Three Miami restaurants just earned Michelin stars — but one local spot got bumped

At the 2024 Michelin Guide ceremony Thursday night at The Tampa Edition hotel, three more Miami-area restaurants earned Michelin stars.

The newly starred restaurants are the contemporary American spot EntreNos in Miami Shores, which operates four nights a week after hours inside Tinta y Cafe; and two Japanese restaurants, Ogawa in Little River and Shingo in Coral Gables. Each restaurant earned a star; Florida’s only two-star Michelin restaurant remains the luxurious French spot L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon in the Design District.

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L’Atelier and 10 of the one-star restaurants in Miami — Ariete, Boia De, Cote, Elcielo, Hiden, Le Jardinier, Los Felix, Stubborn Seed, The Surf Club Restaurant and the Tambourine Room by Tristan Brandt — retained their stars. The Den at Azabu did not but will remain as a recommended restaurant in the guide.

Chef James Friedberg, executive chef of L’Atelier, said that the restaurant was honored to “lead the way in the Sunshine State.”

“To be the torchbearer of this honor in Florida fills me with immense pride and gratitude,” he said in a statement. “Thank you to our loyal guests who continue to inspire us and to the Michelin Guide for recognizing our relentless pursuit of perfection. This journey has been nothing short of a chef’s dream come true. It’s a testament to the passion and dedication of every member of our team, from the kitchen magicians to the front-of-house. Here’s to many more years of pushing boundaries, being trendsetters in the luxury dining space, and creating unforgettable dining experiences.”

All but one of the local Bib Gourmands, a designation that indicates a restaurant offers quality food for good value, kept their ratings as well. Lung Yai Thai Tapas in Little Havana lost its Bib Gourmand designation but like The Den will remain a recommended restaurant.

Last week, Vietnamese restaurant Tam Tam was announced as Miami’s only 2024 addition to the Bib Gourmand list, joining Bachour, Chug’s Diner, Doya, El Turco, Ghee Indian Kitchen, Hometown Barbecue, Jaguar Sun, La Natural, Lucali, Mandolin, Michael’s Genuine, Phuc Yea, Rosie’s, Sanguich de Miami, Tinta y Cafe, Zak the Baker, and Zitz Sum.

Here’s what the guide had to say about the three newly starred spots:

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EntreNos: The restaurant from Chefs Evan Burgess and Osmel Gonzalez, veterans of Michael Beltran’s Michelin-starred Ariete, focuses on sourcing as much as possible from Florida. The chefs estimate at least 80 percent of the menu comes from the state.

Burgess recently told the Miami Herald that he and Gonzalez believe supporting local producers is crucial to their mission.

“So many farmers have been gracious to us and supported our business, we want to support them,” he said. “The only way to ensure the good guys stay there in Homestead is to support them. . . . it’s the same with fishermen. If you don’t support local fishermen you see truckloads of spiny lobster going to China. Not that China shouldn’t get our products, but we want to make sure a lot of that stuff stays here.”

Michelin praised the “eclectic space” at EntreNos and the dining counter that gives diners a great view of the open kitchen.

“High-quality ingredients meet serious skill here,” the guide says. “The smoked dry-aged cobia is a perfect example of what this place does so well. Dry-aged for one week in-house, then smoked and finished over the grill, it’s served with a Moujean tea beurre blanc sauce. Pumpkin flan is churned into ice cream and topped with pepita granola and coffee espumita for a dessert that is as unexpected as it is delightful.”

Ogawa: Michelin continues its love affair with high-end omakase restaurants with the addition of Ogawa. This omakase-only spot from Venezuelan restaurateur and art dealer Alvaro Perez Miranda, who also owns the Miami restaurants Hiyakawa, Wabi Sabi and Midorie, is led by chef and co-owner Masayuki Komatsu, who was executive chef at Hiyakawa since 2020.

“From baby sea eels with a soy-cured quail egg and bigfin reef squid in a shiso-miso sauce to baby snow crab and Japanese-style herring roe, this appetizer of four bites is the first sign that this isn’t your typical sushi counter,” the guide says. “Then, lotus root, wild yam and langoustine tempura is sided by a thick sauce made from roasted langoustine shells.” The guide also praised Ogawa’s nigiri, squid topped with Osetra caviar and anago (salt water eel) with sansho pepper.”

Shingo: Led by chef and owner Shingo Akikuni, formerly executive chef at the Michelin-starred Hiden in Wynwood, this intimate restaurant in the historic La Palma building features a gorgeous 14-seat counter made of rare Hinoki wood.

“Fish is sourced almost entirely from Japan, sliced in uniform fashion, and dressed with little more than a swipe of nikiri,” says the guide, which also praised the chef’s graciousness. “They keep a close eye on the seasons, too, evidenced by a recent special of high-grade tuna from Aomori prefecture and an indulgent chawanmushi (Japanese egg custard) with matsutake (a mushroom).”

Two local chefs were also honored with special awards at the Tampa ceremony. Gabriela Ospina of the starred Boia De in Little Haiti won the Michelin Sommelier Award, and Tam Pham of Tam Tam in Miami won the Michelin Young Chef Award.

For the first time this year, Michelin added two Green Star restaurants to the guide, which highlight restaurants that show commitment to sustainability. Los Felix/Krus Kitchen in Coconut Grove earned the honor for eliminating seed oils, partnering with a local farmer, sourcing fish from a local supplier and using grass fed meats, lamb and heritage pork. Orlando’s Filipino restaurant Kaya also earned a Green Star.

Four restaurants in Orlando and two in Tampa also were awarded stars, bringing the total of Florida stars to 26. One Orlando restaurant, Knife & Spoon, did not retain its stars.

This year marks the third year of a three-year deal Michelin made with state tourism and marketing agency Visit Florida and tourism agencies in Miami, Orlando and Tampa, which paid the guide an estimated $1.5 million for Michelin to rate and highlight restaurants in the three cities from 2022-2024.

In a statement, Michelin indicated that a continuation of the partnership is likely.

“Michelin cannot discuss the terms of its relationships for competitive reasons, although Michelin respects that partners might have disclosure agreements,” the statement said. “It’s worth mentioning that once the Guide arrives in a destination the intent is for it to remain there. Supported by partnerships, the inspectors will continue to evaluate restaurants in the current coverage areas while keeping an eye on other locales as possible culinary hot spots for inclusion.”

If you go:

EntreNos: 9840 NE Second Ave., Miami Shores; www.entrenosmiami.com

Ogawa: 7223 NW Second Ave., Miami; www.ogawamiami.com

Shingo: 112 Alhambra Circle, Coral Gables; www.shingomiami.com