Michelin Guide Florida Adds & Snubs Two New Disney World Restaurants for 2023
In its second year, the Michelin Guide Florida has added 8 new recommended restaurants in the Orlando and Tampa areas. This post covers the restaurants near Walt Disney World that received recognition, Bib Gourmand distinctions, or snubs from the tire taste-testing team. (Updated May 15, 2023.)
For those who are unfamiliar with it, yes, the Michelin Guide is by that Michelin–the tire company. The French founders produced a small red guide filled with information for travelers, including recommendations. The goal was to help France’s nascent automobile industry, and in turn boost car and tire sales.
Over 100 years later, the Michelin Guide has taken on a life of its own. The tire company’s anonymous inspectors now rate over 40,000 establishments in over 24 territories across 4 continents. The latest region to receive a Michelin Guide is Florida, joining California, New York, Washington D.C., and Chicago as the other other locations in the United States to have Michelin coverage.
Many travelers and food tourists now seek out Michelin-recognized restaurants, going out of their way to dine at far-flung locations, enduring lengthy lines or virtual queues, and tirelessly attempting to score reservations. We know this because we are Michelin devotees, and have done literally all of those things for Michelin meals.
We aren’t alone. Tourists are frequent fixtures of Michelin-recognized establishments, and restaurants proudly display their accolades to lure wandering patrons inside. For many restaurants, gaining recognition from Michelin is a game-changer and a huge boost for business.
This is precisely why Florida’s tourism boards paid Michelin $1.5 million to produce its Guide to Florida. Michelin recognition is good for local tourism, especially among the coveted higher-spending international visitors. (The Michelin Guide to Florida has been met with skepticism by some foodies because of this.)
Although that $1.5 million might seem like a conflict of interest or veiled advertorial, it’s for the state as a whole (or at least the cities of Miami, Tampa, and Orlando) rather than specific restaurants. Michelin’s inspectors are anonymous, pay their own way, and have no real conflicts of interest with any specific restaurants they review.
If you’re apprehensive that the Michelin Guide is a list of highfalutin haute cuisine for pretentious people, that’s only partially true. The most well-known aspect of the Michelin Guide is its star system, which honors the world’s best restaurants with one, two, or three stars.
Usually, these starred restaurants are expensive and unapproachable. But not always. We’ve had Michelin-starred ramen, pizza, dim sum, and greasy spoon cuisine. We’ve dined in the world’s least-expensive Michelin-starred restaurant (under $10 per person) and some fancier ones, Honestly, most Michelin-starred restaurants make me uncomfortable. I wouldn’t even bother with the high end ones in cities like Miami, Los Angeles, Paris, or Tokyo. In other regions, I’d be open to them on a case by case basis.
The sweet spot for us is Michelin’s Bib Gourmand award. This honors ‘good quality, good value restaurants’ and this list is universally approachable, including in the United States. Bib Gourmand award winners are those that deliver stellar quality at prices in line with the local cost of living.
They can feature inventive and innovative dishes, but the focus is usually on simpler meals. In other words, you leave the restaurant satisfied and full. We’ve dined at dozens of Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurants, and have literally never had a bad experience. To that point, if you’re traveling to California, New York, Chicago, or major international cities, we highly recommend downloading the Michelin app and using that to find Bib Gourmand restaurants near you.
With that explainer out of the way, let’s turn to the new-for-2023 Michelin-recognized restaurants at Walt Disney World, along with what the guide had to say about each, followed by our commentary on the suggestions and snubs made by the Michelin Guide…
Toledo – “Situated on the 16th floor of Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, Toledo is quite the looker with lofty ceilings in bold colors and geometric tiled floors. Nab a table by the glass wall and you’ll have a bird’s eye view of the Epcot fireworks. Meanwhile, on the tables Spanish cuisine takes center stage.”
“Tapas kick things off, and pan con tomate is a natural choice. Meat-forward mains include several steak options, as well as a ribeye for two, but the Rioja-braised chicken makes a compelling argument for choosing a different route. End on a sweet note with café con leche, a chocolate choux pastry filled with chocolate and coffee cream. Though certainly not inexpensive, Toledo packs less of a punch to the wallet than other Disney restaurants.”
