Every tasty Michelin-starred restaurant in Florida

Ariete is known for its fusion of Cuban and French cooking, with a bit of American contemporary cuisine mixed in. The restaurant gives guests the option of two different tasting menus or a more traditional menu of appetizers, entrees, and desserts. No matter which, you’re sure to be exposed to the culinary creativity of chef Michal Beltran. For something you generally won’t see outside France, order the duck, which is pressed tableside in the most handsome of vice grips.

“Chef Michael Beltran’s Coconut Grove mainstay is immediately welcoming with a menu that weaves together Cuban and French influences to dazzling effect,” said Michelin inspectors.

Star rating: 1 star

Boia De is located next to a strip mall laundromat, but don’t let the surroundings fool you. This place is filled with delights like scallop crudo with a topping of herby green goddess dressing and a chilled squid ink pasta with sweet crab. The best way to dine here is to take a group of friends and have everyone order something different so you can try multiple dishes.

“A neon-pink exclamation mark that glows above the front door is impossible to miss. "Surprising is certainly an apt descriptor for Chefs Luciana Giangrandi and Alex Meyer’s distinctive and impressive menu,” said Michelin inspectors.

Star rating: 1 star

Thomas Keller is best known for his upscale restaurant, The French Laundry, but he also has a lovely restaurant in Florida, The Surf Club Restaurant. The modern American restaurant serves all of the classics, from steak tartare to Maine lobster thermidor, but in an upscale and elegant way. No matter what you order for dinner here, be sure to get a side of the Hobbs’ applewood smoked candied bacon as a little treat to yourself.
“Located within the elegantly restored landmark, now in league with the Four Seasons, The Surf Club is a prime location for Thomas Keller's first Florida venture. Sauces are what this team does best, starting with the scallop crudo with buttermilk-basil dressing; followed by the brilliantly reimagined Maine lobster thermidor with sauce Américaine,” said Michelin inspectors.

Star rating: 1 star

L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon Miami is a modern French restaurant serving a tasting menu and an ala carte menu. While most diners will opt for do-it-yourself ordering, the seasonal prix-fixe is the restaurant's star, with a three-course meal for $89 at lunch and $185 at diner. Be sure to sit at the counter to watch the chefs at work while you linger over a glass of wine.
“Miami has joined the ranks of Paris, New York and Tokyo with its own on-brand and elegant L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon. The Design District setting bears all the beloved hallmarks with a counter and open kitchen plus rosewood walls and leather chairs,” said Michelin inspectors.

Star rating: 2 stars

Korean steakhouses seem to be popping up everywhere, but Cote is doing it in an elevated and elegant way that allows diners to slow down and enjoy the experience. The steaks are USDA Prime or American Wagyu, making them some of the best you can find in the country. Don’t expect your meal to come out of the kitchen fully ready to eat because here you’ll watch your meat cooked before you on a beautiful gold-rimmed Shinpo grill.
“Owner Simon Kim and his team know what they're doing in this highly stylized Korean steakhouse, which almost feels like a temple to beautifully marbled and aged beef, much of it on display in a nearby room,” said Michelin inspectors.

Star rating: 1 star

Situated high atop the Four Seasons Resort Orlando on Walt Disney World’s 17th floor, Capa is a glittering affair. Not only can you see Magic Kingdom’s nightly fireworks from the outdoor terrace, but the food is just as spectacular at the show. The Spanish-style steakhouse is known for its top-notch tapas, like the datiles, which are almond-stuffed, bacon-wrapped dates with a sweet maple finish. The 32-ounce porterhouse steak is a signature dish at the restaurant and is worth sharing with a few friends over a cocktail.

“At the Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World; this steakhouse also flaunts a decidedly Spanish accent. Kick things off with ace tapas before indulging in a main dish, like flame-kissed ribeye with tamarind-ancho sauce,” said Michelin inspectors.

