When Michelin unveiled their 2019 edition of the Michelin Guide New York City earlier in November, 76 restaurants earned stars across the boroughs. While it comes as no surprise that Eleven Madison Park, Le Bernardin, and Masa all maintained their three-star status for yet another year, 16 restaurants either achieved star status for the first time ever or had their star status elevated in the new guide.
Some names you’ll recognize, including L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon, which reopened near Chelsea Market toward the end of 2017. Others are newcomers, like Oxomoco, a new upscale Mexican restaurant in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, which earned its first star within five months of opening. That isn’t the only Mexican restaurant in Brooklyn to get a star either this year. Claro, which opened in 2017 in Gowanus, also earned one for its farm-to-table Oaxacan fare.
Several French and Korean newcomers also made the list, including SoHo favorite Le Coucou and Koreatown’s Atomix. But the standout in the new additions is the fact that nearly half the list is made up of Japanese restaurants—seven in all. The focus here is on high-end sushi, like omakase served at Noda, in an opulent space designed by Ken Fulk in NoMad.
While most of these restaurants are brand-new to the Michelin guide, there are five restaurants that had their status elevated from either one to two stars, or from Michelin Plate status to one star, including Tuome, Le Coucou, Sushi Nakazawa, Kosaka, and Gabriel Kreuther.
The classics are classics for a reason, but you’ll want to make reservations at these up-and-coming spots whether you’re visiting for the first time or returning for the tenth.
New Two-Star Restaurants
New One-Star Restaurants
- Atomix
- Bouley at Home
- Claro
- Jeju Noodle Bar
- Kosaka***
- Le Coucou***
- Le Grill de Joël Robuchon
- Noda
- Okuda
- Oxomoco
- Sushi Nakazawa***
- Sushi Noz
- Tuome***
* Elevated from one-star status
** Just before Michelin announced their new ratings, Chef Masa Takayama decided to turn the meat-forward kaiseki menu at Tetsu Basement into a raw seafood bar called Masa’s Raw Bar, Eater reported.
*** Elevated from the Michelin Plate status
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