A clean, minimalist interior photograph of the sushi bar at the Tampa restaurant Koya. The composition focuses on the warm, light-colored wooden counter, which is angled sharply in the foreground, creating a clean geometric line across the frame. Two small, rectangular dark slate plates sit neatly on the counter, ready for service. In the background, the scene is dimly lit and softly out of focus, revealing shelves filled with various bottles and containers, suggesting an authentic, focused preparation space. A small, round wooden bowl is placed near the edge of the counter, adding a soft, organic texture to the sleek, modern design. — Koya in Tampa, Florida Credit: Keir Magoulas

For its fifth year in the Sunshine State, the prestigious Michelin guide hosted its Florida awards ceremony this afternoon, and unfortunately no new Tampa Bay restaurants earned a star.

The Tampa restaurants that kept their Michelin one-star rating, include Ebbe, Kosen, Koya and Rocca.

Notably absent from today’s list of starred restaurants was Lilac. The concept on the ground floor of the Tampa Edition, previously earned a single-star rating and now appears on the recommended list.

Michelin also did not award any new Bib Gourmands to Bay area restaurants in the 2026 Michelin Guide.

Tampa restaurants that kept their Bib Gourmands include Gorkalli Kitchen, Psomi, Rooster & the Till, and Streetlight Taco.

However, a few new Tampa restaurants earned Michelin’s “recommended” status, including Bar Terroir, The Briskette Shop, Fat Beet Farm and Kitchen and Bakery, and Kinjo.

Fat Beet Farm and Kitchen and Bakery also earned a Michelin Green Star “for leading the way in mindful gastronomy,” joining just four other Green Star restaurants in Florida.

Tampa Kinjo Chef Jada Vidal was also awarded the Michelin Young Chef Award.

Pinellas restaurants added to Michelin’s “recommended” list include Elliott Aster and In Between Days.

Lakeland’s Nineteen61 was also among the “recommended” spots.

The highest honor a restaurant can get in the guide is three Michelin stars, reserved for what publishers describe as “superlative cooking of chefs at the peak of their profession; their cooking is elevated to an art form and some of their dishes are destined to become classics.”

Two stars are awarded “when the personality and talent of the chef are evident in their expertly crafted dishes,” and a single star is given “to restaurants using top quality ingredients, where dishes with distinct flavours are prepared to a consistently high standard.”

Bib Gourmands are awarded to restaurants offering a great venue while highlighting “simple yet skilful cooking at an affordable price.”

Today’s ceremony marks the first time Michelin did not host an in-person awards ceremony in Florida, and instead chose to broadcast the event exclusively online. It was also the first time restaurants from across the entire state of Florida were eligible for recognition.

The event was originally set to be hosted on April 14 and was unexplainably bumped just weeks prior to May 28, along with the announcement that it would be entirely virtual. It’s unclear exactly why the in-person ceremony was canceled, since the event is often something chefs and restaurateurs look forward to attending. It’s also unclear if the shift to include the whole state played into the decision to shift to a new online format.

The revered, 126-year-old dining publication first arrived in Florida back in 2022, and at the time only included the Orlando, Miami and Tampa markets after the state of Florida and local tourism organizations chipped in to cover the cost, which was estimated to be around $1.5 million.

Since then, just five Tampa restaurants have earned a Michelin star: contemporary Italian eatery Rocca, small-scale omakase spots Kōsen and Koya, Scandinavian tasting concept Ebbe and the Tampa Edition’s high-end restaurant Lilac.

Lilac was the only Tampa restaurant to lose its Michelin star in 2026.

Last year was the first time Greater Fort Lauderdale, the Palm Beaches, and Pinellas County restaurants were eligible for inclusion in the Florida Michelin guide. As previously reported, Visit St. Pete-Clearwater (VSPC) entered into a two-year contract with Michelin at a cost of $90,000 a year.

Unfortunately no Pinellas dining spots earned stars or Bib Gourmands at the 2025 ceremony.

This year, St. Pete hotspots IL Ritorno, Sushi Sho Rexley and pan-Asian steakhouse Fortu all maintained their status on Michelin’s “recommended” list, and Safety Harbor’s Best of the Bay-winning Tides Market also kept its “recommended” designation.

So far, only two restaurants in Florida have earned two stars—Miami’s French-contemporary spot L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon, and Sorekara in Orlando, and no Florida restaurants have earned the highest ranking of three stars.

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This article appears in May 28 – Jun 3, 2003.