Victoria & Albert’s – “Nestled within Disney’s crown jewel, the Grand Floridian Resort, this restaurant, with its plush carpeting and live harpist fits the part (is that “Part of Your World?” Why, yes, it is.). While it evokes a garden, its Victorian design keeps things grand. Reservations require patience to snag, but stay the course and you’ll be rewarded with white-glove service.
Chef Matthew Sowers’s tasting menus spotlight contemporary cooking with global touches and definitive Asian leanings. You may enjoy the likes of Danish hiramasa, a bright take on a Peruvian ceviche enhanced with Okinawa sweet potatoes or seared Colorado bison over a house made granola comprised of amaranth, cranberries and rolled oats and sided by a maple-glazed turnip and sweet potato purée.”
May 15, 2023 Update: After initial confusion due to conflicting info on two different announcement press releases, Michelin held its Florida awards ceremony and announced all of the restaurants in Miami, Tampa, and Orlando receiving Stars.
Victoria & Albert’s was not among the Star recipients. This is despite the aforementioned recognition, which indicates that Victoria & Albert’s was eligible for consideration despite only being open for a portion of last year.
In terms of commentary, it’s fantastic to see Toledo earning recognition. We’ve recommended this restaurant repeatedly since it opened as a location that punches above its weight, offering great value-for-money by Walt Disney World standards and being an easier-to-book Advance Dining Reservation.
That might change to some degree due to the Michelin recognition, but Toledo’s out-of-the-way location in Gran Destino Tower (accessible only by bus or car) will prevent it from seeing California Grill or in-park levels of popularity. It should remain a hidden gem, but a slightly more popular one and with an even more food-centric audience, which should be an asset.
Many Walt Disney World fans, including us, assumed that Victoria & Albert’s would receive at least one-star status from the Michelin Guide. Given the effort put into the restaurant refresh and new menu that’s significantly more expensive, they were clearly aiming for Michelin-star status.
With V&A’s not being awarded a Star, I wonder if this will hurt future bookings among foodies. Why pay all that money for the status symbol restaurant lacking the status symbol? That’s especially true when four Orlando restaurants do have one Michelin star (Soseki, Kadence, Capa at Four Seasons Orlando, and Knife & Spoon at the Ritz-Carlton Orlando Grande Lakes).
The other snubs are both in World Showcase at EPCOT. Takumi-Tei in the Japan pavilion and Monsieur Paul in the France pavilion. Both of these restaurants also reopened last year, and debuted significantly more expensive prix fixe menus in the process. Given that and their cuisine caliber pre-closure, we assumed that they had elevated their quality even further in the hope of receiving recognition from the Michelin Guide to Florida.
Instead, they don’t even gain ‘recommended restaurant’ status. With both of these, it’s possible that they reopened too late last year for consideration. It’s also possible that Michelin did not even consider them since both require theme park admission. (In Europe and Japan, there are recognized restaurants inside temples and museums that do require admission–but that’s a few dollars as compared to over $100.)
Even as we’re disappointed by the astronomical price increases at these two locations, they’re still deserving of accolades. It’d be disappointing if they were actually snubbed. (Then again, maybe it’ll help bring their prices back to reality.)
Other Central Florida restaurants once again received 2023 Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand recognition: Bombay Street Kitchen, Domu, Papa Llama, the Ravenous Pig, the Strand, Swine & Sons, and Z Asian Vietnamese Kitchen. Domu was highlighted in our List of Great Restaurants Near Walt Disney World, as were a handful of Michelin’s recommended locations.
There are no Bib Gourmand restaurants at Walt Disney World; none would be eligible for that award since none of them offer good value for money. There are plenty that offer good value by Disney standards, but none that are both commensurate quality and value by real world standards.
When it comes to Walt Disney World owned locations, the other recognized restaurants for 2023 once again are Citricos at the Grand Floridian and California Grill at Contemporary Resort. The former obviously merits inclusion, whereas I might question the latter with the new prix fixe menu, even though we enjoyed that.
Elsewhere on site at Walt Disney World, the Polite Pig and Morimoto Asia made the list at Disney Springs. Then there’s Sear + Sea at JW Marriott Bonnet Creek and Four Flamingos, A Richard Blais Florida Kitchen at Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress.
Visit the official website to browse all 135 restaurants featured in the 2023 Florida Michelin Guide.