Star rating: 1 star

Before Michelin made it official, Chef Bryce Bonsack was already a hometown hero, having returned to Tampa after working at Michelin-starred spots in New York. At Rocca, he scored the first-ever 10/10 rating from Tampa Bay Times writer Helen Freund before joining the first-ever class of Michelin-starred restaurants in the Bay. Bonsack traveled Italy to dream up his menu, full of original takes on traditional dishes like, spaghetti al limone with thin-shaved garlic, zucchini and hunks of blue crab.

“Guests gush over mozzarella hand pulled to order in a tableside cart, but the flavor outshines the show. Perhaps most exciting of all are the displays of originality, as in a vibrant hiramasa carpaccio with green apple, capers and horseradish; and dessert is a delightful bookend to an impressive meal,” inspectors wrote.

Star rating: 1 star

Vegetables with all of their color and flavor are on full display at Le Jardinier Miami. The restaurant is named after the French word for “gardener” which helps to evoke the sense of bright garden whimsy. The seasonally driven menu is filled with expressions of each type of produce, overseen by Peruvian-born Christian Pasco Diaz. Lunch rings in at $39, dinner for $89 and the pre-fixe Sunday brunch is $59.

“Stylish from head to toe, this dining room is a celebration of the seasons. The menu is a study of vibrant tastes and smart compositions that pack big flavor minus the heaviness,” said Michelin inspectors.

Star rating: 1 star

Stubborn Seed is a gastronomic wonderland where the best of the land and the sea come together to create beautiful dishes. The restaurant is most known for its extensive “snacks/rooted/raw” menu, akin to appetizers. Some fan favorites include the savory cacio e pepe cheesy puffs and the gooey jalapeño fritters with shaved wagyu. To taste more of Chef Jeremy Ford’s creations, consider the eight-course tasting menu.

“Stubborn Seed is sexy and sleek with its industrial-chic décor and glass-fronted display kitchen. Chef Jeremy Ford brings the heat, and his ambitious and brashly creative cooking is best enjoyed by way of the tasting menu,” said Michelin inspectors.

Star rating: 1 star

Those looking for an omakase experience in Miami will want to make reservations at The Den at Sushi Azabu Miami. The hidden omakase room is located inside The Stanton Hotel and is run by master sushi chefs. The 18-seat counter is a great spot for watching the chefs at work as they perfectly slice fish and serve it with minimal accouterments so diners can taste the delicate flavors of each selection. Guests are given a world-class experience since fish are flown directly from the Toyosu fish market in Tokyo a few times a week.

“Tucked away in the Stanton South Beach hotel through Sushi Azabu’s dining room and behind a sliding door is this intimate temple to sushi. Fish flown in a few times a week is treated and dressed minimally, often with just a single brush of nikiri,” said Michelin inspectors.

Star rating: 1 star

Omakase menus seem to be a highlight for Michelin inspectors, and in Miami, that means going to the eight-seat restaurant Hiden. The eight-to-ten-course menu is filled with seasonal delights, ranging from hot and cold dishes to sushi and dessert. This restaurant is great for those who have a sense of adventure when dining out because menus are never published online, and what is served each night is completely up to the chef.

"This spot is indeed hidden in the thick of bustling Wynwood. Chef Seijun Okano sticks to tradition, sourcing most of his product from Japan—beautiful slabs of tuna, sweet botan ebi and generous portions of uni are highlights in a tasting menu that never feels stuffy or overly reverent,” said Michelin inspectors.

Star rating: 1 star

Soseki is located in the adorable Winter Park neighborhood of Orlando, but don’t let the historic charm of the streets fool you. This restaurant packs a punch in terms of creativity and overall experience. Inside the 10-seat restaurant, guests will experience an omakase menu that is about two hours long. Throughout the meal, diners will experience 15 or more dishes that are all seasonally driven.

