Miami Makes Michelin's List of Most Exciting Food Destinations on Earth

Just two-and-a-half years since the Michelin Guide's long-awaited Florida launch, Miami has earned a spot on the global stage as one of the top ten most exciting food destinations in the world. The Michelin Guide included Miami in its new list, "Where to Go in 2025: 10 Exciting Foodie Destinations to Explore," just a week after adding six new Miami restaurants to the Florida Michelin Guide.

How come? For two reasons: the Magic City's impressive diverse culinary landscape, and the fact that Grand Theft Auto 6 (GTA 6) will take place in Florida this year. We're not even joking.

Michelin points to the forthcoming release of GTA 6 as a reason to dine at the city's best restaurants before reservations become even harder to snag. "While our focus is on food rather than video games, the release of Grand Theft Auto 6 in the fall, slated to be the entertainment sector's biggest launch of all time, surpassing any Hollywood production, will take place in the state of Florida, including Miami, a city renowned for its fusion of Latin American, Caribbean, and Southern flavors," according to Michelin's food editors.

They go on to say, "Enjoy the calm of Miami's South Beach and snag easier reservations at top restaurants before the crowds of Grand Theft Auto 6 fans arrive to relive iconic moments from the new Florida-based video game." Whether we have a video game to thank or not, we're still taking the win.

Miami and Austin Are the Only U.S. Cities to Make the Top 10

The Michelin Guide nod places Miami alongside other internationally renowned food cities such as Osaka, Mexico City, Bangkok, and Amsterdam. Besides Miami, Austin, Texas, was the only other North American city to earn a spot on the list.

The news comes less than two weeks after Michelin announced ten new additions to its Florida guide, with Miami claiming six coveted spots that span Latin American, Portuguese, and Italian cuisine.

The six new Miami additions:

• Cotoa (Ecuadorian plates in downtown Miami)
  
• Grand Central (bistro fare on Biscayne Boulevard)
  
• Itamae Ao (the ten-seat Nikkei counter in Midtown)
  
• Palma (features contemporary tasting menus in Little Havana)
  
• Sereia (Portuguese seafood in Coconut Grove)
  
• Torno Subito (Massimo Bottura's modern Italian spot located on a downtown rooftop)
  

Further north in Orlando, Michelin welcomed Coro, Sorekara, UniGirl, and Ômo by Jônt.

These restaurants join the online guide as highlighted "New" selections ahead of the annual Florida awards ceremony (date to be announced), where inspectors will reveal which spots earn stars, Bib Gourmand status for value, or Green Stars for sustainability.

How Does the Michelin Guide Work, and Why Is It So Important?

As for Michelin's broader footprint in Florida, the guide operates through a partnership with Visit Florida, the state's tourism board, with Miami-Dade County reportedly contributing $116,000 annually over three years toward production costs. The guide currently features more than 140 restaurants across price points and cuisines.

Inspectors evaluate restaurants on five main criteria: the quality of ingredients, mastery of flavor and cooking techniques, the personality of the chef reflected in the cuisine, value for money, and consistency between visits. A restaurant may be awarded one to three stars or designated as a Bib Gourmand establishment (indicating exceptional value for a three-course meal).

Currently, Florida's guide includes 64 restaurants, with 17 designated as Bib Gourmands, 13 awarded One Star, and one receiving a prestigious Two-Star recognition.

The Michelin Guide's U.S. expansion now includes Miami, New York City, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Colorado, and California, building on a legacy that began over a century ago in Europe. In 1900, the Michelin tire company published its first guide for motorists, which eventually evolved into the Michelin stars we know today.