Michelin Star restaurants in the Southeast to visit on your next foodie road trip
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A vacation and a memorable meal are a perfect pairing.
That’s the truth whether the meal is a multi-course event from a Michelin-starred restaurant, with reservations made many months prior, or if it’s a last-minute snack from a street vendor on the way to see a touristy attraction.
But when the occasion (and the wallet) allow, treating yourself to a Michelin-starred experience is a guaranteed unforgettable moment.
The cities with Michelin guides in the Southeast are currently split into two categories: Atlanta as one, and Miami/Orlando/Tampa as another. Here are some places to try in each:
Atlanta
▪ Bacchanalia: The restaurant that has been serving American cuisine since 1993 has a Michelin green star, which highlights restaurants with a focus on sustainability. Owners and chefs Anne Quatrano and Clifford Harrison serve a seasonal menu of light and creative meals. Bacchanalia uses all organic ingredients, many of which are sourced from the owners’ farm. Its four-course prix fixe menu varies slightly each evening.
▪ Lazy Betty: The restaurant, which relocated to Midtown Atlanta last year, features a contemporary tasting menu with what Michelin calls “clever combinations”. Chef Ron Hsu, who Atlanta Magazine called “a madly talented chef”, and chef/co-owner Aaron Phillips run the place that offers both multi-course menus and a la carte options. A vegetarian menu is available as well at the restaurant with a Michelin star.
Miami
▪ EntreNos: The Miami Shores restaurant inside Tinta y Cafe was given its first Michelin star last year. It calls itself “a love letter to Florida,” serving seasonal dishes with menu items sourced from Florida. Chef Evan Burgess was raised in South Florida, and chef Osmel Gonzalez moved to Miami from Cuba at age 22. He left for an apprenticeship in Spain, then worked at SingleThread in Healdsburg, California, (which has three Michelin stars) before coming back to Miami.
▪ L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon: Here, you’ll find Florida’s only restaurant with two Michelin stars, according to Miami.com. It was given two stars in 2022, and it held onto them in 2023 and 2024. The late chef Joël Robuchon opened his original restaurant in Paris’s Saint-Germain neighborhood in 2003. There are 10 locations around the world. The meals at the modern French restaurant are flexible, meaning you can choose à la carte options or go for a full four courses, it’s up to you.
Orlando
▪ Capa: It’s oh-so-Florida that you can visit one of Orlando’s most celebrated spots without having to sacrifice the nightly Magic Kingdom fireworks show. The show is visible from the restaurant’s rooftop patio, TimeOut magazine reported. The steakhouse with Spanish-influenced fare, which has received Michelin stars three years in a row, is located on the 17th floor of the Four Seasons. You’ll also get a light show inside the restaurant from executive chef Fabrizio Schenardi: in the form of the restaurant’s wood-fired cooking, on display in its open kitchen.
▪ Natsu: Make your reservations far out at this 10-seat Japanese restaurant that only does two seatings a night. Here, the omakase-style dining, which means, “I leave it up to you,” will mean your experience is in the hands of chef Stone Lin. While you impatiently wait for your visit, check out our list of omakase-style dining options in Charlotte.
Tampa
▪ Lilac: Chef John Fraser is at the helm of the Mediterranean fine-dining spot located on the ground floor of The Tampa Edition Hotel. The restaurant that received its first Michelin star in 2023 features a contemporary, prix-fixe menu. Sarasota Magazine called it worth the 50-mile drive; hey, the Carolinas are not that much further away, right? (OK, so maybe we fly).
▪ The Pearl: You’ll get a maritime theme, mixed with a bit of nostalgia, at this gastropub that opened in 2023 in a mixed-use building in the Channelside district of downtown Tampa. The made-from-scratch, chef-inspired entrees are created by executive chef Olivia Giesler. “Our goal is to create raving fans while also being a part of Tampa’s evolution and forward push to be on the culinary map,” she told That’s So Tampa at the restaurant’s opening. We’d say she’d done that, having landed a Michelin star just one year later.
Want more recommendations? Ten new Florida restaurants were added to the Michelin Guide in January. A ceremony in April in Orlando will determine if any of these restaurants receive stars in its 2025 guide.
This story was originally published March 3, 2025 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Michelin Star restaurants in the Southeast to visit on your next foodie road trip."
