Inspectors from the prestigious international guide will now include Utah in upcoming Southwest region reviews magazine
In a rather out-of-the-blue announcement this week, the Michelin Guide created quite a stir in the culinary community with the news that a portion of Utah will be vetted as part of 2026’s The MICHELIN Guide Southwest, which will include Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah.
While Utah has gained increasing recognition and national-level kudos from organizations applauding culinary excellence like the James Beard Foundation, we have yet to rank with even a single Michelin Star. Yet. To be fair, neither has Arizona or New Mexico, though unsurprisingly, 17 Las Vegas restaurants made the list in 2009, of which eight are still in operation. (More on those spots and why the attention paused, here). Apart from dining recognition, however, several Utah hotels have been awarded Michelin Keys for lodging distinction in recent years.
If you’ve ever watched The Bear or that Bradley Cooper chef movie, you already know that part of the (perhaps toxic?) perfectionism required for consistent top-notch performance at even a Michelin One Star level is quite the accomplishment. Michelin inspectors are supposed to dine anonymously to assure that there’s no preferential treatment. This is a full-time job for them, literally. They typically rack up more than 250 meals a year, all with copious record-keeping and collaborative comparison meetings following separate visits. According to Michelin, they insist their Inspectors reflect upon a global ideal of excellence when assessing restaurants, meaning a Michelin Three Star meal must be a consistently executed pinnacle experience, whether you’re dining in Paris, Tokyo or Chicago. Also of note, it’s not the chef at a particular restaurant that’s awarded with this recognition, but the restaurant itself.
What can Utah restaurants expect in the months to come, and is there anything they can do to prepare? We’ll take Michelin at their word from their website: “The upcoming restaurant selection will follow The MICHELIN Guide’s historical methodology, based on five universal criteria, to ensure each destination’s selection equity: 1) quality products; 2) the harmony of flavors; 3) the mastery of cooking techniques; 4) the voice and personality of the chef as reflected in the cuisine; 5) consistency between each visit and throughout the menu (each restaurant is inspected several times a year).” Of the Michelin rating system, critics often point out that it’s all about the food experience. In other words, you can’t eat ambiance.
In my many years of overindulgence, I’ve had the privilege of dining at a few Michelin starred restaurants, including within the Southwest review pool party 2009 Three Star-awarded Joël Robuchon at the MGM Grand, Las Vegas. (Yes, it was worth every penny.) With that said, my prediction is that yet again Las Vegas will make a strong overall showing just from the sheer quantity of exceptional concepts concentrated there versus, say, the markets of Salt Lake City, Park City, Phoenix or Santa Fe. With that said, on a very good night I’ve had phenomenal meals in all of the aforementioned cities commensurate with at least a One Star experience. We’ve got some strong contenders in Utah, and can likely anticipate at least a few Michelin Bib Gourmand nods for exceptional food at great value.
For more hot takes on Michelin’s presence in our salty city and beyond, our friend Stuart Melling shared his thoughts within seconds of the press release dropping in my inbox (Stu, you are so freakin’ fast!) at Gastronomic SLC. And the always-on-it stalwarts at City Cast Salt Lake poured out all the tea in host Ali Vallarta’s recent podcast interview with Visit Salt Lake CEO Kaitlin Eskelson and Salt Lake Area Restaurant Association executive director Michele Corigliano.
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