World’s premier restaurant guide returning to Las Vegas
The Michelin Guide, the world’s most prestigious source of culinary recognition, is returning to Las Vegas after an absence of more than 15 years. Are there Michelin stars in the city’s future?
Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and Utah will be covered in a new Southwest edition of the guide, Michelin announced Monday. Michelin restaurant inspectors — famed for their anonymity — are already on the ground in the region. The restaurant selections for the edition will be revealed in 2026.
“We are excited to showcase the distinct cuisine styles that are representative of the cultures throughout the Southwest, which blends a rich mix of traditions and culinary talent,” Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guide, said in the announcement.
A brief Vegas presence
In 2008 and 2009, Michelin published a Vegas guide, suspending coverage in 2009 because of the Great Recession and never officially resuming inspections.
During these two years, 17 Vegas restaurants received Michelin stars, from one to three, the top rating. Eight of those restaurants remain, including Joël Robuchon in the MGM Grand, the only Vegas restaurant ever to be awarded three Michelin stars; Guy Savoy at Caesars Palace, which garnered two stars; and Wing Lei at Wynn Las Vegas with one star, the first Chinese restaurant in North America ever to be so honored.
Michelin also confers the Bib Gourmand designation for restaurants that offer good food for good value, green stars for restaurants that are pioneers in sustainable gastronomy, recommended status for other restaurants and special professional awards.
How inspections work
The first Michelin Guide was published in France at the turn of the 20th century. The Michelin brothers, founders of the famous tire company, created the guide as a resource for travelers and a way to promote the fledgling French automobile industry.
Because of its rigorous inspection process, the Michelin Guide has become the global standard for assessing fine dining restaurants. Again, its inspectors dine anonymously (unlike, say, James Beard Award Foundation judges, whose names are published at the end of each awards cycle). Judges are trained to apply inspection methods that have been refined over decades.
They pay for their own meals, and they evaluate only the quality of cuisine at restaurants, guided by Michelin standards: mastery of cooking techniques, harmony of flavors, the personality of the chef as reflected in the cuisine, and consistency over time and across the entire menu. The result, Michelin says, is that a star has the same value no matter where in the world a restaurant is located.
Michelin launched its first North American guide in 2005 for New York City. The new Southwest edition brings to 15 the number of city and regional guides for North America. Visit guide.michelin.com.
Contact Johnathan L. Wright at jwright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @JLWTaste on Instagram.
