Today the MICHELIN Guide introduced the latest expansion into the Great Lakes region of the U.S. with the announcement of the MICHELIN Guide American Great Lakes edition. This multi-city Guide will cover the six cities of Cleveland, Detroit, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Minneapolis and Pittsburgh.
“The MICHELIN Guide is committed to fostering a culture of travel and dining by helping people discover unforgettable culinary experiences in new destinations,” said Gwendal Poullennec, Internation Director of the MICHELIN Guide. “We are excited to finally be putting a stake in the ground in the Great Lakes region, spotlighting the talent and food cultures across these six great cities. Our anonymous Inspectors have begun canvassing these cities for impressive culinary talent and are eager to share their experiences with you in the inaugural selection next year.”
The MICHELIN Guide’s anonymous Inspectors are already in the field, making dining reservations and scouting for culinary gems throughout the region. The full restaurant selection will be revealed in 2027 at the MICHELIN Guide American Great Lakes Ceremony, which will be announced at a later date.
CLEVELAND
“Cleveland’s nationally recognized culinary scene is a hallmark of our visitor experience, and our chefs have earned the attention of the MICHELIN Guide,” said David Gilbert, president & CEO of Destination Cleveland. “As Destination Cleveland continues its work to attract visitors and strengthen perceptions of our city around the U.S. and the world, association with the MICHELIN Guide offers an opportunity to attract new travelers and boost local restaurants’ sales.”
DETROIT
“Being named a MICHELIN Guide destination is a milestone moment for Detroit and Southeast Michigan,” said Claude Molinari, President & CEO, Visit Detroit. “It reinforces Detroit’s emergence as a premier culinary destination in the United States, known for its diverse dining scene, world-class chefs and authentic food culture. This recognition puts us on a global stage, attracting new visitors, elevating our chefs and restaurateurs, and reinforcing food as a driver of tourism and economic growth. We’re incredibly excited about what this means for the future of our destination.”
INDIANAPOLIS
“We are delighted that the MICHELIN Guide team has chosen to explore Indianapolis’ culinary scene,” said Leonard Hoops, president & CEO of Visit Indy. “As a transplanted Midwesterner from Northern California, I’ve been fortunate to have enjoyed a few MICHELIN-recommended experiences all around the globe. I’ve personally come to depend on their expertise, independence, and impartiality. And having personally seen Indianapolis’ dining experiences elevate during the past 15 years, I welcome this opportunity to shine a brighter light on Indy’s culinary creativity, authenticity, and overall excellence.”
MILWAUKEE
“Milwaukee has always been a city that shows up at the table with confidence, creativity and a point of view all its own,” said Peggy Williams-Smith, President & CEO of Visit Milwaukee. “The MICHELIN Guide recognizing our city is a proud moment for our community and a testament to the incredibly talented chefs and hospitality professionals who make dining here so memorable. Their craft, care and unmistakable Milwaukee spirit create experiences you can’t find anywhere else, and we’re ready for the world to discover it.”
MINNEAPOLIS
“This is a defining moment for Minneapolis. We have the talent, cultural diversity and quality to stand with any culinary destination in the world,” said Melvin Tennant, president and CEO of Meet Minneapolis. “With the incredible and enduring reputation of the MICHELIN Guide, this is a moment that moves us from being a ‘best-kept secret’ to being part of the global culinary conversation. And through a collaborative approach made possible through our new Minneapolis Tourism Improvement District, it will inspire more of the world’s food lovers to visit our city.”
PITTSBURGH
“This partnership with the MICHELIN Guide is an exciting opportunity to showcase the incredible creativity and modern diversity of Pittsburgh’s culinary community on a global stage,” said VisitPITTSBURGH President & CEO Jerad Bachar. “Our chefs and restaurateurs have been building a vibrant food scene for years, and this recognition will help attract new visitors, support local hospitality jobs, and strengthen Pittsburgh’s reputation as an exciting culinary destination for taste driven travelers.”
The MICHELIN Guide is constantly observing the evolution of culinary destinations around the world. The Guide’s selection process is determined by anonymous Inspectors and remains completely independent. The MICHELIN Guide is working with various destination marketing organizations on marketing and promotional activities only.
The MICHELIN Guide in North America
Michelin announced its first North American Guide in 2005 for New York. Guides have also been added in Chicago (2011); Washington, D.C. (2017); California (San Francisco in 2007, statewide 2019); Florida (Greater Miami, Orlando and Tampa in 2022, adding Greater Fort Lauderdale, The Palm Beaches and St. Pete-Clearwater in 2025, statewide in 2026); Toronto (2022); Vancouver (2022); Colorado (2023); Atlanta (2023), Mexico (2024), Texas (2024), Québec (2024), the American South (2025), Boston (2025), Philadelphia (2025), the Southwest (2026) and now the American Great Lakes (2027).
About the MICHELIN Guide
Recognized globally for excellence and quality, the MICHELIN Guide offers a selection of world-class restaurants.
The famous one, two and three MICHELIN Stars identify establishments serving exceptional cuisine that’s rich in flavor, remarkably executed and infused with the personality of a talented chef.
The Bib Gourmand is a designation given to select restaurants that offer good quality food for a good value – often known as personal favorites among the inspectors when dining on their own time.
The MICHELIN Guide remains a reliable companion for any traveler seeking an unforgettable meal and hospitality experience. The Guide was first published in France at the turn of the 20th century to encourage the development of car mobility as well as tire sales by giving practical advice to motorists. Progressively, the Guide has specialized in restaurant and hotel recommendations. Michelin’s inspectors still use the same criteria and manner of selection that were used by the inspectors in the very beginning.
The restaurant selections join the MICHELIN Guide selection of hotels, which features the most unique and exciting places to stay around the world. Visit the MICHELIN Guide website, or download the free app for iOS and Android, to discover every restaurant in the selection and book an amazing hotel.
Thanks to the rigorous MICHELIN Guide selection process that is applied independently and consistently in more than 60 destinations, the MICHELIN Guide has become an international benchmark in fine dining.
All restaurants in the Guide are recommended by Michelin’s anonymous inspectors, who are trained to apply the same time-tested methods used by Michelin inspectors for many decades throughout the world. This ensures a uniform, international standard of excellence. As a further guarantee of complete objectivity, Michelin inspectors pay all their bills in full, and only the quality of the cuisine is evaluated.
To fully assess the quality of a restaurant, the inspectors apply five criteria defined by Michelin: product quality; mastery of cooking techniques; harmony of flavors; the personality of the chef as reflected in the cuisine; and consistency over time and across the entire menu. These criteria guarantee a consistent and fair selection so a Starred restaurant has the same value regardless of whether it is in Paris, New York or anywhere else in the world.
Dining and Cooking