Ultimately, it’s nice to see the 2023 Michelin Guide to Florida featuring two new locations at Walt Disney World, and we’re really happy for the team at Toledo on this very well-deserved recognition. The snubs, on the other hand, are slightly surprising and disappointing. Granted, we haven’t dined at Victoria & Albert’s since reopening, but it not being starred is shocking.
It’ll be fascinating to see how this impacts the Walt Disney World culinary scene. The company loves recognition (there’s even an “Awards & Accolades” page on the Disney Parks Blog), and even touts meaningless ones like those from 10Best and random readers’ choice awards. Michelin is the opposite of meaningless, so perhaps Disney will give its culinary teams the resources and encouragement necessary for restaurants to be recognized. It’ll also be interesting to see whether this dampens demand for Victoria & Albert’s and the World Showcase standouts.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
Your Thoughts
Are you excited to dine at some of the restaurants recognized by 2023 Michelin Guide Florida or is this not your scene? Hopeful that more Walt Disney World restaurants make the lists in future years? Think any restaurants were snubbed by the tire team in their inaugural edition? Do you agree or disagree with our assessments? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback—even when you disagree with us—is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
My previous comments suddenly disappeared and to that end I will keep this reply brief. Perhaps those who critique restaurants and chefs gave pause to all restaurants that could have received special designation, moved to a tasting menu only. I just recently dined at V&A. It was a special experience on multiple levels. Perhaps more important regardless of special recognition given or not, V&A provided a memory I will never forget.
We ate at M. Paul’s for the first time this fall, and while the service was great, the food was…okay. For that price, we won’t be going back. But it really really made me wish that I’d been able to get a table at V&A instead. (We’ve only been able to score a table there once in 15 years).
Not a Disney restaurant, but was glad to see the Columbia restaurant in Tampa make the Michelin guide.
I still don’t know why people feel Disney “deserves” anything. Truth is, only V&A’s would merit one star. All others are too inconsistent to be even be considered. Every place I’ve been is hit or miss, despite their lofty aspirations and prices.
Columbia is a no-brainer: traditional, classic, consistently delivers.
With the Monsieur Paul and Takumi Tei snubs, are you sure they weren’t snubbed because of their poor value for money? My understanding is that, at every level except the very top, Michelin takes this into account as a factor.
Why do people keep using the word “snub,” as if these places are owed something? Just because they aspire to “greatness,” they still offer a standardized set menu which rarely changes. Price doesn’t equal greatness, nor does competent cooking is automatically supposed to be vaulted to the Best category. The truth is, M. Paul is delivering the same decent but not superlative product for $200 that they used to deliver for around $90.
I’ve eaten at three-star (and two-star, which sometimes, depending on the meal, surpass the threes!) places all over the world, both during my CIA days and in the several decades since. V&A’s certainly offers a superlative (for Disney) experience, but I’ve found it consistently stilted to a fault, and trying just a bit too hard. I never, in several visits over the years, felt the “warmth” of the unique experience that other restaurants, in the league they’re aspiring to share, put forth with little more than the sheer passion of their convictions. Maybe they’re trying to tread a fine line between pleasing both the FOMO filet-and-chicken breast (and no fish!) crowd and the serious gastronomes. Certainly, if these Michelin judges know anything about true fine dining (and maybe that is even that’s questionable with those here in the States) they must’ve felt this as well. I can totally understand the lack of stars for V&A’s. After all, aspiring to is not the same as actually earning.
I’ve been hoping to snag a V&A reservation for our honeymoon in September, so fingers crossed this doesn’t make it even more difficult to get in there.
In terms of Toledo, I’ll be honest I’m a little “huh?” with that one. We usually eat there during CSR stays, but that’s just out of convenience, because we like the atmosphere, and because we think it’s solid (but definitely not amazing). The first time we even got a free appetizer because they brought us someone else’s, and once they left it on the table they couldn’t give it to them so just let us have it. I don’t think we even finished it because while good, it wasn’t worth ruining our appetites for the rest of the meal. Honestly, I prefer Three Bridges. But I’ve only ever ordered steak entrees at Toledo, so the Michelin blurb has me intrigued by the chicken. I think I’ll try that next time.
Where’s the love for Chicken Guy?!?!?
(Since I haven’t re-installed the sarcasm font on my new computer, let me state clearly here that the Chicken Guy recommendation was said with tongue firmly planted in cheek)
On topic, a good reviewer with excellent taste in other people’s cooking at their restaurants.
