On July 15, Michelin, the tire company and restaurant ratings powerhouse, released a list of 14 new additions to its New York restaurant guide, signaling which new restaurants the inspectors are liking — and earmarking for potential awards later this year.
Michelin’s additions, which are announced piecemeal throughout the year, join the existing New York guide alongside hundreds of other spots as “recommended” restaurants. Typically, inspectors have had good first impressions at these restaurants, and they are in the running to possibly be awarded Michelin’s more high-powered designations, like stars, later on.
First up, it’s no surprise that Kabawa, the Caribbean tasting menu spot from Momofuku vet Paul Carmichael, which has been snapping up accolades left and right since its spring debut, is on the list. “From its elegant dark green dining room with subtle regional references to its sophisticated three-course tasting menu, expect an elevated take on the tropics,” according to the inspectors.
Two Thai restaurants made the list, including Hungry Thirsty, the new Carroll Gardens spot run by a band of Ugly Baby veterans, and Glin Thai Bistro, a year-old restaurant in Fort Greene. Inspectors praise the latter restaurant for its “unique offerings using high-quality ingredients, all with a distinctively Thai look and feel.”
Other Brooklyn restaurants on the list include Red Hook’s Café Kestrel; Greenpoint’s Taqueria El Chato, from the crew behind the now-closed Mexican restaurant Aldama; Enso in Williamsburg, known for its traditional edomae-style omakase; 6 Restaurant, with its six-seat tasting counter and candid diner photos; and Mango Bay, the revamped Caribbean restaurant led by executive chef London Chase (whose resume includes stints at Essential by Christophe and Manhatta). Inspectors describe it as “the sort of place you want to go again and again with friends.” Plus, Bay Ridge Yemeni restaurant Yemenat won a spot on the list for dishes such as its well-executed lamb haneeth (braised lamb shoulder) and shakshoka Adeni (a Yemeni-style spin on shakshuka).
In Manhattan, inspectors were impressed by chef Jiho Kim’s West Village restaurant Joomak, the second iteration of his former one-Michelin-starred Koreatown spot Joomak Banjum. Adda, the relocated Indian restaurant from the high-flying Unapologetic Foods team (who are also behind the celebrated restaurants Semma and Dhamaka, among others), is on the list, as is Maison Passerelle, Portland chef Gregory Gourdet’s sparkling French restaurant inside downtown luxury department store Printemps. Papa San, the Peruvian and Japanese restaurant from acclaimed Llama San creators Juan Correa and Erik Ramirez, and Georgian debut Laliko, home to a formidable “mother dumpling,” round out the list.
The date for Michelin’s annual New York awards ceremony has not yet been announced, but it typically takes place towards the end of the year. (Last year, it was held in December.) These 14 restaurants, alongside the other nearly 400 spots in Michelin’s recommended New York restaurants list, will be up for the coveted stars and other award designations to be revealed at the ceremony.
