Which Boston restaurants will get Michelin stars?
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Regardless, our time is now, and there are plenty of exciting restaurants to consider. Which ones will Michelin include in its 2025 Boston guide?
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The cheese cart at the defunct L'Espalier deserved a Michelin star of its own.
Gretchen Ertl for The Boston Globe/Globe Freelance
3 stars
It is unlikely that any restaurants will receive the top 3-star distinction. Michelin sees these as superlative establishments that raise cooking to an art form — the kind creating dishes that are known by name to restaurant groupies. There are about 150 in the world; in the United States, the dozen-plus include places such as Alinea in Chicago, Eleven Madison Park in New York, and the French Laundry in California.
2 stars
Two stars are awarded when Michelin finds exceptional food that reflects the vision, personality, and talent of the chef. Although there are arguments to be made here (particularly regarding personality), I don't realistically think we will see a 2-star award. There are about three dozen of these restaurants in the US, including Blue Hill at Stone Barns in New York, minibar in D.C., and Saison in San Francisco. In 2023, debut guides for Atlanta and Colorado named five 1-star restaurants in each location, and went no higher. Michelin doesn't grade on a curve.
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At Ostra, sweet Maine lobster is served in split shells, lazy man's luxury.
Josh Reynolds for The Boston Globe
1 star
This is the category where I'd expect to see some traction, else why enter the market at all? For this recognition, Michelin looks for restaurants that serve expertly prepared, distinctive food made with the highest-quality ingredients.
The top contenders could be
At O Ya, by South Station, owners Tim and Nancy Cushman offer 20-course omakase menus of inspired sushi, sashimi, and more. This isn't a hushed, reverential, traditional experience; it's a little (but just a little) more rock 'n' roll. It is distinctive, strong of voice, and a showcase for fine ingredients, and when it's at its best, it's sublime.
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"Variations on Chocolate and Strawberry," a dessert once served at Deuxave, where plating is always striking.
Barry Chin
After that, the 1-star picture gets fuzzier.
Chef-owner Rachel Miller in front of Nightshade Noodle Bar in Lynn.
Alyssa Blumstein
At Wa Shin, chef Sky Zheng was previously head chef at the Michelin-starred Sushi Nakazawa in New York; it feels like the likeliest contender among a newer crop of
The 2025 guide will keep to the Interstate 95/Route 128 corridor. If it should expand in future editions — to the Cape and Islands, for instance — that could open things up in interesting ways. (Although a New England guide would be of great use, it's hard to imagine Massachusetts would want to share its shine.)
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Wa Shin chef Sky Zheng was previously head chef at the Michelin-starred Sushi Nakazawa in New York.
Bib Gourmand
Boston's culinary gems might show best in another Michelin category: the Bib Gourmand, awarded for great cooking and good value. The guide also has a 'recommended' designation, for restaurants with food that is above average, as well as a green star for those that model sustainability. For context, in the first year of their guides, Atlanta had 10 Bib Gourmands, two green stars, and 29 recommended restaurants, and Colorado had nine Bib Gourmands, four green stars, and 30 recommended restaurants.
These could merit the distinction:
Fried chicken with maple umeboshi at Brassica in Jamaica Plain.
Barry Chin/Globe Staff
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Crudo with squid ink chicharron at Moëca.
Carlin Stiehl for The Boston Globe
Island Creek, Aunt Dotty, and Tumblecan oysters at the Winsor House in Duxbury.
Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff
Sarma's tuna malawach.
Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff
Niku udon at Yume Ga Arukara in Cambridge.
Aram Boghosian for The Boston Globe
Recommended
The line between this category and Bib Gourmand isn't always clear. Here is a short list of places that might be considered:
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Amar, Bar Mezzana, Bar Vlaha, Bar Volpe, Bistro du Midi, Chickadee, Comfort Kitchen, Field & Vine, Grill 23, Gustazo, La Padrona, Mistral, Mooo…., Pammy's, Saltie Girl, Select Oyster Bar, Short & Main, Somaek, Sorellina, Spoke Wine Bar, Sushi Sang Lee, Talulla, Three 1 One, Toro, Uni, Washoku Renaissance, Woods Hill Pier 4 (also a possible green star).
Devra First can be reached at
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