Nashville restaurants retain their Michelin stars
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Three Nashville restaurants maintained their status as culinary royalty on Wednesday with news that they kept their prestigious Michelin stars — Bastion, Catbird Seat and Locust.
- The ceremony was held in downtown Nashville at the Pinnacle.
Why it matters: From iconic eateries in Paris to BBQ joints in Texas, the Michelin star is the most coveted honor a restaurant can receive.
Dig in: Maiz de la Vida, the popular Mexican food restaurant in the Gulch that started as a taco truck outside a tiki bar, was named a Bib Gourmand, which is an award bestowed on eateries that deliver great food at great value.
- Maiz de la Vida boasts a lovable backstory. Chef Julio Hernandez and his wife pooled together their pandemic relief money to buy corn and a mill to make tortillas. Hernandez's leap of faith paid off, leading to his taco truck parked in front of Chopper Tiki in East Nashville.
- The Bib Gourmand is a well-earned honor for one of Nashville's culinary stars.
Zoom out: Michelin handed out three new stars to restaurants around the South at its ceremony Wednesday: Dakar NOLA in New Orleans, So. Fox in Atlanta and Uberto Restaurant in Gay, Georgia.
The intrigue: A wide range of Nashville restaurants also earned a spot on Michelin's 2026 recommended restaurants list: 5th & Taylor, Arnold's Country Kitchen, Cafe Roze, Folk, Hattie B's Hot Chicken, iggy's, International Market, Junior, Present Tense, Rolf and Daughters, Shotgun Willie's BBQ, and Tailor.
Flashback: Last year was the first time the Michelin guide included restaurants from Tennessee and other nearby Southern states.
- In addition to the Michelin star trio, last year's Bib Gourmand winners — Kisser, Peninsula, Redheaded Stranger, Sho Pizza, S.S. Gai, St. Vito Focacceria and Uzbegim — retained the distinction this year.
The bottom line: Michelin recognition attracts foodies from across the country.
- Bastion's Josh Habiger told the Tennessean his restaurant has been solid since winning a star last year.