelin Guide, "The stars...are indicators of the quality of a restaurant's food alone, assessed according to five publicly acknowledged criteria:"
- Quality of ingredients used
- Skill in food preparation
- Combination of flavors
- Value for money
- Consistency of culinary standards
Beyond this information, hints can also be gleaned from interviews and industry events. Generally, the more Michelin stars a restaurant has been awarded, the more expensive the meal will be. However, costs can vary widely. A Michelin-star restaurant in Paris or Tokyo will likely be much more expensive for a U.S. traveler than one in Rio de Janeiro.
Additional Awards
While Michelin stars are only awarded to a tiny percentage of restaurants operating at the highest level in the countries they cover, they've devised ways to recognize more restaurants.
- Bib Gourmand: "Good quality, good value cooking." Established in 1997, this recognition is given to restaurants not quite at the one-star level.
- Michelin Green Star: Established in 2021, this award is given to restaurants committed to ethical and sustainable practices, such as using locally sourced ingredients, working with organic and regenerative farms, and reducing food waste.
- Michelin Recommended: Above-average cooking with quality ingredients that do not meet the higher standards of Bib Gourmand or Michelin-star restaurants.
Hotel Tip: Need a quiet place to stay while visiting Tampa? Read about my experience at The CURRENT.
Michelin Star Restaurants
The 2022 Michelin Guide included 15 Florida restaurants with stars in Orlando and Miami. No Tampa restaurants were initially awarded a Michelin star. However, several received them for the first time when new stars were awarded in 2023. Below are the first Tampa restaurants to be awarded a Michelin star.
Koya
"The dishes are often unexpected yet always thoughtful."
The Michelin Guide
Koya is an intimate eight-seat Japanese restaurant offering an omakase experience in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Tampa. It's only open for two dinner seatings per night, Wednesday through Saturday. The in-demand reservations become available at 10 a.m. on the 15th of each month. The 15-course nigiri omakase is $250 per person. The more varied 8-10-course Koya tasting menu is $295.
807 W Platt St, Tampa, FL, koyatampa.com
Lilac
"...contemporary four-course prix-fixe with Mediterranean influences, Florida-focused ingredients and French techniques."
The Michelin Guide
Lilac is an attractive Eastern Mediterranean fine dining restaurant in The Tampa EDITION Hotel. Chef John Fraser has assembled a four-course, $150 dinner menu that draws on his Greek heritage and appreciation for Turkish cuisine. Courses have included heritage pork belly and Spanish octopus, spanikopita cannelloni with black truffle puree, and duck au poivre.
In 2023, General Manager Matthew Braden received the Michelin Guide Florida Service Award for elevating "the exceptional dining experience with equally attentive service."
500 Channelside Dr, Tampa, FL, lilacrestauranttampa.com
Rocca
According to The Michelin Guide, "Chef Bryce Bonsack blends his New York know-how with Italian training to great effect in this of-the-moment eatery." Rocca is a modern, seasonal Italian restaurant in the Tampa Heights neighborhood a block north of Armature Works along the Hillsborough River.
Expect an assortment of pasta, such as tagliolini with beef ragu, basil, and 30-month Parmigiano Reggiano at moderate prices. A mozzarella cart serves guests tableside with heirloom tomato and 10-year-old balsamic vinegar. A small selection of premium meats and fish are served in portions large enough to share. The dry-aged Rohan Duck is a signature dish.
Rocca is the first Michelin-starred restaurant in Tampa I've experienced. All the food we ordered was well-executed, a testament to chef Bonsack and the team.
I particularly liked two appetizers, the bluefin tuna carpaccio with capers and Meyer lemon (a spectacular seafood dish) and the broccolini with fall squash. Burnt Basque cheesecake with raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries supplied a sweet conclusion. Buon appetito!
323 W Palm Ave, Tampa, FL, roccatampa.com
Bib Gourmand Restaurants
Three Tampa restaurants are Bib Gourmand recipients: Rooster and The Till, Psomi (Greek), and Gorkhali Kitchen (Nepali). Here's a closer look at the first of the three, the only one to receive Bib Gourmand status beginning in 2022.
Rooster and the Till
"The plates follow suit—freewheeling, frequently changing and shareable with elements from SE Asia, Latin America and the Levant."
The Michelin Guide
The Rooster and the Till serve a small menu of international plates in the Seminole Heights neighborhood, about five miles north of downtown Tampa (near the TampaZoo at Lowery Park).
Tuna crudo with goat's milk ricotta, cobia collar with Thai chilies, and gnocchi—Parisian style with short ribs are a few of the inviting options available. Diners can order a la carte or splurge on the six-course tasting menu with optional wine pairing.
6500 N Florida Ave, Tampa, FL, roosterandthetill.com
Michelin Recommended Restaurants
In addition to the Michelin-star and Bib Gourmand offerings, there are 18 Michelin-recommended restaurants in Tampa. So far, I've been to five of them (Bern's, Columbia, Ulele, On Swann, and Yummy House).
Now that the prestigious Michelin Guide is available, I look forward to using it to help me choose more fun places to eat around Tampa. Undoubtedly, it will help elevate Tampa Bay's culinary scene as it has for so many other cities.
Bern's Steak House
1208 S Howard Ave, Tampa, FL, bernssteakhouse.com
Bistro BT
Vietnamese
4267 Henderson Blvd, Tampa, FL, bistro-bt.com
Cena
1120 E Kennedy Blvd UNIT 112, Tampa, FL, cenatampa.com
Italian
Columbia
2117 E 7th Ave, Tampa, FL, columbiarestaurant.com
Cuban and Spanish
Élevage SoHo Kitchen & Bar
1207 S Howard Ave, Tampa, FL, epicureanhotel.com
American
Flaming Mountain
13520 University Plaza St, Tampa, FL, flamingmountaintampa.com
Chinese
Haven
2208 W Morrison Ave, Tampa, FL, haventampa.com
Contemporary American
Mise en Place
442 W Grand Central Ave, Tampa, FL, miseonline.com
International
Noble Rice
615 Channelside Dr., Suite 112, Tampa, noblericeco.com
Sushi
Oak & Ola
1910 N Ola Ave, Tampa, FL, oakandola.com
European
Olivia
3601 W Swann Ave, Tampa, FL, oliviatampa.com
Italian
On Swann
1501 W Swann Ave, Tampa, FL, onswann.com
Contemporary American
Ponte
1010 Gramercy Pk Ln, Tampa, FL, pontetampa.com
Modern American
Restaurant BT
2507 S MacDill Ave, Tampa, FL, restaurantbt.com
Vietnamese
Steelbach
1902 N Ola Ave, Tampa, FL, steelbach.com
Southern
Timpano
1610 W Swann Ave, Tampa, FL, timpanohydepark.com
Italian-American
Ulele
1810 N Highland Ave, Tampa, FL, ulele.com
American
Yummy House
2620 E Hillsborough Ave, Tampa, FL, yummyhouseflorida.com
Chinese
