Which Philly restaurants could earn Michelin stars and how did other U.S. cities do in their debuts?

Restaurants across Philadelphia are awaiting Michelin's announcement to see which ones are elevated to star-studded status in its 2025 guide.

Getting acknowledged in the annual review is one of the highest culinary distinctions in the world. This year, Philadelphia will be included in the Northeast Cities roundup for the first time, meaning that restaurants could receive one, two or three stars, among other accolades, at Tuesday's awards ceremony at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts.

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The Northeast Cities guide was previously limited to Chicago, New York City and Washington, D.C. In May, officials announced that Boston and Philadelphia would be added.

"[Inspectors] find a certain level of maturity in Philadelphia, both in the culinary offer and the dynamism of the industry making the culinary scene here worthy of being one of the newest Michelin Guide destinations in North America," the North American chief inspector of the Michelin Guide, who remains anonymous, told PhillyVoice in an email in May.

Here's everything you need to know ahead of Tuesday.

What is the Michelin star?

The Michelin Guide was created in 1900 by brothers and tire manufacturers Andre and Edouard Michelin as recommendations for motorists traveling in France. It was updated in 1926 to add the one, two and three star ratings — one star is worth a stop on the way, two is worth a detour and three is worth making a trip specifically to go to the restaurant. Today, it includes over 40,000 eateries in 24 countries and territories.

Restaurants must undergo multiple inspections by anonymous reviewers to test the food's quality, flavor, cooking techniques, consistency and how a chef's personality appears in the food. Most restaurants don't get more than one star in the initial review, and they can gain or lose stars over time.

But the Michelin Guide not an award system without criticism. Only 6% of Michelin-starred restaurants have women-led kitchens, according to a study from food magazine Chef's Pencil, and a Black chef did't earn a star until 2022. And despite it's worldwide reach, there's also no guide in India or in Africa. Japanese cuisine only began receiving stars in 2007.

Others have criticized its expertise. French chef Marc Veyrat banned Michelin inspectors from his establishment in January after he said he lost a star because a representative from the organization identified the wrong kind of cheese in his soufflé.

What other awards does Michelin hand out?

The star awards tend to favor fine-dining restaurants, which come at a high cost to consumers. But in 1997, the Bib Gourmand award was introduced for eateries with meals at a relatively reasonable price. Price limits vary by region based on the cost of living. Michelin said that Bib Gourmand awardees often offer simpler dishes that are easy-to-eat and easily recognizable, and that they will "also leave you with a sense of satisfaction, at having eaten so well at such a reasonable price."

In Philadelphia, contenders for this award could include South Philly Barbacoa, whose chef Cristina Martinez has received various accolades, or Fishtown's Meetinghouse, which was just named to the New York Times list of best restaurants in the country alongside Italian Market noodle house Mawn. Perhaps there's also room for sandwich spots like Angelo's and John's Roast Pork. (Although they're not out of the running for an actual star, either, as street food and other casual eateries have received stars before).

The guide also awards a green star for restaurants with sustainable practices, rewarding restaurants that source their ingredients from eco-friendly suppliers and reduce use of plastic and other wasteful materials in their kitchens. Often, these establishments also make an effort to contribute to community projects as part of their business model.

How did other U.S. cities do in their debuts?

With different food trends and population sizes, it's hard to make a direct comparison between Philly (1.5 million people) to other American cities that have been added to the guide over the years. But foodies might glean a small insight from seeing how they fared in their first years.

Chicago, with a population of 2.5 million, was first added to the guide in 2010, and 22 of its restaurants received stars that year. Two received three stars each and another three got two stars. Currently, there are 19 establishments with stars in the city and another 37 with Bib Gourmand nods.

Austin, which was just added in 2024, nabbed seven stars its first year — about half of the state's total of 15 starred establishments. Atlanta, which is less than half the size of Philly, has eight restaurants with one star, the most of any Southern city, and 11 with Bib Gourmand awards. Five of those eight were awarded in its first year in the guide, which was in 2023.

When Philly restaurants get their flowers (and stars), it's hard to say how exactly that will change the dining scene. It tends to be difficult to get a seat at Michelin-starred restaurants, although many of the city's top establishments already require reservations months in advance. It's likely that the award might come with a price jump, as well. Chef's Pencil found that for every Michelin star, there's an added an cost of $100 per person, on average.

