The Michelin Guide ( ; ) is a restaurant and hotel guide that has been published by the French tire company Michelin since 1900. Originally created as a guide for French motorists, it later developed into an international reference for dining and travel. It awards up to three Michelin stars for excellence to a select few restaurants in certain geographic areas based on evaluations by anonymous inspectors. Michelin also publishes the Green Guides, a series of general guides to cities, regions, and countries.

History

thumb|upright|The first Michelin Guide, published in 1900

In 1900, there were fewer than 3,000 cars on the roads of France. To increase the demand for cars, and accordingly car tires, the car tire manufacturers and brothers Édouard and André Michelin published a guide for French motorists, the Guide Michelin (Michelin Guide). Nearly 35,000 copies of this first, free edition were distributed. It provided information to motorists such as maps, tyre repair and replacement instructions, car mechanics listings, hotels, and petrol stations throughout France.

The founders thought the Guide might encourage car owners to drive more, which would increase tyre wear and in turn boost replacement sales. In 1904, the brothers published a guide for Belgium, and then for Algeria and Tunisia (1907); the Alps and the Rhine (northern Italy, Switzerland, Bavaria, and the Netherlands) (1908); Germany, Spain, and Portugal (1910); the British Isles (1911); and "The Countries of the Sun" (') in northern Africa, southern Italy, and Corsica (1911). In 1909, an English-language version of the guide to France was published.

During World War I, publication of the guide was suspended. After the war, revised editions of the guide continued to be given away until 1920. It is said that André Michelin, while visiting a tyre merchant, noticed copies of the guide being used to prop up a workbench. Based on the principle that "man only truly respects what he pays for", Michelin decided to charge for the guide, about 7.5 francs (about €) in 1922. They also made several changes, notably listing restaurants by specific categories, adding hotel listings (initially only for Paris), and removing advertisements. Following the usage of the Murray's and Baedeker guides, the guide began to award stars for restaurants in 1926. Initially, there was only a single star awarded. Then, in 1931, the hierarchy of zero, one, two, and three stars was introduced. Finally, in 1936, the criteria for the rankings were published: The first Michelin Guide for Italy was published in 1956. It awarded no stars in the first edition. In 1974, the first guide to Britain since 1931 was published. Twenty-five stars were awarded.

In 2005, Michelin published its first American guide, covering 500 restaurants in the five boroughs of New York City and 50 hotels in Manhattan. In 2007, a Tokyo guide was launched. In the same year, the guide introduced a magazine, '. In 2008, a Hong Kong and Macau volume was added.

The Korea Tourism Organization commissioned Michelin to include South Korea in its 2016 edition at a cost of 3.2 billion won (over US$1 million); government officials were unhappy with resulting inaccuracies such as typos, translation errors, and description errors regarding seating options. In 2017, the Tourism Authority of Thailand agreed to pay 144 million Thai baht (US$4.4 million) over five years for the inclusion of their country. In 2022, the guide expanded to Canada, with guides covering Toronto and Vancouver, in return for undisclosed payments from each city's local chapter of Destination Canada. The guide announced its first list of restaurants in the US state of Florida on 9 June 2022, after the state and city tourism boards in Miami, Orlando, and Tampa, agreed to collectively pay the company up to US$1.5 million. The guide awarded a single two-star ranking and fourteen one-star rankings, and 29 Bib Gourmands.

In late 2022, the guide expanded to Vietnam, Malaysia, Estonia, and the United Arab Emirates in return for undisclosed payments. In February 2023, the Israeli Tourism Ministry announced a bid to bring the Michelin Guide to their country in return for a payment of €1.5 million. In September 2023 the Michelin Guide also expanded to Atlanta, in return for a payment of US$1 million over three years. In October 2023, the guide announced that it would start awarding stars to hotels (following the restaurant model).

In the early 2020s, Michelin began requiring certain countries which had previously received reviews to pay for continued coverage. Hungary, Slovenia, and the Czech Republic agreed to do so. In 2025, the guide plans to expand to the southeastern United States, called the American South edition, which includes Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. The edition will include the Atlanta guide. A few months later, on 12 May 2025, Michelin announced plans to expand the guide to Boston and Philadelphia, with the restaurant selections to be revealed later in the year. The press release stated that these would be included in the "newly minted MICHELIN Guide Northeast Cities edition", which would also include the already-rated cities of Chicago, New York City, and Washington, D.C. The guide will expand to the Philippines in 2026, covering the Greater Manila Area and Cebu.

Transition to digital publication

The Michelin Guide ended printed copies in 2021 in most markets. After 121 years, Michelin transitioned to digital publication and released a proprietary app. This allowed Michelin to distribute the guide to a larger audience at no charge. As of 2024, a handful of popular regions, France, Italy, Japan and Spain, remain in printed publication.

Methods and layout

thumb|upright=1|Dishes made by Michelin-starred restaurants

Red Guides have historically listed many more restaurants than rival guides, relying on an extensive system of symbols to describe each one in as little as two lines. Reviews of starred restaurants also include two to three culinary specialties. Short summaries (2–3 lines) were added in 2002/2003 to enhance descriptions of many establishments. These summaries are written in the language of the country for which the guide is published (though the Spain and Portugal volume is in Spanish only) but the symbols are the same throughout all editions.

Stars

Michelin inspectors (reviewers) visit restaurants anonymously, and they award one, two, or three stars for those considered at least very good:

  • 23px : "High-quality cooking, worth a stop" (')
  • 50px : "Excellent cooking, worth a detour" (')
  • 75px : "Exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey" (').</blockquote>

Inspectors' meals and expenses are paid for by Michelin, never by a restaurant being reviewed.