What is a Michelin Star? A Brief History of the Michelin Guide

Istanbul has been selected as the 38th destination in the Michelin Guide, considered the world's most prestigious restaurant rating system. On October 11, 2022, Turkey's "best" restaurants that qualified for Michelin stars were announced. [ Click here to see the full list .] So how does Michelin evaluate restaurants? What is a Michelin star? What does each star mean?

Michelin classifies restaurants that have been awarded a "pass" by their experts in 5 different categories. Michelin honors restaurants with "one star", "two stars", "three stars", "green star" and "Bib Gourmand" ratings. So what do all these Michelin stars mean? Now let's examine these stars in turn and what they mean.

*
One Star

With a high quality cuisine, this restaurant is worth a visit.

**
Two Stars

An excellent cuisine is worth changing your course!

***
Three Stars

It is worth going to this restaurant specially, with an outstanding cuisine!

*
Green Star

A successful cuisine in terms of gastronomy and sustainability.

Δ
Bib Gourmet

Good quality restaurant with good price/performance value.
(It gives the best value for your money.)

About Michelin and Michelin Stars

The Michelin legend was created by the Michelin brothers who wanted to help car drivers improve their travel experience, thereby increasing their car sales (and thus tire purchases). Édouard and André Michelin, who are also the founders of Michelin tires; In 1889, he prepared a guide for travelers traveling by automobiles with maps and information on how to change a tire and where to fill it. They did not neglect to include in this guide a list of places for travelers to eat and also to stay for the night.

Realizing that the restaurant section of the guide received more attention than expected, the Michelin brothers decided to concentrate on this area. To this end, he also commissioned a team to visit and review restaurants anonymously. (This is how the Michelin inspectorship came about.)

In 1926 the guide began awarding stars for fine dining venues and initially only marked them with a single star. Five years later, a hierarchy of zero, one, two, and three stars was introduced, and in 1936 star ranking criteria were published.

For the remainder of the 20th century, thanks to its serious and unique approach, the Michelin Guide has secured its place among the unparalleled bestsellers. The guide currently evaluates more than 30.000 restaurants in over 30 regions across three continents, and more than 30 million copies of the “ MICHELIN Guide ” have been sold.

Today, the extraordinary foresight of the founding Michelin brothers gave the company a mission that was as relevant in the 1900s as it was in 2000: to make the pursuit of driving, tourism and unforgettable experiences accessible to all.

Countries and Cities with the Most Michelin Stars

The country with the most stars in the world in the Michelin Guide is France. In France, 27 enterprises have received 3 stars, 86 enterprises have received 2 stars and 503 enterprises have received 1 star. Italy, Germany, Spain and England follow France, respectively.

The cities with the most Michelin stars in Europe stand out as Paris and London.

When it comes to Asia, the weight of Japan, which has won the world's appreciation for its cuisine, seems quite clear. It seems that there are 3 17-star, 2 57-star and 1 291-star restaurants in Japan's Tokyo, Yakohama, Shanon cities. There are 3 15-star, 2 61-star and 1 224-star restaurants in Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe and Nara.

Source: HORECA Trend and Michelin Guide