Before we delve into the results, let’s take a step back to remember how and why it all began, which surprisingly had nothing to do with food.

French Chef Sebastien Bras who had shocked the culinary world by asking in September of 2017 for his three-star restaurant Le Suquet to be left out of the 2018 guide, was stunned to find himself back in the prestigious guide’s new edition with two stars. Other unexpected announcements saw Chef Marc Veyrat’s Maison des Bois restaurant lose its third star after only earning it last year. Another surprise came when a 51-year 3-star restaurant, Auberge de L’Ill run by Chef Marc Haeberlin was downgraded to two stars. Lastly, Pascal Barbot, whose Parisian restaurant l’Astrance had held three stars for 11 years, also dropped a notch to two stars.

Commenting on last night’s festivities, Lebanese Chef Alain Geaam, who in 2018 received his first star said in a phone interview, “The atmosphere was electric with plenty of tension and anticipation, especially since the disappointed chefs far outnumbered the happy ones. However, what was quite noticeable, is the fact that an increasing number of foreign chefs cooking French cuisine and awarded one or more stars is growing. Though a number of chefs present at the event thought I was in attendance to receive a second star, I clarified saying that on average, it takes 3-5 years for that to happen and that I was simply happy to have preserved the star we worked so hard to receive in the first place. In looking ahead, I plan to relocate my restaurant, which currently is located at the 16 borough closer to the center and am considering a number of locations that offer a bigger space in aid of offering our visitors a better quality experience.”

Breakdown
Michelin-starred restaurants of the 2019 Michelin guide France edition as it stands:
• In total, there are 632 Michelin-Star restaurants in France to date
• A record 75 restaurants earned new spots in this year’s rankings
• The guide has 2 new three-star eateries, 5 new two-star eateries and 68 new one-star eateries

27 restaurants kept their three stars with 2 new eateries making the cut:
• Le Clos des Sens
• Mirazur

85 restaurants kept their two stars with 5 new eateries making the cut:
• AM by Alexandre Mazzia
• La Maison d’à Côté
• David Toutain
• La Scène

520 restaurants kept their one star with 68 new eateries making the cut:

Michelin 2019 guide