PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia’s restaurant community holds its breath Tuesday as it awaits the announcement of which of its own will be recognized by the world-famous Michelin Guide.
Michelin is unveiling its 2025 Northeast Cities Guide, which for the first time includes Philadelphia and Boston, in a ceremony at the Kimmel Center Tuesday night.
It represents long-awaited recognition for a food scene that Philadelphians have long known is among the world’s best, said Temple University hospitality professor Lu Lu.
“From the chef’s perspective, having a Michelin star, you expect a flood of tourists coming in,” Lu explained. “More traffic, higher spend — consumers are willing to spend more.”
Which, if any, local restaurants will receive one, two, or three stars remains a closely guarded secret until the 7 p.m. ceremony. Anonymous Michelin inspectors have been visiting Philly’s finest since the spring, looking for restaurants that fit their standards across several categories: quality, technique, value, consistency and how the chef’s personality is reflected in the cuisine.
Gregg Caren, president and CEO of the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau, said the impacts will benefit the whole city as it takes center stage for 2026’s festivities celebrating the United States’ 250th birthday.
“That has a huge, huge value to international tourists and meetings and conventions,” he said. “They’ve done research at Michelin and shown that people will actually spend more time and more money in a destination because of Michelin recommendations than they might otherwise spend.”
Lu agreed.
“We will see spillover effects in the neighborhood around,” she said, though she acknowledged there can be a downside for locals in increased prices and reduced availability.
Heading into the ceremony, there are 276 Michelin-starred restaurants in the United States. Michelin first entered the U.S. with a New York guide in 2005, adding guides for California, Chicago, Atlanta, and more in the two decades since.