RESTAURANT NEWS | THE WEST
The 2026 Michelin Guide Southwest: All the Winners
Four Las Vegas restaurants receive stars, Utah earns its first star, and Arizona and New Mexico leave the ceremony without one.
By Eric Barton
4:31 a.m. MT, Aug. 27, 2026
Guy Savoy
AUTHOR BIO: Eric Barton is editor of The Adventurist and a freelance journalist who has reviewed restaurants for more than two decades. Email him here.
Michelin returned to Las Vegas after a 17-year absence Wednesday night, awarding the city four starred restaurants while giving Utah its first Michelin star and leaving Arizona and New Mexico without any.
The inaugural Michelin Guide Southwest includes 64 restaurants across Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. Five restaurants received stars, 18 earned Bib Gourmands for quality cooking at a relatively affordable price, and another 41 joined the guide as Michelin Recommended.
Joël Robuchon at the MGM Grand received two stars, the highest distinction awarded during the ceremony at Fontainebleau Las Vegas. É by José Andrés, L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon, and Restaurant Guy Savoy each earned one star, concentrating four of the guide’s five starred restaurants along the Las Vegas Strip.
The fifth went to Monte, chef Martín Babío’s tasting-menu restaurant inside Beehive Distilling in South Salt Lake. The restaurant opened in 2025 with fewer than 20 seats and a menu shaped by Babío’s South American roots and ingredients from Utah.
“I promised I’d bring a star for Utah,” Babío said from the stage. “Tonight I achieved my promise.”
É by José Andrés
Michelin had not published a Las Vegas guide since 2009, when Joël Robuchon held three stars, Restaurant Guy Savoy had two, and L’Atelier had one. The new results return all three to the starred ranks, although at lower levels for Robuchon and Savoy. É, José Andrés’ eight-seat counter hidden inside Jaleo at the Cosmopolitan, received its first star.
The results also restored Michelin recognition to a city that spent nearly two decades building restaurants without any idea whether the inspectors would return. During that time, the Strip added dining rooms from chefs with Michelin pedigrees around the world, while neighborhoods beyond the casinos produced a deeper collection of independent restaurants.
Monte
Michelin did not hand out stars widely upon its return. Wing Lei, the first Chinese restaurant in the United States to earn a Michelin star, came back only as Recommended. So did Michael Mina, which received a star in the 2009 guide, and several of the city’s most acclaimed tasting-menu restaurants, including Partage, Kame Omakase, and Sparrow + Wolf.
Wing Lei
Kid Sister
Las Vegas received 24 distinctions altogether. China Poblano, Esther’s Kitchen, and YEN Viet Kitchen earned Bib Gourmands. Anima by EDO, Bouchon, COTE Las Vegas, Estiatorio Milos, Gymkhana, Kabuto, Kame Omakase, Lamaii, Michael Mina, Mott 32, Partage, Pho Ga Bac Bac, Ping Pang Pong, Soulbelly BBQ, Sparrow + Wolf, Stubborn Seed, and Wing Lei were Recommended.
The guide’s recognition dropped sharply beyond Nevada.
Arizona received no stars, although seven restaurants earned Bib Gourmands and 12 were Recommended. Its Bib list includes FnB, Huarachis Taqueria, kid sister, Little Miss BBQ, Lom Wong Thai, Pizzeria Bianco, and Valentine. Among the Recommended selections were Bacanora, Christopher’s at Wrigley Mansion, Fry Bread House, Latha, Reserve, ShinBay, and Tratto.
Frontier
New Mexico also received no stars. Frontier in Albuquerque joined Jambo Cafe, La Choza, Paper Dosa, and Tia Sophia’s in Santa Fe as Bib Gourmands. Michelin Recommended seven more restaurants: Arroyo Vino, Campo at Los Poblanos, Izanami, Joseph’s Culinary Pub, Market Steer Steakhouse, Paloma, and Restaurant Martín.
Utah finished with nine selections. In addition to Monte’s star, Michelin gave Bib Gourmands to Feldman’s Deli, One More Noodle House, and Phở 777. Handle, Koyote, Matilda, The Nelson Cottage by High West, and Star of India were Recommended.
The guide, in other words, has some work to do. One star for all of Utah and none for New Mexico is an awfully narrow reading of two large states with distinct food traditions, serious tasting menus, nationally recognized chefs, and restaurants doing work that would attract more attention if their ZIP codes were elsewhere.