Michaela Althouse/for PhillyVoice

Kalaya, a Thai restaurant in Fishtown, has been named to a number of best restaurant lists and chef Nok Suntaranon earned a James Beard award in 2022.

Ones to watch:

The final results won't be revealed until Tuesday night, but people have been making predictions for months. Below, we've rounded up 10 prominent restaurants in Philly, from award darlings to popular newcomers to the tried-and-true, that could be contenders.

• Kalaya (4 W. Palmer St., Fishtown): Chef Nok Suntaranon continues to make headlines years after opening her Thai restaurant in the Italian Market, later moving the establishment to Fishtown. The eatery has landed on a number of best restaurants lists, and Suntaranon earned a James Beard award for best chef, Mid-Atlantic in 2022, and was named to the Time100 list in April.

• Royal Sushi & Izakaya (780 S 2nd St., Queen Village): In addition to freshly made sushi, the restaurant also serves izakaya, a Japanese pub fare style of cooking. Chef Jesse Ito has been nominated several times in the best chef and rising star chef categories in the James Beard awards, although he's never won. Royal Sushi & Izakaya was named to the 50 Best brand's North America's 50 Best Restaurants in September alongside Kayala and Friday Saturday Sunday. Ito's latest venture, Dancerobot, was one of the most-anticipated openings this year.

• Friday Saturday Sunday (261 S. 21st St., Rittenhouse): The Center City spot serves contemporary American cuisine and won a James Beard award in 2023. In addition to its inclusion on the 50 Best list, the establishment's head bartender Paul MacDonald was recently named one of Wine Enthusiast's Future 40 Tastemakers.

• My Loup (2005 Walnut St., Rittenhouse): The contemporary French spot is newer to the scene, as it opened in 2023 from chefs Alex Kemp and Amanda Shulman. But it has made an impression on the national food scene, as Schulman was named as one of Food and Wine's best new chefs and the restaurant appeared on both the New York Times' and Bon Appétit's best new restaurants lists.

• Vernick Fish (One N. 19th St., Logan Square): The oyster bar and seafood restaurant in the Comcast Technology Center became a popular spot for Center City diners after chef Greg Vernick opened it as a second act to Vernick Food & Drink. It also nabbed a semifinalist nod in this year's James Beard awards.

• Zahav (237 St. James Pl., Old City): Philly restauranteur Michael Solomonov is known for a number of eateries in Philly, including Laser Wolf, Goldie and Federal Donuts. He won best chef, Mid-Atlantic in the 2011 James Beard awards and his hummus recipe was Bon Appétit's dish of the year in 2015. Of his city establishments, Zahav, the beloved modern Israeli restaurant which also won outstanding restaurant James Beard honors in 2019, is likely the top contender for a Michelin star.

• Mawn (764 S. 9th St., Italian Market): The Cambodian noodle house opened in 2023 in the former home of Suntaranon's Kalaya. It's the first venture from veteran Philly chefs Rachel Lorn, who worked in the kitchens at Urban Farmer and Stephen Starr’s Pod, and Phila Lorn, who held roles at Will BYOB, Stock Fishtown and Barbuzzo. In June, Phila Lorn nabbed the James Beard award for best emerging chef, the only Philly chef or restaurant to take home a prize despite multiple nominations.

• Her Place Supper Club (1740 Sansom St., Rittenhouse): Before opening My Loup, Shulman created Her Place Supper Club in 2021 after working at a few Vetri restaurants and Momofoku Ko. The restaurant began as a pop-up supper club, so the menu changes frequently, although it tends to lean French and Italian.

• Parc (227 S. 18th St., Rittenhouse): Created by restauranteur Stephen Starr, the French bistro has been a staple of the Philly dining scene since it opened in 2008. In 2023, the restaurant's fare was added to the first-class menu on Amtrak's Acela trains in the Northeast. Starr previously won Michelin stars for Le Coucou and Clocktower in New York City, although the latter lost its star in 2022.

• Vetri Cucina (1312 Spruce St., Center City): Marc Vetri, another storied restauranteur in Philadelphia, opened the Italian fine-dining establishment in 1998. Since then, Vetri won best chef, Mid-Atlantic in the 2005 James Beard awards and went on to open a number of popular eateries in Philly and around the country, including Osteria and pasta bar Fiorella.

Philly has no shortage of great restaurants, so there are plenty of others that could also make the final cut (Vedge, Provenance and River Twice, to name a few), and only time will tell what gets the coveted accolade.