What people are forgetting about Michelin is that they don’t rate based on other places in town, rather, by their own standards. So if V&As was to get three stars, it would be in the same company at Taillevent and Joel Rubichon in Paris. And it isn’t. More often than not, in cities like Orlando, it’s the small local places that do things right that earn a star, rarely more; it’s far more common for places to get a mention as unique. Their meanings:
One star: A very good restaurant in its category.
Two stars: Excellent cooking, worth a detour.
Three stars: Exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey.
Criteria for stars:
Quality of products
Mastery of flavor and cooking techniques
The personality of the chef represented in the dining experience
Value for money
Consistency between inspectors’ visits
Quick – who can name the chef of M. Paul or Takumi Tei off the top of their head? And what their “personality” is?
“What people are forgetting about Michelin is that they don’t rate based on other places in town, rather, by their own standards.”
I know this is what Michelin claims…but do you really believe it?
My assumption is that Michelin inspectors actually cover various regions, perhaps deviating from that a bit for the sake of variety and experience. But they’re not jetsetting all over the globe with regularity; it would be cost-prohibitive. For those reasons and others, I would imagine that the Michelin Guide to Florida is relative to restaurants in its region or only the United States (it’s probably also graded on a curve).
I would expect that much more attention and consideration is given to the 3-star restaurants (those NOT being graded on a curve), and would not expect V&A’s to receive that distinction as a result. But one star? That’s entirely reasonable and appropriate.
George, interestingly enough, I CAN name at least the past three Chefs de Cusine at V&A, the Matire de Hotel, the Sommelier and some of the long term staff as well as that of Narcoosee’s. One visit does not the “personality” of a chef or a restaurant define. IMO, V&A is worth two stars. Perhaps some people don’t know how to experience what V&A has to offer. And almost everything about dining is subjective. There was a point many years ago, when V & A increased the size of their portions and lowered the quality and presentation of their food, doubtless in response to some who felt that they weren’t getting “value” for their money, probably defining “value” as a doggy bag at meal’s end. If you want the full experience and value of fine dining, you have to participate in more than just consuming a meal.
You also have to remember that the Michelin guide isn’t just reviewing cuisine, it also takes quality of service into account. And they don’t just come once; they go on a few different nights to check consistency of both service and cuisine. If any of the mentioned restaurants ends up “snubbed” when the 2023 Michelin stars are announced next month, I could see uneven service being the thing that held them back. (Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe Tom prefaces most of his restaurant reviews with a caveat about ignoring service because he has seen it vary so wildly at the same location.)
“I believe Tom prefaces most of his restaurant reviews with a caveat about ignoring service because he has seen it vary so wildly at the same location.”
You are correct.
Takumi-Tei and Victoria & Albert’s are two restaurants that, in both our experience and what we’ve heard from others, offer superlative service. Monsieur Paul offers good service by French standards, which some Americans may not appreciate (but it clearly doesn’t hold back actual restaurants in France from Michelin recognition).
This may be veering a bit off topic but what do you see as the difference between American and French service standards? Maybe I’m not a “typical” American but when I was in Paris last fall I did not notice an appreciable difference between the service I got there versus what I get here in the US. I even dined at a (one star) Michelin restaurant in Paris and would rank that right up there with any service I’ve received at a US restaurant.
We (wife, 22 year old son, and myself) ate at Victoria and Alberts November 2022 and had a wonderful time. The food was amazing and the service was outstanding. We tried the non-alcohol drink pairings and they were very good, truly unique. It really was an experience that we will never forget. One way to think about the cost of it is to compare to the cost of visiting one of the parks for a day, it is that much of an experience, not just going there to eat, felt like royalty. We are not ones to seek out award winning restaurants so I don’t really have a frame of reference for it other than signature service restaurants at Disney World and a few in the real world.
I am putting Toledo on the list for our next trip. Looks like it is worth the extra travel.
Michelin has some nerve rating restaurants and looking down their nose at Disney. Have you tried their tires? Overpriced, tasteless and chewy.
Mickey1928, you are my favorite Touristblog commenter!! I always savor your wit and wisdom!!!
V and A should have a star it’s a crime it didn’t get one yet. There is no other like it in Orlando
Yes it’s expensive but I challenge. Any other experience. Obviously the raters didn’t have the non alcohol pairing
The non-alcohol pairing is great! One of our party had it and was more than pleased! As for the meal, we just asked Chef and Israel, whom weve known for many years, to bring us samplings of their culinary choosing and left the rest up to them. The evening was, as usual, memorable in all aspects! I believe the entire meal ended up 14 “courses” but, given the total time for the meal and its presentation, it never ends up to be too much food.
