One year after the release of the inaugural Atlanta Michelin Guide, the local dining community wondered which restaurants would make the cut in year two. Would any one-star restaurants earn a second star — or lose their star? Would restaurants outside the Perimeter be included?
The big reveal occurred Monday night at the invitation-only ceremony at the Georgia World Congress Center. Here are the restaurants selected for the 2024 Atlanta Michelin Guide:
Credit: Omakase Table/Brandon Amato
Credit: Omakase Table/Brandon Amato
Starred restaurants:
Nine Atlanta restaurants were awarded one Michelin star, designated to eateries with “high-quality cooking, worth a stop.” They include Atlas, Bacchanalia, Hayakawa, Lazy Betty, Mujo, O by Brush, Omakase Table, Spring and Staplehouse.
Atlas, Bacchanalia, Hayakawa, Lazy Betty and Mujo were among 2023 one-star awardees. O by Brush, Omakase Table, Spring and Staplehouse are new additions for 2024.
No restaurant received two stars.
Credit: Whoopsie's
Credit: Whoopsie's
Bib Gourmand restaurants:
This year’s Bib Gourmand awardees, designated to restaurants for serving good food at a moderate price, includes a list of 14. They are: Antico Pizza Napoletana, Arepa Mia, Banshee, Bomb Biscuit Co., The Busy Bee, Estrellita, Fishmonger, Fred’s Meat & Bread, Heirloom Market BBQ, Little Bear, Masterpiece, Superica, Table & Main and Whoopsie’s.
Masterpiece, Superica, Table & Main and Whoopsie’s are all new additions for 2024. The other Bib Gourmand-recognized restaurants were included in last year’s guide.
Credit: Unknown
Credit: Unknown
Green Star restaurants:
Bacchanalia and the Chastain both retained the Green Star designation for sustainable gastronomy that they were first awarded last year. No other metro Atlanta restaurant was given a Green Star for 2024.
Credit: Brandon Amato
Credit: Brandon Amato
Recommended restaurants:
The list of recommended restaurants, designated to restaurants for above-average food, expanded to 34 in the 2024 guide compared to 30 in 2023. They include: The Alden, BoccaLupo, Chai Pani, The Chastain, The Deer and the Dove, Delbar, Food Terminal, The General Muir, Georgia Boy, Gunshow, Han Il Kwan, Hen Mother Cookhouse, Home Grown, Kamayan ATL, Kimball House, LanZhou Ramen, Little Sparrow, Lyla Lila, Marcel, Miller Union, Nàdair, Nam Phuong, Poor Hendrix, Snackboxe Bistro, Southern Belle, Storico Fresco Alimentari, Talat Market, Ticonderoga Club, Tiny Lou’s, Tomo, Twisted Soul Cookhouse & Pours, The White Bull, Woo Nam Jeong and Xi’an Gourmet House.
Every restaurant named to the 2023 recommended list retained that designation for 2024. New additions this year are Hen Mother Cookhouse, Little Sparrow, Nàdair and Woo Nam Jeong.
Credit: Courtesy of Michelin
Credit: Courtesy of Michelin
Michelin Special Awards:
Four special awards were named. Miles Macquarrie of Kimball House was recognized for cocktails. Ashleigh McFadden of Nàdair received the sommelier award. Daniel Crawford of Spring received an award for outstanding service. Nolan Wynn of Banshee was bestowed the young chef award.
The 2024 Atlanta Michelin Guide includes a total of 57 restaurants and reflects 25 cuisine types. It also includes five restaurants outside the Perimeter: Hen Mother Cookhouse (Johns Creek), Masterpiece (Duluth), Snackboxe Bistro (Duluth), Spring (Marietta) and Table & Main (Roswell).
“The Inspection team uses a variety of sources to compile a list of restaurants that warrant a visit, including local and national media, social media and word of mouth,” according to the anonymous Chief Inspector for the Michelin Guide North America. “Inspectors are former hospitality professionals that have at least 10 years of experience, which ensures that they have a precise and technical knowledge of the field. They also receive extensive training in the Michelin Guide’s methodology, which is based on objective and universally deployable criteria.”
Credit: Courtesy of Michelin
Credit: Courtesy of Michelin
Based on information that Michelin North America provided to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution prior to the 2023 awards, the rating of the restaurants is a group effort: Each restaurant is visited by multiple inspectors, but individual inspectors never visit the same restaurant more than one time. They evaluate the consistency of a restaurant by comparing notes.
The full Michelin Guide Atlanta is available on the Michelin website and iOS and Android app. Both are free and include all the Michelin-rated restaurants and hotels around the world.
The 2024 Michelin Guide Atlanta was released in partnership with the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau (ACVB). The ACVB provides financial support for inspectors’ visits and marketing the guide, but the selection process remains independent and anonymous.
Starred restaurants are evaluated by anonymous Michelin inspectors who assess the cuisine based on quality of products, mastery of cooking technique, harmony and balance of flavors, personality of the chef as expressed in the cuisine, and consistency between visits and throughout the menu.
Credit: Courtesy of Michelin
Credit: Courtesy of Michelin
A one-star rating equates to “high-quality cooking”; a two-star rating denotes “excellent cooking”; and the highest, a three-star rating, indicates “exceptional cuisine.”
Stars are not permanent. Restaurants can acquire or lose stars as part of the evaluation process for issuing a new guide each year.
Green Star restaurants, according to the Chief Inspector are “those at the top of their game when it comes to their sustainable practices. They consider things such as: the restaurant’s environmental footprint; food waste systems; general waste disposal and recycling; resource management; and the communication between the team and the guests about the restaurant’s sustainable approach. Initiatives can take various forms, and no two restaurants will be alike – all our Inspectors are looking for is a strong commitment to sustainable gastronomy.”
The Michelin Guide, which is owned by the French tire manufacturer of the same name, made its debut at the 1900 World’s Fair in Paris as a handbook with maintenance guides, maps, and listings of petrol stations, hotels and restaurants. It released its first North American guide in New York in 2005 and has since grown its presence in cities across the U.S., Canada and South America.
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