Brooklyn and Queens are hungry no more for Michelin restaurants

By Beth Stebner | October 2, 2015 - 12:59PM

While Manhattan still boasts the most Michelin-starred restaurants in the city, Brooklyn and Queens residents have slowly but surely seen a rise in notable eateries that have been recognized by the 100-year-old institution. In the newly unveiled 2016 edition, 61 local restaurants made the cut—12 in Brooklyn—you can check each of them out on this handy map by Eater—and two in Queens.

Michelin’s much-debated star rating picked the Brooklyn Fare’s Chef’s Table in downtown Brooklyn as the only eatery in the borough to garner a three-starred rating (“exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey”). Others, including vegetarian-friendly Williamsburg restaurant Semilla and The Finch in Clinton Hill, were both awarded a single star (“a very good restaurant in this category"), as Grub Street notes. Casa Enrique and M. Wells Steakhouse, both in Long Island City, also received Michelin nods.

"The impressive number of different styles of cuisine, a total of 61, found throughout all five boroughs confirms New York's position as one of the world's most exciting dining destinations," Michael Ellis, the international director of the Michelin Guides, said in a statement. "This year's selection confirms the dynamism of the culinary scene in all boroughs, notably Brooklyn and Queens."

Noticeably absent from the Michelin star guide were any eateries from the Bronx or Staten Island — though given the excitement over Brooklyn cuisine and Queens’ unlikely naming as the number one destination for tourists in the U.S. by Lonely Planet, expect more international accolades to come rolling into unexpected places.

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