The Michelin Guide is a Good Thing for Philly … and the World
There's been a lot of talk about why Michelin would be bad for Philly's food scene. But it's not the existential threat you think it is.
Philadelphia’s 2025 Michelin Guide honorees / Photography courtesy of the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau
Philly Mag Today: Why the Michelin Guide Isn’t a Threat to Philly’s Food Scene
Last night we bore witness to a seismic shift in not just Philadelphia’s restaurant industry, but in our reputation as a city on an international level. The Michelin Guide bestowed three of our restaurants with one-star ratings, recommended another 21, honored 10 more as Bib Gourmands, and gave out a Green Star, earning Philly a ton of praise in our debut to the guide. The accolades redefine our dining scene and tells the world what we already knew: We are no longer a cheesesteak pit stop between New York and D.C., but a worthy destination all on our own. And just in time for 2026, when travelers from around the globe will be converging on Philadelphia for America’s 250th birthday, the FIFA World Cup (one of the games is taking place on the 4th of July), and the MLB All-Star Game.
In the many months preceding this news, though, there was some hand-wringing over the prospect of what Michelin stars might mean here — particularly as we prepare to cater to those travelers. Would it change our identity? Would our scrappy, no-one-likes-us-we-don’t-care attitude dissolve into a banal pool of monotone flavors as restaurants seeking stars try to fit in the Michelin mold? Now that we are on Michelin’s radar, with so many honorees, will this happen going forward?
No. It won’t. Because when has Philly ever cared about what the rest of the world thought of us? We’ve been the butt of decades — if not centuries — worth of jokes, and not only has it reinforced our underdog spirit, but we’ve worn these jokes with pride and woven them into the fabric of our city’s personality. We face criticism by doubling down on who we are. And that’s reflected in our chefs, who define success as being true to themselves — who refuse to compromise their identities and their visions to satisfy others and embrace their niches to create entirely new genres that can only exist in Philly. And that’s what drew Michelin’s gaze in the first place.
I understand the concern: It’s only natural for us to be protective of our hometown. We Philadelphians want to keep Philadelphia to ourselves. There’s a certain “jawn sais quoi” that gives the people and the restaurants of this city a distinct flavor. We don’t want to lose that.
Instead of thinking that the world will change Philadelphia, we should see this as an opportunity for Philadelphia to change the world.”
But who we are as a city already makes us special. The nation, and now the world, wants to get a taste of what we have to offer. This is what Michelin can do for us, and that’s how we should see this. Instead of thinking that the world will change Philadelphia, we should see this as an opportunity for Philadelphia to change the world.
The Michelin Guide has evolved over the 125 years of its existence as more cities, regions, and countries are included. Starred restaurants are becoming more casual, the food represented is expanding beyond the guide’s French haute cuisine origins, there’s a greater emphasis on creativity and innovation, and more of a focus on sustainability and ethical sourcing. These are all things that Philly happens to excel in. And judging by last night’s turnout, Michelin sees that in us. Our special brand of dining now has the potential to ripple out to the rest of the world.
I’ve always felt that Philadelphia was one of the few places in the country that took the mythology of the American dream seriously, and with enough hard work, grit, determination, and, well, desperation, one could really take control of their destiny. It’s a core tenet that sets our city apart. As Philly restaurants were being invited to the stage to accept their honors, I found myself choking up, because that tenacity is embodied in every single person who was recognized last night. In a time when people in power are trying to rob us of our pursuit of happiness, the Michelin ceremony validated that if you bet your bottom dollar on yourself and your community, you can still achieve greatness.
Because where else can a person like Her Place Supper Club’s Amanda Shulman (who was once an intern here at Philadelphia magazine!) be found gracing the stage with her husband and fellow chef, Alex Kemp, to accept the first star of the night? Or people like Friday Saturday Sunday’s Chad and Hanna Williams, a West Philly anthropology student and humble hospitality veteran who took over the reins of a 40-year-old neighborhood institution and turned it into a Michelin-starred restaurant? Where else can folks like Provenance’s Nich Bazik (once the lead singer of an indie folk band) earn a star for a restaurant he opened just last July? Or find a story like that of Honeysuckle’s Omar Tate and Cybille St. Aude-Tate, whose efforts to preserve Black foodways earned them a Michelin recommendation just six months into running their place?
These are the influencers now. These are the arbiters of taste. These are the representatives of Philadelphia’s dining scene, and they have a lot to offer the world.