Koyote
Before the announcement, The Adventurist identified Michelin-quality restaurants in Las Vegas, New Mexico restaurants that deserve to be in the guide, and restaurants across Utah cooking to Michelin standards, with several restaurants inspectors omitted. We had identified Campo at Los Poblanos as deserving a star, only for Michelin to stop at Recommended, while other New Mexico candidates—including Alkemē—were left out altogether. In Utah, we had backed Hell’s Backbone Grill & Farm, Table X, and Yuta for stars. None appeared anywhere in the guide. We did identify Koyote as a Bib Gourmand candidate, although Michelin rated it Recommended, and several of our Las Vegas choices made the guide a rung or two below where we placed them.
Pizzeria Bianco
Sean Christopher
Michelin’s new American guides have often started thin and filled out over time. The inaugural Florida guide gave no stars to Tampa, a city that now has multiple starred restaurants. The first American South guide skipped Wilmington entirely despite a restaurant scene that has produced James Beard recognition and some of North Carolina’s most interesting cooking. Geographic boundaries, inspection schedules, and the practical limits of covering large regions can produce a first edition that looks more like an opening paragraph than the final word.
That does not make the Southwest guide meaningless. It makes it unfinished.
The ceremony also included awards for individuals across the four states. Sean Christopher of Joël Robuchon received the Service Award. “We strive every night to make a connection with guests,” he said during his acceptance speech.
John Germain
John Germain of Reserve in Scottsdale received the Sommelier Award. René Andrade, the chef behind Bacanora and Huarachis Taqueria in Phoenix, won the Young Chef Award. Joseph Simonson of Campo at Los Poblanos received the Exceptional Cocktails Award for a beverage program that uses ingredients grown and distilled on the property. Michelin also honored FnB chef Charleen Badman through its new Mindful Voices program, which highlights people pursuing different approaches to food, hospitality, and wine.
For Las Vegas, the night marked a return to a familiar stage, even if Michelin was less generous with its stars than it was in 2009. For Utah, it produced a first. For Arizona and New Mexico, it mostly produced a list of reservations the inspectors may want to make next.
All the Winners
Arizona
Michelin Stars
None
Bib Gourmands
FnB, Scottsdale
Huarachis Taqueria, Phoenix
kid sister, Phoenix
Little Miss BBQ, Phoenix
Lom Wong Thai, Phoenix
Pizzeria Bianco, Phoenix
Valentine, Phoenix
Michelin Recommended
Atria, Flagstaff
Bacanora, Phoenix
Christopher’s at Wrigley Mansion, Phoenix
Fry Bread House, Phoenix
Glai Baan, Phoenix
Hush Public House, Scottsdale
INDIBAR, Scottsdale
Latha, Phoenix
Pretty Penny, Phoenix
Reserve, Scottsdale
ShinBay, Scottsdale
Tratto, Phoenix
Nevada
Two Michelin Stars
Joël Robuchon, Las Vegas
One Michelin Star
É by José Andrés, Las Vegas
L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon, Las Vegas
Restaurant Guy Savoy, Las Vegas
Bib Gourmands
China Poblano, Las Vegas
Esther’s Kitchen, Las Vegas
YEN Viet Kitchen, Las Vegas
Michelin Recommended
Anima by EDO, Las Vegas
Bouchon, Las Vegas
COTE Las Vegas, Las Vegas
Estiatorio Milos, Las Vegas
Gymkhana, Las Vegas
Kabuto, Las Vegas
Kame Omakase, Las Vegas
Lamaii, Las Vegas
Michael Mina, Las Vegas
Mott 32, Las Vegas
Partage, Las Vegas
Pho Ga Bac Bac, Las Vegas
Ping Pang Pong, Las Vegas
Soulbelly BBQ, Las Vegas
Sparrow + Wolf, Las Vegas
Stubborn Seed, Las Vegas
Wing Lei, Las Vegas
New Mexico
Michelin Stars
None
Bib Gourmands
Frontier, Albuquerque
Jambo Cafe, Santa Fe
La Choza, Santa Fe
Paper Dosa, Santa Fe
Tia Sophia’s, Santa Fe
Michelin Recommended
Arroyo Vino, Santa Fe
Campo at Los Poblanos, Los Ranchos de Albuquerque
Izanami, Santa Fe
Joseph’s Culinary Pub, Santa Fe
Market Steer Steakhouse, Santa Fe
Paloma, Santa Fe
Restaurant Martín, Santa Fe
Utah
One Michelin Star
Monte, South Salt Lake
Bib Gourmands
Feldman’s Deli, Salt Lake City
One More Noodle House, South Salt Lake
Phở 777, West Valley City
Michelin Recommended
Handle, Park City
Koyote, Salt Lake City
Matilda, Park City
The Nelson Cottage by High West, Park City
Star of India, Salt Lake City