Takumi-Tei is the best restaurant in Walt Disney World.
“enduring lengthy lines or virtual queues, and tirelessly attempting to score reservations”
sounds like a typical Disney day 🙂
Hard to fathom that they haven’t given Bull & Bear at the Waldorf a star yet. It’s far better than any of the Disney restaurants.
In a firm believer in “let people enjoy things” so I’m trying to cautiously word my thoughts here. Very often Michelin Star-type restaurants make me think of The Menu (one of my favorite 2022 movies). I’ve eaten at a few less pretentious ones with great food, but I’ve also eaten at countless unrecognized restaurants with just as good food. Anyway, this stuff doesn’t get me worked up. I just hope Disney focuses on good food and experiences, and then lets the dice fall where they may.
LOL! The Menu is a fantastic film.
For me, it’s not just the pretentiousness, but also that there are diminishing returns. There’s a good chance I won’t be able to ascertain much of a difference in taste between an excellent $80pp meal and a $250pp meal. But I will be able to tell the difference in cost!
I wonder if Takumi Tei and Monsieur Paul didn’t qualify because they’re actually in the parks? And the ordinary dining public wouldn’t be able to secure a reservation without a park ticket?
That’s a good point. There are Michelin-recognized restaurants in Japan and Europe in temples and museums, including some that aren’t accessible without paying admission, so I assumed the same would be true here. Of course, there’s a big price difference between those admission costs and EPCOT’s–and each guide could have different standards for consideration.
We ate at V&A’s Chef’s Table on Valentine’s Day this year. As frequent V&A diners ever since its soft opening and back when the wait staff were all called Victoria and Albert as well as being many time Chef’s Table denizens, I can confidently state that, based on our most recent dining experience, they haven’t lost anything in any way since the pre-covid days. Michelin is VERY wrong with this snub. Chef Matthew and his crew offered a worthy repast, both in quality, selection and presentation. The wine list is still first rate! Michelin badly needs to revisit and reevaluate. I’ve now lost much of my past respect for their opinions! We will be going back to V&A’s in May and are eagerly anticipating the meal, the service and the company of the staff, many of whom we have known for decades!
Thanks for sharing your recent experience with V&A’s!
As for losing respect for the Michelin Guide, sounds like you might want to hold off on that for another month–see the comment before yours.
V&A may get Star status in May.
From the Miami Herald:
“Some of these restaurants might later be awarded stars or Bib Gourmands (which are awarded to restaurants that provide a good bargain). Right now, the new spots are simply designated as “new” in the guide as a way of highlighting them, according to Gwendal Poullennec, International Director of the Michelin Guides.
The 2023 Michelin Guide, which could include new stars and Bib Gourmands for Miami, Orlando and Tampa, will be announced on May 11 in Miami at loanDepot park.”
Thanks for the heads up on that! Makes me glad that at least I qualified my commentary with “unless it’s an oversight on the press release and restaurant page…”
Probably should add a bit more to that. I thought it was odd that none of the new restaurants had star or Bib Gourmand status, but only a minority of the Florida restaurants do. Would’ve been nice if the press release indicated as much.
I’ve found that many people only want the “status symbol” tables just BECAUSE they have the status symbol. Never mind that the Michelin guide in the US is largely superfluous, the places in question only having been visited once by only a handful of people rating restaurants in the entire US. It’s largely a pay-to-play guide, considered important (at least in the US) only by the FOMO set. To wit: http://www.eatinglv.com/2019/03/michelin-guides-are-bullshit/
That article just seems unnecessarily angry. Like they uncovered this massive scam and are exposing it to the public, but in reality, they’re the ones learning how the world works for the first time, and it shattered their preconceptions. It reminds me a bit of the faux outrage about the government supporting Top Gun. How else do people think things like this work?
How does Michelin conceivably afford to send testers to restaurants if not with the support of tourism boards? There’s no way they sell enough guides for that, and their internet presence is not monetized. Personally, I’ll take tourism boards and states paying-to-play over individual restaurants doing so. So long as the latter is not the accusation, I’m perfectly fine with this.