“This tiny operation with Chef Mike Collantes at the helm is an ideal illustration of a contemporary meal expressed by way of an omakase. A laser-like focus on local Florida produce results in a menu that changes monthly,” said Michelin inspectors.

Star rating: 1 star

Lilac occupies a sleek space at one end of The Tampa Edition lobby. Chef John Fraser designed a four-course dinner for $150 with dishes like spice-braised rabbit with semolina pasta and crispy-skinned salmon next to tiny little veggies that each look like they won beauty pageants.

Michelin inspectors noted something I found pretty special, too: “Cocktails and wine are on offer, but Lilac has upped the ante when it comes to tableside service with a champagne cocktail cart (yes, please!).”

Star rating: 1 star

Los Félix is known for its traditional Mexican cuisine that honors the indigenous way of making dishes. The menu is set up to be more tapas-style, where you can order multiple items and share them with friends. The daily crudo with aguachile and avocado aioli is a prime example of a dish being elevated while still honoring traditional recipes, as is the pork cheek carnitas, served with four different salsas so the flavors can change with every bite.

“This is cooking that sends guests on a gustatory trip—at the hands of servers who are armed with ample information about the provenance of each ingredient. Recent highlights have included hearty pork cheek carnitas with myriad salsas and snapper crudo topped with shavings of jicama and avocado aïoli,” said Michelin inspectors.

Star rating: 1 star

Husband and wife Eric and Adriana Fralick opened the eight-seat omakase counter Koya in 2019 after moving their popular Noble Rice restaurant to a larger location. The $295-per-person, multi-course meal immediately spent years without an empty seat, largely because Koya sources its product directly from Tokyo’s Toyosu Market. That means richer sea urchin sourced off the northern Japanese coast that ends up on a signature piece, above toasted milk bread with apple and brown butter.

“Instead of the typical parade of nigiri, dishes offer unique combinations of Eastern and Western culinary sensibilities,” the Michelin inspectors wrote, “as in the beet- and vodka-smoked salmon macaron or a chutoro hand roll with wasabi guacamole.”

Star rating: 1 star

Omakase and sake are Kadence's specialties. In fact, all three chefs and owners are certified advanced sake professionals, so they can help you pick out a delightful drink to go with your meal. The omakase experience features multiple hot dishes and the freshest of sashimi to ensure that guests get a wide range of bites that tempt the palette to keep diving in for more.

“The omakase opens with hot dishes and cool sashimi. This is food that's free-spirited, yet manages to honor the classic methods. Pacing is on point in sashimi like hamachi and hirame. Nigiri, like snapper with lemon and sea salt, will have you yearning for more,” said Michelin inspectors.

Star rating: 1 star

Inside the Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes is a new signature restaurant from celebrity chef John Tesar. The steak and seafood restaurant is known for its in-house dry-aged steaks, some of which have been aged for 240 days. Most fish dishes on the menu lean more Asian, like the whole roasted fish paired with a bright Thai salad and lemongrass chimichurri. To go with your meal, order a side of the kimchi creamed spinach, which takes the classic steakhouse side up to the next level.

“This iteration from Chef John Tesar inside the Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes, is the picture of plush. Care and skill are the hallmarks of this team, as they turn out contemporary steakhouse fare woven with seafood,” said Michelin inspectors.

Star rating: 1 star

Miami has a diverse range of Hispanic cuisines on full display. When the craving for high-level Colombian cuisine strikes, the only place to go is Elcielo Miami. Three options for a tasting menu begin with a $98 Bar Experience, followed by a $178 Chef's Choice and topped out by The Experience at $289 per person. The restaurant serves meals at set times, and guests should expect dinners to last a few hours.

“The menu offers diners a taste of traditional Colombian cuisine presented in a modern and dramatic manner. Colombian-born Chef Juan Manuel Barrientos' culinary artistry has garnered international fame, with various locations, including Washington, D.C.,” said Michelin inspectors.

Star rating: 1 star