Restaurants in the American South region — including Louisiana — are up for Michelin review for the first time, giving Lafayette and Acadiana restaurants the opportunity to earn a coveted star from the global culinary brand.
There have been years of speculation over when the French-based Michelin Guide would begin reviewing Southern restaurants outside of existing Michelin Guides in Atlanta, Florida and Texas. With this expansion, Michelin inspectors will visit restaurants in cities across Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. With Louisiana foodie cities like New Orleans and Lafayette now in the Michelin cross-hairs, speculation is growing over which, if any, Louisiana restaurants will make the cut.
Restaurant inspectors from the famous guidebook are currently in the field, visiting restaurants for potential inclusion in the new southern Michelin Guide. Their selections, which include star rankings and other levels of recognition like a Michelin "recommendation," will be released later in 2025.
According to Ben Berthelot, president and CEO of Lafayette Travel, the Lafayette Parish tourism organization is partnering with Travel South USA to collaborate on marketing efforts to promote regional cuisine.
"While there is no guarantee that any restaurant will receive the coveted recognition in the Michelin Guide, we believe the culinary scene in Lafayette Parish is worthy of consideration, and we are proud to partner with our state and Travel South USA on this initiative. We look forward to aligning with one of the most well-respected travel brands in the world," said Berthelot.
Currently, there are no Michelin-starred or recommended restaurants in Louisiana. The Michelin experiences closest to Lafayette are near Houston, and include spots like The Pit Room, a barbecue joint with Michelin's "Bib Gourmand" designation, which means it offers good quality and good value, but hasn't earned a star. Houston's Hidden Omakase has a Michelin recommendation, meaning it provides an excellent meal without considering price. And five restaurants in the Houston area have attained one hard-to-earn Michelin star: BCN Taste and Tradition, March, Le Jardinier Houston, Musaafer and Tatemó.
What Michelin stars mean
The Michelin hierarchy of one to three stars reflects the inspector's decision on how well a restaurant and its cuisine reflects the Michelin brand expectations.
- One Star: High quality cooking, worth a stop.
- Two Stars: Excellent cooking, worth a detour.
- Three Stars: Exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey.
There are only 14 restaurants in the United States with three stars and 32 with two stars, while 213 have one-star ratings. The inspectors dine anonymously, and assess quality based on five criteria:
- Quality of products
- Harmony of flavors
- Mastery of cooking techniques
- Voice and personality of the chef as reflected in the cuisine
- Consistency between each visit and throughout the menu (each restaurant is inspected several times a year)
Lafayette has one restaurant that can be said to be Michelin-adjacent. When chef Peter Cooke relocated from New York to open Park Bistro in Lafayette's Saint Streets neighborhood, he kept the menu very similar to one he designed for Krupa Grocery in Brooklyn, where Cooke was executive chef. Krupa Grocery earned a Michelin plate — a recommendation with no star.
Park Bistro features a mix of seasonal new American cuisine and southern Italian dishes like risotto balls, ricotta gnocchi, flat iron steak and a Nashville hot shrimp burger that was once written up in The New York Times.
READ MORE: 'I don't cook Cajun food:' New York chef Peter Cooke finds niche in Lafayette food scene
Other Lafayette restaurants have earned national notoriety in recent years through the James Beard Awards. The James Beard Foundation recognizes exceptional talent and achievement in the culinary arts, whether it's amazing food, an exceptionally well-designed restaurant, or an outstanding individual chef. Madonna Broussard with Laura's II is a 2025 semifinalist for Best Chef South, and Spoonbill Watering Hole & Restaurant was nominated in 2020 for Outstanding Restaurant Design.
Lafayette chef Manny Augello, formerly of Bread and Circus Provisions, was a 2018 James Beard semifinalist for Best Chef South, and chef Justin Girouard, owner of The French Press, was a semifinalist for the same award in 2012-2015.
The Michelin manufacturing company, a French multinational organization known for tires, created the Michelin Guide in the early 20th century when automobile travel was still new. The idea was to give people suggestions of where to stop for good meals while traveling. Some of that history still shows up in the parlance of its star ratings (“worth a stop,” “worth a detour,” etc.).
